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Whats Happening at Club Waimea Squash
2026 Club Champs
What a weekend!
Our Club Champs brought out some fantastic squash, plenty of close battles and most importantly a great atmosphere.
Well done to our winners
Club Champs - Liam Gale and Sarena Harwood
A Grade
Mens - Liam Gale
B Grade
Mens - Wayne Muller
Womens - Sarena Harwood
C Grade
Mens - Jayden Friend
Womens - Susan Aitken
D Grade
Mens - Greg Field
Womens - Nicola Pilkington
E Grade
Mens - David Sampson
Womens - Dawn Chalmers
F Grade
Mens - Ryan Braunstein
Womens - Barlee van Niekerk
J Grade Boy - Flynn Earnshaw
J Grade Girl - Abigail van Niekerk
Junior Boy - Jack Goodman
Most Improved
Senior Men - Greg Field
Senior Women - Casey Gousmett
Junior Boy - Jack Goodman
J Grade Boy - Josiah Cambridge
J Grade Girl - Abigail van Niekerk
Family - Cambridge Family
Sportsperson of the Year - Chris Baird
Over the past year, Chris has put together an incredibly committed season, stepping on court 54 times, playing 11 tournaments and travelling all over the South Island to compete. Nine of those matches went to five sets, and during Round 2 of interclub he won 7 of his 9 matches. Whether taking on experienced players or a swarm of juniors who seem to run on solar power, Chris has competed with consistency, humility and a genuine love for his squash. He’s also become something of a travelling squash legend with his fully customised tournament trailer — a true home-away-from-home! Add in his help with raffles and van driving, and his famous headband that makes him look like a cross between Rambo and John McEnroe, and there was really only one choice. Congratulations to Chris Baird, our 2026 Sportsperson of the Year!
Contribution to the Club - Mark and Nan Gale
Mark has been one of those people who quietly gets things done around the club. From building scoring units and fixing stairs to putting up TVs, moving noticeboards and making sure the heaters are on, no job is ever too difficult — the answer is almost always, “Yeah, we can do that!” For years, Mark has also been the man behind the bar, keeping everything stocked, organised and running smoothly. His contribution, time and willingness to help have made a huge difference to our club.
Nan has been at the heart of Club Waimea for more than a decade, taking on just about every job going — volunteering, fundraising, helping at tournaments, organising accommodation and always being there to support and encourage others. She brings warmth, energy and plenty of laughs to everything she does, and is a huge part of the social side of our club. And while Mark keeps the bar running, Nan does her best to make sure there are plenty of takings to count — including the famous “Nan Sav Pour”! We are incredibly lucky to have them both.
Term 3 Junior Competitive League
What a great finish to our first ever Junior Competitive League!
We had a very close 5-setter battle for 1st & 2nd place, with the final result coming down to the wire!
8/15, 16/14, 15/8, 15/17, 15/13
1st – Flynn
2nd – Zain
3rd – Josiah
This term we’ve had 10 juniors playing competitive matches, and it’s been so great to see their growth both on and off the court. From arriving early and getting on court together, to challenging each other, having fun and building confidence — they’ve really embraced it.
We’ll be going again next term! If you’re a graded junior member at any Nelson/Tasman club and would like to get involved, get in touch with us.
Well done juniors — what a way to finish!
51st Heaphy Shield 2026
A big thank you to this team for representing Nelson Bays Squash at the 51st Heaphy Shield over the weekend.
Back row: Rex Bowden (Takaka), Jono Earnshaw (Waimea), Sarena Harwood (Waimea), Liam Gale (Waimea), Casey Gousmett (Waimea), Keren Barcas (Motueka), Jazmine Palmer-Bensemann (Waimea), Tanya Brown (Nelson)
Front row: Charlie Barker (Nelson), Wayne Muller (Waimea).
There will be some sore, tired bodies after the weekend. This is a super tough competition where all four matches feel like major finals and there's the added pressure of knowing that every point counts for your team. It wasn't our year this year but we certainly made our mark on the result.
Thank you to all the spectators and supporters who came down to watch over the weekend adding to the buzz, and thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time to help in the kitchen and bar, we appreciate you
Congratulations to West Coast on taking out the 51st Heaphy Shield!
What a finish, with some absolute cracker 5-setters across the final round!
Final scores:
West Coast — 18
Marlborough — 17
Nelson — 13
And a special mention to Wayne Muller for the Shot of the Competition! On game ball, Wayne pulled out an incredible tweener from the back of the court to win the rally and take the game — although he didn’t take the match!
Squash in Schools Term 3
This term, we’ve been taking squash into local schools and giving tamariki the opportunity to try something new, have fun and get active.
We’ve visited Richmond Primary School and St Paul’s School, introducing tamariki to the basics of squash through fun and engaging sessions. Sessions include a short warm-up, learning how to hold and handle a racket, racket and ball skills, and plenty of time for the tamariki to get on court and have a go for themselves.
