Turnock shines at Squash champs
THE 2019 Zimbabwe Closed Junior Squash Championship was held at different venues in Harare this past weekend, attracting the strongest junior players from all over the country.
And, there were some great performances most notably from Taine Turnock and Polite Mubure who walked away with the boys and girls Under-19 titles respectively.
Turnock was in fine form as he fought all the way to the boys Under-19 final at St. George’s College where he beat Harry Lawton 3-1 to emerge as the top dog in this section.
The girls Under-19 matches were also played at St. George’s College and they saw Mubure and Hannah Minnion reaching the final in which the former outplayed the latter 3-0 to be crowned the champion for this year.
Belgravia Sports Club hosted the boys Under-16 matches and the winner of this age-group was Kameran Jinnah who recorded a straight forward 3-0 victory over Daniel Bezoudenhout in the final.
Across the town at Highlands Sports Club there were also some good matches in the girls Under-16 section which saw Kaitline Craven walking away with the title ahead of Carla Roscher.
Craven was emulated by Anotida Mlambo who clinched the boys Under13 title after defeating Elton Mukumba 3-0 in the final at Old Georgians Sports Club which also hosted the boys and girls Under-14 matches.
In the boys Under-14 final, Rukudzo Midzi did well to beat Tendeka Haparimwi 3-0 while Ruvarashe Chibaya walked away with the girls Under-14 title ahead of Anatsa Hook.
Mashumba Mukumba, one of the organisers of the Zimbabwe Closed Junior Squash Championship, said the tournament went on very well and was a tough test of character and fitness to complete this event for the young players, with up to six matches being played over the weekend for most players.
The tournament was held at Belgravia Sports Club, Highlands Sports Club, Old Georgians Sports Club and St. George’s College. It was sponsored by FedEx Express and Kefalos.
“The tournament went on very well and we were impressed by the attendance and performance of the players. We are expanding the sport of squash in appreciation of the support obtained from parents, schools, sports clubs and corporate sponsors.
“The level of play from players was very high and the commitment that both children and parents put into the sport was awesome.
“The children are coming from different parts of the country and basically they are school-going from the following schools: Arundel School, Chisipite, Celebration International School, Christian Brothers College, Churchill High School, Dominican Convent, Eaglesvale, Falcon College, Girls College, Hellenic School, Malbereign Girls High, Peterhouse, Prince Edward School, St George’s College and St John’s College,” Mukumba said.
The above mentioned schools also clash in the local school league in Mashonaland and Matabeleland as a way of appreciating and promoting the growth of the sport.
“Squash has taken its rapid growth and popularity over the years. We still need to make it popular since the courts, equipment and coaching are expensive. Popularity will also help us in getting support either from the Government or corporate sponsors.
“Our main focus is to fill in the gap left open by the outgoing boys and girls going out of the country for further studies and greener pastures.
There were a few girls playing in the previous years but this time numbers have increased.
“The national association is trying its best to recruit the girls who will play in different age-groups in future. Zimbabwe in the past was well known for retaining that,” Mukumba said.