Mossel Bay – The 66th edition of the Growthpoint Jarvis-Kaplan Cup Interprovincial squash tournament is set for a blockbuster finale as Capital Fruit SA Country Districts (SACD) and Northerns battle for both the men’s and women’s titles in Mossel Bay on Friday.
Proceedings begin at 8am on the all-glass showcourt in the Mossel Bay Town Hall, where defending champions Capital Fruit SACD A take on top-seeded Northerns in the women’s Kaplan Cup decider.
Attention will then switch to the men’s Jarvis Cup at noon, where five-time defending champions SACD face second seeds Northerns in a winner-takes-all showdown.
Both teams head into the deciders with unbeaten records, setting the stage for two compelling contests as provincial supremacy goes on the line.
The final-day match-ups were confirmed after another day of high-quality squash on Thursday.
Although several ties were fiercely contested, the leading teams once again showed their class to preserve their unbeaten records.
In the men’s Jarvis Cup, SACD A dropped their first points of the tournament when Western Province A’s Brett McLachlan edged Gareth Craigen in a gripping five-game encounter.
It was one of those matches in which neither player deserved to lose, with both displaying the determination and fighting spirit that have become hallmarks of South Africa’s premier domestic team competition.
McLachlan’s persistence ultimately proved decisive as he forced an error from Craigen with a tight backhand drive down the wall to clinch a dramatic 16-14 victory in the fifth game.
Northerns A also surrendered their first points of the week in the women’s Kaplan Cup when Lara Patrick was beaten in five games by Joburg Squash A’s Elske Garbers.
After trailing 2-1, Patrick showed tremendous resolve to level the match by taking the fourth game 11-6, but Garbers held her nerve to claim the decider 11-7.
The clash between the teams’ No 1 players again produced one of the highlights of the day as Northerns ace Helena Hudson renewed her growing rivalry with Joburg’s Teagan Russell.
Russell looked to have the upper hand after opening up a 2-1 lead, but Hudson once again demonstrated the resilience that has characterised her season, battling back to win in five games and secure an overall 19-5 victory for Northerns.
Thursday’s results were:
Women’s Kaplan Cup
Capital Fruit SACD A bt WP A 20-2 (SACD A first): Lizelle Muller bt Kim McDonald 3-1 (11-7 11-3 9-11 11-8), Alexa Pienaar bt Katie Mayhew 3-0 (12-10 11-7 11-6), Keschia Schlebusch bt Cassandra Erasmus 3-1 (11-4 5-11 11-6 11-4), Bianke Pienaar bt Bianca Besener 3-0 (11-3 11-9 11-2), Chante Leppan bt Nicole Gliddon 3-0 (11-4 11-4 11-9).
Northerns A bt Joburg Squash A 19-5 (Northerns A first): Helena Hudson bt Teagan Russell 3-2 (11-9 8-11 9-11 11-5 11-8), Lara Patrick lost to Elske Garbers 3-2 (5-11 11-1 12-10 6-11 11-7), Starla Phillips bt Gill van Vlaanderen 3-0 (11-6 11-4 11-8), Kaylee Hunt bt Kate Rowe 3-0 (11-9 11-6 11-6), Jordin Phillips bt Melissa Martins 3-0 (11-4 11-3 11-0).
Latest log (matches in brackets): Capital Fruit SACD A 60 (3), Northerns A 59 (3), Joburg Squash A 32 (4), WP A 18 (3), Capital Fruit SACD B 9 (3).
Men’s Jarvis Cup
Northerns A bt Joburg Squash A 20-0 (Northerns A first): Damian Groenewald bt John Anderson 3-0 (11-3 11-4 11-6), Luhann Groenewald bt Ethan Robinson 3-0 (11-0 11-6 11-6), Judah Phillips bt Christo Potgieter 3-0 (11-7 12-10 11-6), Jarrod Cousins bt Jordan Wilkinson 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-4), Connor Earl bt Amukelani Zitha 3-0 (11-5 11-6 11-8).
Capital Fruit SACD A bt WP A 19-3 (SACD A first): Dewald van Niekerk bt Ruan Olivier 3-0 (11-7 11-7 11-2), Reuel Videler bt Devon Osborne 3-0 (11-9 16-14 14-12), JP Brits bt Mighael Lombard 3-0 (11-8 11-5 12-10), Gareth Craigen lost to Brett Mclachlan 3-2 (11-13 11-9 1-11 11-9 16-14), Rudi van Niekerk bt Daniel Cloete 3-0 (11-9 11-8 11-6).
Eastern Province A bt Capital Fruit SACD B 18-5 (EP A first): Dean Venter bt Jonty Matthys 3-0 (11-7 11-2 11-9), Gerard Mitchell bt Christian Swanepoel 3-0 (12-10 11-4 11-2), Lawrence Kuhn bt Luke van Vuuren 3-1 (11-2 8-11 11-8 11-7), Siphelele Mpini lost to Alwyn Venter 3-1 (11-7 4-11 11-7 11-9), Thomas Southway bt Etienne Schutte 3-1 (5-11 11-3 11-9 11-7).
Log after four rounds: Northerns A 80, Capital Fruit SACD A 79, EP A 38, WP A 36, Joburg Squash A 33, Capital Fruit SACD B 9.
The A section teams are:
Women: 1 Northerns A, 2 Capital Fruit SACD A, 3 Joburg Squash A, 4 Western Province A, 5 Capital Fruit SACD B.
Men: 1 Capital Fruit SACD A, 2 Northerns A, 3 Western Province A, 4 Joburg Squash A, 5 Eastern Province A, 6 Capital Fruit SACD B.
