Nine Ireland U19 players have learned their fate in the individual events at the World Squash Junior Championships in Cairo – including Nathan Hann, who is primed for a round of 128 match against the men’s No2 seed, Korea’s Joo Young Na, who was the runner-up last year in Houston.
Six Irish players will participate in the boys’ individual section, which attracted 134 entries, but Hann will be the only one of coach David Noone and Breanne Flynn’s team drawn to start his campaign on July 21 in the round of 256.
He will face Hungary’s Benjamin Vida in the first round at the Black Ball Sporting Club, hoping to win his way through to a glamour clash against the Korean Na, who, if the seedings work out to plan, is in line to face the defending champion, Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria, in the July 26 final.
Four of the five Irish players who received first-round byes, Frank O’Flynn, Conal Jackson, Christian Dromgoole and Aaron Knox, were pitted against seeded opposition in round two.
O’Flynn will face Malaysia’s Low Wa-Sern, a 5/8 seed with a third-round fixture up for grabs versus Switzerland’s Fabian Seitz or Australia’s Kasper Cheung.
Jackson faces the 9/16 seed Jack Elriani of the USA, with a third-round tie versus Canadian Arham Izhar or Macau’s Ka Hei Lei up for grabs.
Dromgoole will face Hart Robinson of the USA (17/32 seed) in the second round, with the winner set to take on either England’s Ronnie Hickling or Macau’s Wu Cheok Io.
Knox has been paired against another 17/32 seed, Canadian Youssef Sarhan, with New Zealand’s Maximus Mathews or Japan’s Shunsaku Kariyazono the prospective third-round opponent.
Lynch, the fifth and final Irish player to get an opening-round bye, will play Brazilian Bernardo Jorge Guimaraes. The winner will then play Pakistan’s Anas Ali Shah (17/32 seed) or Canadian Luke Yang in round three.
After the individual tournament ends, Jackson, Dromgoole, Knox and Lynch will join together for the team event from July 27 to August 1.
Switching to the girls’ individual championship, which attracted an entry list of 100, all three Irish players will face seeded opposition in the round of 64 if they progress from the opening round of 128.
Riley Slade, who placed 23rd at last weekend’s Dutch Junior Open, will begin in Cairo against Hana Al Nayal of the Netherlands, with a match against Hong Kong China’s Helen Tang (9/16 seed) the reward if she wins.
Ella Walsh will start against Leelou Laporte of France, with the prize of a match against Charlotte Sze of the USA (17/32 seed) awaiting.
Meanwhile, Zeo Yeomans will be up against the Russian Anna Musikhina, with a fixture versus Poland’s Sofiia Zrazhevska (17/32 seed) the reward for the winner.
After the individual tournament, Slade, Walsh and Yeomans will be joined by Ella Erickson for the girls’ team event.
Ireland’s contingent of 14 players rounded off the four-day Dutch Junior Open with 32 wins in 75 matches – a 42.6 per cent win rate.
Eleven of the 14 Irish participants were part of the new Junior Performance Academy set up by Squash Ireland, and there were plenty of impressive performances at the highly competitive tournament in Amsterdam.
In the girls’ section, Daisy Morrissey stood out with three wins in her five matches to finish 13th in the GU13.
Over in the boys’ section, two players ended with more wins than losses. Jamie Morrissey had four victories in his six games to clinch 13th in the BU13, while Marcelino Cronin also had a W4 L2 record in the same age grade to secure 18th.
GIRLS SECTION
Riley Slade (GU19 – W2 L3): Finished 23rd with a 3-1 win (11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10) over England’s Renitha Srindran. This was after a 0-3 (2-11, 5-11, 4-11) loss to American Elinor Feldman, a 0-3 defeat (3-11, 2-11, 1-11) to Austrian Kristina Begeba and a 3-0 win (11-9, 11-9, 11-3) over Iranian Armiti Ghoroghchian in placings matches following a 0-3 loss (2-11, 0-11, 0-11) to Dutch player Renske Huntelaar in the round of 32.
