Navy’s title hopes squashed by Army

HMAS Harman’s LSPT Steven ‘Grizz’ Adams slogs it out at the ACT interservice squash championships. Photo: PTE Shannon Joyce

Navy hosted the ACT interservice squash championships earlier this month looking to take the title but it was a red-hot Army team who would walk away winners.

The ADFA courts provided neutral ground for the competition with all three services keen for a hit out. The last squash tournament was contested in 2001.

Previous champs RAAF, took on an under-manned Navy first up. The Navy proved no match for a very experienced RAAF side who won all five matches and only dropped one game for the round.

Army took on Navy next and took all the matches bar one. This set the scene for a tough final between Army and RAAF.

The first match was all Army, with LTCOL Phil Langworthy showing the way with a 2 - 0 victory. RAAF then decided to square the ledger with Brett Parker scraping home for a 2-1 win.

With an interservice title in the balance it was time to get to the business end of proceedings. The third match decided the fate of the shield when RAAF’s Chris Cook and Army’s Phil Bush were locked up at a game apiece and neither was prepared to give in. But Bush proved he had the winning edge defeating Cook by just one point to take the match and seal the 3-2 victory for Army.

HMAS Harman’s Commanding Of-ficer, CMDR Sue Smith, presented the Army team the interservice shield and a medallion for their efforts and made special mention of LTCOL Langworthy and Peter Morrison from Army and Des Chin from RAAF for winning both their matches in straight games.

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