Since taking up the Head Coach position at Rochdale Sports Club I’ve been particularly interested in the progress of the Junior Academy. These young players have been brought through the junior set-up by Eddie Hamilton and Andy Parton and I’ve been able to work closely with them on the court in the last 6 months. I’ve seen some big improvements.
The Boys Under 19 team were crowned North West Counties Champions in their age division last week, the first time the club has won this prestigious title in over 25 years.
They won’t thank me for saying but a couple of the players who were involved in the historic victory over a quarter of a century ago are being chased down by the current crop of juniors. They’re still playing regularly to a good level at the squash club and are just about holding them off now but I’m betting it won’t be long until the tables are turned. In fact, I predict that by the end of the 23/24 season, the current 2nd team will beat the current 1st team players.
This is an enthusiastic group of young players coming out of Rochdale, a few of whom have only recently taken up squash, making their achievements even more impressive. They all play together in the regional men’s league for the club’s 2nd and 3rd teams.
The 2nd team has gone from a mid-table Division 4 side to being promoted to Division 3 of the North West Counties Men’s league during the course of a season. These matches will give them invaluable experience as they overcome experienced and unorthodox players and they should be setting their sights on another promotion to Division 2 by the end of next season.
Brothers Abdullah and Harith Iqbal, George Bailey, Ricardo Pedrosa Taylor and Adam Curran are at the core of the junior squad with Andrew Johnson and Amaan Rana also looking like good prospects for the future.
Abdullah and Harith have had solid seasons in the men’s league and have contributed greatly to the team’s success. With two contrasting personalities and styles of play, both of these guys have a great temperament on the court and will continue to improve. George Bailey has had an outstanding season, winning 18 of his 23 matches at the no.1 string and is looking like one to watch. Ricardo Pedrosa Taylor has made some great strides forward, only losing 2 of his last 14 matches, and is rapidly improving. Adam Curran, the club’s multitalented Rockstar has come on a lot over the last few months too. Not only does he perform in his band, Supernova (recently headlining the Street Eat festival in Rochdale), but he also manages to find time between this and his studies to help out with the junior coaching.
I’m sure these guys will get a lot from their Squash and I hope they’re able to keep playing together as a team for a few more seasons. Whatever they end up doing with their squash it will stand them in good stead for the future.
Exhibitions
In other news there are a few exciting evenings coming up for me this month. I am lucky enough to be playing Finn Withington, British Junior Open Champion and one of the world’s most exciting young squash players who is fast heading towards the top of the sport. He’ll be playing me in an exhibition match, giving him a great chance to show off his mercurial skills. This will be at Rochdale Cricket Lacrosse & Squash Club on June 9th @ 7pm – there will be food and a junior clinic, contact me for details.
I also have the chance to be on the court with a real legend of the sport, Peter Marshall. He reached world No. 2 behind the great Jansher Khan in arguably one of the toughest eras in squash. I’ll be playing him in a one-off competitive match at Tame Valley Tennis & Squash Club in front of a packed-out crowd on June 22nd.
