Former British junior champions Adrian Waller (Hertfordshire) and Deon Saffery (Wales) head the seedings for the British Under 23 Championships, supported by Huntingdon Marriott, which are being staged by the prestigious Hunts County Squash Club in Cambridgeshire between 23 and 25 April 2010.
The draws announced today include the top players in the age group from around the country. Adrian Waller, the World No58 has enjoyed a great run on the PSA World tour this season and is scheduled to meet long time rival and World No85 Joe Lee (Surrey) in the final.
The top are unlikely to have it easy with 3 and 4 seeds Joel Hinds (Derbyshire) and Eddie Charlton (Nottinghamshire) respectively looking to cause upsets. Hinds, who is seeded to meet Waller in the semis, took out top seed Tom Richards (Surrey) in last year’s championship before eventually losing in the final to Chris Simpson (Hampshire).
With Victoria Lust (Bedfordshire) out through injury Welsh No1 and current World No60 Deon Saffery takes top billing in the Women’s draw. It had been Saffery who had ended Lust’s challenge for this title at the semi final stage last year before eventually losing out to Fiona Moverley (Yorkshire) in the final. Saffery, based at Pontefract will be looking to go one better this time and claim the Under 23 title to add to the British Under 17 crown she won back in 2004.
Emma Chorley (Somerset) is the No2 seed with former European Under 19 champion Sarah-Jane Perry (Warwickshire) at No3 and Derbyshire’s Millie Tomlinson No4. 18 year old Carrie Ramsey (Yorkshire) who sensationally claimed the European Under 19 title a few weeks ago is playing the squash of her life and will have her sights set on gate-crashing the semi finals and continue her fantastic run of form.
The standard of entries has once again been fantastic with no fewer than 15 current and former British Junior Champions on show. The event gives the very best junior players in the country the opportunity to fight it out with full time professionals who are already rising up the world rankings.
The British Under 23 Championship was re-launched last year as a joint venture between England Squash & Racketball, the British Squash Professionals Association and The Sports Academy at Hunts County Squash Club. This year’s event has a prize fund of £3450 and promises to build on the success of last year and further establish the championships as one of the country’s blue ribbon tournaments.
Men’s Qualification takes place on Thursday 22 April with the main draws kicking off on Friday 23 April.
Men’s Draw
1 Adrian Waller V Tom Dwyer or Tom Robinson
9 Chris Fuller V D Allman or J Robinson
5 Lewis Walters V C Johnson / D McGinn
10 Charles Sharpes V M Mackay or M Moore
3 Joel Hinds V J Geekie or R Phillips
11 Andrew Birks V Steven London
7 Ben Coleman V D Wardle or E Garson
15 James Earles V Nick Hopcroft
16 Nathan Lake V A El Refee or A Phillips
8 Anthony Graham V S Wileman
12 Richard Birks V Declan James
4 Eddie Charlton V R Dadds or T Chitty
14 Robert Downer V Nicholas Bradley
6 Neil Cordell V H Patel or J Jago
13 Adam Murrills V A Aukland or A Lemom
2 Joe Lee V S Hodgkins or N Mulvey
Women’s Draw
1 Deon Saffery V Bye
8 Harriet Ingham V Brogan Lane
3 Sarah-Jane Perry V Heather Graham
5 Carrie Ramsey V Annabelle Collins-Ballands
7 Katherine Quarterman V Sophie Lemom
4 Millie Tomlinson V Lauren Tamilla
6 Rachel Willmott V Jade Thompson
2 Emma Chorley V Bye