It was a weekend of grit, drama, and plenty of squash action for our Central men’s and women’s teams at the NZ Senior Nationals, hosted at SquashGym in Palmerston North.

Day One: Making a Statement

Central’s campaign kicked off in style, with both the men’s and women’s sides storming past Eastern in the morning session. Convincing 4–0 victories across the board sent a clear message that Central had arrived ready to compete.

The evening session delivered all the drama fans could ask for. The women went head-to-head with Midlands in a tense 2–2 battle, eventually edging them out on countback to secure the win. Over on the men’s side, it was another nail-biter against Bay of Plenty. Also finishing 2–2, the tie came down to the very last match. With Central needing a straight-games win, Max Mathews delivered under immense pressure, winning in three to hand the men an 8–7 countback victory over the 3rd seeds. That result sealed Central’s spot in the championship round alongside top seeds Wellington and 2nd seeds Canterbury.

Championship Round Battles

From there, the competition only intensified. Against Wellington, the eventual champions, Central battled hard but went down 4–0. Max fought through a brutal five-setter, Brodie Bennett was outclassed by Matt Green, Matt Nation pushed Oli Johnston in four tight games, and Allan was halted by the relentless Evan Williams.

The clash with Canterbury told a similar story on paper with another 4–0 scoreline, but the matches were packed with fight. Max lost a tight four to Tom Marshall, Brodie went the distance against Scott Butterick before cramping at 7-all in the fifth, Nation pushed Joe Williams to five before his legs gave out, and Allan fell in three narrow games to Oli Johnston.

Women Fight to the Finish

The Central women, seeded 3rd, delivered plenty of grit across the weekend. After their strong wins on Day One, they narrowly missed out on a podium finish in heartbreaking fashion. In their clash with Northland, a single set decided the outcome. Anabel needed to win in three to clinch it for Central but dropped a set, handing the tie to Northland on countback. That result left Central finishing 4th overall.

A Weekend of Heart and Fight

While the final standings didn’t quite reflect the effort, the weekend was a showcase of resilience and determination from both squads. From dramatic countback victories to marathon five-setters, Central’s athletes gave everything they had against the country’s best.