British Junior Open: Drew hoping for character-building displays in Sheffield
England High Performance Coach Lee Drew will evaluate the success of the English boys at the British Junior Open by their performances, rather than their results at Sheffield.
England have not won a boy’s British Junior Open title since 2002, with Egypt winning 38 out of 60 titles since 1999. But while Drew acknowledges the challenge facing his younger charges, he is hopeful they can reap the benefits of competing against new opponents and unorthodox styles.
“To be honest, I am not necessarily looking at the number of players getting through to the later rounds of the tournament,” the former world number 45 (pictured left) told England Squash & Racketball.
“It is more about looking at the performance of players, seeing how they compete against the opponents in front of them, what the individual’s character is like and how they are building/developing their game.
Although Drew has high hopes for the higher-seeded trio of Richie Fallows (pictured above), Lyell Fuller and Ashley Davies in the Under 19 category, the 37-year-old is excited by the multi-cultural talent that will be on display in Sheffield.
“As well as the Egyptian players, there is a strong Indian and Malaysian contingent at the event, and there are a few individuals from other countries – like Diego Elias, of Peru – who are also ones to watch. This is what makes the British Open such a special and exciting event,” added Drew.
To keep up-to-date with all the action in British Junior Open, Squash Mad will be providing daily reports from Sheffield.
Source: England Squash & Racketball; Pictures by Michael Catling and Steve Cubbins (SquashSite)