Squash Kiwi juniors pin hopes on beating Aussies

Kiwi women's team coach Joanne Williams and assistant coach Kylie Lindsay with players Kaitlyn Watts, 16, Anika Jackson, 15, Camden Te Kani-McQueen, 18, and Anna Hughes, 18. Photo/George Novak

It has come down to another sporting rivalry between New Zealand and Australia, as the Kiwis pin their hopes on beating the Aussies in the World Junior Squash Championships.

New Zealand world junior girls' team coach Jo Williams said their goal was to beat Australia today to make it into the top eight of the women's teams event.

"That is our number one goal at this point," she said.

Fourteen countries are contesting the team event.

New Zealand is in group A with Egypt and Australia, with their first game against Egypt played on Tuesday night.

"We are certainly the underdogs," Williams said.

Egypt promised to be a tough match for the Kiwis in an Egyptian-ruled tournament after Marwan Tarek and Rowan Reda Araby won the men's and women's titles respectively.

"The girls will be going out and do what they normally do, prepare, warm up really well and we always give them something to focus on," Williams said.

"They might choose one part of their game that they will try to work on really hard."

The Kiwi team is made up of Rotorua's Camden Te Kani-McQueen, 18, alongside Kaitlyn Watts, 16, Anna Hughes, 18, and Anika Jackson, 15.

Williams said it had been a long week of individual events and now it was crunch time for the teams.

"They have all had a rest day and we got one to the final of the plate," she said. "Now we are really raring to go for this part of the event."

It was a case of repetition for the women's team as the girls continued their daily routine of training to prepare for each match.

"We get up in the morning, have our breakfast and go to the courts to work on what we need to work on for the day," Williams said. "Then we go back, have lunch and play again."

She said training had been going well so far, with no injuries.

The Kiwi boys and girls missed out on a top 16 spot in the individual events, and the pressure was on for the Kiwi women's team for the remainder of the competition.

"All eyes are on you more because you are in your own country," Williams said. "There is no doubt about that."

But Williams said her players were competitive, particularly 18-year-old Camden Te Kani-McQueen.

"Camden played one of the Egyptians in the individuals and almost got a game, so she knows that she can match it. She is certainly competitive."

Williams has played with Te Kani-McQueen's mother and NZ squash champion Susan Devoy and said the 18-year-old had a little bit of her mother's fight in her.

"Sometimes I look at her and I think it is her mother, some of her mannerisms," Williams said.

Te Kani-McQueen's father also played in the 1982 World Junior Squash Championships.

"I certainly see a little bit of both of them in her," Williams said.

The Rotorua teenager was the first of two Bay players to take to the court in the individual events.

She gained motivation from her mum and dad, saying she thinks about what her father Danny McQueen would say when she is on court.

"At training he would always be talking to me in the middle of hitting the ball and would say to me to get my length and go hard."

Her goal in the competition was to get above her seeding and playing her best on the court. She said playing in front of a home crowd was an advantage.

"I am trying to get my whole family to come so I feel comfortable."

Match result New Zealand Vs Egypt
New Zealand have lost to top seeds Egypt 3-0 in their opening tie of the team's event at the World Junior Squash Championship in Tauranga, but can still make the quarterfinals if they beat Australia today.

Kaitlyn Watts was beaten 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 by Hania El Hammamy, the runner up in the individuals event, and her teammates suffered a similar fate.
Camden Te Kani-McQueen lost in straight sets to Zenia Mickawy and Anika Jackson also lost in three to Amina Yousry.