ESSEX Under-15 girls battled their hearts out before surrendering the National Inter-Counties squash crown to home team Yorkshire at the prestigious finals in Pontefract on Sunday.
It was a valiant effort by the Essex team who missed out on the biggest prize in county squash by the narrowest of margins with Yorkshire taking the title 3-2.
Team bonding. Essex players get their final instructions for coaches Selby and Chitty
“We are all disappointed not to be bringing back the trophy to Essex but, equally, we have to be proud at our achievement,” said county coach Lauren Selby. “The team gave everything, and that’s all we can ever ask for. We finished third last season and now we are runners up missing out by a single point. That’s great progress and I am convinced we will improve, progress and grow as a squad. Essex squash is on a high right now and we will continue to drive forward.”
The squad of Alice Green (captain), Elise Lazarus, Ellie Hewes, Eleanor White, India Webb, Piper Tatum and Paige McCoy launched their assault on the national title back in October. They came through two rounds of stiff competition to book their spot in Pontefract producing a level of squash that suggested they would be in with a decent shout.
That promise became reality on Saturday as Essex booked their place in the final with a gripping 3-2 semi-final victory over Hampshire.
We took an early hit with Ellie Hewes unable to reach her normal high standards due to a combination of nerves and a slight shoulder problem. She went down 3-1 to Megan Thomas but Essex were quickly back on track as number one seed Elise Lazarus and Alice Green at two rattled off quickfire 3-0 victories over Annabel Vaughn and Brooke Williams respectively.
Step forward five seed India Webb with the chance to put Essex into the final, albeit against a daunting opponent, the tall and agile Erin Walker. India rose to the challenge with the performance of the day opening up a 2-O lead with a combination of intelligent squash and an unquenchable desire to hunt down every ball.
Her never-say-die attitude and work ethic appeared to have taken its toll in the third game as the Hampshire player held four game balls at 10-6. But India is made of stern stuff and she came storming back to to win the game 12-10 clinching the match and Essex’s match in the final.
With the tie safely banked, Eleanor White’s mission in the final match was non-crucial and her defeat at the hands of Charlotte Terry gave her valuable court time pitched against the best players in the national.
Alice Green (left) on her way to victory over Poppie Jaram
The final against Yorkshire was set in a high-octane atmosphere but Essex were primed and prepared by join coaches Lauren and Chris Chitty.
Intriguingly, the tie pitched England’s number one and two players against each other as Elise faced off against Yorkshire number one Ellen Cooper. Ellen edged the first game with Elise slow to find her range and touch but the Redbridge player put that right in the second taking it 11-5. Games three and a four were tight and feisty, a theatre Elise thrives in. She took the third 12-10 and wrapped up the match 3-1 with a deft, look-away drop that wrong-footed her opponent.
Yorkshire’s line-up boasted four players ranked in England’s top 20, a tall order for any team. Their strength in depth was an awesome challenge for our three, four and five seeds Ellie, Eleanor and India and all three rose to the challenge valiantly.
Ellie produced her best squash of the weekend pitched against Emma Gill, a player three years older and considerably stronger. Emma ran out a 3-1 winner but knew she had been pushed all the way. It was the same story for Eleanor and India who delivered effort in spades but had to surrender the honours to Aisha Forster and Eve Perrin. No complaints and few regrets.
Yorkshire had the tie in the bag before number two Alice Green brought the curtain down on a memorable weekend. The Billericay player totally dominated her opponent, Poppie Jaram, with an impressive display of power squash. Alice’s athleticism and speed of improvement has been remarkable and hopefully a blueprint for Essex squash in the coming year.
