On 18th April, we hosted our second junior development tournament of the season at Cardiff Squash and Racketball Club. The event saw players from Cardiff SRC, Llantrisant, Newport and St Mellons, accompanied by a group from Cowbridge SC.
Starting in the afternoon this time round, the event began with an hour of coaching. Once players were grouped into the appropriate grades, match play got under way. With alternative serving and a second serve allowed for some grades, matches were played to 11, best of three, and produced competitive squash throughout.
The D grade event saw a six-player round robin battle it out. With alternative serving in place, there was a great showing of competitive rallying between players ranging from five to 11 years old. In a highly competitive round-robin where every player recorded wins, we eventually found ourselves with the top two placed players. Following their encounter, Ellie Callaghan (Cardiff SRC) was announced the winner, with Joseph Adams (Cowbridge) finishing as a well-deserved runner-up.
The C grade event saw two players from Llantrisant, competing in their first-ever squash matches, take on the formidable Abby Adams from Cowbridge. After some nervy first games, both Llantrisant lads, Ethan Williams and Rhydian Binning, fought back hard in their second games, narrowly losing to Abby on a tie-break. The battle of Llantrisant then took place on court 2, and it was Ethan who took home the bragging rights and finished runner-up, while Abby Adams won the C grade.
On court 2, the B grade showcased some brilliant, competitive squash, with one game finishing 16–14. Clara Martin (Cowbridge) proved too good for both her opponents and finished in first place, while Zac Johnson (DL Cardiff) managed to edge out Aeron Morgan (Cowbridge) 2–1 to finish in 2nd place.
Finally, we moved to the show court to watch the A grade. Unfortunately, Lydia Thomas (Cardiff SRC) picked up an injury on match ball and had to withdraw. We wish Lydia a speedy recovery. The show had to go on: Heidi Moore (Cowbridge) put up a valiant effort, but both Joshua Richards and Indie Davies proved too strong this time round. Joshua and Indie battled it out for first place, with Indie proving victorious.
Another successful event, providing competitive squash in a fun and supportive environment. Thank you to Cardiff SRC for hosting, to the coaches and parents for their support, and to all players for their fantastic effort. We look forward to seeing you at the next development tournament.
Tomos Rosser