Lucy Lynch (GU15 – W0 L4): Finished 47th. Bowed out in the round of 64 with a 0-3 defeat to American Laura Techar (1-11, 2-11, 2-11). Then lost play-off matches to Canada’s Isha Saraf (0-3: 10-12, 3-11, 5-11), Russia’s Julia Kozlova (0-3: 10-12, 3-11, 5-11) and Lara Berntsen of the Netherlands (1-3: 3-11, 11-8, 4-11, 6-11).
Zoe Nyhan (GU15 – W3 L3): Finished 27th with a 3-1 win (7-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-6) versus American Samaira Athalye. After losing 0-3 (2-11, 6-11, 6-11) to England’s Maya Goel in the round of 32, she lost 0-3 (1-11, 4-11, 0-11) to American Arushi Saha, beat American Lilly Lake 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-9) and lost to Canada’s Fin Ryding 0-3 (6-11, 2-11, 5-11) in placing matches. Began with a round of 64 walkover against South African Nhlamulo Masingi.
Daisy Morrissey (GU13 – W3 L2): A 3-0 success (11-5, 11-4, 11-7) versus Belgium’s Lime Hendrickx secured 13th place. Began with a 3-0 qualification round of 16 win over Dutch player Sophie Verhulst (11-6, 11-7, 11-3) but beaten 0-3 (5-11, 4-11, 3-11) in the round of 16 by top seed Kadija Bondok of Egypt. A 0-3 (5-11, 6-11, 5-11) play-off loss to American Asha Ponnuru was next before a 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-4) win over Egypt’s Shaden Elsayed.
Caoimhe English (GU11 – W1 L3): Finished eighth with a 0-3 loss (10-12, 7-11, 11-13) to American Noelle Rabaa. Started with a 3-1 round of 16 win over Angela Cao of the USA. A 0-3 quarter-final loss (2-11, 5-11, 5-11) to America’s Loretta Pochoda-Nowell was followed by a 0-3 play-off defeat (3-11, 4-11, 2-11) to Queenie Zhang of the USA.
Maia Morrissey (GU11 – W1 L4): Finished 16th after a 0-3 loss (5-11, 2-11, 9-11) to England’s Lyla Blumberg. Began with a 3-1 win over England’s Maebh Lovely 3-1 (4-11, 11-8, 13-11, 13-11) in a qualification quarter-final before losing 0-3 (0-11, 0-11, 2-11) to another English player, Abigail Zeng, in the round of 16. The play-offs then featured a 0-3 loss to American Paige Smith (0-11, 2-11, 0-11) and another 0-3 defeat to Colombian Veronica Martinez (9-11, 4-11, 7-11).
BOYS SECTION
Ben Lynch (BU15 – W2 L4): Finished 40th with a 0-3 loss (4-11, 6-11, 7-11) to Argentina’s Mirko Rigotti Dominquez. Began with a 0-3 loss to Denmark’s Mathias Berliner in the round of 64 (6-11, 5-11, 9-11) before winning two placings matches, defeating Dutch opponent Milan Wiersma 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-4) and Switzerland’s Benedikt Ammann 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-4). Then came a 0-3 loss to American Leon Solinhac (6-11, 3-11, 8-11) and another 0-3 defeat to Hong Kong China’s Jules Achouch (7-11, 7-11, 7-11).
Josh Archer (BU13 – W3 L3): Finished 29th with a 3-0 win (11-5, 11-7, 11-1) win over Dutch player Jenson Meijer. Defeated American Colin Dimarino 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-5) in the round of 64 and lost to Zachary Yu, another American, 2-3 (11-8, 4-11, 13-11, 8-11, 3-11) in the round of 32. Then came 0-3 play-off losses to England’s Xavier Rowe (6-11, 6-11, 7-11) and France’s Gabriel Martini (3-11, 9-11, 6-11).
Ailon Chen (BU13 – W1 L4): Finished 16th after a 1-3 loss (3-11, 11-9, 11-13, 7-11) to Harry Knox, his fellow Irish player. Began in the round of 32 with a 3-0 win (11-4, 11-1, 11-2) over Joris Willems of the Netherlands, but lost 0-3 (3-11, 4-11, 3-11) to American Carter Macdougall in the round of 16. Further play-off losses followed, 0-3 (5-11, 5-11, 4-11) to Canadian Nolan Ryding and 0-3 (3-11, 5-11, 6-11) to Jamie Morrissey, another Irish teammate.
