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KENT'S JAMES EVANS FIGHTS BACK TO WIN BRITISH TITLE
JAMES EVANS FIGHTS BACK TO WIN BRITISH UNDER-15 TITLE
Kent junior James Evans became the national under-15 squash champion yesterday (Sunday) after beating the top seed to win a thrilling final in Manchester.
Evans, who plays for The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, fought back after trailing by two games to one to beat number one seed Hamish Falconer of Lincolnshire 7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8 in a marathon encounter lasting 66 minutes.
The national title was the culmination of an exciting year during which Evans made his debut for England in the Junior Home Internationals and led the Kent under-15 team to the national inter-county championship.
A pupil at Oakwood Park Grammar School, Evans has also made his mark on the Kent senior squash scene in the past few months, recording several notable victories for The Mote first team in the Kent League.
He also beat former Kent champion Duane Harrison in the recent Bexley Open and earlier this year became the youngest player to compete in a PSA world-ranking tournament when he appeared in the Kent Open at The Mote in June.
Seeded two, his triumph in Sunday's final was his first ever win over his much taller opponent. The victory followed a tough semi-final on Saturday in which he beat George Parker of Leicestershire 11-7, 10-12, 11-2, 9-11, 11-2.
With his 15th birthday on the horizon on November 13, Evans will be expected to be among the favourites for the national under-17 title in two years time.
James has worked so hard this year and thoroughly deserves everything he has achieved. He has fantastic speed around the court, which means he keeps getting the ball back no matter where his opponent puts it. He is also making enormous advances in his attacking game and is continually adding new and exciting shots to his repertoire.
Everyone in the Kent squash community is so proud of James, and especially all the members at The Mote.
It was good that national coach Fiona Geaves was there to see the final in Manchester and she was very impressed by the way James dug in to pull the match round from being 2-1 down. The way he played such a steady fifth game in a real pressure situation, and up against a very fit, very steady and much taller opponent, showed amazing strength of character for such a young man.
He should be very proud of his national title and it's a wonderful achievement also for his mother, Sharon, who introduced James to squash and has been at his side in tournaments all over the country as he has developed into being a real star in the making. Having said that, he is a very modest young man, a fantastic pupil and a real pleasure to work with.
Another Kent player to do well in Manchester was Amelia Henley from Rodmersham, near Sittingbourne, who lost in the girls under-13 final to Elin Harlow of Wales.
Georgina Kennedy, from the Park Langley club in Beckenham, finished sixth in the girls under-15 tournament.
Kent junior James Evans became the national under-15 squash champion yesterday (Sunday) after beating the top seed to win a thrilling final in Manchester.
Evans, who plays for The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, fought back after trailing by two games to one to beat number one seed Hamish Falconer of Lincolnshire 7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8 in a marathon encounter lasting 66 minutes.
The national title was the culmination of an exciting year during which Evans made his debut for England in the Junior Home Internationals and led the Kent under-15 team to the national inter-county championship.
A pupil at Oakwood Park Grammar School, Evans has also made his mark on the Kent senior squash scene in the past few months, recording several notable victories for The Mote first team in the Kent League.
He also beat former Kent champion Duane Harrison in the recent Bexley Open and earlier this year became the youngest player to compete in a PSA world-ranking tournament when he appeared in the Kent Open at The Mote in June.
Seeded two, his triumph in Sunday's final was his first ever win over his much taller opponent. The victory followed a tough semi-final on Saturday in which he beat George Parker of Leicestershire 11-7, 10-12, 11-2, 9-11, 11-2.
With his 15th birthday on the horizon on November 13, Evans will be expected to be among the favourites for the national under-17 title in two years time.
James has worked so hard this year and thoroughly deserves everything he has achieved. He has fantastic speed around the court, which means he keeps getting the ball back no matter where his opponent puts it. He is also making enormous advances in his attacking game and is continually adding new and exciting shots to his repertoire.
Everyone in the Kent squash community is so proud of James, and especially all the members at The Mote.
It was good that national coach Fiona Geaves was there to see the final in Manchester and she was very impressed by the way James dug in to pull the match round from being 2-1 down. The way he played such a steady fifth game in a real pressure situation, and up against a very fit, very steady and much taller opponent, showed amazing strength of character for such a young man.
He should be very proud of his national title and it's a wonderful achievement also for his mother, Sharon, who introduced James to squash and has been at his side in tournaments all over the country as he has developed into being a real star in the making. Having said that, he is a very modest young man, a fantastic pupil and a real pleasure to work with.
Another Kent player to do well in Manchester was Amelia Henley from Rodmersham, near Sittingbourne, who lost in the girls under-13 final to Elin Harlow of Wales.
Georgina Kennedy, from the Park Langley club in Beckenham, finished sixth in the girls under-15 tournament.
Views: 49
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Comment by Adrian Humphries on November 1, 2010 at 15:30 -
I'd just like to add on the back of Alan's comments my congratulations to young James. We are all very proud of what he has achieved and to have such a promising young star within our ranks is a credit to all those who have helped him along the way and especially his dedicated Mum.
Well done James a fantastic result!!!
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Comment by Stephen Duke on November 4, 2010 at 16:54 -
From a Mote Squash Club as well as a personal point of view, we all would like to congratulate James on a terrific tournament and superb final result, Well done from all at The Mote.
Also well done to Amelia Henley who finished runner up in the Girls under 13's final, its great to see some of the KENT youngsters doing well.
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Comment by Alan Thatcher on November 4, 2010 at 17:09
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Thanks Ade and Steve
Ryan is not far behind and we are obviously doing somethings right here in Kent to get these kind of results.
The county coaching set-up is as good as any and our next target is a simple one: to get the numbers up in each age group, starting with the under-11s.
If we do that every year, we will have the conveyor belt in place for the under-13s the following year, and so on through the age-groups.
We are now looking for clubs to partner with the Kent SRA and England Squash to link up with local schools to keep the youngsters coming in to the sport.
Will be interesting to see how many clubs are holding World Squash Day events this weekend.
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Comment by Jeremy Stobb on December 8, 2010 at 12:28 -
Way to go, James, way to go! Maybe you should try yourself in online blackjack, champ?
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