Ponte begins title defence in emphatic fashion

FORMER island squash champion Marilyn Pugh yesterday felt the full force of Guernsey's 14-year-old golf star Aimee Ponte in the first round of the island championship at La Grande Mare.

Pugh, who goes back to the days when Lisa Opie and Martine Le Moignan were sweeping aside the seniors on the squash courts at Kings, must have had a sense of deja vu in seeing Ponte dismantling her with the natural ease the world squash stars of 20 years back more than often swept all before them on their way to the top.

Ponte (pictured) triumphed 9 and 7 and will now play La Grande Mare's Rose Scott for a place in the semi-finals, the latter having collected her own straightforward win, by 7 and 5 against Carolyn Harbour.

It was a good day for the home contingent with Mandy Hardman reaching the last eight with a fine 4 and 3 victory over last year's losing finalist and No. 4 seed, Kay Mapley.

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