Therefore, we would like to also group juniors into three categories: (i) Beginners, (ii) In-Between and (iii)  Playing Fairly well. We know that this is rather subjective however we would like each junior (parents to assist) that enters for this tournament to provide us with some indication of category / strength. Obviously, we shall consult with the Coaches when we make a final draw for the day.

Juniors that want to participate should officially enter on the Entry Form (find copy attached) by the closing date, 10 June 2011. The Entry Form is on the Notice Board at the Courts! This shall give us some indication of interest and would also allow us to complete a proper draw. We shall communicate the format of the tournament closer to the time, depending on the number of entries that we have.

In the end team Autumn came out on top, narrowly taking it from the other 3 seasons.  Congratulations to team captain Wynand and his hard-working troops; Dirk, Mara, Jurgen and Desiree.  Well done all of you.  a Huge thanks also to Conrad Wagner for doing a tremendous job organising the tournament and ensuring that everything runs smoothly!

Ester made name tags of all SFC Squash Members and shall insert the name-tags into the slots in the box so that the men’s- and ladies ladder reflects current playing strength from the strongest player at this time (Number 1) to the most developing players. The initial ladder is determined from the matches played during 2010 and hence this shall form the basis for all challenges going forward.

PLEASE FIND ATTACHED THE LADDER CHALLENGE RULES!

Please familiarize yourself with these rules and keep our ladder current and a true reflection of playing strength by challenging players for positions as per the attached rules. We need to remind each other that squash is a competitive sport in nature and therefore we would like to encourage healthy competition within the spirit of fair play and integrity at all times.

This system can only work if we as members keep on challenging and depositing the scores into the box. We shall update the ladder as per the scores submitted on a weekly basis.

Ladder Rules (PDF Download)

How it works:

The Social League is fun and flexible if you follow these simple rules. Matches are played on Tuesdays (apart from the first and last matches of the league, which will be on a Friday) but if you can’t make it, you can rearrange your match with your opponent at a time that suits you both.

The only requirement is that you finish all your games  before the end of the round. Contact the league convener if you have any queries.

Cost

• N$ 100, payable to the league convenor or to Ester.  In return for your hard-earned moolah, we’ll be hosting a braai on the opening Friday to kick-start everything, and then again at the prize-giving function when the social league concludes.  Not to mention some very cool prizes!

Playing times

• The courts will be block booked every Tuesday evening for league from 5.15pm onwards
• If you can’t play your match on the Tuesday contact your opponent and arrange a time between yourselves and let a league convenor know that you have re-scheduled (a simple SMS will suffice).

Matches

• Players are sorted into groups of 4 or 5 depending on the total entrants
• Matches will be played in a Round-Robin format against the other members of your group
• Matches are scheduled each week, see the notice board for details
• After each round the points are tallied. Group winners move into the group above replacing the player with the least points (exceptions for top and bottom group and uneven numbers)
• The league will be continuous for 3 rounds

Scoring

• Matches will be best of five games using PAR
• You get 1 point per game so every game counts
• In the event of a tie a playoff will be scheduled

Contacts and information:

• League Convenors
  Ruan Kotze – 081 122 1126, committee@sfcsquash.com

The annual event has become one of the most prestigious squash tournaments on the calendar with excellent prize money, polished organisation and a festive holiday mood.

The packed SFC Squash Club saw more than 130 matches – many of them epic battles – from Friday afternoon all the way through to the finals on Sunday evening.

Jenny Pahl, ranked 2 in Namibia, took the women’s title beating Patricia Finly from Cape Town in an exciting final. At 8-10 in the second, Jenny was about to lose her first game of the tournament but she changed gears and forced a run of errors from Patricia to keep her 3-0 record clean.

The men’s final was an exciting derby match between Namibia’s top players David and Ian Rowett: David having won their last encounter at the SFC Club Champs in August.

Gruelling rallies in the first and second games took their toll allowing Ian to edge past 12-10 and 11-9; and despite his heroic defence in the third, the pace was too much for David as Ian pushed through to seal an emphatic victory.

“I had to get that win on record before David gets fit again and thumps me,” said Ian afterwards talking of his brother’s return to squash as full time coach in Swakopmund next year.

The men’s plate event was a soul-sapping five-setter between Uwe Grüttemeyer and Heinz Ahrens with both players enduring tough matches at every stage of the tournament. Uwe took a 2-0 lead but ran of gas as Heinz dug deep clawing back and taking the fifth 11-4.

