UCT hosts 3rd African Junior Squash Open

Players from 21 Western Cape schools, along with competitors from Gauteng and the Free State, as well as from Botswana and Namibia, battled it out for top honours in the 3rd African Junior Open Squash Tournament, hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT) Squash Club from 2 to 4 August.

The 71 players, plus two from Botswana and one from Namibia, competed in three categories: U19–U17, U15 and U13–U11.

South African U19 second-ranked player Jacques Duminy (16) beat Western Province U19 teammate Matthew Fehrsen (17) in the Boys U19–U17 age group final.

The other winners are:

• Girls U19: Lauren Matheson (17) winner and Rebecca Glanvill (15) runner-up.
• Boys U15: Hector Durbach (11) winner and Kieran Jefthas (13) runner-up.
• Girls U15: Erin Powers (14, Eastern Province U16 no 1) winner and Elana Hay (14) runner-up.
• Boys U13: Juan-Corné Brand (11) winner and Alistair Ludick (11) runner-up.
• Girls U13: Dene van Zyl (12, Namibia) winner and Lucy Malherbe (12) runner-up.
• Boys U11: Thero Motshubi (10, Botswana) winner and Christian Swanepoel (9) runner-up.
• Girls U11: Tara Smyly (10) winner and Tiisetso Motshubi (6, Botswana) runner-up.

Tournament charity

The tournament charity was the Sunflower Fund, a donor recruitment centre and stem cell registry that is part of a global network dedicated to creating awareness about blood diseases and stem cell donation, recruiting blood stem cell donors, and maintaining a registry of committed donors.

The Sunflower Fund covers the cost of the tissue-type testing which is fundamental to saving the lives of South Africans who need a stem cell transplant.

The chance of finding a matching donor is one in 100 000, and as ethnic origin plays a significant role in the search for a donor, South Africa is at a distinct disadvantage, requiring a large pool of prospective donors.