Glass court for international squash in Temuka

Something special and never seen before is about to appear in the South Island town of Temuka.

Not only will there be squash players from an impressive 14 different nations lining up for the Trust Midlands Aoraki PSA Challenger tournament in Temuka. What is so different, and notable is that the majority of matches will be played on a full international glass squash court.

A lot of planning and work has gone into getting the court into the region with several days of assembly  for a crew of volunteers.

"The glass court has been transported down from Christchurch after being used at the successful NZ Squash Open earlier in the year.  The court build is underway and is led by a specialist from the UK who is flown in specifically for the task," said Tournament Director Vicki Rae.

"It's going to be an amazing event, the likes of Temuka and surrounding area hasn't seen before. For a small country town to host an event of this calibre is a major coup.

"Temuka and the wider community have really got on board, and we have received great support. We've got schools from the local area coming to the venue and being involved in interactive activities and watching matches. 

The corporate tables are selling really well. The event is for the whole community not just squash players and we are excited to showcase our great sport," said Rae who is also the District Manager for Squash Midlands.

The top seeded players in the men's draw include former world No 1 junior Rowan Damming from the Netherlands, second seed is kiwi Elijah Thomas who is ranked just outside the top 100 and has had a good record over the past couple of months reaching the final of two PSA Challenger events.

Third men's seed is Leo Chung from Hong Kong followed by Hafiz Zhafri from Malaysia. 
The women's entry list is headed by New Zealand's Ella Lash who has a world ranking of 127 and will face competition from second seed Kincso Szász from Hungary.

Seeded third is Kiwi-Brit Jasmine Thirst followed by Hawkes Bay's Jena Gregory, a recent finalist at the Auckland Open. 

A number of local players have been given positions in the draws to compete with the professionals while there are also graded tournaments at local clubs as well. 

The tournament runs 25-29 June and is part of the Temuka Squash Club 50th anniversary celebrations.