ESSEX players bagged five first-place finishes at the weekend’s East Regional Championships in Ipswich which attracted an amazing number of entries, over 50 per cent up on last year.
The two-day event, organised for the first time by Colchester based Off the Wall Squash Academy, ran with precision timing with almost 150 players competing in more than 300 matches played on the club’s seven courts. The competition also ran an Under-9 category for the first time, testimony to the growing strength of squash in the region.
The event attracted widespread praise from players and parents with countless positive Facebook, Twitter and email messages. One even suggested OTWS take over the entire England Squash junior ranking system, but maybe that’s a suggestion too far.
Connaught’s Yusef Sheikh led the Essex roll of honour by winning the boy’s Under-11 title. He edged Suffolk’s Nero Harms to first place with Essex’s Edward Mason third. Ellie Hewes from Dedham captured the girls’ Under-13’s while Billericay’s Ollie Green took the boys’ title. Eleonor White went close in the U-15’s fiishing second behind Hertfordshire’s Nyah Williams.
Ollie’s sister Alice Green, the current British Junior Under-15 champion, stepped up an age group and carried off the Under-17 title ahead of Amber Marshall of Hertfordshire. Her OTWS team-mate Aaron Allpress won the boys’ U-17’s beating Hertfordshire’s Hasnaat Farooqi in the final.
Full list of results:
http://www.offthewallsquash.co.uk/east-regional-2015-results/
