The Squash Wales team, consisting of Ellie Breach, Izzy Beynon Cobb, Archie Turnbull, Erin Angmo Patterson, and Ioan Sharpe, represented their country with distinction at the U19 European Squash Team Championships in Bucharest in April.
In the group stages, Wales faced tough competition from Greece, Norway, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Despite the challenges, Wales managed to progress with notable wins over the top seeds in the group, the Czech Republic, along with victories against Greece and Norway.
They suffered one defeat, 1-2 against a strong Poland team. It was an impressive achievement for Wales to advance to the quarterfinals considering the closely contested matches among Wales, the Czech Republic, and Poland.
In the quarterfinals, Wales faced the third-seeded team, Switzerland, with the selected team members Ioan Sharpe, Ellie Breach, and Erin Angmo Patterson. Ioan Sharpe fought valiantly in the first match but was ultimately defeated 0-3 by the Swiss number 1, David Barnett.
Next, Ellie Breach delivered a stellar performance, winning her match 3-0. The deciding match between Erin Angmo Patterson and Fabian Seitz was fiercely contested, with Erin giving her all for over an hour.
Despite holding a game ball to take the match into the deciding fifth game, she eventually lost 10-12 in the fourth game, securing the semi-final spot for the Swiss team. It was a great match that showcased the skills and sportsmanship of both players.
Wales then defeated the Dutch team 3-0 to secure a fifth/sixth place play-off against Germany. Unfortunately, Germany proved too strong on the day, but coaches Greg Tippings and Sally Davis could not have been prouder of the team for securing the sixth position in Europe.
Congratulations to all the team members for their outstanding performance, and we look forward to seeing them represent Wales in the senior game in the near future!
