Northerns' Greg la Mude and Claire Nitch of Gauteng lifted the 2002 SA National Squash titles when the finals were played at the Parkview Centre, Johannesburg.
La Mude became only the third Northerns' player since 1967 to take the National crown - Dawie Botha won the title in 1967 and Roland Watson in 1982.
Fourth seeded Adrian Hansen, winner in 2000, was leading 9-7 and hand regained the hand-in trailing 0-2 in points in the second game in a match which was promising to be an entertaining tussle between two players both hungry for victory.
During a long rally with both players alternately retrieving and attacking, Hansen, in lunging forward, tore the hamstring in his left leg and was forced to concede.
In the annals since 1947 the final has never resulted in a walkover.
Nitch, appearing in her eighth final, pocketed her seventh title but only after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Second seeded Clifton-Parks, who had edged through 3-2 in her semifinal clash with Sjeanne Cawdry, was in devastating form taking the first two games 9-6 9-1 against the top seed who was suffering from a bad attack of tinitis - Nitch's returns repeatedly landed in the tin!
With some incredible volleys and smashes into the nick, Clifton-Parks raced to 7-2 in the third game - only 2 points away from victory.
The nuggety Nitch however gradually found her length, crawled back to level at 7-all and took the game 9-7.
Thereafter Nitch did not drop a further point, winning the next two games 9-0 9-0 against a decidedly disappointed opponent.
Oddly enough, the men's third place was also a walkover result with Whittaker's scratching giving van der Wath the third place.
In what could have been a family celebratory weekend Adrian's brother Christian won the Plate section.
Sjeanne Cawdry took third place against Northern's Farrah Sterne. Sterne dominated the first game and led 8-2 in the second only to see the Kwazulu Natalian take it 10-8.
The same pattern emerged in the third game with Sterne leading 8-2 and Cawdry again winning it 10-8 but Cawdry won the fourth 9-0. - Sapa