Irish Squash

2 weeks ago

British Junior Open day 5:

Finals day.
A super busy and emotionally charged day for competitors in the world"s most prestigious junior squash event. From U11 up to U19, alternating from girls to boys, youngest to oldest, it was an early start on the glass.
An arena packed to capacity, each match with the highest of stakes for a competitive squash player, whoever could command the most emotional intelligence and bring out their A game, execute their plan best, would stand the best chance of tasting victory.
The only one that mattered to us Irish was Denis Gilevskiy’s U15 final! He had supports fly in this morning to cheer him on, a great effort as ever from our niche community of enthusiasts!
His form was good all week, as was his opponents. The match began well, Denis taking the first game. He continued to play well but the Malaysian was becoming harder and harder to put away. The rallies were long and the margin for error became smaller with the intense retrieval skills of both. Unfortunately Denis was the one to find the tin more often. He managed to string together some spectacular spells of play that would beat almost anyone, not the inspired Malaysian though. He got everything back.
This proved to be fatal for Denis, his attacking game perhaps could have been a little better, eventually losing out in 4 tough games.
It was truly a pleasure to be in his company all week and his modesty and humility is a credit to such a champion. 2nd in the world is no mean feat for the 14 year old! An inspiration to our future stars for sure.
Conor Moran and Scott Gillanders were the only other Irish on court today. Sam had to withdraw with an injury.
Conor found himself 2-0 down quite quickly against Kiwi player Gabe Yam. It was close and certainly tough going! As ever, the resilience of the Sutton player shone though, chasing each ball down, playing amazing squash in the process. He pegged it back to 2-2, the fifth game going to 6 all before Gabe slowed down. A slight niggle behind the Kiwi’s right knee allowing Moran to take advantage and complete the comeback. A top 15 finish in his weak year U19. So impressive.
Scott was playing in Edgbaston. To be honest, most of the excitement was in the university.. so Scott could be forgiven if he lacked a little motivation at the end of such a grueling week. He went down in 3 but still a great finish - top 20!
Hats off to Sam, Conor and Scott. Along with Sophie and Laura, one could argue that’s our strongest ever representation at an U19 BJO.
All in, it was a magical week. Highs and lows for all involved, plenty of lessons learned. Plenty of motivation to work harder than ever to progress and keep Irish Squash a threat on the world stage!
Well done to all!!

David Noone
National Junior Coach ... See MoreSee Less

Irish Squash

2 weeks ago

British Junior Open day 4:

Semi finals day today, for the elite. A nervous tension could be felt around the glass court at the University of Birmingham, exciting atmosphere building and we were lucky enough to have an amazing player to support on his quest for a second ‘world title’..
Denis was typically relaxed before his battle, a testament to his maturity, considering the enormity of the occasion.

When play began it seemed that Denis was playing all the right shots, at the right time. Applying pressure to the key areas and generally controlling the early stages. It did get tougher as the match progressed and the fight was on as the two warriors traded games to the end. The 5th set was when Denis excelled and shut out the Egyptian completely. He found the front of the court with more ease and venom, ran away with it really.
Complete ecstasy in his camp, another final to look forward to! Tune in at 12.20pm to support!

Elsewhere, in West Warwick’s club, Gavin L’Strange has a tough loss, Gav is in his weak year though, he’ll be back for more next year!
Jack, Sean and Alex all had good wins in the early part of the day, unfortunately only Alex kept to his winning ways as Sean lost to a strong French opponent who he would fancy his chances against next time around. Jack, after his tough 1st round draw, went on to win the remainder of his matches. That’s impressive mental resolve, he’ll be all the better for pushing through those plate matches!
Elliot had a bye in the morning and his reward was to play the talented Jonah Bryant this evening. Jonah won the U13 event last year, found himself in an unusual position, exiting early this year, but had a good battle with Elliot. Elliot lost 3-0 but definitely a match to learn from!

Scott had a bye against his old foe, Scot, Alasdair Prott, and will face tough English opposition tomorrow afternoon to try finish his event on a high.
Sam had a physically demanding match against a tough Canadian tonight, unfortunately losing in 3 and having to pull out of the tournament.. the body will need a few days to recover from the work load he put in, an amazing tournament for Sam, establishing himself amongst the worlds best!
Conor had a topsy turvy performance against Josh Owen of England.. came back from 0-2 and fought all the way in the 5th.. the body suffering, he couldn’t pull it out of the bag tonight. Great effort though. He’ll play Gabe Yam tomorrow, another one of the worlds best, that’ll be a nice test for the legs in the morning. No doubt Conor will be up to the task and set a good precedent for Denis in his final!

Exciting day for our sport tomorrow, a privilege to be part of such a great event and such a great group of Irish players!
Best of luck to Denis on his quest!

David Noone
National Junior Coach ... See MoreSee Less