Posted By John Greenwood
The end of the school year means schools playing squash for the chance to test their skills in the two County schools competitions – the Kent Schools Cup (secondary schools) and the Academy Cup (primary schools).
Both events have been running for at least 4 years and with the interest being shown by schools across Kent the events are set to expand over the years. Rodmersham played host to the tournaments and thanks should go to the management and staff who coped with 60 plus juniors each day along with their supporters.
The Kent Schools Cup is divided into two sections, Junior (years 7 – 9) and Senior (years 10 – 13). Within the tournament the skill levels are varied with some county players leading their school team which includes juniors experiencing their first competitive match.
The sections are keenly contested, and this year saw Wilmington reclaiming another schools title beating Judd in the Junior Final. Last year’s Junior winners Simon Langton moved up into the Seniors, but this didn’t stop them claiming their third consecutive title. The senior girl’s tournament was played out between Benenden Girls and Dover Girls with Benenden coming out as champions.
The Academy Cup saw 18 teams created through the Kent Primary School Academy Project contesting for the trophy.
Many playing in this tournament started with no knowledge of squash but are now playing at club or even county level. The 50 plus juniors represents a figure of 600 plus juniors who have taken squash up over Kent in the last 4 years.
The Junior section (years 3 and 4) was contested by Scott’s Park 1 and 2, with the 2nd team pipping the first team for the trophy. In the Senior section (years 5 and 6) Scott’s Park held off a spirited challenge from Madginford (last year’s Junior winners) to make it a clean sweep of the sections.
Steve Franks
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