Wanganui's defending champion Rod Bannister will be the No1 seed in the men's 45-49 age group at the Property Brokers NZ Masters Squash champs in Palmerston North this weekend.
Since entering the masters nationals in 2011, Bannister has been victorious on both sides of the Tasman winning the 2011New Zealand title and both the 2013 Kiwi and Australian crowns, after overseas business commitments made him unavailable in 2012.
He has been busy in 2014, coming third at the Central Squash Open in New Plymouth, winning regional open events, and being the linchpin for his Doyle & Associates Accountants team in the Inspire Net Premier Squash series. Other tournaments saw the final rounds of the Premier series delayed, with the last round tomorrow and the finals next Thursday.
For the NZ Masters, Bannister's toughest competition will be Palmerston North's McSherry, the No2 seed and his over 35s national doubles partner, along with Canterbury's Grant Craig, the No4 seed who Bannister should meet in the semifinals.
Bannister said while it has been a tough nine-month season and he is carrying a few niggly injuries, he is motivated with the national title on the line.
Looking ahead to next season, he plans to be part of the New Zealand Masters team's test series with Australia in Napier, but before that will be focusing on his coaching role with the Wanganui cricket team this summer.
