Club blown away by entries in Anzac tourney

Rod Bannister

The annual Anzac Wanganui Squash Open has attracted record entries for the two-day tournament this weekend.

Wanganui Squash Club media liaison Rod Bannister said he was blown away by the 100 entries with players coming from Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, South Taranaki, Auckland, Wellington, Hawkes Bay and locally.

"We have six full men's and women's draws consisting of A grade players right through to F grade with locals playing their first round matches on Thursday night," he said yesterday.

"The success comes down to a strong marketing presence through social media and a designated tournament crew led by former top New Zealand woman's player and Stirling Sports owner Paula Darlington."

Bannister said 100 entries was a novelty in a provincial open tournament. "We have only one player in the event out of the Squash Gym Club in Palmerston North, the district's most populated squash club. The Wanganui club is excited about hosting so many out of towners and we plan to ensure they have a great squash experience while enjoying our wonderful city at the same time.

"We see this as a new beginning and something we are planning to build on across many areas of the club going forward."

The men's open draw is headed by A grader and former professional and Central Districts men's representative, Joseph Watts, who is based out of Feilding. Top former world-ranked New Plymouth-based A1 NZ rep Tamsyn Leevey, is No2 seed in the men's open. Once ranked 24th woman in the world, she is also entered in the women's division. Local players to watch include James Van Kerkoff, the B graded Cullinane College student who represented Squash Central at senior men's level. He is seeded No5 in the men's open draw.

The popular tournament comes off the back of the new upgrade and refurbishment of the upstairs lounge area at the club that Bannister claims to be a game changer for the sport in the city.

"On top of this there's new energy, expertise and focus at the club with a brand new leadership committee led by local businessman Tony Sanson," Bannister said.

This weekend's tournament has strong sponsorship support from The Storage Shed, Alarm Watch, Moore Law and Shane Stone Builders.

Entry for the event is free for supporters and finishes on Saturday evening at the Wanganui Squash Club on Bassett St.