Marcelino Cronin (BU13 – W4 L2): Finished 18th after a 0-3 defeat (10-12, 10-12, 5-11) to Egyptian Mohamed Ghait. Started with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-4) round of 64 win over Qatar’s Alian Hassan, but lost 2-3 in the round of 32 to England’s Logan Willstrop (11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 12-14). The play-offs then featured a hat-trick of 3-0 wins over France’s Gabriel Martini (11-4, 11-4, 11-3), England’s Xavier Rowe (11-6, 11-4, 11-8) and Louis Lavergne of France (11-1, 11-3, 11-6).
Harry Knox (BU13 – W3 L3): Finished 15th with a 3-1 win (11-3, 9-11, 13-11, 11-7) over Irish teammate Ailong Chen. Began with wins over American Sebastian Bakker 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-4) in the round of 64 and then France’s Louis Lavergne 3-1 (13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5) in the round of 32. Beaten 0-3 by American Lars Daly in the round of 16 (5-11, 4-11, 4-11). The play-offs started with a 1-3 loss (7-11, 3-11, 12-10, 4-11) to American Anderson Morgan and another 1-3 defeat (8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 8-11) to Zachary Yu, another USA player.
Jamie Morrissey (BU13 – W4 L2): Finished 13th with a 3-1 win (11-13, 11-6, 11-7, 11-0) over American Zachary Yu. Began with a round of 64 win over Croatia’s Viktor Jankovic 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-5) and another 3-0 (15-13, 11-8, 11-6) win over Switzerland’s Livio Ferrarini. Beaten in the round of 16 clash by American Graeson Smith 0-3 (4-11, 7-11, 1-11) and then lost to Hungary’s Alex Kosztyu 0-3 (7-11, 7-11, 6-11) in the play-offs before beating Ailon Chen, his Irish teammate, 3-0 (11-3, 11-5, 11-6).
Alfie Knox (BU11 – W2 L3): Finished 15th with a 3-2 win (8-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-5, 11-8) over Egypt’s Youssef Mohamed Osman. Defeated Pakistan’s Azhar Noman 3-0 (11-0, 11-1, 11-1) in the round of 32 but lost 1-3 to Gavriel Azoulay of Israel in the round of 16 (2-11, 11-9, 5-11, 2-11). Then lost play-off matches, 2-3 to Poland’s Antoni Urbanski (11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 15-17, 6-11) and 0-3 (6-11, 8-11, 11-13) to Jack Liu of the USA.
Liam Mahony (BU11 – W3 L3): Finished 20th following a 1-3 loss (12-14, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11) to Qatar’s Maaz Bin Fahad. Began with a 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-4) qualification round of 16 win over Raff van Altena of the Netherlands but was beaten 0-3 (2-11, 4-11, 2-11) by American Lukas Daly in the round of 32. Then beat Israel’s Ido Lavian 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-5) and Canada’s Jasper Che 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-0) before losing 2-3 to Egypt’s Seif El Sadat (11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 4-11, 2-11).
Ireland players have battled hard at the Dutch Junior Open in Amsterdam, with several in line for high placings in the 11-event tournament that attracted 593 entries.
Fifteen entries were Irish, and 14 made it to the start line on Thursday at the four-day competition. Here is how they have fared so far:
GIRLS SECTION
Caoimhe English (GU11): Defeated Angela Cao of the USA 3-1 (11-13, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7) in the round of 16. Now faces another American, Loretta Pochoda-Nowell, in Friday’s quarter-final.
Lucy Lynch (GU15): Bowed out in the round of 64 with a 0-3 defeat to American Laura Techar (1-11, 2-11, 2-11). Now has a 33rd-48th place play-off against Canada’s Isha Saraf.
