ESSEX pair Elise Lazarus and Alice Green have been seeded one and two for this weekend’s U-17 English Junior Championships in Birmingham.
The girls spearhead a 15-strong squad of players including their county U-17 team-mates Eleonor White (9/16), Amy Aspinall, Paige McCoy and Eli Barrott.
Aaron Allpress (9/16) and Joe Blackmur carry our hopes in the U-19’s with Harry Kitchens going in the U-17 and Ollie Green (9/16) and Joel Braddock competing in the U-15’s. Yusuf Sheikh is our sole U-13 competitor.
Yusuf’s sister Aliza and Ellie Hewes (5/8) feature in the U-15 draw and Renitha Srindran, fresh from winning the Essex Junior Open U-11 title at the weekend, is entered in the U-13 draw at Edgbaston,
Elsewhere, England Squash Academy player Kyle Finch named is the favourite to win the under-19 boys’ draw. Last year’s runner-up could face under-17 British Junior Champion Nick Wall [9/16] in an intriguing second round match with Surrey’s Charlie Lee [2] in the other half of the draw.
The Championships take place on Friday 10th to Sunday 12th March in Birmingham at the Edgbaston Priory Club and the Munrow Sports Centre at the University of Birmingham.
Two-time US Junior Open champion Sam Todd has been tipped to win the boys’ under-15 category, though he could face either Adam Goad [2] or British Junior Open under-13 finalist Sam Osborne-Wylde [3/4] in the final in a competitive draw.
All three players will represent England’s under-15 team in the Five Nations at the end of March.
Elise Lazarus, England’s other finalist in January’s British Junior Open in Sheffield, has been seeded at the top of the under-17s draw and is the strong favourite to add the title to her collection, which already includes the British Junior Championships trophy.
Lazarus, who is sponsored by Essex company Premier Security Systems, and Osborne-Wylde, of Worcestershire, were joined by Nick Wall, Sam Todd, both of Yorkshire, and Jonah Bryant in the semi-finals of the British Junior Open. Bryant, of Sussex, is the top seed in the under-13 draw ahead of Ben Beachill, son of former World No.1 Lee Beachill. Torrie Malik, also of Sussex, tops the seedings in the girls’ draw. She could meet Emma Bartley [2] in a repeat of last year’s British Junior Championships final.
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Lucy Turmel [1] will be looking for her third championships title as she aims to win the under-19s for the first time but could have to overcome Grace Gear [2] in the final. Two-time champion Julian Standish [3/4] will be one to watch in the boys’ under-17s draw, though Oscar Beach is the favourite for the trophy ahead of Benjamin Sockett [2].
Yorkshire’s Lydia Robinson tops the under-15s girls draw, with Maia Pannell the second seed.
See the full draws and seeds here.