Around 120 squash players will be descending on New Plymouth this week for the North Island Junior Age Group Squash Championships to be held at Kawaroa Park Squash Club.
There is some real talent involved with players from around the country including a number who have PSA international world senior rankings .
The boys U19 draw is led by Joe Smythe from the Devoy Club in Tauranga with a world ranking of 390, while second seeded left-hander Mason Smales from Henderson Club in Auckland is 334. Both appear set to battle for many years to come and look to be the favorites to make the final unless players like, Tarin Love (Auckland), Luke Steyn (Bay of Plenty) or Braedyn Henderson (Waikato) can put a stop to them. A strong draw that will see Central Reps Connor Fortuin & Jackson Clement with some tough matches ahead.
The U17 boys draw is headed by Apa Fatialofa from Henderson with Northland’s Freddie Jamieson the second seed. Two Central Junior Reps who have their eyes on the prize are 11th and 13th seeds Jayden Bailey and Bradley Hopkins, respectively.
The U19 girls draw is led by Diana Galloway from Wellington (297) followed by Eastern's Jena Gregory (326). Katikati’s Katie Templeton takes the third seed spot with a world ranking of 244 and fourth seed in what is looking like a tight draw is Abbie Holmes from Central who has a world ranking of 363. Also in this draw are Abbie's fellow Central squad members Kayla Ryan and Emma Foreman who are sure to keep the selectors busy.
The Holmes siblings have plenty of growth and squash ahead with Reece Holmes sitting at 5th seed in the U15 boys draw, with a number of his fellow Central Junior Squad members also vying for the U15 title.
Sophie Hodges from Hamilton is the top seed in the U17 draw. The 15-year-old has a PSA world ranking of 267 and finished fourth at the senior women’s New Zealand National Champs last year. Wellington’s Maiden-Lee Coe is the second seed and has just registered on the women’s rankings on the PSA Tour having recently turned 15-year-old. Central's Grace Burnard is sitting comfortably at 9th seed with some strong competition that will make for some great squash and opportunities to really push herself.
Central Junior Rep & Palmerston North’s Anabel Romero is top seed in the U15 girls while Maia Smales from Henderson is the second seed.
The draw in both the girls and boys include U19, U17, U15, U13 and U11 giving a real good look at the potential talent from around the country as well as an opportunity for many players to have a go at tournament level.
The tournament runs from Saturday 10 July – Monday 12 July at the Kawaroa Squash Club, with some matches being played at Waitara Squash Club.
