Mangakahia's Tate Matson came up trumps at the Northland Squash Open, winning the Mens Open division against fellow A-grade competitor Ryan Cross from Panmure.
Matson progressed to Sunday's final at Whangarei Squash Club on the last day of the annual four-day tournament, and comfortably defeated the Aucklander in three sets, winning
3-0.
In the women's open final, 12-year-old Abbie Palmer had great success and claimed the title over Mangakahia's Sacha Pou-Tito, 18, who had only recently won division one at the New Zealand Senior Nationals in Whakatane. Both finalists were in the B1 grade, with Palmer moving closer to making A-grade with her continued strong performances.
Manager of the host club, Jared Gravatt said the 112 competitors who contested the tournament made it the largest field the Open had attracted in years. "Most of the players were locals from around the Northland area but we had a few from the North Shore, Royal Oak and Epsom clubs as well as from the Waikato," he said.
The tournament was concluded on Sunday.
The Kerikeri Junior Open takes place next week and the Whangarei Junior Open later this month, followed by the National Junior Championships.
