Over forty young competitors took part in the Bedfordshire Schools Individual Squash Tournament, hosted by Bedford School on behalf of Club Towers Health and Racquets Club on 18 March, with three different winners from three different schools claiming the titles.
The three winners were from Bedford School, Bedford Modern and Ousedale but all of the players were complimented for their “enthusiasm and great skills”, with the overall event a huge success.
“It has been fabulous to see both the enthusiasm of the young squash players on display in this tournament and the numbers entered this year”, said Matthew Towers of Club Towers.
“It’s been a huge effort from all the players, whether they are winning or not, and there have been some great skills on display from such young players. I look forward to seeing them develop further into top players over the next few years.”
The competition was open to all players from Years 4 to 11, and separated into three separate age groups.
The youngest ages, from 8-11 years old, were split in to four groups of four and saw many competition first-timers but the eventual semi-finals saw a Bedford School showdown and a second semi-final between two youngsters from Bedford Modern School.
Ben defeated Ernest 15-12 in the first semi-final, whilst the all Bedford Modern showdown saw Freddie managing to edge out William 16-14, while Ben won the final, also with a final scoreline of 16-14.
The same format was used for the 12-13 years old competition, with four high-quality groups of four contesting eight quarter final spots, and a big plus for the state school students who competed for the top prize.
Ryan from Sharnbrook narrowly got past Thomas G from Bedford School, whilst eventual winner, Thomas B from Ousedale cruised past another Sharnbrook student in Alex to reach the final.
Ousedale’s Thomas then won eight points on the bounce in the final to defeat Ryan to take home the Year 7-8 title, 15-9.
In the oldest age group, for the 14-16 year olds, there were eight entries with Bedford Modern’s, Matthew coming out on top.
He beat Alfie from Goldington Academy in the semi-final before going on to beat Bedford School’s, Lewis who had earlier beaten Toby from Bedford Modern School in his semi-final.
Matthew went on to beat Lewis 11-9 in the final to get Bedford Modern School in the winner’s enclosure with the last match of a mammoth day of squash.
A lot of the players on show are also members of Bedford Squash Academy, situated at Club Towers who have assisted in growing the sport’s popularity in the Region.
You can find out more about the Bedford Squash Academy here.
