ANELE MANANA
There is massive action every year for UP’s squash ladies when they compete in the two-week long National Squash Associations Blitz League tournament, in preparation for the new season league. This year, two UP ladies’ teams were entered into the tournament into two different pools to fight for the throne as league champions.
UP-Tuks 1, consisting of Megan Page, Hannelize Human, Mariska Wiese and Tayla Diepenbroek, kick-started their tournament on 30 January with a comfortable win over Pretoria Country Club (PCC) 12-1. They later played Harlequins where they ended up 7-7 in games, but unfortunately lost the match by four points. The four-women team finished second in their pool, while UP-Tuks 2 finished top of their pool, forcing the first team to face their own as opposition in the cross-over (semi-final).
The Harlequins managed to safely secure their spot in the final, while the second semi-final was an interesting game to watch. Teams from the same corner had to go head to head to secure the last spot in the final. However, in a quest to redeem themselves for the prior loss they had suffered, it was UP’s first team who emerged victorious, triumphing over the second team (9-4).
UP-Tuks 1 had a fantastic start to the final match when number 4 went up (3-0), followed by a win by number 3 to double their lead. Number 2 suffered an injury in the first hand and unfortunately had to forfeit the match. Number 1 fell short, losing 3-0 in her match.
It was a very tight fight to the finish, but it was the Harlequins who came out victorious in the end. UP-Tuks 1 ended up losing 7-6 in games, in what one could describe as a nail-biting final. They were placed second overall in the tournament.
UP female squash number one, Megan Page, told Perdeby that they were initially excited to make the final because they had a chance to redeem themselves from losing against the Harlequins. She also said that she was very excited for the upcoming season as she and her team have put in a lot of preparation for this season, and she believes that they have an amazing squash team to assist them in achieving their goals and bringing home the gold.
Additionally, she said that after suffering an injury which had her side-lined for a while, she is determined to have a great season this year.
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