Zak storms through tournament but pipped in play-offs

THE latest junior one-day squash tournament on July 15, at Racquets Fitness Centre proved to be a very exciting tournament. The results were vastly different to the previous tournament where many of the players had been testing out their competitive game for the first time.

Zak Young, one of the Racquets Academy players, struggled to compete in the tournament earlier in the year but a determined effort of improvement over the last few months proved how much a player can change in a short time.

All the players showed great enthusiasm for the game, supporting other Racquets players despite them being the competition! This all comes down to the great spirit we have at Racquets.

The majority of the juniors were all very closely matched so we had one grade of 16 players. Each player played with determination and fantastic competitive spirit.

Zak Young, age 10, who joined the academy as one of the original five back in December 2016, showed just how far he has come. The other children in the academy all had previous racket skills so Zak started at a disadvantage. Not to be deterred he worked hard to learn the game of squash and did so with enthusiasm and listened carefully to his coaches. This was Zak’s second tournament and he played like he had never played before. His first match was a hard one when his competitor got distressed throughout the game, Zak stayed composed and focused and allowed his competitor to calm down in between serves.

Zak won all of his games in his group and was gracious with every win showing the true colours of good sportsmanship. Zak’s coach, Sue Martin Downhill, said: “I am incredibly proud of just how far Zak has come in eight months and I am delighted to see how the free coaching Zak has received through the academy has paid off. Zak is a very good example of why we offer children a chance in the academy.”

Zak’s mum Zoe said: “I am incredibly proud of Zak and how hard he has worked at learning squash as he didn’t find it easy at the beginning. It has been wonderful to see the passion Zak shows for squash and his temperament towards the other players was exceptional, he was one point away from being joint first; it was a nerve wracking final to say the least!”

Through some very long games, the outcome of this tournament was first place to Joe Johnson, second place, Zak Young and third place Alex Glover, all of whom are Racquets Academy players.

New to the academy, Richard Wheeler, Andrew Worby and Alex Bozon, all showed tremendous courage in playing against some hard competition and kept their cool under pressure too. Really great sportsmanship!

Laszlo Garson, from Abingdon, was the youngest player in the tournament at age seven. His competition was notable because he was playing against much older and physically stronger players. Throughout the matches of the tournament we could all see his composure, confidence and skill improving. He will be a force to be reckoned with within the next six months.

The top grade of the tournament was a demonstration of quality coaching and keenness. The winner and runner-up were the same age as the grade below but have been playing for a few years now. Alex Smith, age 10 from Abingdon, won with style, closely followed in second place by Ambrose Garson age 11, also from Abingdon, who played incredibly well.

We look forward to seeing the changing standards of all the players over the course of the next few Racquets one-day squash tournaments.

For more information about playing squash, whether from a young age or starting later in life, contact Sue or Simon at Racquets Fitness Centre on 01844 261754.

SOURCE: Contributed by Zoe Young.