Isle of Man Juniors Impress at Merseyside Junior Closed
Six junior squash players from the Isle of Man travelled across to compete in this year’s Merseyside Junior Closed, with the Island represented across five different age categories.
The competition provided plenty of competitive squash, with most age groups split into two groups. Players first competed in a round-robin format, with the group winners and runners-up progressing to the semi-finals and then the final.
There was an outstanding performance from Arlo Kiernan, who competed in both the Boys Under 13s and Under 11s. Arlo won his Under 11 group before progressing through the semi-final and into the final. In a very close final, he found himself 9-7 down but showed great determination to come back and win the match and claim the Under 11 title.
Arlo also competed strongly in the Boys Under 13s, taking on older players and gaining valuable experience. In total, he played an impressive nine matches during the day, making his achievement even more notable.
Jiayue Kang competed in the Girls Under 17s and produced some good performances to reach the semi-finals. She narrowly missed out on a place in the final after losing her semi-final match, but went on to finish third.
In the Boys Under 19s, Thomas McAleer faced a very strong group of players and competed well throughout the competition. Thomas finished third in what was a particularly tough Under 19 age group.
Rory Hughes also performed well in the Boys Under 15s, finishing third after a strong showing against some good opposition.
The Boys Under 13s saw the Isle of Man represented by Conor Joyce and Finlo Manning. Both players competed well and gained valuable experience, although on this occasion they finished outside the medal positions.
With players competing across such a wide range of age groups, the Merseyside Junior Closed proved to be a very worthwhile tournament for the Isle of Man juniors. The competition gave them the opportunity to play multiple matches against strong opposition, while also gaining experience of the round-robin and knockout formats.
There were some excellent individual achievements, particularly Arlo's Under 11 victory and the three third-place finishes achieved by Jiayue, Thomas and Rory.
A great effort from all six players in representing the Isle of Man: Thomas McAleer, Rory Hughes, Conor Joyce, Finlo Manning, Arlo Kiernan and Jiayue Kang.
