Excellent show of talent in annual proam squash event
By Mark Toseland, East Glos Squash Manager
The proam event last weekend saw a great show of talent of various abilities, delivering some exciting doubles action.
The first and second rounds saw the amateurs take on the top eight seeds, providing a fun experience for everyone involved. The close call of the afternoon was between Jordan Hardwick & Jamie Carmichael versus Dan West & Josh Attwell. Their match went to the wire, with eighth-seeded pair Jordan and Jamie sneaking through and taking the final game 11-10 to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
With Jonny Harford’s original partner, Robbie Temple, injuring his hamstring before the event, Ryan Gwidzima stepped in and showed his doubles class against Josh Saysell & Lewis Anderson, helping their pairing make it into the semi-final for the next day.
Nathan Mead & Jared Carter were always going to be a solid pairing. Taking on Harry Anderson & James Peach, once again, Jared & Nathan took a scalping to make their way into the semi-finals, too. The top two seeds made fairly comfortable work of their opponents to see them through to Sunday.
Sunday saw the introduction of a packed-out junior doubles event with a very competitive, well-matched draw. It’s the first time I’ve seen the juniors play a toned-down version of the pro doubles game, with lots of chaos on the court to open up opportunities to capitalise on rallies. The semi-finals got underway in the afternoon, with juniors Harry Wallace & Thomas Naylor playing in the Tankard event, too, which also saw them into the final. Semi-final battles in the plate competition saw both matches go to 2-1 in favour of the higher seeds, seeing Ayaan & Simon meet Dan & Josh in the final.
During the afternoon, the juniors got the opportunity to get on court with the pro finalists, Omar El Torkey, Owain Taylor, Ben Smith, Elliot Morris-Devred, and the home pro players, which lit up faces all round. Kudos to junior player Henry Dunill, who played some outrageous taxis and cross-court nicks against the pro players, questioning whether they had chosen their pro partners wisely or not.
The finals were great matchups all round, with this year’s junior event certainly showcasing how much the juniors are enjoying the event and learning how to play at a fast pace. Sam Terrell & Henry Dunill took the honours against Joe Price & Toby Nock 2-1; Harry Wallace & Thomas Naylor took hold of the Tankard prize against father & son Combo; Joth & Will O’Connor 2-0, but 11-10 in each game. Dan West & Josh Attwell took the plate honours, even after playing in the grade 3 padel final about five minutes earlier.
The main final was a well-contested affair between three-time winner Elliot and his partner Ben against Omar & Owain. Superb doubles action all the way through and very well-thought-out play saw Omar & Owain sneak the win 2-1 to de-throne Elliot from his three-year winning streak.
A big thank you to everyone who came along to watch, play, and help out throughout the weekend. It couldn’t have happened without all the efforts to make it all come together. Thank you to our sponsors, Ontic, Town & Country Solicitors, Karakal, and FPC, for supporting the event financially and providing the support required to bring in high-quality players to play in this event.
Next year will be the tenth proam event since it started in 2014. We’ll be looking at getting a wide range of players in for next year, from seasoned pros, defending champions, and some legends of the game to take to the courts in an exhibition-style doubles event for everyone to enjoy.
