THE inaugural Wanderers Junior Squash Open which took place last weekend was a big success with a large number of junior players turning out.
The tournament was divided into two sections – one for more advanced players from 13 to 19 years of age and one for beginners up to the age of 10.
The boys winner in the advanced section was Kyle Kriel, who beat Arno Diekman in the final, while Ryan Gruhn of Walvis Bay came third.
The 16-year-old Kriel is currently Namibia’s top junior male player and ranked amongst the top three seniors, while Wanderers’ top junior female, the 16-year-old Lisa Marie Calitz is also ranked amongst the top three senior female players in Namibia.
The nine-year-old Nicholas Deckenbrock was the winner in the beginners section, with his six-year-old brother Timothy coming second and Daniel Gouws third.
According to Steven Berry of Wanderers Squash Club, the most impressive aspect of the tournament was the big turnout of young players.
“The aim of the tournament was to introduce the little ones to a tournament environment, and it came off with great success. Just seeing all the youngsters having their first taste of a competitive environment was very exciting, even with some boys playing barefoot. The most important thing was to give them the chance to have fun and grow to love the game,” he said.
According to Berry, Wanderers Squash Club has become a hub for the growth of squash in Namibia, with a lot of junior players coming through the ranks.
“It was exciting to see all the young talent coming through, as Wanderers Squash Club, and especially it’s coach, Sean Wathen, has been working very hard to develop its junior players. Sean is quite easily the best squash coach in Namibia, and this is clear when you look at the number of juniors at the club, and how well they have been doing,” he said.
“Should anyone want to join up and become a squash player, come to Wanderers and speak to coach Sean,” he added.
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