Former champions Mariam Eissa and Ronnie Hickling are favourites for the prestigious U19 titles at the 2025 Squash Travel by Nirvana British Junior Championships in Sheffield.
The draws for this illustrious event, which takes place from 30 October to 2 November at Abbeydale, Hallamshire and Fulwood, include over 350 of the best players from the UK and Ireland battling it out across six age categories.
Now in its 51st year, the BJC has luminaries including Peter Nicol, Cassie Jackman, James Willstrop and Gina Kennedy on its roll of honour – and players heading to the Steel City later this month will bid to put their names alongside those greats of the game.
Three-time BJC title winner Eissa (Warwicks) begins the defence of the Girls U19 Don Sanderson Trophy with a first-round bye and is seeded to face [3/4] Millie Breach of Wales in the semi-finals. Second seed and current England No.1 Emily Coulcher-Porter (Bucks) will meet three-time former BJC champion and 3/4 seed Reka Kemecsei (Sussex) in the semis if results go with the seedings.
Hickling (Surrey) is a two-time former BJC champion and opens this year’s U19 campaign against [17/32] Harry Fleet (Hampshire). Hickling is seeded to meet [3/4] Jude Gibbins (Kent) in the semis. England no.1 ranked Dylan Roberts (Kent) is second seed in Sheffield and is scheduled to face Ismail Khalil (Warwicks) in the last four.
Luke McBride (Surrey), who was a member of England’s European U17 title winning team in Bordeaux in May, is top seed in the boys’ U17 and seeded to meet [3/4] Ali Khalil (Warwicks), last year’s British Junior Open runner-up, in the last four. McBride’s Surrey team-mate Gabriel Chak, last year’s U15 finalist, is second seed and set to face [3/4] Mohamed Abaza (Middx) in the semis.
England No.4 Harriet Broadbridge (Hants) will be defending her girls’ U17 title. She will have to get past 3/4 seed and last year’s U15 runner-up Fearne Copley (Yorks) in her half of the draw and potentially last year’s U15 winner, [2] Ameerah Ismail (Warwicks), in the final.
England No.3 Alex Koa-Wing (Middx) is top seed in the 54-player draw for the boys’ U15 with a semi-final against Essex’s 3/4 seed Kylen Calder in the offing if results go with the seedings. Scotland’s second-seeded Thomas Myers is seeded to come up against England No.5 [3/4] Tristan Sutton (Essex).
Phoebe Griffiths (Hants), whose victory sealed England’s girls’ U15 European title in Bordeaux in May, heads to Sheffield as top seed with the prospect of a semi-final with [3/4] Sienna Hampshaw (Yorks), last year’s U13 runner-up, and a potential final against [2] Esther Chak (Surrey).
Top seed and 2023 U11 winner Ben Lamond (Dorset) will face competition for the boys’ U13 title from a well-known name in [2] Logan Willstrop (Yorks). In the girls’ U13, former U11 champion Siona Mishra (Warwicks) is title favourite with another Yorkshire player, Eleanor Everington-Hunt, seeded second.
England No.1 Archibald McLeod (Warwicks) tops the boys’ U11 seedings with [2] Gabriel Cannistraci (Middx) in hot pursuit. The girls’ U11 event is organised into four groups, with Abigail Zeng (Avon) and Arya Knobbs (Warwicks) the top two seeds.
In the youngest age category, English Junior champion Cristian Law (Herts) has been named boys’ U9 top seed with England No.1 Luke Woodward (Hants) at the other end of the draw. England No.1 Maebh Lovely (Lancs) is favourite in the girls’ U9 five-player round-robin.
Action from the Squash Travel by Nirvana British Junior Championships starts on Thursday 30 October at Abbeydale Squash & Fitness Club, Hallamshire Tennis & Squash Club and Fulwood Sports Club. Watch live streaming from all the all-glass court from Abbeydale from Friday afternoon onwards on the official website, britishjuniorchampionships.com.
You can also follow the event on the official England Squash Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
