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The Countdown to the World Mens Champs Begins

From the AIMS Games to the Jazz Festival, Tauranga is home to some incredible national events that see thousands flock to our region to enjoy some art, culture, and sport.  But in one year, Tauranga's event calendar will be taken to the next level with an event that will showcase our city to a global audience, and bring with it even greater economic and community benefits. The World Squash Federation Men's World Team Championship will be held one year from now 13-19 December 2021.  The...

Awards 2020

The Squash Bay of Plenty Awards for 2020 were held on 14 November at Geyser City, in conjunction with the BOP Doubles.   After a shortened season it was great to get together and celebrate our successes over the past 12 months.   BOP Award Winners 2020Club of the YearKatikatiPlayer of the YearJoe Smythe (Devoy)Volunteer of the YearTreena Braithwaite (Reporoa)Personality of the YearGavin Hudson (Geyser)Development Coach of the Year Logan BrewerFoundation Coach of the Yea...

NZ Masters Results

The National Masters was hosted this year by the Whangarei Squash Club during 16-20 October.  This club has space to burn and was a great venue.  Whangarei is a great place – small enough to move around easily, well laid out and of course a wonderful environment. The BOP team had two virgins this year - Korina and Rachel.  New blood was great to have and they gelled really well into the team.  The team stayed in one big beautiful house, the Regent Residential Villa, and thi...

HEAD Junior Series Concludes

The HEAD Junior 900 Tournament Series has concluded with an awesome finale at Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre.  The series provides a great introduction to competitive squash for our kids, and it was proudly sponsored by HEAD again this season.  Over the seven tournaments this year, we racked up 300 entries, proving the format is as popular as ever. At each event players are rewarded with points for each match they win, as well as bonus points for winning their division.  The top 5 ...

BOP Junior Teams perform well at Nationals

The NZ Inter-District Junior Teams Champs were held at Christchurch Squash club over the past 3 days.  Bay of Plenty had contrasting teams in the Boys & Girls competition. The Boys team featured experience and quality, lead by Glenn Templeton & Joe Smythe, two players who were selected to represent NZ at the World Juniors this year, the team was seeded 2nd behind a powerhouse Auckland team boasting 5 A graders.  After seeing off Northland, Waikato & Canterbury 3-1, the inevitable clash...

NZ Junior Age Groups Results

BOP has another NZ Champ!  Edgecumbe's Zezima Waitai has defended the NZ Under 11 trophy he won last year.  He becomes the first boy to win back-to-back NZ Under 11 titles.  His final was a tough battle against Dominic Lim from Rangiora, but Zezima managed to outlast his opponent in 4 games.  The two showed some amazing squash at such a young age.   Joe Smythe also had an event to remember, claiming 3rd in the Under 19 age group, as well as taking home NZ's Most Imp...

National Superchamps Results

Katikati D Women are National Champs!  They become the first ladies team from the club to lift the trophy, and team captain Toni Connelly was delighted after a long build up "Who would have thought four months ago, that this group of amazing humans would take on the country's best D Grade Ladies, take out the title and bring home the cup".  It wasn't all plain sailing for the top-seeded team.  They started strong with 5-0 and 4-1 wins in their first two ties.  Then, after a 3...

Award Nominations Open

Nominations for Squash BOP & Squash NZ Awards for 2020 are now open.  The categories include volunteer, club & coaches.   Please take the time to nominate someone you think is worthy.  Its a great way to thank those important people in your club, and the fact they have been nominated is rewarding enough, even if they don't win. The volunteer of the year is always a hotly contested category.  All of our clubs have some amazing people who sacrifice so much for our sport.&n...

Winter Interclub Results

Winter Interclub has concluded for 2020.  After an interrupted start due to COVID, the module began late June, with the finals being played 31 August/1 September.  While the team numbers were lower than usual due to the disruption, the competition was fierce across the divisions.Mens Division 1 featured some strong teams, with A graders headlining each team.  In the final, Mount 1 took revenge on Te Puke A after suffering defeat to the same team in round 6.On the Womens side Katik...

BOP Junior Open 2020

The Bay of Plenty Junior Open went ahead at Te Puke in August 2020.  The prior year saw 70 entries, and for 2020 there were 58 entries and reduced spectators due to Level 2 lockdown restrictions.  Competitors ranged in age from 8 to 18 years over 11 divisions.  Due to clashes with re-scheduled junior events in other districts, and the lockdown in Auckland, all of the players were local BOP kids, which made for a 'BOP family' atmosphere.  Entries were received from Geyser, Tok...

COVID Update

Bay of Plenty (along with the rest of NZ) will be in Alert Level 2 from 12pm on 12 August.  Please check back here for regular updates.   Update as at: 8.00am 12 AUGBasically this means squash clubs can be open and squash can be played, but clubs need to adhere to the guidelines and ensure there is social distancing off the court, contact tracing for all entering the building, and keep the number under 100.  More info to come See below for the guidelines for squash clubs, or ...

BOP Superchamps Results

“Bloody ripper weekend!”  That pretty much sums up the experience for the majority at the BOP Superchamps Eliminations that was played over the past few days.  46 teams from clubs from around the district fought it out to be crowned BOP champs, and get a ticket to the national finals in September.  Widely regarded as ‘the best event in squash’, this teams event never fails to provide an amazing experience for all concerned.  The squash is hard-fought, and the passion ...

