Seeded Players Into North Island Finals

The top seeds have won through to the finals of the major age groups at the North Island Junior Champs at the Hamilton Squash and Tennis Club on Monday.

With 170 players taking part the tournament made a big impact of the squash calendar after lockdown.

However it was the higher ranked players who progressed in the end with the PSA world ranked Elijah Thomas and Glenn Templeton set to meet in the U19 men’s final, as they did last year in the national championships. Thomas, 17 and ranked 257 in the world beat fellow Aucklander, Jack Conder 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 in his semifinal.

While Templeton, 18 from the Bay of Plenty and world ranked 357 defeated Northland’s Riley-Jack Vette-Blomquist 12-10, 11-7, 11-2 in his semfinal.

The U17 boys features Bay of Plenty’s Joe Smythe who accounted for Henderson’s Apa Fatialofa 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 in one semi, up against Marlborough’s Paul Moran who beat Luke Steyn from Tauranga 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.

In the U19 women’s it’s Natalie Sayes (Auckland) up against face second seed Leah Hodges from the after moving through to the title match without dropping a game along the way. Hodges won her semi in four games over Ruby Saies (Auckland).

In the U17 girls the two expected players have made the final with Sophie Hodges (Waikato) to face the Hawkes Bays Jena Gregory. Hodges accounted for Katie Templeton from Katikati in straight games in her semi while Gregory beat Dora Galloway (Hutt Valley) also in straight games.

Competitors are targeting the National Junior Championships in Christchurch later this year as their key tournament after the World Championships were cancelled due to Covid-19.