Johannesburg, South Africa: A group of six South African squash players are primed to test themselves against their overseas contemporaries when the World Junior Championships take place in Nancy, France, starting on August 11.
The SA boys’ squad will compete in both the individual tournament (August 11-16) and the team event (August 17-21), while Awande Malinga of Northerns and Savannah Ingledew of KZN Midlands will play only in the individual competition.
The boys’ team comprises Damian Groenewald (Northerns), Seth Flisberg (Western Province), Brett Maclachan (Northerns) and Luke Jacoby (Border).
Groenewald and Malinga received the awards for the most promising players at last month’s Growthpoint Interprovincial in East London and this is a chance to take their games to the next level.
Ingledew, the Midlands No 1, has been a leading junior in SA for several years and last year she defeated Malinga in a thrilling tussle for the Growthpoint SA Nationals U17 title.
Both she and Groenewald have been seeded No 17 in the individual event which means they should play the 16th seeds in the first round and a win there will be a major boost for their confidence.
Squash SA CEO Jennifer Sawyer said the national team had competed regularly in the tournament and traditionally finished around the 16th-placed mark.
“Because of Covid-19, the last time we attended this event was 2019 so we are excited about this opportunity for our young players,” she said.
“We believe this sort of exposure will encourage them to train harder and to realise what they need to do to perform better as most of your juniors don’t get many opportunities to travel overseas to experience what is actually out there.”
The team will be coached by Rodney Durbach, who reached a top world ranking of 23 during his professional career, and Cara Fourie, who will manage the individuals.
Sawyer said both Groenewald and Ingledew had played in overseas tournaments. The former played in Spanish U19 Open (3rd place), the German U19 Open (5th) and the Holland U19 Open (5th), while Ingledew came third in the Holland event and fifth in Germany.
“We feel those two players, along with Awande, have the ability to do well,” Sawyer added.
“Squash SA is proud of our up-and-coming youngsters, and we wish them all the best for a successful tournament.”
In total, players from 37 countries around the world will participate in the championships, with 119 males competing as individuals and 92 players across 23 squads contesting the team event. A draw of 90 players will compete in the women’s section.
Egypt have had the most success in recent years, alongside the traditionally dominant Pakistan. In the nine men’s team championships held over the last 20 years, Egypt have won five to Pakistan’s four.
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Seth Flisberg 2: Western Province’s Seth Flisberg, in action here against John Anderson in the 2021 Growthpoint SA U17 Nationals in Cape Town, will be part of the national team to compete in the World Junior Championships in Nancy, France, starting on August 11. Picture credits: Carl Fourie
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