Hard work pays off for Thame junior squash players

BEFORE heading back to school after the Christmas holidays, 15 juniors took part in a One -day Tournament at Racquets Fitness Centre in Thame. The competition was split across three round robin events ranging from beginner to improver level juniors, each group playing best of three matches.

The C group was made up of beginner players from Racquets who demonstrated fantastic enthusiasm and competitive spirit, even with only a few months of playing experience under their belt. Each junior outshone their beginner status showing off high serves and fast-paced rallies. We were treated to an exciting final with youngster Jack Turner narrowly losing out to 8-year-old Myles Glover, who’s older brother also played in the competition in the A group. This was Myles’ first tournament win, definitely well deserved!

On the next court we witnessed close competition between our B group players. This was an impossible one to judge, with most games reaching 10-10 tie breakers. In this category we welcomed Adam Sims who made his tournament debut. Although less experienced then some of the other players, Adam held his own and won the award for most smiley player of the day, wearing a huge grin throughout every match. The eventual final was between regular players Allegra Michopoulou and Anthony West, who took part in a three-set battle and one of the longest matches of the day. Some tricky boasts and low drives gave Anthony the edge allowing him to come out on top with a 2-1 win.

The A grade competition is always a heated event and today’s tournament saw no exception. New to the competition, Harrison Maldonado caused early upset and worry within the group with his powerful serve and efficient movement around the court. Well done to Harrison on his first tournament at Racquets! Impressing Racquets coach Chloe Marshall was 10-year-old Dylan Gonzales, Chloe commented: “Dylan has been working hard at training and practicing regularly; it’s definitely paying off! He has shown some real creativity on court today – one to watch!”

Our two highest scoring players were Alex Glover and Noah James, who engaged in a deciding match. Although Alex was quick around the court, Noah’s length was better on the day seeing him go home with the gold.

Well done to all the juniors who took part in the competition!

SOURCE: Contributed