Two Titles for BOP at North Island Junior Age Groups

The North Island Junior Age Group Championships was the first major event for juniors since lockdown attracted 170 kids from around NZ.  30 BOP kids made the journey to Hamilton to compete in their various age groups.  Four players managed to make their way to their respective finals, with two BOP champions being crowned. The Bay was represented in both the Under 11 finals.  Brooke Valois was pipped in her match, but Edgecumbe's Zezima Waitai continued on from last years national ...

Interclub to Restart

Squash BOP is pleased to announce that the 2020 interclub season is set to restart.  With the loss of the Autumn round due to the lockdown, this will be the first interclub of the season for the Bay.  After a long hiatus from the game, players will be keen to get back to competitive squash and reconnect with mates from other clubs. The 11-week competition will start on 22 June for Women, and 23 June for Men, with the finals set for 31 August/1 September.  Divisions will be made up...

COVID Update

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, all Squash Clubs are currently closed.  As per the government's guidelines, while we are at Alert level 3 & 4 all public facilities must be closed.  We are hopeful that if we move to Alert Level 2, we will be able to re-open clubs on a very limited basis.  We will be following the Government's guidelines when they are updated.   See below for the current Alert Levels and how they affect Squash.  Please note: These guidelines may change ...

NZ Selection for Two BOP Juniors

While the COVID 19 virus has caused the cancellation of this year’s World Junior Champs in the Gold Coast, it’s still important to recognise the achievement of two of our stars who were selected to represent NZ.  See below an article that was written before the cancellation acknowledging our amazing BOP Juniors. Two Bay of Plenty players have been named to represent New Zealand at the upcoming World Junior Squash Championships in Australia.  Current national Under 19 Champion Glenn...

Corona Virus Update

Here's the latest on the COVID-19 outbreak and how it relates to BOP competitions.  Squash NZ will be posting up any updates on national events on their Facebook page and website should the situation change in the coming days and weeks. We understand this is a incredibly unique situation unlike anything we have experienced before, and we are closely monitoring governmental restrictions and advice from the Ministry of Health and Sport NZ as information is released which may relate to squash ...

Coaching Conference a Success

Great to see so many coaches from around the Bay at the BOP Coaching Conference on Saturday.  Eighteen coaches from around the district descended on Devoy Squash & Fitness where various presenters delivered several valuable sessions.  Th coaches had varied backgrounds with different levels of experience.  The content included match analysis, on court error detection, observation skills, school programs, coaching templates, and concluded with an open coaching discussion. Another co...

Quadrangular Team Named

The team for the 2020 Junior Quadrangular has been selected.  This year the event will be hosted by Franklin Squash Club in Pukekohe, 27-29 March.  The event sees teams of juniors from Northland, Auckland, Waikato and BOP compete in various junior age groups.   This year our team comprises of a mix of youth and experience.  It features our three NZ age group champions as well as a number of first-time BOP reps. NZ Under 19 champion Glenn Templeton heads the boys, with NZ...

2020 Event Calendar

The Squash season for 2020 is upon us already!  We have a very busy year ahead, with events starting around the clubs in February. The BOP Regional Calendar can be downloaded in various formats below.  All clubs will be sent a printed version in February The full NZ calendar can be found by visiting our Tournaments pagePlayers can also access the full national tournament calendar via a handy mobile app.  Details of how to download the app can be found here - https://www....

Interclub 2020

2020 Interclub structure has been set and entries are now open for the first round starting in March.  If you are new to Squash or the Bay, its an excellent way to get regular matches and meet folks from around the Bay.  Each club puts together teams of similar ability and each week 4 players play other clubs on Monday (womens) or Tuesday (mens) nights. The format is the same as last year, with the 6-week Autumn round starting a couple of weeks early on 25 March.  Entries are ope...

Beginner Womens Tournament Series 2020

Squash BOP has partnered with our friends in the Waikato to develop a new Womens only tournament series for beginners! There are 10 events in 2020, and they are open to graded & ungraded women over 18 years of age.  The idea is to provide a fun environment for ladies to mingle and enjoy squash in a comfortable space.  A cool way for women to have their first crack at competitive squash!! The series was trialed very successfully in 2019 with four events.  In 2020 we are offering sp...

Awards 2019

The annual Squash BOP Awards were held at the Mount Squash Club on Saturday 16 November in conjunction with the BOP Doubles tournament. About 100 people attended a great night where players, referees and volunteers were recognised for their success & contribution to BOP Squash, then the party began! Squash BOP ‘Friends’District Statistician     David JensenAccounts Reviewer    Doug TaylorTeam Managers Bernie DawsonHineihaea MurphyMark FellCheryl Te Kani-McQ...

Three NZ Junior Champions!

The Bay has three new champions as the NZ Junior National Age Group Champs concluded in Auckland over the weekend.  Twenty Bay of Plenty juniors descended on the National Squash Centre to compete in the pinnacle event for junior squash in NZ.  Players compete in their age groups (U11, U13, U15, U17, U19) against the best from across the country for the right to be crowned a national champion. Putaruru’s Maiya Hotham went into the draw as top seed in the Girls Under 11, and dominated ...

Superchamps Champions Crowned

The Devoy Squash & Fitness team have clinched the Bay's 4th national men's B grade title in the past 8 years.  The national finals were hosted by Whakatane, and the Devoy team went into the event as 3rd seeds.  After upsetting the 2nd seeds from Kapiti in pool play, then taking out Eden Epsom in the semi-final, they lined up against the top seeds Christchurch Football in the big dance.  In front of a packed gallery the team stepped up to the occasion with a tight 3-2 victory seali...