The future of Bermudian squash was on full display this weekend as nine new champions were crowned at the Hiscox Bermuda Junior National Squash Championships.
Hosted at the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association Club, the tournament provided a showcase of grit and technical prowess across all age brackets.
While several divisions saw dominant displays of skill, it was the marathon encounters and the elite Under 19 categories that truly captured the imagination of the Devonshire crowd.
The showpiece Under 19 Divisions delivered high-stakes action with contrasting paths to the podium. In the Boys Under 19 Final, the second-seeded Eli Carpol produced a clinical masterclass to dismantle the top seed Andrew Cox in straight games, claiming the title with an 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 victory.
The Girls Under 19 crown was decided by the narrowest of margins following a competitive round-robin format. Olivia Sherratt emerged as the champion despite a thrilling loss to McKenna Kyme in her final match. Because every player in the group finished with a win and a loss, the title was decided by game percentages, with Sherratt’s earlier four-game win over Somers Stevenson proving enough to secure the trophy.
Persistence was the theme of the week as several competitors survived grueling five-set marathons to progress.
In the Boys Under 11 semi-final, Roman Shaw displayed immense character to outlast Zack McClure in a twenty-three-minute epic that finished 11-9 in the fifth.
A similar drama unfolded in the Boys Under 13 semi-final, where Edward Ross was forced to dig deep against Cameron Shailer. After leading by two games, Ross saw his advantage evaporate as Shailer took the third and fourth, but Ross regained his composure to take the decider 11-3.
The most physical battle of the tournament occurred in the Boys Under 17 Final between Michael Schrah and William Frith.
In a see-saw contest that lasted thirty-eight minutes, both players refused to yield, trading games until the very end. Schrah eventually found the extra gear needed in the fifth set to secure an 11-8 victory and the national title.
Even in the elite Girls Under 19 division, the marathon trend continued as Olivia Sherratt fell to McKenna Kyme in a five-set spectacle that saw Kyme take the final frame 11-6. These displays of endurance and mental fortitude served as a fitting end to a championship that proved the island’s junior squash scene is in exceptionally capable hands.
