Rising stars from Lee-on-the-Solent dominate Hampshire Junior Squash competition

There were 11 events in all and Lee youngsters won six of them, as well as being runners-up in six finals.

Head coach Tim Vail and assistant coach Martyn Ballands were delighted with the results.

Vail said: ‘Most of our juniors started out on Sunday mornings and 90-per-cent have progressed onto county squads and the younger ones have formed a formidable group, pushing each other along.

Winners and runners-up, left to right: Toby Ponting, Matthew Hartley, Olivia Fry, Olivia Besant, Phoebe Griffiths, Joe Sutton-Welch, Hattie Broadbridge, Megan Light, George Griffiths, Alex Broadbridge, Jack Mascall and Alfie Lawes

‘We couldn’t be happier with their progress.’

The girls’ under-11 final was a close-fought contest between Sophie Vail and Phoebe Griffiths.

Phoebe had beaten Sophie 3-2 at an England Squash Gold event the previous week, and this was another fiercely competitive tussle which Sophie won 3-1.

Phoebe went onto win the mixed under-nine event.

In the boys’ under-11 event, top seed Seb Cairns-Allen defeated Cameron Vail 3-0.

Cameron reached the final by beating number two seed Oliver Flett 3-0.

George Griffiths, currently number two in the England national boys under-11 rankings, lived up to his top seed billing by beating Matthew Hartley 3-0 in the final.

Matthew had defeated number two seed Jerome Porter in the semi-finals 13-11 in the fifth set.

Hattie Broadbridge, aged nine, won the girls under-13 round robin event – claiming 3-0 victories in her two games.

Runner up was Lee’s Olivia Fry.

In the boys’ under-17 event, Alex Broadbridge, aged 12, beat number one seed Joe Sutton-Welch 3-2 in the final.

Alex won the first two sets and then claimed the decider 11-4.