The qualifying plate saw Namibia’s upcoming juniors tackling a host of squash newbies in some entertaining encounters. 13-year old Jaco Greeff beat Patrick Manyika in a hard-fought five games to win the final.

Chandre Jansen, Johan Wagner and Leslie Bosman were presented with Achievement Awards for their commitment, enthusiasm and exemplary sporting conduct throughout the tournament.

Full results
Men’s main event: I Rowett, D Rowett, S Grüttemeyer, J Steenkamp, L Allen, D Tredoux, M Gruhn, C Dewing, R Kotze, C Brayshaw, W Breytenback, D Greeff, S van Lingen, B Finly, F Botha.

Women’s main event: J Pahl, P Finly, A Lambert, J Usher, R Hornickel, S Usher, A Steyn, C Roux, T Stührenberg, C Jansen.

Men’s plate event: H Ahrens, U Grüttemeyer, P Pahl, R van der Meer, S Sumuelson, J van Zyl, B Grüttemeyer, D de Haas, H Fernandez, W Wagner, T Kotze, L Bosman, D Nel, E Taylor, J Wagner, T van Zyl.

Men’s qualifying plate event: J Greeff, P Manyika, W Breytenbach, F Lambert, M van Lingen, J Allen, F Cornelissen. No-shows: L Underhill.

Men’s Main Draw | Men’s Qualifying Plate Draw

Women’s Main Draw

The women’s draw is divided into two equal strength round robin pools with playoffs for final positions.

Schedule

Round 1: Friday 14h00 – 20h00
Round 2 and 3: Saturday 08h00 – 20h00
Party: Saturday 20h00
Round 3 and 4: Sunday: 08h00 – 15h00
Finals: 15h00 – 17h00

With a point-per-game scoring system, we started off neck and neck thanks to points from Bertus, Christiane, Edward and David. The dreaded Buccs middle order then got to work amassing a string of wins to all but clinch the clash half way through the day. But spirited efforts from everyone chipped away at their lead with 15 of the 20 players scoring points to rein in the romping pirates. Then some power punches from Luke, Warren, Ruan and ahem reduced the deficit to an agonising 3 points.

And that’s where it stayed with Buccaneers winning the inaugural Wagner Cup 39 points to SFC’s 36 points. The overall match tally was an astonishing 12-8. A magnificent effort from everyone. Next year, we’ll ‘ave ‘em.

Huge Thank Yous and Big Baie Dankies to the Buccaneers players for coming through and enjoying our new bar; and thanks to the brothers Wagner for honouring this event with their name and a splendid trophy; thanks too to the bar-builders Mario, Andree and ahem; more thanks to Danie Jansen and Eugene for donating the wood and the lighting; and a final thank you to everyone who donated bar stools – we are officially in business now.

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.”

The annual National Squash Club Championships, boosted by Trustco support and a ground-swell of competitive squash in Namibia, is going to be a chest-beating, floor-scraping, fire-breathing Battle Royale.

In just four days, 36 of Namibia’s top squash players will hammer out 81 full-throttle squash matches, every one a potential five-setter and every one a potential title clincher. The final result may well be decided on the final match of the final day. Sunday. Mark your diaries.

Head to head and on paper the Men’s event is a bookie’s nightmare. Read the team list of Wanderers A and you’ll give them odds-on to win; read the team list of Buccaneers A and they’re the new favourites; then read the team list of host club Swakopmund’s SFC, and they are the new David-to-Goliath odds-on favourites. Impossible to predict: you’ll have to pick your own favourite and come see for yourself. Wanderers and Buccaneers Women will also march to the music and lights with a single-shot duel on Sunday. Points from both events go towards the coveted Overall Winner as all teams – Mens A, Mens B and Womens – compete for the ultimate prize.

Livening up the proceedings is a 5-team Squash Festival side-show attracting social players, beginners and wily veterans all in the name of squash. And fun. The Festival is a competition of sorts where points count but so do outlandish outfits, outrageous behaviour and out-shining team spirit.

The National Club Championships event begins with preliminary matches at each club on Thursday 27 August. From Friday 28 August, all matches and social functions are at the SFC Squash Club in Swakopmund. The final matches begin at 10h30 on Sunday and you’d be wise to get there early – you’ll want a good seat with easy access to the bar.
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Get the full team lists and match fixtures. For more information contact the SFC Squash Club Committee.