Kiwis go down to Finland in Namibia

The Junior Squash Blacks have been beaten in the first round of the World Junior Championships Teams Event.

Following the individual event, the New Zealanders were seeded in the 16-18 bracket, and placed in Pool F alongside Spain (sixth seeds), Finland (seventh seeds) and Sweden (19-21 seeds).

The first challenge for the Junior Squash Blacks came in the form of the Finnish team.  Seeded significantly above the New Zealand team, the tie was always going to be a challenge for the Kiwis.  So it eventually proved, with Finland easing to a 3-0 win.

It wasn't all plain sailing for the Finns, with each of the Kiwi players pushing his opponent hard.  Luke Jones and Max Trimble picked up games in their efforts.  Next up for the team is the sixth seeded Spanish junior team.

Finland [7] bt New Zealand [16/18] 3-0

Jami Äijänen – Scott Galloway 11-5 11-5 12-10
Kristian Rautiainen – Luke Jones 11-9 11-13 11-8 11-7
Miko Äijänen – Max Trimble 7-11 11-6 11-5 11-8