We’ve had some fantastic feedback from both teachers and students, and it’s been great to see the impact these school visits are having. We’ve also seen an increase in juniors coming along and giving squash a go at our Sunday junior sessions, which is exactly what we hoped to achieve.
We’re proud to be growing squash across our region and bringing the sport directly to our schools and communities. We look forward to continuing this work and reaching even more tamariki over the coming year!
South Island Junior Age Group Championships
Waimea Squash Club proudly hosted the South Island Junior Age Group Championships on 17th-18th July, marking the first time in many years the club has welcomed a national tournament.
The event attracted 70 entries from throughout the South Island, with a visiting group from Waikato also making the trip to compete. The championships were a huge success, showcasing some of New Zealand's top young squash talent while creating a fantastic atmosphere both on and off the court.
Waimea Squash Club's Abigail van Niekerk claimed the Under 11 Girls title, while Holly van Niekerk finished runner-up in the same division. Nelson Squash Club's Seb Reeves also had an excellent tournament, finishing third in the Under 15 Boys grade.
The tournament was made possible thanks to the generous support of local businesses. Waimea Squash Club extends its sincere thanks to naming sponsor W.K. Strawbridge, along with Nayland Scaffolding, NZ Packaging, Oaklands Milk, O2B Healthy, Bays Bees, Fruzio and Pak'nSave Richmond for their valued support.
Equally important was the incredible effort of the Waimea Squash Club community. Club members rallied together, volunteering countless hours throughout the weekend to assist with everything from the kitchen and bar to live streaming, refereeing, scoring, set-up and pack-down. Their commitment ensured the event ran smoothly and helped create a welcoming experience for players and families from around the country.
A fitting end to the championships came on Saturday evening when the club hosted around 100 players, families, volunteers and supporters for dinner before everyone settled in to watch the All Blacks together. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the club's volunteers, everyone was well fed, with plenty of food still left over. It was a fantastic way to celebrate a successful tournament and the strong sense of community that made the weekend so special.
Tournament organisers were delighted with the positive feedback received from competitors and visitors, with many praising the club's hospitality and organisation. The successful event highlighted the strength of squash in the Top of the South and showcased what can be achieved through the support of volunteers, sponsors and the wider squash community.
Grade Winners
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Under 11 Girls: Abigail van Niekerk (Waimea Squash Club)
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Under 11 Boys: Chase Dowling (Fiordland Squash Club)
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Under 13 Girls: Addison Rouse (Cambridge Rackets Club)
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Under 13 Boys: Liam Hogg (Makarewa Squash Club)
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Under 15 Girls: Yusra Rashid (North Shore Squash Club)
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Under 15 Boys: Hemi Gregory (Te Rapa Squash Club)
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Under 17 Girls: No entries
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Under 17 Boys: George Reynolds (Burnside Squash Club)
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Under 19 Girls: Victoria Moran (Marlborough Squash Rackets Club)
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Under 19 Boys: Taylor Vette (Te Rapa Squash Club)
Waimea Open 2026
Waimea Juniors
We want to give a huge thank you to all the parents for allowing the kids to play (and for the early starts!), to the parents who helped ref and assist throughout the mornings and evenings, and most importantly to the kids for being awesome, having fun, and bringing such great energy to the courts. It was fantastic to see so many happy faces out there enjoying their squash!
We also want to thank everyone for sticking around for a slightly later dinner and prizegiving thanks to some riveting adult squash finals!
We had 20 juniors take part this year, including several first-time players, and it was such a success, with many having to be dragged off the court for home after the event - the squash never stopped
A massive thank you as well to HUDL-Athletica, Armadillos Richmond, McDonald's Richmond and Paper Plus Richmond for your support.
Winners
J1 – Caleb
J2 – Micah
J3 – Flynn
J4 – AJ
J5 – Holly
Open Draws
What a great evening of squash! A big thank you to everyone who came down to watch and support the finals — the crowd created an awesome atmosphere and made for a fantastic evening of squash
The Women’s Open Final was an amazing way to kick off the evening finals — a brilliant 5 setter with some incredible squash on display. A special mention to Victoria for getting back on court after a hard knock digging one out of the corner!
Women’s Open Final
Sarena Harwood vs Victoria Moran
Winner – Sarena
11/6 4/11 15/13 5/11 11/7
The Men’s Open Final then brought even more excitement, with another epic 5 setter full of long rallies, incredible retrieving… including even a racket from the roof
Men’s Open Final
Paulie Moran vs Charlie Barker
Winner – Paulie
11/6 11/6 7/11 7/11 11/9
Main Draws
With 92 entries and a waitlist, this has been our biggest tournament in the last few years. We want to thank all the players who travelled from across the South Island to take part.
