England's youngsters praised for British Junior Open success

With two finalists in the British Junior Open for the first time since 2001 and another three reaching the semi-final stage, there is plenty of optimism in the Team England camp. Head Junior Coach Lee Drew outlines why he is expecting further improvement from his young stars.

England’s achievement in this year’s British Junior Open is underlined by the many years where the country has not been represented by any national players in the biggest junior competition in the country.

Since James Willstrop, Jenny Duncalf and Tom Richards all reached the finals in 2001, there have been nine occasions where no English player has appeared in the showpiece of any of the eight categories in the tournament.

Head national junior coach Lee Drew said there were “positive signs and performances” from the young players and expects more great things to come this year.

The English junior team saw two finalists and five semi-finalists across the eight-category annual event – which is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the squash junior calendar.

Essex’s Elise Lazarus [5/8] defeated the number 3/4 seed on her way to reaching the final of the girls’ under 17 category and in doing so became the first girl in four years to appear in a British Junior Open final – where she was defeated by Egypt’s Hana Motaz Ayoub [2] 11/9, 11/6, 11/6.

Sam Osborne-Wylde [3/4], of Gloucestershire, was beaten by Ireland’s Denis Gilevskiy 11/2, 11/6, 11/6 in the boys’ under 13 final – who was a deserved winner having started the tournament as a 16/32 outsider.

Although the English duo had to settle for second place, Lee has every confidence their position as runners-up will motivate them to push harder for success in future tournaments.

READ MORE: New records set on entertaining finals day at British Junior Open

Lee believes bringing together young players and their coaches at tournaments like the British Junior Open, which was held in Sheffield for the 22nd consecutive year, is vital to ensure continued growth of the game.

“There were many passionate coaches who ply their trade all around the country present at the event, sharing information with each other, players and parents,” he said. “This work ethic and passion for the game will certainly help to build the quality and number of players that will attend and compete in future events.”

“Our vision for English squash is to see our players playing a brand of squash that has moved with the attacking prowess of the modern game, but is also underpinned by the disciplined qualities that English players have always been renowned for.”

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