Hertfordshire Junior Closed
2004
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With the ever increasing numbers the committee decided to split the event over three venues and a thank you goes out to: Radlett for
hosting the U9’s and U11’s A total of approx. 155 entries were received across all age groups with the U15’s having the biggest entry with 44 entrants (37 boys, 7 Girls) Julian Craxton ran the U9’s/U11’s and will be producing a separate report on this fun event which takes a league format ensuring all participants get a good game. Hertfordshire Junior Squash is as healthy as it has ever been and with players enjoying England rankings throughout the age groups. The U13 and U17 event saw England ranked players Tim Dixon, Oliver Dixon and Adrian Waller all taking part. Oliver and Adrian are still U15 being ranked at 6 and 1 respectively. Adrian is also ranked nos. 15 in the U17 age group BOYS EVENTS Tim Dixon went on to reach the final of the U13’s but was beaten 3 – 0 by Philip Waller who has recently shown good form. We hope this spurs Philip on to do the designated England Squash events so that he will have a chance of also getting an England ranking. The U13 plate final was between Johnny McEligott and James Grimston with Johnny coming out on top. The U17 event saw some excellent squash with a final that produced some outstanding rallies with Adrian Waller retrieving from all over the court as Jonathon Fuller tried to move his opponent around to get an opening for a winning shot. Jonathon took some time to get going losing the first game 9/0 but the next two both had nail biting finishes with Adrian winning 10/9, 10/9. The U17 boys plate was between Jack Wilson and Bradley Ryan. Both players had improved as the tournament progressed and the 3-0 score line reflected the fact that Jack achieved a good line and length preventing Bradley using his better racket skills and touch shots. The above two events took place at Cannons, St Albans and the committee would like to thanks Lesley Garner for booking out the courts for the tournament. The following weekend was at Herts Country Club and thanks go out to Ron Palmer and his team of workers who made the two days run smoothly. The only hiccup in the proceedings was the presence of the local Gospel Group on the Sunday morning whose singing did add something to the day!. The U15 boys should have fielded both Adrian Waller and Oliver Dixon but they had to withdraw due to other squash commitments. The contest was still keenly fought with Rhys Thomas on home ground turning out to be the winner beating Daniel Sciberras of Bishops Stortford in the final. Rhys has come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months and coaching with Adam Fuller, who moved up from the Juniors last year, is obviously paying dividends. The play off for third and fourth place warrants a mention as Philip Waller fought back from two nil eight nil down to win a five set thriller. Greg Rowantree must be kicking himself for letting Philip off the hook but it just goes to show that you have not won until you win that last point!. The U15 Plate was won by David Barnes with runner up Jonathan Smith-Squire. Due to the large number of entries a ‘B’ tournament was also held and T.J Elliot was the eventual winner beating Johnny McElligott in the final. Finally the U19 boys tournament saw an entry of 13 although a couple of late cry offs did spoil it for those who turned up only to find their opponent had withdrawn. The final was between Neil Waller who was seeded at nos.1 and Jonathan Fuller seeded 2. Perhaps the biggest crowd of the tournament watched this on the exhibition court and were not disappointed in what was a good natured game with plenty of smiles but also some serious squash. The result went with the seeding (3-0) both players showing themselves as strong contenders for the Mens County squad in the coming few years. Neil still has one more year at this age group and Jonathan two years after which they will undoubtedly be looking to represent the County. James McKay took 3rd and James Cussens 4th. The U19 plate was won by Nick Dalgleish. GIRLS EVENT We could still do with a lot more girls playing squash. The junior committee do make special efforts to encourage the girls to play and the efforts of Julian Craxton are paying off. However, it would be good if we could get a Lady to volunteer to help out with the Girls and now that we are in the County leagues go with them to the tournaments. Any takers out there? Jenna Shrubb has been sponsored by the committee to take her coaching part one and 2 and helps out on the Girls Squash mornings. Are there any other ladies out there who would like to become qualified coaches and at the same time help us out with the girls? With a total entry of 23, the girls tournament is run on a league basis for all age groups. This gives them a chance to play against each other the league winners from each group moving on to play each other. The U13 girls was won by Rachael Foster who has excellent racket skills and can hit the ball with some ferocity. Her opponent was Anna Bradley and both of these along with Jemma Ockwell will be representing the County in the U13 girls team. This is the first girls team we have fielded for a few years so lets hope we can continue to attract young female players. The under 15’s saw Rachael win again against Jemma Ockwell both girls showing a strength that not many counties will match. The U17 and U19 was won by Jenna Shrubb who also plays for a ladies team at St Albans. Clare Pickering was the runner up in the U17 and Charly Drake in the U19. The presentations were made by Ray Waller, the Chairman of the Junior Committee, and winners received Dunlop rackets along with their trophies. As is always the case people interested in squash are welcomed to attend the committee meetings as they are always looking for new blood. A final thank you must go to Ron Worrell whose hard work made all of this possible. |
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