Witbank Club had a ‘squashing’ good year

The WMPSA’s annual district championship was held between November 11 and November 28.  The championship is the final event for the WMPSA calendar, in which the players from the district compete for the coveted title of the district champion.  The event was shared between Witbank Club and Highveld Squash Club, with the final prize giving ceremony being held at Witbank Club.

At the prize giving ceremony, the district chairman, Jacques Nell, indicated that the championship was one of the better attended ones in recent years and thanked all the players who participated in the event.  He further commented to make such an event successful, special thanks have to go to all the various sponsors.

As has become a custom at the annual prize giving, Tonie Engelbrecht  awarded the legend of the year to Corrie Coetzee for his contribution to squash in the district.

During the year the annual district league was contested in four categories represented by players from the following clubs: Anglo, Highveld Squash Club, High Technical School Middelburg, Kriel Country Club, Middelburg Country Club, Hoërskool Middelburg, Reyno Ridge Squash Club and Witbank Club.

Hoërskool Middelburg won the A-league, Highveld Squash Club the B-league and Witbank Club the C- and D-league.
The district championship was held in five different categories namely, open, senior masters (players above 45), masters (players above 35), C-league and below and re-introducing the ladies event.  In each of the above categories, first round losers also fall into a plate event and for the ladies there was also a consolation plate event.

The consolation plate event final was won by Jana Degenaar and runner-up was Magdaleen Dupper.

The winners and runners-up of the plate events were: Jo-Ann Coetzer (winner ladies event) and Danica Combrink (runner-up ladies event), HW van Riel (winner C-league and below) and Peet Viljoen (runner-up C-league and below), Piet Grobler (winner masters) and Wayne Harris (runner-up master), Vossie Vorster (winner senior masters) and Wayne Harris (runner-up senior masters) and Chris Very (winner open) and Hermanus Vivier (runner-up open).

The winners and runners-up of the main events were: Marissa Gibson (winner ladies) and Raynett Koekemoer (runner-up ladies), Esli Meyer (winner C-league and below) and Anthony Byrd (runner-up C-league and below, Pierre Henn (winner masters) and Johan Mostert (runner-up masters), Kevin Wood (winner senior masters) and Pierre Henn (runner-up senior masters) and JP Henn (winner open) and Charl Esterhuysen (runner-up open).

The district also rewards the players that indicated improvements in their squash during the year.  With this in mind, two players were rewarded namely Arno Very (most improved player in the district league) and Chamoné Biccard (junior award u.19).

Chamoné is from Hoërskool Middelburg. She only started playing squash in January 2012 and won the Mpumalanga schools championships in February 2013.  She was the WMPSA number one player for the junior teams that took part in the SA Country Festival Tournament in Bloemfontein in April 2013.  There she was also selected for the SA Country District Teams that took part at the National Inter-provincial Tournament in Cape Town in June 2013.

The final award at the ceremony went to the best club of the year.  The award was presented to Witbank Club.
For more information with regard to clubs in WMPSA please visit the facebook page on www.facebook.com/WMPSquash.