East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa: After two years of relatively limited competition, the Growthpoint Interprovincial will be back in full swing when the cream of South Africa’s squash players gather to contest the Jarvis and Kaplan Cups in East London from July 11 to 15.
The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted the past two editions of the annual sporting extravaganza, with only the A section competing in the 2021 week in Gqeberha.
But this year it’s back to a full complement of provinces, with 28 men’s teams in four sections ready for action and 12 women’s sides contesting the A and B sections.
It heralds a return to what SA Country Districts men’s captain JP Brits has called a “highlight of the year for SA’s provincial squash players”.
“Personally, I can’t wait to get to East London to play and it’s definitely a big week for all the players to make their mark,” he said.
“Even though this tournament will be limited to only local players and does not include some internationals stars as it did in the past, I don’t think that detracts from the occasion at all.
“There is a lot of pride among South Africa’s provincial teams and a lot to play for at this week, with everyone motivated to come out on top.”
Squash SA president Kyle Potgieter is also excited about the forthcoming week and pleased about the ongoing partnership with Growthpoint Properties.
“Without these sorts of partnerships, it is becoming increasingly difficult to host world-class events, in particular the Growthpoint SA Nationals (approximately 400 entries) and the Growthpoint Interprovincial,” he said.
“Next week’s tournament in East London sees the number of participants soaring to 220 players after the Covid lull.
“We really value Growthpoint Properties’ contribution and thank them for the role they are playing in the squash and development platforms in South Africa.”
In next week’s action, the experienced Brits will be eyeing another title for SACD after they landed both the Jarvis (men) and Kaplan Cups (women) in Gqeberha last year.
The men’s team is full of talent, with Growthpoint SA Nationals champion Dewald van Niekerk leading the charge and the promising Tristen Worth in support.
Dewald’s sister Lizelle Muller, also the Growthpoint SA Nationals champion, will spearhead the women’s drive for the title.
Yet Brits acknowledges that it will “not be a walk in the park” for either team.
“Yes, we are looking quite good at the moment, with a healthy group of players who have come through nicely since we entered the A section in 2013,” he said.
“Our preparation has been great and even though we are ranked first and in a good place, we will just take it day by day and not look too far ahead.
“We know it’s the sort of tournament where there is a lot of passion from the teams and it has thrown up big upsets in the past, so we need to perform well as a squad and definitely not take it too easy.
“But we are all very motivated; the team environment is really good and I’m happy with that because I think that will bring out the best in our players each day.”
Matches will take place at various venues in East London, with the morning session starting at 9am and the afternoon session at 1pm. The clubs to be used are Buffalos, Beacon Bay, Cambridge, Gonubie, Old Selbornians and Hamiltons.
The men’s A section of eight teams will be divided into two pools with cross-pool playoffs on the last two days, while the women’s A section of seven teams will compete in a round-robin competition.
The A section teams are:
Men’s Jarvis Cup
Pool A: SACD, Midlands, Zambia, WP
Pool B: Joburg Squash, EP, KZN, Northerns
Women’s Kaplan Cup: SACD, EP, Joburg Squash, WP, Northerns, Zambia, Midlands
The final day of the tournament will be live streamed on the Squash South Africa Facebook page. Women’s A Division matches will start at 08:30 with the Men’s A Division following on at approximately 11:30.
Results will be available on the Squash SA Website, Facebook page as well as on Sporty HQ.
FREE TO USE PICTURES
Captions
DEWALD VAN NIEKERK (003).jpg : Growthpoint SA Nationals men’s champion Dewald van Niekerk leads the charge in the SACD men’s team who will be defending their men’s title at next week Growthpoint Squash Interprovincial to be played in East London from 11-15 July.
LIZELLE MULLER.jpg : Growthpoint SA Nationals women’s champion Lizelle Muller leads the charge in the SACD women’s team who will be defending their women’s title at next week Growthpoint Squash Interprovincial to be played in East London from 11-15 July.
Picture credits: Carl Fourie
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