REPORT BY LEE HORTON
EMMA BARTLEY’S international debut could not have gone better as she helped England retain the U13 and U15 Five Nations titles in dominant fashion at the weekend.
Emma, from the Off The Wall Squash Academy in Colchester, was in action at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, where the Five Nations event provided the opportunity for the top juniors from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France to compete on the international stage.
The England U13s team progressed through the round robin tournament without dropping a single game. The team, consisting of Sam Osborne-Wylde, Hassan Khalil, Matt Harrison, Torrie Malik and Emma, who lives in Suffolk, proved too much for their counterparts as they eased to the U13 crown.
Emma (pictured left) opened her account against Mahe Asensi of France winning 2/11 8/11 11/13 before inflicting similarly comprehensive defeats to Ali Carton of Ireland (4/11 0/11 2/11), Alyx Kelleher from Wales (1/11 5/11 0/11) and Scotland’s Jemma Young (11/3 11/5 11/3).
The England U15s had a slightly more difficult task, dropping several games and even a match over the course of the weekend, but sealed the title with a 5-0 victory over France on Sunday. The team consisted of Ben Sockett, Jack Mitterer, Sam Hay, Eve Coxon and Keira Marshall.
Steve Townsend, lead England coach, commented: “It was a tremendous achievement for this group of young players to win all their matches, losing just 1 rubber all weekend. They’ve shown great promise, and I hope this stands them in good stead for their future international careers.
“I’d like to congratulate the other nations on some great play too, thank them for coming to Lilleshall,and extend my thanks to England Squash and Karen Selby for the smooth running of the event.”
Full results can be found below.
In the photo (left to right):
Front row: Sam Osborne-Wylde, Emma Bartley, Torrie Malik, Hassan Khalil, Matt Harrison, Steve Townsend (coach)
Back row: Andy Longman (coach), Eve Coxon, Keira Marshall, Jack Mitterer, Sam Hay, Ben Sockett