The men’s and women’s teams travelled to Amsterdam to compete in the Senior European Team Championships. The men entered the competition seeded 8th, with the women seeded 9th. However, with a number of late withdrawals and the recent retirement of Tesni Murphy from the World Tour, achieving these seeded positions proved to be a significant challenge.
Special congratulations must go to debutants Sarah Clode and Oliver Jones, who both represented Wales at senior level for the first time.
Both teams progressed successfully through the group stages to reach the quarterfinals, recording notable victories along the way, including the men’s win over Hungary and the women’s win against Poland. Both teams were defeated by England, although Owain Taylor secured an excellent individual victory against his English opponent.
In the quarterfinals, the teams faced strong opposition from European squash powerhouses France (men) and Belgium (women). Despite committed performances, both teams were defeated 4–0 and 3–0 respectively.
Following a defeat to Spain, the women finished strongly in the play-off stages, securing a hard-fought 2–1 win over hosts the Netherlands to finish in 7th place. The men concluded their campaign in impressive fashion, recording a 4–0 win over Scotland and a 3–1 victory against the Czech Republic on the final day, securing 5th place overall.
Considering the significant last-minute disruption, both teams finished above their seeded positions, highlighting the strength and depth of squash in Wales and the continued ability to achieve results beyond expectations for a nation of our size.
A sincere thank you is extended to all the players, coach Greg, and physio Libby for their outstanding commitment and support throughout the event.
Dave Evans
