British Junior Open finalist Elise Lazarus received a hero’s welcome when she returned to The Connaught Club following her astounding efforts at last week’s prestigious tournament in Sheffield.
Elise, 16, from Woodford Green, became the first English girl in four years to reach a British Junior Open final, the world’s most prestigious tournament in the squash calendar attracting the very best juniors from around the world. And her club mates at Connaught gave her the star treatment when she was back in training less than 24 hours after her astounding performance.
Connaught coach Dave Webster, who travelled with Elise and her mum to Sheffield and helped with her pre-match training and preparation, was full of praise for the young Essex junior. “Elise was a credit to herself and everyone who has helped her,” said Dave. “She produced some superb performances throughout the tournament, particularly against some top Egyptian players.
“She is a great inspiration to all our kids. They can look at what she has achieved and think ‘I can do that’. It’s typical of Elise that she was back on court training the day after playing in a British Junior Open Final.”
Elise, who was also named England Squash’s Junior Player of the Year, was thrilled with her achievement.“I can’t believe I made the final, “she said. “I played some decent squash all week but was pleased that I kept my composure at vital points.”
Elise also praised her coach Ben Ford for helping her remain calm .Elise had been coached by her dad since but joked the ‘father-daughter’ relationship didn’t work out. For the past year she has been working with Ben, who she said has developed her game after introducing a strength and conditioning programme into her training.
Several of Elise’s Essex team mates also competed in Sheffield, including Alice Green, Joe Blackmur, Harry Kitchens, Eleanor White, Ollie Green, Joel Braddock, Eliza Sheikh, and Yusef Sheikh. For a full list of results and finishing positions please : CLICK HERE