Daisy Morrissey (GU13): Got off to a fantastic start with a 3-0 qualification round of 16 win over Dutch player Sophie Verhulst (11-6, 11-7, 11-3), but came unstuck 0-3 (5-11, 4-11, 3-11) in the round of 16 against the high ranked Kadija Bondok of Egypt. The next step is a ninth/16th place play-off against American Asha Ponnuru.
Maia Morrissey (GU11): Defeated England’s Maebh Lovely 3-1 (4-11, 11-8, 13-11, 13-11) in qualification quarter-final but lost out 0-3 (0-11, 0-11, 2-11) to another English player, Abigail Zeng. Now has a ninth/16th place play-off with American Paige Smith.
Zoe Nyhan (GU15): Had a round of 64 walkover against South African Nhlamulo Masingi but lost 0-3 (2-11, 6-11, 6-11) to England’s Maya Goel in the round of 32. Arushi Saha, an American, now awaits in the 17th/32nd place play-off.
Riley Slade (GU19): Went down 0-3 (2-11, 0-11, 0-11) to Dutch player Renske Huntelaar in the round of 32 and now faces Iranian Armiti Ghoroghchian in the 17th/32nd place play-off.
BOYS SECTION
Josh Archer (BU13 – W3 L3): Defeated American Colin DiMarino 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-5) in the round of 64 and lost to Zachary Yu, another American, 2-3 (11-8, 4-11, 13-11, 8-11, 3-11) in the round of 32.
Ailon Chen (BU13): Began with a brisk round of 32 win over Joris Willems, winning 3-0 (11-4, 11-1, 11-2), but lost 0-3 (3-11, 4-11, 3-11) to American Carter Macdougall in the round of 16. Now take on Canadian Nolan Ryding in the ninth/16th place play-off.
Marcelino Cronin (BU13): Started with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-4) round of 64 win over Qatar’s Alian Hassan, but agonisingly lost 2-3 in the round of 32 to England’s Logan Willstrop (11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 12-14). Started Friday with a 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-3) win against France’s Gabriel Martini in the 17th/32nd place play-off. Now takes on England’s Xavier Rowe in the 17th/24th place match.
Alfie Knox (BU11): Comfortably defeated Pakistan’s Azhar Noman 3-0 (11-0, 11-1, 11-1) in the round of 32 but lost 1-3 to Gavriel Azoulay of Israel in the round of 16 (2-11, 11-9, 5-11, 2-11). Now faces Poland’s Antoni Urbanski in the ninth/16th place play-off.
Harry Knox (BU13): Won his two Thursday matches, defeating American Sebastian Bakker 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-4) in the round of 64 and then France’s Louis Lavergne 3-1 (13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5) in the round of 32. Beaten 0-3 by American Lars Daly in Friday’s round of 16 (5-11, 4-11, 4-11) and now faces another American, Anderson Morgan, in a ninth/16th place play-off.
Ben Lynch (BU15): Lost 0-3 to Denmark’s Mathias Berliner in the round of 64 (6-11, 5-11, 9-11) but has since won two placings matches, defeating Dutch opponent Milan Wiersma 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-4) and Switzerland’s Benedikt Ammann 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-4).
Liam Mahony (BU11): Began with a 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-4) qualification round of 16 win over Raff van Altena of the Netherlands but was beaten 0-3 (2-11, 4-11, 2-11) by American Lukas Daly in the round of 32. Has since beaten Israel’s Ido Lavian 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-5) and now faces Canada’s Jasper Che in a 17th-24th place play-off.
Jamie Morrissey (BU13): Enjoyed an excellent Thursday with a round of 64 win over Croatia’s Viktor Jankovic 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-5) and followed it with another 3-0 (15-13, 11-8, 11-6) win over Switzerland’s Livio Ferrarini. Beaten in Friday’s round of 16 clash with American Graeson Smith 0-3 (4-11, 7-11, 1-11) and next plays Hungary’s Alex Kosztyu in the ninth/16th place play-off.
Several members of the new Junior Performance Academy are competing in this week’s Dutch Junior Open.
A total of 15 players from Ireland are registered for the four-day tournament in Amsterdam, which gets underway on Thursday and runs until Sunday.
