New Zealand Secondary Schools Squash Championships

During Week 2 of Term 3, the School’s Premier Squash team (consisting of Form 4 students, E. V. Flynn and A. C. Parker, Form 5 students F. L. Goodson and J. M. Jones, Form 6 students A. H. K. Manivannan and N. Z. Thomas and captain A. S. Fatialofa) competed at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Squash Championships. Held in Auckland, the tournament included a total of 32 boys teams in the main draw.

The tournament consists of five rounds of play and Grammar began with 5-0 wins over Macleans College and Cullinane College and a 4-1 quarter-final win over sixth-placed Westlake Boys High School.

The fourth round was against second seed Marlborough Boys College. The Premier team produced some superb squash under intense pressure to win 3-2, not only advancing their seeding, but claiming a place in the final.

The final was against top seeds Whangarei Boys High School. In a close encounter, Grammar lost by a margin of 2-3, thus finishing second in New Zealand.

At the prizegiving ceremony, E. V. Flynn was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Junior Squash Team and N. Z. Thomas was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Senior Squash Team. Both teams will play full tests against their Australian equivalents in two weeks’ time.

Captain of Squash A. S. Fatialofa was not available for selection as he is in France representing New Zealand at the World Federation Junior Squash Championships.

Congratulations to the team and to Mr Simon Lassche, the team’s manager, for his ongoing guidance and support.