More than 50 of Scotland’s most promising young squash players will be involved in this weekend’s Junior Gold tournament in Aberdeen.
The event, which takes place at the city’s squash and racketball club, will be held over Saturday and Sunday.
Boys and girls, ranging from under-11s to U19s, will be aiming for glory at the tournament, which is considered one of the most prestigious on the junior circuit.
A busy month kicks off with the Junior Gold Tournament at the @AberdeenSRC between 5th and 6th February. More info on the draws will be available here https://t.co/pELz0d6LMb
Read all about the event here https://t.co/aVXopVqed1
Good luck! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/yEdgoz0EpZ— Scottish Squash 🏴 (@Scottish_Squash) February 1, 2022
Aberdeen’s own Ruaridh Young (U11 boys), Eilidh Young (U11 girls) and Skye Macleod (U13 girls) will be targeting success on home territory.
Another competitor with fond memories of the Granite City is Bridge of Allan’s Kyle Penman, who will compete in the boys U19 category.
Penman said: “Aberdeen Squash and Racketball Club is a special place for me as it was where I won my first U13s nationals title and double national titles back in 2020.
“It will be an interesting weekend as this is one of the first major junior Scottish tournaments after Covid. There will be some tough opponents, but I can’t wait to get back on court and put the hard work into the matches.”
Robyn McAlpine, a former Scottish champion at under-13 level, is also taking part at girls U19 level this time around.
She said: “This tournament is special because it’s where I won the nationals, so I have good memories here.
“It’s also my first proper tournament back in Scotland and the first time I’ve competed at U19 level.
“At the British Junior championships, I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform, so for this tournament I’m just going in to enjoy it and learn from the experience.”