They will be supported by Squash Ireland’s junior development coach, Michael Conroy, in what is the first targeted event for the JPA.
Registered to compete in the girls section are: Raghad Aboelela (GU13), Caoimhe English (GU11), Lucy Lynch (GU15), Daisy Morrissey (GU13), Maia Morrissey (GU11), Zoe Nyhan (GU15) and Riley Slade (GU19).
Josh Archer (BU13), Ailon Chen (BU13), Marcelino Cronin (BU13), Alfie Knox (BU11), Harry Knox (BU13), Ben Lynch (BU15), Liam Mahony (BU11) and Jamie Morrissey (BU13) are listed in the boys section.
Squash Ireland CEO Scott Graham said: “The JPA allows a wider group of players to compete as part of an Ireland team. The longer we keep them in the game, the more chance they have of progressing to an elite senior level.”
Perth has been named as the host city for the 2026 World Squash Masters Championships, the flagship event for competitors aged +35.
Last year’s tournament in Amsterdam created a new participation record with over 1,200 players – among them a 27-strong team from Ireland.
Five podium finishes were achieved last August, including first place to Mary Sceney in the W+65. There was a hat-trick of second-place finishes – Arthur Gaskin (M+35), Nicholas Staunton (M+50) and Willie Hosey (M+60), with Neil Macarron taking third in his M+45 category.
The bi-annual world festival will now move from Europe to the southern hemisphere with Australia, the most successful nation in World Squash Masters history by total medal count, set to stage the event it last hosted in 2001.
Next year’s tournament will take place from August 30 to September 6 and will feature an all-glass show court that will be erected in the City of Stirling suburb of Perth. Action will also take place on the 14 courts of Mirrabooka Squash Centre and the eight courts of Bellmont Squash Centre.
Squash Australia CEO Robert Donaghue said: “On behalf of Squash Australia, I would like to thank the Western Australian Government through Tourism WA and the City of Stirling for the incredible backing they have given us.
“With their support, we are confident this will be the biggest squash event ever hosted in Australia and we are looking forward to welcoming the world to Perth.
“Hosting international events in Australia is an important part of our strategy, not only does it provide our players with an opportunity to compete against the best in the world, it is critical in providing experience to our coaches, referees, administrators and volunteers, which they can take back to their local clubs and centres and continue to build on the capability and capacity of their local squash community.
“We also see this event as another great opportunity to expose the sport to the wider community and inspire them to come and try squash and experience all the benefits participating in our great sport can offer.”
Lydia McQuillan blasted her way to the Girls U19 Italian Junior Open title on Sunday, completing her three-match campaign with a convincing 3-1 win in the final at the National Technical Centre in Riccione.
McQuillan, who had a bye in the round of 16, began her title charge on Friday with a 3-1 quarter-final win over Luxembourg’s Elisenda Ruiz-Kaiser (4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8).
The Lisburn club player then defeated Hungary’s Nora Juhasz 3-1 on Saturday in the semi-finals (10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5) before wrapping up her tournament title win with another 3-1 success in Sunday’s final, beating Romania’s Timeea Maria Dumitrascu (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8).
There was also a podium finish for Sutton’s Zoe Yeomans in the Girls U17s. She saw off Poland’s Zuzanna Gora 3-2 in her third/fourth place play-off on Sunday (11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10).
In the Boys U15 event, Sutton’s Harry Yeomans’ tournament ended with his 0-3 defeat to Konstantinos Christos Papatheodorou (8-11, 4-11, 7-11). His 23rd/24th place match with Hungary’s Lorant Szijarto was cancelled.
In his earlier matches, Yeomans lost 1-3 to Switzerland’s Kuba Wesolowski in the round of 32, defeated Italy’s Orlando Silvio Rustighi 3-0 in the 17th/32nd place play-off and lost to Poland’s Beniamin Morzyc 0-3 in the 17th/24th place play-off.
Meanwhile, Ridit Thapar – another Sutton club player – finished his six-match Boys U13 programme with a 3-2 win on Sunday over Poland’s Nicolas Lanza 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 11-13, 12-10) in the 19th/20th place play-off.
