Hat-trick of Titles for Alfie at Junior Squash Championships

Our annual Junior Squash Championships began last Wednesday with the Under 15 and Under 13 events. These were played in two groups of round robin matches played over one evening. Many of these dedicated “squashies” had played in the Bedford Schools tournament just the week before, with an undiminished appetite for more. Marking these matches is a pleasure with great sportsmanship on show, while they are fiercely contested at the same time. These tournaments are a testament to all the hard work and practice put in by the children in their weekly coaching sessions.

In the first group were Nick, Alex, Felipe and Jesse. Jesse was the youngest at age 11 and least experienced, more than compensated by his pluck and determination. There were very close matches between the other three boys, with Felipe just missing out on progressing to the semi-final stages, the crux being his narrow defeat to Alex. Nick and Alex advanced to the semi-finals.

In the second group were Digby, Alfie, Ryan and Joseph. Fresh from his triumph in the Bedford Schools Tournament last week, Alfie hit the ground running with three wins, but Ryan made him work hard by winning 17 of the 39 points played. Digby beat Ryan in a very tight contest but needed to score a few more points against Alfie to advance to the semi-final. Alfie and Ryan went through to the semi-final stage, with Digby falling short by just two points.

We were then treated to some amazing matches, with Jesse just managing to pip Joseph in the 7th/8th playoff 2-1 after losing the first, and Digby winning a tough battle against Felipe for 5th/6th – again by a 2-1 scoreline. All four boys were now playing above their earlier level in the group stages and Digby and Felipe chased every point with long rallies.

Ryan raised his own game in the first semi-final against Nick to win 11-6 / 11-7, while Alex tested Alfie to the limit in the other semi-final. Alfie came through 11-8 / 6-11 / 11-3.

And so to the final between Ryan and Alfie, who had both worked so hard to get to this stage. This was a repeat of their earlier tight group stage match, but the final was perhaps a step too far for the younger Ryan. Alfie triumphed 11-6 / 11-3 and so scooped the U15 and U13 titles this year. Ryan also runner-up in both age groups. Well done to all our squash juniors and we hope to see them all again in the Beds County Closed event in September.

If your child would like to try squash for the first time you can request a free taster at Reception. They will meet a coach on court and the other children already in the programme too. More details are here www.clubtowers.com/juniorsquash .