Ashburton Squash Club members (from left) Karlie McQueen, Brooke Cornish-Madden, Darnell Lima and Katrina Palmer are in Dunedin playing for the Midlands Squash team this weekend. Photo supplied.When the Midlands District representative squash team takes to the court in Dunedin this weekend, it will feature a strong Ashburton presence.

Four women from the Ashburton Squash Club made the cut for the team, which – on paper – looked to be a strong side which could well come up with the goods.

The tournament in Dunedin this weekend is the South Island teams event, where Midlands, Canterbury, Otago and Southland battle it out on court, with each district selecting three juniors, three seniors and two masters.

The four Ashburton players selected are Katrina Palmer, as the side’s number one senior, Brooke Cornish-Madden as the number one junior, Darnell Lima as the number three junior and Karlie McQueen as the number two master.

The Midlands district runs from Rakaia to Oamaru and inland to Methven and Waimate, so for the Ashburton Squash Club to have four women selected is an awesome achievement, Palmer said.

The tournament forms part of what is shaping up to be a big year for Cornish-Madden in particular, who has recently made the New Zealand under-15 ranking list at 16th, and is rapidly improving.

This weekend’s full-on competition will see three games played today and tomorrow, and Palmer said the Midlands men’s team was looking strong this year so they would be gunning for the title.

Mid Canterbury’s top two men – Lee Barker and Steve Leckie – were unavailable to play this weekend, while Agustin Maunier, who upset Barker at last weekend’s Methven Squash Open, had left his run of form too late to make this team but was likely to be a contender when it came time for the national teams event in Christchurch later this year.

The Midlands men’s team is this weekend headlined by Patrick Mulvihill, with Kediah Bungard at two and Thomas Pickles at three.

This weekend’s tournament is being hosted by the Otago Squash Club.

The full Midlands team competing in Dunedin this weekend is: Dave Laughton, Wayne King, Aaron Bungard, Patrick Mulvihill, Keidah Bungard, Thomas Pickles, Stephen Garner, Connor Bolitho, Liam Direen, Leanne Spite, Karlie McQueen, Sherry Howard, Katrina Palmer, Lily Rae, Stephanie Chambers, Brooke Cornish-Madden, Ashlyn Fenwick, Darnell Lima.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 14 June 2019