He began with a 3-0 round of 64 win over Italy’s Vincent Cusumano and then lost 0-3 to Poland’s Maciej Dziech in the round of 32.
Two play-off wins followed, 3-0 against Italy’s Paolo Ficorella and 3-1 versus Romania’s Radu Andrei Petrescu before he was beaten 1-3 by Bulgaria’s Boris Braykov in the 17th/20th place match.
We’re raising funds to support the Irish U19 Squash Team as they prepare to compete at the World Championships in Egypt this summer.
This is an incredible chance for these young athletes to represent Ireland internationally — but we need your help to get them there!
Whether you can donate or simply share our GoFundMe, every bit of support makes a difference.
The Ireland Women’s team of Hannah Craig, Hannah McGugan, Aimee McConnell, and Lydia McQuillan claimed the bronze medal at the European Team Championships Division 2 in Wrocław, Poland.
The team emerged from Pool B with wins over Portugal and Slovenia, which saw them progress to the medal matches. A narrow loss to the Netherlands teed up a match against Italy in the battle for bronze.
Hannah Craig was up first against Cristina Tartarone of Italy. Tartarone took the first game 12-10, Craig fought back in the second winning 11-9. The back and forth continued but in a nail biting finish Craig took the fifth game 11-9 to get Ireland off to a winning start. Aimee McConnell sealed the win with a convincing 3-0 win over Beatrice Filippi in just 23 minutes.
The result was a major positive for the squad, with Aimee McConnell and Lydia McQuillan both earning their first senior caps for Ireland showing the strength in depth of the squad.
Ireland Men Relegated Despite Win Over World #7
The Ireland Men’s team finished 11th in Division 1, resulting in relegation to Division 2 next year. The team of Sam Buckley, Conor Moran, Michael Creavan, Oisin Logan, and Sean Conroy got off to a promising start as Conroy opened the scoring with a win over Rory Richmond of Scotland.
Sam Buckley, with a world ranking of 116, was next on court, playing exceptional squash against world number 18, Greg Lobban. A five-game thriller unfolded over the next hour, with Lobban eventually edging out Buckley. Narrow losses by Michael Creavan (against Alan Clyne) and Conor Moran, ranked 217, (against Rory Stewart, ranked 55) meant that Ireland lost the tie.
Motivated by a chance to reach the top 8, and buoyed by their performance the previous day, Ireland faced 44-time champions England with grit and determination. Oisin Logan suffered an early loss to world number 66 Tom Walsh.
Next up, Sam Buckley took on world number 7, Marwan Elshorbagy. Buckley had the Englishman under pressure from the outset, with the pair trading blows in a tight first game. Elshorbagy edged it 20–18, then took the second quickly. However, Buckley staged a remarkable comeback, taking the next three games 11–4, 11–9, 11–7. The win will go down as one of the greatest upsets in European Team Championship history and serves as a huge confidence boost for Buckley and the entire Ireland squad.
Michael Creavan followed, facing world number 33 Curtis Malik. Creavan took an early lead, winning the first two games 11–8, 11–7. England looked shaken, staring down the barrel of an early exit. But to his credit, Malik fought back and claimed the next three games 11–5, 11–8, 11–3. Creavan can be proud of a performance that raised his game to new heights.
Conor Moran was the final Irish player to take the court, facing rising star and world number 35, Jonah Bryant. Moran lost the first game 11–2 but had Bryant under pressure in the second and third, holding the lead at times with opportunities to win. However, it wasn’t to be, as Bryant sealed the win for England.
After the emotional high of pushing two of the top teams so close, Ireland struggled in the 9th–12th place playoffs, as fatigue began to take its toll. They tied with Belgium and lost to Hungary on Friday. A win over Israel wasn’t enough to retain a place in Division 1.
It was a rollercoaster campaign for the Ireland men’s team. However, they gained valuable experience and showed they are capable of competing with some of the world’s best players.
Full results here
The team event is always where passion runs highest and tension reaches its peak—and this year was no different. Our #TeamIreland – featuring Danny Lynch, Conal Jackson, Christian Dromgoole, Ella Erickson, Lydia McQuillan, and Ella Walsh – was eagerly anticipating it.
