The West Midlands Regional Junior Closed Championships 2012 can be deemed a great success, with over 70 of the region’s most talented juniors benefiting from the competition. Stourbridge Lawn Tennis & Squash Club provided the perfect host for the tournament, with the outside terraces fully occupied with players, parents and spectators on what was a glorious few days at the Worcestershire club.
On court, there was some scintillating squash on display from some of the finest squash talent not only in the region, but also in England. Samuel Osborne-Wylde is quickly emerging as a future star. At the tender age of just eight, Sam was undefeated in the U11 round-robin competition, which represented a strong group of players, many of whom are on the West Midlands Regional Academy Programme. The Girls U11 category, consisting of Warwickshire’s Bradley twins and Worcestershire’s Grace Cumiskey was won by the Worcester junior. However, the Bradley twins were certainly a force to be reckoned with, particularly for the referees, who had difficulty differentiating between the players throughout the tournament.
Nathan Mead, who was playing up an age in the U13 category, demonstrated what great potential he has, reaching the final of the Boys U13. The final was a matchup of two of the region’s hottest prospects, with the talented Joshua Owen being too strong for his young opponent and scooping the title 3/0. Dan Brown defeated Jack Williams in a closely fought plate final, defeating a spirited Jack 3/2 to claim victory.
In the Boys U15, Mark Richmond overcame a late fight back from Cameron Wilson to snatch victory in a closely fought contest. After going 2/0 up, Cameron displayed fantastic spirit to claw the match back to 2/2, but Richmond regained his composure and finally became victorious at 3/2. Shropshire’s Luke Bywater claimed victory in the plate competition, defeating Herefordshire’s John Hill. The Girls U15 was dominated by Libby Corke, who remained undefeated throughout the tournament in a strong field to deservedly claim the champion’s title. Libby is a consistent feature of the West Midlands Regional Academy, and we look forward to watching her progress in the coming years.
In the Boys U17, Thomas Griffiths overcame newcomer Hadi Rezaye. Hadi surprised the regional team who, having not entered a regional competition in the past, displayed a unique style of play to push Thomas Griffiths in the final. However, Thomas’ experience showed as he triumphed in 3/2 in what was a thrilling and closely fought contest. The Girls U17 category was won by Warwickshire’s Joanna Lord, over-hauling the inspiring Alice Harvey in a round robin competition.
The Boys U19 category was won by the dominant Brian Harvey, who overcame the talented Harley Flood to clinch victory. Harley overcame the experienced Matt Jones in the semi-final, but Brian proved to be too strong against his younger opponent. Jake Eden clinched victory in the plate competition and Lucy Pallett in the Girls U19, rounding off what was a brilliant competition.
Our thanks are extended to Stourbridge Lawn Tennis & Squash Club, who provided a fantastic service both on and off the squash court, as well as the experienced referees, and Steve Townsend for his time and efforts in organising the competition. Finally, a huge thank you to all players that competed and represented squash in such a spirited fashion. A special mention must also be reserved for Fred Humphrey, who willingly volunteered his time over the weekend to help with marking and general tournament organisation. Congratulations to all those that were victorious. We hope to see you again next year!