Junior Squash Nationals takes off
View(s):The 24th Junior Squash Championship got underway at the Tamil Union Squash Complex in Colombo yesterday with the participation of over 300 players. Closer to 90 first round matches, over half of them bys, were in line to be played on the opening day of the eight-day competition.
The annual squash competition which sets free the talents of boys and girls of the age categories in Under-19, 17, 15, 13, 11 and 9 will come to an end next Saturday with the finals set to be played on the final day.
The tournament will include a total of 18 events with the inclusion f the Novices boys and girls events in Under-19, 15 and 11 age categories. Ritzbury has come on board for the sixth consecutive year as the sole sponsor of one of Sri Lanka Squash Federation’s (SLSF) main events at junior level.
The Junior National Squash Championship is of utmost importance to budding Sri Lankan squash players as the SLSF considers their performances in this tournament when they select players to represent Sri Lanka at foreign tournaments.
The main category will feature the circuit draw system thus ensuring fair participation. But the novices’ category will feature the knockout draw system. Ravindu Laksiri is the current to ranked Under-19 boy’s player in Sri Lanka and from the girls’ Under-19 Mihilya Methsarani tops the seeding.
The winner of the Under-19 boy’s category will receive the Navin Piyathissa Challenge Trophy while the girls’ segment winner of the same age category will obtain the Nirasha Guruge Challenge Trophy.