Report by Derek Tootill
Young Thom Whiteway's recent trip to Newcastle (12th -13th September) for the North of England Junior Squash Championships ended in triumph.
The Silver UK ‘rankings’ tournament is one of the major Junior Squash Championships in the UK and attracted most of the UK’s top players. Thom played in the group ‘B’ tournament which was played at two very good venues in Newcastle.
In the quarter finals, he played Andrew Walsh, a Northumbrian player.
Thom played the better squash but found that his opponent retrieved all his well-placed shots, repeatedly running to all four corners in countless rallies.
At 2-1 games down, Thomas followed his coach’s advice perfectly, and in the last two games, rallyed his opponent into submission.
This was quite an achievement in temperatures that could be almost described as tropical due to good weather and a powerful heating system!
His next opponent from Cumbria was Harry Stewart. Harry looked a very formidable opponent following some fine wins in his earlier rounds.
However, Thom raised his game, playing his best squash ‘on tour’ to date outscoring his opponent to win 3-0.
In this form, Thomas is a real threat to many higher-ranked players, winning 11-1, 11-2, 11-2.
In the final, played at a different and cooler venue, Thom played Mathew Youngman from Cleveland, a stylish player who had progressed through his half of the draw with some excellent results.
Thomas always looked the better player and although he dropped the second game, played well to win 3-1 (winning 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6).
Thom hopes to travel to other future UK Junior competitions in the near future, and is sure to continue his climb up the UK ranking list following his success at this tournament.
He would like to thank all those that have helped him, and the Isle of Man Squash Rackets Association for their continued support.
If you can help any of our Juniors who travel to UK Squash Tournaments, please contact the Isle of Man Squash Rackets Association.
The benefits of travelling and competing at a good junior level are considerable, but the costs are ever-increasing!
