Squash: Kiwi Games hopes in quality line up

Joelle King will be one of three members of New Zealand's Commonwealth Games team in action at the Havelock North Open this weekend. Photo/File

World No4 and Kiwi No1 Joelle King will spearhead a star-studded assault on the Havelock North Squash Open this weekend.

Waikato's King, 25, will be one of three members of the eight-strong New Zealand Commonwealth Games team announced yesterday playing in the 100-player event which is also a New Zealand Super 8 and Professional Squash Association tournament.

King will join Kiwi No2 Martin Knight and Kiwi No4 Lance Beddoes in a 15-strong men's open draw which features 14 A graders.

"It's the strongest draw in Squash Eastern's history by far," tournament director Dean Remihana said.

For all three New Zealand reps it will be their first tournament since the Commonwealth Games team was announced and King's first outing since her quarterfinal exit at the weekend's British Open. Top seed and world No48 Knight of Auckland has a first round bye and will meet the eighth seeded King on Saturday if she beats Melbourne-based Hawera A2 grader Ross Hewitt on Friday.

Hewitt reached the final of the recent Hawera Open and was beaten by New Zealand Masters champion Rod Bannister of Wanganui.

"With the likes of King, Knight and Beddoes we're expecting packed galleries every time they take the court," Remihana said.

King, 25, is expecting a tough encounter against the ninth seeded Hewitt in her first visit to the Bay since her early days on the national junior circuit.

However, should she come up against Knight, her mixed doubles partner at the 2010 Commonwealth Games when they won silver, she won't be short of knowledge on him.

"We were flatmates when we were living in Canada and being coached by Glen Wilson. He is like a brother to me so it will be pretty nice to play against him if I get the opportunity," King said last night.

Despite returning from Britain on Monday, King said she won't be able to use jetlag and time zone changes as excuses for any on court fatigue in Havelock.

"The time change is so different it won't be too bad. It's better than a two-hour difference."

She said consistency will be her biggest work on in the wake of her four-set loss to England's Alison Waters at the British Open.

"It's not panic stations time yet. We are all strong and fit and sometimes one of us will turn up better than the other on the day ... I just have to try and become more consistent."

King, who also won a gold medal in the doubles at Delhi in 2010 will play in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles in Glasgow from July 23-August 3. She will play in the mixed doubles with world No48 Knight and the doubles with world No43 Amanda Landers-Murphy of Bay of Plenty.

Other members of the Kiwi squash team for Glasgow are world No42 Megan Craig of Canterbury and world No55 Kylie Lindsay of Waikato in the women, Kiwi No1 and world No42 Campbell Grayson of Auckland and world No87 Paul Coll of Canterbury in the men.