Millfield’s squash stars (Left to right: Ayaan Vaziralli, Shun Kariyazono, Soha Khatri and Amelie Haworth)
The Millfield squash team took part in the Nordic Junior Squash Open, and came away with incredible results.
The team travelled to Malmo, Sweden for the European Squash Federation event, which pitted them against many of the strongest squash players in Europe for their respective age groups.
Lower Sixth student Amelie Haworth claimed gold in the U19 girls’ event, defeating the European number two in the process. Lower Sixth Ayaan Vaziralli claimed a silver medal in the boys’ U17s, losing out 3-2 in an incredibly tight final against the number one ranked player in Europe for his age group. Year 11 Soha Khatri came away with a bronze medal in the girls U15s, showing great resilience to come through qualifying only to fall at the semi-final stage in the main draw, before regrouping to claim victory in the bronze medal match. Year 9 Shun Kariyazono displayed some excellent squash in the U15 boys’ event to bring home a bronze medal, only falling to the European number one in the main draw.
Ayaan Vaziralli, who joined Millfield in Year 9 in 2019, said, “I was delighted to come second in the Nordic Junior Open, my first tournament of a long season. I will be working hard to build on it with prestigious events such as the US Open coming up. It was great to have the support of the Millfield squash coaches, who make the programme so special by working hard and caring for every single player, giving me the opportunity to play fixtures in England and abroad. I hope to keep improving and one day represent my home country India in a major games.”
Shun Kariyazono, who joined Millfield Prep School in Year 5 in 2019, said “I’m really happy with my performance in Sweden, it shows my improvement and definitely gives me confidence to take into my next tournament in Poland. The top-level squash coaches at Millfield are a great support, they are really experienced and provide us with so many opportunities for matches, tournaments and training sessions.”
Millfield Director of Squash, Ian Thomas, said “It is a first for the Millfield squash department to see all four players podium in four different events at a European Super Series competition. I’m hugely impressed and proud of all the students’ efforts.”
With six newly refurbished squash courts and a dedicated coaching team, students in the Millfield squash programme have the means to continually develop their technique and skill, while gaining experience in numerous fixtures and competitions. Whilst members of the full time squad train six days a week, there are also regular sessions throughout the week for students of all abilities, who are encouraged to play and enjoy squash as a fitness and social activity.
Categories: Millfield School School News