A big thank you as well to Nelson Squash Club for hosting some Saturday morning matches. We are incredibly thankful for the great and supportive relationship between our clubs.
A huge thank you as well to Casey for running tournament control, Barlee for organising the juniors, Mark for getting the bar stock and ready, Nicola for keeping the kitchen running, all the volunteers helping behind the bar, in the kitchen and with cleaning, our committee for all the hard work that goes into making weekends like this happen and our President Sarena on her guidance and willingness to lead club. We couldn’t do it without you all
Division Winners
Men’s 1 – Paul Freeman
Men’s 2 – Archer Keown
Men’s 3 – Cam Duff
Men’s 4 – Jiri Sojka
Men’s 5 – Ernie Chan
Men’s 6 – Flynn Weaver
Women’s 1 – Tanya Brown
Women’s 2 – Tiff Price
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Stonewood Homes Social League
Big congrats to our Social League winners – Nogs!
A huge thank you to our awesome sponsors Stonewood Homes Nelson for supporting the league – we really appreciate it!
Can we just take a moment for Nan
At this point, if you want to win social league or interclub, you just make sure Nan’s on your team 12 months straight of backing winners… coincidence? We think not.
Thanks to everyone who took part this term – such a great vibe on court each week
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2025/2026 Business House
BUSINESS HOUSE CHAMPIONS CROWNED!
What. A. Final.
NZ Packaging have taken out this year’s Business House title in the most nail-biting way possible. With the teams locked at 2–2 heading into the final game, it went right down to the wire… 39–39 on the timer
Cue sudden death
One point.
One winner.
And NZ Packaging held their nerve to snatch the win over Betta Inspect It — talk about a finals finish for the ages
Final Placings:
1) NZ Packaging
2) Betta Inspect It - Nelson/Tasman
3) OneForty One New Zealand
4) Kūmānu Nelmac
5) Fulton Hogan
6) Laser Plumbing Nelson
7) Stonewood Homes Nelson
8) Lift N Shift Ltd
Huge thanks to all teams for an epic season of squash, great sportsmanship, and awesome banter.
Before
After
Kitchen and Bar Revamp Complete
The Waimea Squash Club which falls under the umbrella of Club Waimea in Richmond, Nelson completed an extensive upgrade of their kitchen and bar facilities in February, marking the completion of a strategic plan project that was first raised in 2017. Initially, the plan was to replace worn bench tops in a kitchen that was now 47 years old but had lasted well due to members help and maintenance. In 2023 the committee decided that a full kitchen and bar upgrade would provide better future value for our growing club and affording us opportunities to hold larger events. The Club has a healthy fundraising culture, and so with event funds and ongoing wall and tin sponsorship income, we are proud to have fully funded this project ourselves.
The project ran through 4 key phases:
Phase 1: Planning and design. Consultations with the kitchen design company began in May 2024 and were locked in after final approval by Club Waimea in October.
Phase 2: Move the bar. The lounge area was cleared to make room for the creation of a new bar on the opposite wall. Whilst we could do without a kitchen during the summer months, it was important to ensure bar facilities remained available at all times!
Phase 3: Out with the old. Once the new bar was functional, the existing kitchen and bar were ripped out, and the walls, floors, plumbing and electrics all prepped for the new kitchen.
Phase 4: In with the new. New kitchen installation.
We are extremely grateful for the commitment and dedication of our loyal skilled members who made up the project team, including accounting, purchasing, installation, electrics, plumbing and many other general duties. The team worked hours in their spare time to complete both the bar move and installation, and full kitchen refurbishment in 5 months so they can be utilised for the 2025 season and shown off during our signature Waimea Open tournament in May.
This was a well-coordinated effort that has exceeded all of our expectations and feedback from members has been tremendous. We are looking forward to the official opening celebrations!
Club Waimea Squash Wins Canterbury Club of the Year 2024.
Club Waimea Squash has taken the ultimate award at the Canterbury Squash awards by being awarded Club of the Year.
We are incredibility proud of our members and committee who make the club what it is, which helped us achieve this excellent recognition. We will now be in the running at the Squash NZ Awards for club of the year after winning our district.
Most Improved Players
Congratulations to Hayden White who was awarded 3rd place as Most Improved Senior Male and Drew Hayes who was also awarded 3rd place as Most Improved Masters Male.
Special mentions to our club players for winning Canterbury Tournament and representatives in the 2024 season.
Christmas Doubles 2025
Christmas Doubles – What a Way to Finish the Year!
Thank you to everyone who came along to play, support, and soak up the atmosphere at today’s end-of-year Christmas Doubles. We saw some great matches, plenty of fun, and awesome connections made on and off the court.
On behalf of the Waimea Squash Club committee, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy holiday season.
See you all in 2026!
