JEFF Bond emerged victorious from the Bathurst Squash Masters tournament over the weekend after overcoming one of his best friends, Howie Johns, in the deciding fixture.
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It was appropriate that Bond and Johns would meet in the last of the division one round robin fixtures to determine the champion.
Sydney’s Bond ended up getting the better of his Canberra opponent 9-2, 3-9, 9-0, 9-5.
It’s Bond’s first success since his win in 2014.
“All three matches I played this weekend were very tough. Howie I played about three weeks ago in the ACT Masters, where I beat him in the final there as well. I’ve been playing him for 30 years now,” Bond said.
“He was best man at my wedding so we’ve been playing against each other and have been best mates for a long time. He’s foxy. He says he’s sore but he’ll still move like crazy.
“It was a really tough four setter. I had an injury, so that made it a bit slower, but he was sore all over so that made things even.”
Following a tough five-setter prior to the deciding game Johns was happy to have a competitive clash with Bond.
“When you get to this age you’ve got a lot of injuries creeping up on you and I had a very hard match yesterday so today my body was feeling it,” he said.
“Surprisingly though, once I got court everything sort of came together and I could move properly. It was a great match and very competitive.
“There’s a few things always guaranteed when you play Jeff. It’s going to be intense. He’s a big guy and I’ve got to be quick to get around him. He always tries to dominate the middle and he’s got a huge wingspan on him.”
Bathurst players also had their share of success in their home tournament. Andrew Kelly (division two), Egbert Kritzinger (division eight) and Benny Kritzinger (division 10) all won their respective competitions.
Jacki Cousins almost added another Bathurst name to the winner’s list after finishing runner-up in division 13.
The winner of the inaugural Jason Davies Cup, named in honour of the late NSW Masters Squash secretary, went to division 12 player Richard Gatty.
Gatty claimed the award thanks to attaining the most number of matches won across the Dapto, Cardiff and Bathurst masters events.
“We had great numbers this year with over 100 players. They always have a great time here and it’s a great social tournament,” organiser Dave Fuller said.
“Jeff has been a sensational supporter of both our Open and Masters tournaments for many years now.
“There was great squash played. The fact that we could use the squash courts here, at Blayney and Wallerawang meant that on Saturday we got through our games quickly, as well as today.
