Laurie Duncker Squash Tournament – ‘more than just a tourney’

The teams played over Friday and Saturday, culminating with a prize-giving and social get-together on Saturday night.

October 24, 2019

Reveshni Douglas 1 minute read

The prestigious Laurie Duncker Squash Tournament was held in Newcastle over the weekend.

Established as part of an inter-centre event for Iscor employees in 1983, the tournament has grown in stature and popularity over the years.

“Iscor in those days used to have lots of inter-centre sports, like rugby and cricket,” explained long-serving committee member, Graham Hocknell.

“At the time, there were about 900 squash players and we asked if Iscor could also sponsor squash.”

Laurie Duncker, who was a director of the company at that time, championed the cause and got approval from ‘head office’. He also sponsored a trophy for the teams.

“We started off rotating between the different Iscor venues, like Newcastle, Vanderbijlpark, Pretoria and several others. After about a decade, there were changes with the pools and the number of players. Eventually, we only played in Richards Bay, Newcastle and Vanderbijlpark. Now, we have also included Johannesburg in the rotation.”

Hocknell said the sponsorship from the company had long since fallen away, and the tournament was kept thriving thanks to the players.

“I myself have played in this tournament from 1987, and after three decades it is still going strong. We work hard to keep it going. It usually takes place in November, over a weekend.”

The teams played over Friday and Saturday, culminating with a prize-giving and social get-together on Saturday night.

“It’s not about the squash, but rather about the friendships and relationships you develop,” emphasised Hocknell. “It’s more than just a tournament; it’s a piece of history.”