Finalists found at Junior Nationals

The finalists have been found at this year's Junior National Championships at Remuera Rackets Club.

Another busy day of play has decided the finalists who will contest the 2014 National Junior Age Group titles.

The under 13 girls' semi-finals were played on Friday, allowing for a rest day on Saturday, with the remaining nine age groups all contesting semi-finals on the Saturday. 

The matches ranged from the convincing - top seeds such as Abbie Palmer and Ellie Epke stamping their authority - to the nailbiting - Chapman Kutia's victory over Joseph Williams 13-11 in the fifth.  Injury played its part, with Glenn Templeton forced to withdraw during his semi-final with Kobe Fleming in the under 13 boys'. 

The match of the night was arguably played between Jamie Oakley and Quin Udy in the boys' under 17.  Oakley's wizardry with the racket astounded many wizened spectators of squash, and was almost matched by his ability to retrieve balls at the front of the court.  The one-sided nature of the scoreline didn't do justice to Udy, of Marlborough Squash Club, who played well and showed immense strength on the volley.  The match, among others, underlined the depth of talent emerging in the New Zealand ranks and was cause for optimism among many judges of the sport.

Full semi-final scores can be found below, with more information at www.fb.com/SquashNZ. 

Results

Boys' under 11

(1) Mason Smales bt (5) Luke Steyn 15-7 11-15 15-12 15-12
(3) Apa Fatialofa bt (2) Nathan Lucock 13-15 15-13 15-11 15-9

Girls' under 11

(4) Natalie Sayes bt (1) Martha Toghill 14-16 15-13 15-10 15-6
(3) Manaia Jade Pene bt (2) Diana Galloway 15-9 15-5 14-16 11-15 15-4

Boys' under 13

(4) Kobe Fleming bt (1) Glenn Templeton 8-15 8-15 15-11 retired.
(2) Elijah Thomas bt (3) Leo Fatialofa 15-12 8-15 15-13 15-10

Girls' under 13

(1) Anika Jackson bt (4) Ruby Saies 15-5 15-3 15-6
(2) Annaleise Faint bt (3) Georgia Fyfe 15-13 15-7 15-5

Boys' under 15

(1) Matthew Lucente bt (5) Anthony Lepper 15-10 15-5 15-7
(3) Sean Dykes bt (2) Gabe Yam 15-8 14-16 16-14 15-11

Girls' under 15

(4) Zoe Dykzeul bt (1) Ruby Turnbull 15-9 15-13 8-15 2-15 15-7
(2) Nadia Hubbard bt (3) Courtney Trail 15-10 15-8 15-10

Boys' under 17

(1) Jamie Oakley bt (4) Quin Udy 15-10 15-9 15-8
(2) Alex Revington bt (3) Rafa Yam 13-15 15-8 15-12 15-10

Girls' under 17

(1) Abbie Palmer bt (4) Katie Fairweather 15-7 15-6 15-7
(2) Camden Te Kani-McQueen bt (3) Anna Hughes 15-3 13-15 15-12 15-13

Boys' under 19

(4) Chapman Kutia bt (9) Joseph Williams 10-12 11-8 8-11 11-7 13-11
(3) Luke Jones bt (7) Luke Cooper 11-6 11-5 11-7

Girls' under 19

(1) Ellie Epke bt (5) Jacinta Matson 11-5 11-7 11-6
(2) Hayley Hughes bt (3) Juee Bhide 13-11 11-9 11-4