Squash: Geyser teams bag a double

Geyser City player Craig Morrison was in action at the weekend during the B grade men's teams event in Rotorua. Photo / Stephen Parker

While squash is best known as an individual sport, the Geyser City Squash Club have teamed up in a bid to claim Bay of Plenty titles.

Team events were held all over the Bay of Plenty at the weekend, pitting squash clubs against one another in different grades. The winning team in each grade at the weekend earned the right to represent the Bay at the nationals in September.

Geyser had two victorious teams including their C grade men's lineup, who won the C grade men's tournament in Mount Maunganui, and their D grade ladies team who also won their event in Katikati.

"If you get through the regionals you get to go to the nationals and that is in about six weeks' time," Geyser player Craig Morrison said.

Morrison said it was a good opportunity to play in a team setting: "Squash is very much an individual sport and this is as close as you get to playing in a team so it is good camaraderie."

He said you really wanted to play well when playing in a team setting, because you don't want to let your teammates down.

Morrison was part of the Geyser B grade men's team who played at home on Saturday in the B grade men's tournament held at Geyser. The Devoy club from Tauranga won that tournament yesterday ahead of Whakatane.

Captain of the Geyser B grade team, Denis Todd, said it was the first time in a while that Geyser had been able to field a B grade men's side, which consists of at least five players who are up to that level.

"It is the first time in about three years we have had a B grade team," he said.

Todd said the side were ranked quite low going into the tournament at the weekend and were rapt to get a first up win over Te Puke.

"We are going way better than we thought, we just did not want to be the wooden spooners."

The format of the weekend's team events saw teams of five play each other. Matches were held one at a time.