Junior Squash
Sessions are held on Saturday mornings, 11.00am – 12.30pm, using both courts. If you are interested in coming along, please contact Guy Davies (tel 01803 863250).
Junior Whistlestop Tournament, Sat 18th November 2017
There was plenty of action at Dartington Squash Club on Saturday ; the Junior Section was taking part in the annual Whistlestop Tournament. It is a round robin format, with games being played for a strictly observed five minute period, with the object of the exercise being to accumulate as many points as possible in this limited time, and then there is only one minutes rest between games. A whistle signifies the start and finish of each session. So it is a hectic tournament, and can be exhausting for those taking part.
The younger group comprised of seven players, with some extremely tough encounters taking place ; the overall winner was Kieran Rowe, with 104 points from his six games, with Jasper Stevens very nearly pipping him to the post with 99 points. The game between Kieran and Jasper was very close , with Kieran scraping through 14/13. Kieran also had a hard game with Toby Bishop, winning 11/7 after a number of long rallies. Another nail biter was Jasper against Joss Edwards-Teasdale which ended 11/11 !! Harry Major had a very good win against Toby Bishop, 14/13.
The older section, all teenagers, was won by a very determined Jaime Ridge,with 100 points, who used his power to great advantage. His closest game was against Oscar Pigott, Jaime winning 15/12. Jaime had to pull out all the stops to overcome Matty Selman, 15/10, and Alastair Damerell, 18/11. There were a number of exciting games, notably Luke Whiley beating Oscar Pigott 13/9, Matty Selman beating Alastair 15/13, and Alastair winning 19/6 against Luke ; however, Luke accumulated 89 points to finish second, with Alastair next on 88 points.
The juniors taking part gave it their all ; it is a surprisingly tough tournament, with quick, winning shots being at a premium. Dartington Squash Club is lucky to have many up and coming players, who play with great determination and in a very sporting manner.
The Whistlestop Tournament is generously sponsored by a number of local companies who are delighted to see junior squash flourishing to such a degree at Dartington.