REPORT ON 2014 CITIZEN ANZAC DAY OPEN RACQUETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
SINGLES
Grade Winner Runner-Up
Men’s Open Cam White Steve Salter
Women’s Open Sarah Fitz-Gerald Melody Francis
A Chris Rollauer Dean Cross
B Gary Hosie Michael Barclay
C Peter Anderson Campbell Shobbrook
D Tom Friere Noel Boyd
E Di Bailey Casey Macpherson F Zoe McDonald Nicola Baines
VICTORIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES BORDER COUSINS EXCEL AT 2014 CITIZEN ANZAC DAY OPEN RACQUETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eighty six racquetballers fronted the starter for Victoria’s 2nd Grand Prix event of the year, the $10,000 Citizen ANZAC DAY Open Championships, and although our Racquetball Royalty Cameron White and Sarah Fitz-Gerald once again caned their event subjects, several of the North East’s promising border youngsters also captured a great deal of the spectator’s attention. This ‘once off’ event, the brainchild of TD Field Marshall ‘Bubbles’ Broadway, was opened by Wangaratta RSL Secretary, Kevin Howard reciting the Ode. The Wangaratta Club generously donated $400 to the RSL. Each of the two Open winners received a $1,000 watch on top of their prize money, with each grade winner taking home a $300 watch, all courtesy of eight times Wangaratta Open principal sponsor, Citizen Watches.
Men’s Open
The Men’s Open final met all spectators’ expectations with White exposing his full repertoire of shots, whilst the pin point accuracy and speed of Salter ensured nothing less than an outright winner would terminate each rally. In the end, although Salter was matching the 13 times national champion point for point in the second game, White , like all champions, has this incredible capacity to lift himself at critical stages in a match, which he once again did and extracted another memorable victory over arguably the second best player in the land, 21/7, 21/18. In the semi finals; Salter outgunned 3rd seed Garry Pedersen, 21/16, 7/21, 21/14, with White overpowering 4th seed Steve Andrewartha 21/15, 21/15.
Women’s Open
2013 Australian Open Finalists Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Melody Francis faced off for the second time in 12 months, in the final stanza of the Women’s Open, with Fitz-Gerald claiming the crown over the recently retired former world no.
34 squash player, 21/11, 21/11. In the play-off for 3rd/4th, South Australian Corinne Yallup-Cross overcame Ballarat’s Karen Rundell, 21/14, 21/18.
A Grade
The high quality field that the A Grade event attracted guaranteed a plethora of close matches, with some likely upsets, which was the outcome. In the semi finals, top seed and 2014 Australian Champion Grantley Pinnington succumbed to the relentless pressure of South Aussie Dean Cross, 15/21, 21/4, 21/14, with 2014 national runner up Charlie Stevenson being outgunned by Geelong stable mate Chris Rollauer, 21/13, 21/8. The finalists had staged a cliff hanger quarter final in the nationals just 6 weeks earlier, with Rollauer winning 21/19 in the third, but on this occasion, Rollauer the 2012 national A Grade champion was unstoppable, taking out the final, 21/13, 21/12.
B Grade
The tournament’s ‘ Giant Killer’ was definitely Albury’s Grand Prix debutant Gary Hosie who captured the B Grade title, defeating 2013 National Grand Prix champion Michael Barclay in the final, 21/13, 21/11, after overcoming fellow Alburyite Chris Nicol in a marathon semi final, 21/17, 21/19. Barclay had claimed a final’s berth after snuffing out the hopes of Wangaratta club mate Dean Milligan, 21/12, 22/20.
C Grade
Second seed Peter Anderson finally broke the drought for the local contingent, when he stormed through the C Grade field annexing the title over Wodonga’s Campbell Shobbrook, 21/19, 21/11. Shobbrook had earlier dispatched the 1st and 4th seeds, whilst Anderson had survived two gruelling 3 game encounters against Albury’s Laura Sorenson and Wangaratta’s Shaun Quinn.
D Grade
Fifteen year old Tom Friere (Wodonga) displayed maturity beyond his years when he cut a swathe through the capacity filled D Grade field. After surviving an absorbing three game first round encounter with Wangaratta youngster Jack Gerrish, Freire stormed through the event, culminating with a nail biting 21/12, 19/21, 22/20 victory over the indefatigable Noel Boyd, who had earlier eliminated another two highly talented Wodonga teenagers, the first and fourth seeded Alex Baines and Mitchell Nero respectively.
E Grade
Another Grand Prix debutant, Albury’s Di Bailey, completed the trifecta of titles for the border cousins, when she claimed the major silverware for the E Grade event. With victories over the third and seventh seeds in earlier rounds, Bailey was scheduled to meet Wodonga’s Casey Macpherson, the 2013National Grand Prix F Grade champion in the climax to the event, but unfortunately he sustained a broken collarbone playing in a soccer match on the morning of the final.
F Grade
Popular Lakes Entrance left hander, Zoe McDonald, claimed her first GP title when she outpointed another highly talented Liz Lopes protégé Nicola Baines, 21/12, 21/17, in the final of the F Grade event. In the semi finals, McDonald overcame Knox Park’s Connor Skidmore and Baines held off local Tom Gerrish.
From the Tournament Director: