The Bay of Plenty (BOP) Women's and Men's squash teams achieved outstanding success at the 2024 NZ Senior Teams Championships in Dunedin.
The BOP Women secured back-to-back titles, showcasing their dominance on the court. The team—comprising Abbie Palmer, Winona-Jo Joyce, Ella Hill, Emma Merson, and Erin Wyllie—displayed unwavering focus from the start. In their opening match against Canterbury, they triumphed 3-1, followed by a decisive 4-0 victory against Wellington.
In the final on Saturday evening, Winona-Jo Joyce kicked things off with a spirited and determined performance, defeating Anabel Romero-Gemmell in four games. Next, a focused Emma Merson, fresh from the World Juniors in Houston, showcased her impressive form, dispatching Abbie Holmes in straight sets.
Abbie Palmer, an ex-NZ representative and Commonwealth Games doubles specialist, brought her wealth of experience to the team. She faced Danielle Cooley, also a former top NZ player, in a thrilling match that highlighted their exceptional shot-making skills. Despite a valiant effort, Abbie narrowly lost 11-9 in the fifth set. This left the tie in balance, but Ella Hill, who had also returned from a strong showing at the World Juniors, stepped up. Needing just one set to secure the title for BOP, Ella dominated her match against Leonie Marshall, winning 3-0.
With this victory, the BOP Women have now claimed the title six times, with wins in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
The BOP Men also put on an impressive performance, finishing a commendable 3rd place. The team of Glenn Templeton, Jack Oliver, Jonty Collier, and Manaia Murphy-Fell exceeded expectations, starting with a 3-1 win against a challenging Northland team. Although they fell to top-seeded Wellington in the semifinals, their effort was outstanding.
In the 3rd/4th place match, BOP faced Midlands. Jack Oliver, with his relentless attitude, set the tone by defeating the higher-ranked George Thomas in four sets. Jonty Collier, another young talent, fought hard but narrowly lost in the fifth set to Keidah Bungard, securing two crucial sets for BOP. Glenn Templeton, battling a back injury, played a tough match against Chris Vander Salm, winning a set that proved vital. Manaia Murphy-Fell, back in the BOP team this year, sealed the deal with a four-game win over Patrick Mulvihill. BOP Men ultimately secured 3rd place on a countback.
Coaches Becky Clarke and Robbie Wyatt were full of praise for the teams. Robbie Wyatt, Squash BOP Coaching Director, commented, "Massive shoutout to Becky for keeping a calm demeanor in pressure situations. We were both very proud, as always, of the BOP teams' effort, attitude, and respect for everyone, both on and off the court."