For the past few decades the team format was two boys and one girl, this year was the first with gender parity, two boys and two girls matches per tie. All matches were played on the same court and in the event of a tie, it would go to game count and then points count, if necessary then the tie would be separated by the winner of the first match played in the tie. The pool stages allowed for draws—but not so in the knockouts, a detail that, as it turned out, didn’t work in our favour.
Prague did a phenomenal job hosting—this is the only event in Europe that has this amount of squash fitted into 10 days. It’s a mammoth effort from all teams, players, and organisers.
Our Irish squad can be incredibly proud of their journey. The passion, resilience, and heart they showed was something special.
All results can be found at esf.tournamentsoftware.com .
Ireland’s pool included defending champions and tournament favourites, France, alongside strong squads from the Netherlands, Italy, and Denmark. While other pools had four teams, ours had five.
Ireland opened against France and, despite showing some strong squash, the result went as expected: a 4–0 loss.
We bounced back with a determined 4–0 win over Denmark, needing to dig deep for that one.
Next came the Dutch—a seriously tough contest. Danny Lynch reached his highest performing level of the week against a strong Robert Linder, pushing hard but falling just short. Lydia also put up a fight but couldn’t get the result. Ella Erickson’s opponent was ruthlessly impressive, consistently hammering left-handed forehand winners. Christian’s match was a fiery and entertaining battle—a common occurrence for the charismatic young Irishman—but he too came up short, with the Dutch taking it 4–0.
Ireland then faced Italy. After splitting the matches 2–2, our team won on games countback, which felt like a huge moment. But heartbreak followed: since the Italians had taken a match off the Dutch and Ireland hadn’t, they finished ahead of us in the group. Gutting for our players not to get the chance to battle for a top-10 finish as per their expectation, but the numbers didn’t agree.
Ireland’s first knockout match was against Wales—a team with real depth. Danny played Oliver Jones in a marathon five-setter lasting 1 hour and 26 minutes. He gave everything but lost a gruelling battle. Conal also fell to a stronger opponent in three games. On the girls’ side, Ella won a five-set thriller, and Lydia took a best-of-three. But it wasn’t enough. On countback, Ireland came up one game short. Every point counts, and this one was another tough pill to swallow.
Our wounded players took the court against Norway, and delivered a solid 3–1 win thanks to strong performances by Lydia, Christian, and Ella Walsh.
Later that same day, Ireland faced Scotland. After ten days surrounded by squash for 12 hours a day, the team put in a heroic effort. Danny produced the most entertaining squash of his campaign, thrilling the crowd in an hour-plus of amazing rallies, eventually losing in four after a marathon effort. Ella Erickson faced Robyn McAlpine in a clash of two talented young players, and Robyn came out on top. That left it to Lydia and Conal, who both needed to win 3–0 for us to take the tie. They delivered with immense mental strength, giving us a huge team win to close our campaign on a high.
To celebrate, the players enjoyed a well-earned BBQ complete with a DJ and a few games of padel.
This year, Prague is playing host to the U19 Championship—an event that’s fast becoming a standout on the European junior squash calendar. For many, it’s a highlight of their playing careers, a week with some of their fondest juniors memories. Spanning 10 days, the event is split into two parts: the first half dedicated to individual competition, the second to the team championship.
Both the men’s and women’s events featured 64-player draws, with only each nation’s top talents competing. That meant every match was a battle—rarely an easy run for anyone.
The competition was spread across two venues. The primary site was the impressive Hector Centre, home to five glass-back squash courts lined up in a row, which served as the event’s vibrant hub. Beyond squash, Hector boasts tennis, badminton, padel, beach volleyball, a gym, and on-site accommodation—though squash was very much the star this week. A secondary venue, a squash and bowling centre across town, hosted a handful of matches.
Credit to the Czech Federation for organizing a seamless event, including securing a fantastic hotel just minutes from Hector—a nice treat for the players.
