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Swakopmund — The SFC Squash Club won the Trustco National Club Championships, held at the SFC Club over the weekend of 28 - 30 August, in a Hollywood tale of little heroes becoming giant warriors.

A year ago the SFC barely scraped a team together and narrowly avoided last place in the prestigious Club Championships - the Namibian version of an inter-provincial tournament. This year the SFC hosted the tournament, entered four teams, won the Men’s event and hoisted the Overall Winner’s trophy.

But it wasn’t easy. Buccaneers (Walvis Bay) and Wanderers (Windhoek) both had formidable Men’s and Women’s teams. With top national players, Tyc Kakehongo, Andrew Forrest, Jacques Steenkamp and Angelo Titus heading their teams and greater depth, the final result was far from certain.

By mid-tournament on Saturday afternoon, just six points separated the top three teams as they all prepared to go head to head. The first clash was between Buccaneers and Wanderers. A humdinger 5-setter between young and upcoming Andrew Forest and Jaco de Witt set the stage, de Witt’s experience showing in the fifth. Immanuel Amarongo pushed the lead beating Dries Tredoux in 3 and Gerdus hauled back the points with a 3-1 win over Trevor Grane. Angelo Titus and Jacques Steenkamp then wrapped up the match with decisive 3-0 victories against Archie Botha and Tyc Kakehongo whose hold on his national ranking of 2 is being threatened by a rapidly improving Steenkamp.

SFC then faced Wanderers, both teams now with a deficit against Buccaneers. Frikkie Orban wobbled in the second but finished strong with a 3-1 win over Andrew Forrest; Luke Allen kept the upper hand against Dries Tredoux with a 3-0 win; Gerdus Louwrens, a strong 5, steadied the Wanderers ship with an emphatic 3-0 win over Conrad Wagner. David Rowett, playing at 2, clinched the fixture with a clinical 3-0 over Archie Botha. It remained for Ian Rowett to tie up the loose end with a 3-0 win over Tyc Kakehongo dashing Wanderer’s hopes of victory.

On the final day, SFC were just 2 points ahead of Buccaneers. Tension was high with the two coastal towns sharing a healthy rivalry. Two of Namibia’s most talented and crafty players were first up: Frik Orban met Jaco de Witt. Both used an array of shots in an entertaining display of skill, Orban having just enough speed and stamina to outplay his senior craftsmen 3-1. Luke Allen, having the tournament of his life, drilled the fast improving Immanuel Amarongo 3-0. Trevor Grane, another strong 5, took Conrad Wagner 3-0 to swing the momentum back in Buccaneers’s favour. The two Rowetts loomed and David fought off a fast-paced start from Angelo Titus to seal the match, the fixture and the Mens A section in 3 straight games. Ian Rowett then beat Jacques Steenkamp in 3 straight games making a jubilant SFC Squash Club the Overall Winners.

In the women’s section Wanderers just beat Buccaneers by 8 points to 7 in a single-match showdown, Willa Brommer taking the title-clinching fifth game in a riveting contest against Ruth Hornickel.

The Club Championships included the inaugural Squash Festival to encourage social players and smaller clubs to participate. In addition to points won on the court, bonus points were awarded for Best Team Spirit, Best Dressed Team and Most Sociable Team. Buccaneers Festival Team 1 finished 4 points ahead of Wanderers but some daring battle songs and outlandish outfits earned the Windhoek team 20 bonus points to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

With Truscto supporting development squash in Namibia, the National Club Championships attracted more than double the entries compared with 2008. At the prize giving ceremony Gerdus Louwrens, chairman of the Namibia Squash Association, confirmed Trustco’s support for the next two years saying, “We hope this event will attract participation from the many clubs in the outlying towns and anticipate an entry of over 120 players within two years.”

Filed under: Announcements on September 3rd, 2009