Barley Hill Tournament
Each term pupils from Barley Hill get the opportunity to learn how to play squash at Racquets Fitness Centre, and on Tuesday 7th November they got the chance to compete in their first tournament. A group of 12 year 5/6 pupils competed in a round-robin competition, putting their newly gained squash skills to the test. As well as playing, the children were also responsible for refereeing and keeping score of games up to 11 points.
The girls’ competition impressed all, each of them demonstrating a fantastic understanding of the game when playing and refereeing. Chloe, Racquets and County coach commented “It’s fantastic to see so many girls on court playing and enjoying squash”. There were plenty of close scores between them, but Olivia proved too strong for the group finishing the competition unbeaten and taking the crown. One to watch for the future of girl’s squash!
Our longest running games were by the boys, who were particularly well matched in standard! Lasting over an hour, the competition involved a range of shots and difficult decisions for our referees. They all battled hard, but eventually Jaiden came out victorious finishing with maximum points. Congratulations to Jaiden, and also to Jack who was our player of the day because of his brilliant attitude and focus on court.
Finally, our ‘pro competition’. The final 4 children to participate in the tournament are all current members of the Racquets Squash Academy, so were the most experienced of the group. Achieving good length and hitting into empty space are just 2 of the skills that were demonstrated by each of the players. But in the end Richard’s powerful serve and quick reactions gave him the edge allowing him to win gold over his classmates.
A fantastic effort from the all children who competed in the tournament and congratulations to all those who won prizes. Towards the end of the year we are looking to play in an inter-school competition playing against other year 5/6 classes.