The individual championships had its ups and downs for all players. There were huge highlights, some performances that need forgetting quickly, and some major 5 set battles that went both ways. For all involved, it was an invaluable learning curve. How best to progress from here is the mission.
All results can be found at esf.tournamentsoftware.com .
U19 Boys – Final Ranking
16th place – Aaron Knox
24th place – Christian Dromgoole
45th place – Danny Lynch
50th place – Conal Jackson
61st place – Frank O Flynn
U19 Girls – Final Ranking
23rd place – Lydia McQuillan
25th place – Ella Erickson
30th place – Ella Walsh
38th place – Zoe Yeomans
45th place – Riley Slade
The event was closed out with the men’s and women’s finals. Both had impressive French winners, showcasing an incredible level of squash and inspiring many of the spectators!
The team event starts on Thursday for Danny, Conal, Christian, Lydia, Ella and Ella. An exciting week ahead!
An event that didn’t quite meet Danny’s own high expectations, but did provide some great performances and battles that will stand to him in the team event. He ended with three wins and three losses, showing moments of real grit. An agonizing first-round defeat, followed by a heartbreaking 12–10 fifth-set loss (after holding match balls), were tough pills to swallow. But his ability to bounce back mentally and refocus was perhaps his biggest win of the week. Sometimes the making of an athlete is how they react!
Thrown in at the deep end with the No. 3 seed in round one, Conal gave a good account of himself, making the opponent work for his victory. Then came a series of grueling five-setters—three in a row, two of which he won. By his final match, fatigue had taken its toll, bringing to a final loss. Still, a solid performance that sets him up nicely for the team event.
Off to a flyer with a 3–1 win in round one, Christian followed up with a closely contested four-set loss. Day two brought a strong win over Maltese Julian Scerri [17/24], pushing him into tougher territory in the draw. Though he didn’t notch another win, his top-25 finish and trademark tenacity made for a strong outing.
What a start from the Waterford man—two wins on day one, including a nail-biting 11–8 in the fifth against a top French opponent to break into the top 16 – and providing his teammates with the nervous excitement that only these events can bring. A performance to be proud of for us all! Though he faced Europe’s best in the later rounds, he never lost heart. His poise and fight at just 16 years old bode well for the future.
A few tough opening matches for Frank. He was always competitive in the games, always fighting hard. Frank played superb squash in parts, and it all came together in the later stages where he closed out the event with two commanding 3–0 victories. A strong finish to a valuable learning experience.
Making her Irish debut, the American-based Ella did not disappoint. A clinical first-round win was followed by a valiant effort against a top English player. Pushing her in each game, Ella lost 3-0 but showed what she’s capable of. A narrow 11–9 fifth-set loss in round three stung, but she rebounded in style—winning the rest of her matches and gearing up confidently for the teams event.
Lydia opened with a commanding win, before a narrow round-two loss which set up an unfortunate all-Irish clash against teammate Ella Walsh in round three. Lydia came through that in straight games and continued with strong performances. After two tough losses, her final win—15–13 in the fifth—was a thriller and a great note to end on.
A huge round-one comeback win for Ella—down two games, she clawed back to win 11–9 in the fifth. Brilliant effort from the Dublin based player. Tough luck followed, running into the second seed (for the second year in a row) – held a good account of herself but was out in 3 games – and then drawing Lydia in round three. She bounced back with a dominant 3–0 win over a Croatian player and a spirited match against a higher-seeded Norwegian. Plenty of positives to take forward.
Still just 16 years old, Zoe showed impressive maturity winning three from six! Her event began with a loss to the eventual finalist, England’s Emily Coulcher-Porter—a player with the rare skill of using opposite hands on either side of the court, avoiding backhand. Zoe’s standout moment came in a commanding win over a German rival who had previously troubled her. Always nice to see improvements coming along, positive event for sure!
A tough event for the athletic Mount Pleasant player, with early matchups against powerful opponents. Riley posses plenty of speed, but struggled to answer to some of the big hits. She also had the misfortune of drawing teammate Zoe—never ideal in a large event. But Riley saved her best for last, taking down a tricky Norwegian opponent in a five-set thriller on the final day. Valuable lessons learned.
