Schools’ Tournament Showcases Junior Squash in Bedfordshire

Forty enthusiastic and talented students competed in the Bedfordshire Schools’ Individual Squash Tournament held at Bedford School last week, vying to get their name on one of the fabulous trophies. This record entry demonstrates the growing popularity of the sport amongst juniors in North Bedfordshire and the winners in the three age categories attend different schools. There was some brilliant, fiercely competitive squash on show, but also tremendous sportsmanship from all the juniors.

Several of the players also attend the Bedford Squash Academy at Mowsbury Squash and Golf Complex every Friday during term times, which is open to all juniors aged 7-14 (see below for more details).

Years 4/5/6

Many of the players in the youngest age group, especially the girls that entered, have only been playing squash for a few months and it was amazing to see their progress in such a short timeframe. The players were split into 4 groups of four, with the top two in each group progressing to the quarter finals and the winners of these matches reaching the semi-finals.

Both semis were nail-biting affairs. The first was a Bedford School tussle, with Ben defeating Ernest 15-12, whilst the other semi was an all BMS showdown – Freddie managing to edge out William 16-14.   

The final was an excellent match with some great skills demonstrated by these young players. The game was tight all the way through but Freddie (BMS) looked to be favourite at 14-12 up and serving at match ball up. However, Ben (Bedford School) showed great resilience to fight back and win four points in a row to take the match 16-14. An excellent win!

Winner – Ben (Bedford School); Runner-Up – Freddie (BMS).

Years 7/8

There was another big entry in the Year 7-8 competition, using the same format of a group stage (4 groups of 4) followed by QFs, SFs and final. It was extremely competitive, with a strong desire to win and some brilliant skills displayed.

Eight players emerged from the group stages to compete in the quarter-finals, and a special mention must go to Thomas G and Noah (Bedford School) and Milan (BMS) who made the QFs  – a great achievement for Year 7s competing against Year 8s. The closest QFs matches were the wins by Thomas B (Ousedale) over Noah (15-13) and Ryan (Sharnbrook) over Samarth (BMS) by 15-11. 

In the semis, Thomas B was too strong on the day for Alex (Sharnbrook), whilst the second semi was a superb, seesawing match between Thomas G and Ryan, with some amazing rallies and athleticism on show. Ryan raced into an 8-3 lead, but Thomas G quickly closed the gap and then it was nip and tuck until 13-13. Ryan eventually managing to close out the match 15-13.   

So the final was between Ryan (Sharnbrook) and Thomas B (Ousedale) and again it was thrilling. Ryan worked hard to steadily build a 9-7 lead, but then his exertions in the semi seemed to take their toll and Thomas played the steadier squash to win 8 points on the bounce and close out the match. 

Winner – Thomas B (Ousedale); Runner-Up – Ryan (Sharnbrook)

Years 9-11

It was great to see a good entry of 8 players for the year 9-11 competition, who were divided into two groups of four. The standard was high, with some players already familiar with adult team matches and competing at a wider regional and national level.

Special mention must go to Aden (Home Schooled/Bedford Squash Academy) and Alfie (Goldington) who both competed hard and managed to win matches as Year 9s – the youngest in this age group.

Group A saw the two seeds Matthew (BMS) and Lewis (Bedford School) both comfortably progress. In Group B, things were closer and it all came down to the final match between Alfie (Goldington) and Theo (Bedford School) to see who would progress to the semis along with Toby (BMS).  It was a titanic tussle, with the momentum swinging back and forth, but Alfie’s fierce competitive nature got him across the line by the tightest of margins: 11-10, 11-10 after winning sudden-death points in both games.

In the semis, Matthew’s greater experience and court-craft was too much for Alfie, and Lewis (Bedford School) comfortably beat Toby (BMS) who was struggling with a shoulder injury.

So, to the final and the last match of the evening – a rematch of their group game between Matthew and Lewis, but this time over a longer best of three format. Matthew took the first game comfortably 11-6, showcasing the excellent ball control he has developed in the last 12 months. Lewis stepped it up in the second game, finding a better length to put Matthew under more pressure. It was close, with Lewis saving three match points, before eventually going down 11-9. 

Winner – Matthew (BMS); Runner-Up – Lewis (Bedford School).

Many congratulations to the winners and to all of the players who took part in the tournament – we hope to see you back next year! Thanks also to the parents for supporting , to everyone who helped to mark the games, and to Bedford School for hosting the event and laying on the teas. See you next year!

For more information on the thriving Bedford Squash Academy read here: www.clubtowers.com/bedfordsquashacademy