The Isle of Wight’s squash community has celebrated the success of its first-ever IW Classic, with 90 players of all ages competing across a packed weekend of action at Westridge Squash Courts.
The inaugural tournament attracted competitors ranging from just 6 years old to players in their 60s, with entrants travelling from across the UK to take part alongside local talent.
The youngest competitor was 6-year-old Jeffrey Fu, from Hong Kong, who was taking part in his first tournament, while the oldest was Tim Luker, a B-grade player in his 60s, who impressed with his competitive spirit and sportsmanship.
Thanks to sponsorship from Wightlink, a number of mainland players travelled to the Isle of Wight, including the Duke family from Yorkshire, who entered all 3 sons. Cameron Duke won the Boys’ Under-17 title, while Aiden Duke finished runner-up in the Boys’ Under-9 competition.
Across the weekend, Westridge Squash Courts hosted an impressive 172 matches.
A dedicated Isle of Wight junior category was introduced to give less experienced local youngsters the opportunity to experience tournament squash.
Island players enjoyed plenty of success, with Millie claiming the Girls’ Under-17 title, Olivia winning the Girls’ Under-13 event and Finn taking victory in the Boys’ Under-11 competition.
In the senior grades, Marc Burton won the J Grade event, Shane East claimed the C Grade title, Freddy Fentum secured victory in B Grade and Oli Staunton triumphed in the A Grade competition.
Chris Husson, event organiser, has said:
“We created an Island junior category so that the juniors with less experience could get a feel for a real tournament.
“The Wightlink travel sponsorship, along with our other support, enabled us to attract mainland players to an Island event, which bodes well for the game on the Isle of Wight.”
Speaking about the atmosphere over the weekend, Chris added:
“There were a lot of families taking part, including the Dukes family from Yorkshire, who entered their three sons, with Cameron winning the Boys’ Under-17s and Aiden runner-up in the Boys’ Under-9s.
“There was also genuine quality in the team from Winchester Rackets and Fitness Club. They have a very strong junior programme and the sponsorship enabled them to travel.
“The overall numbers were an even split of juniors to seniors and mainlanders to Islanders; this made for a brilliant, mixed, fun event.
“We hope we can repeat this formula each year so people can really rely on an event like this for fun and inclusivity as well as a really high standard.”
Praise for the tournament also came from Island parent Alex Holbrook, whose daughter won the Girls’ Under-13 event.
Sam Woodman, Wightlink’s Partnerships Marketing Manager, added:
“It’s fantastic to see the inaugural IW Classic proving such a success and bringing together players of all ages and abilities from both the Isle of Wight and the mainland.
“We’re proud to support events like this that encourage people to get involved in sport, inspire young players and help local clubs thrive. We look forward to seeing the tournament continue to grow in the years ahead.”
The tournament was also supported by One Holyrood Hotel, Hampshire Squash and JPR Combustions.
