At the beginning of September 2018, Miss Logan put together a team to compete in the national schools squash competition. The team consisted of Jessica Logan (Yr 9), Amalie Clarke (Yr 9), Sophie Singer (Yr 8), Zoe Tanner (Yr 8), Emma Logan (Yr 7) and Gigi Gebhard (Yr 7). As a squash team requires 5 members, we had one sub.
Miss Logan entered us into the Key Stage 3 (under 15s) group which consisted of, Lincoln Minster, Gosforth academy and Benenden school, which is renowned for its tennis. The first round, which was at Aylesbury High, took place on the 7th of November, with the girls winning all their matches. They played Wycombe High, Dame Allans High, Tring and Fairley House. Thanks to the clean sheet the girls won by clean sheet, they were instantly placed in the final round for the cup.
That’s why after school on Tuesday 19th March, a group of five girls (Jessica was participating in the Australian exchange programme) went up to Hull, ready to compete in the National finals. We had been training for years, putting in all the hours, sweat and hard work. We had made it.
The six teams which had made the cut were split into two groups, Pool A and Pool B. Our group included Aylesbury High and Downe House. Our first game was against Downe House, who we won four of our five matches. All the girls played very well, setting up a great start to the day.
Our next match was against Aylesbury High, who we beat with a clean sheet. The girls played extremely well, securing us a place in the finals.
Our last game was against Gosforth Academy, a specialist squash boarding school. Their team consisted of Ava Naisbitt (No. 12 GU11), Kate Naisbitt (No. 11 GU11), Shae Paterson (No. 14 GU13), Libby Foster (No. 72 GU15) and Zoe Shipsey (No. 9 GU13). Gigi fought hard against Ava, but unfortunately lost 2 games to 1. Next to play was me, Zoe, and I was one game down and on match point when I turned the game around. I managed to pull through and win the game, inspiring the others to well. After me Amalie, who only just lost by a couple of points. Next was Emma, who had already played her opponent three times that month. For the first time ever, Emma beat Zoe Shipsey 2 games to one. The final match would decide it all. Whether Gosforth would be the champions, or us.
Sophie played very well, pulling of incredible shots with an undefeatable attitude. However, she lost to Shae Paterson, pulling us into a very, very close second place.
Overall, the experience was amazing. While I am disappointed that we did not win, I am so extremely proud of what we achieved. The team atmosphere of support and determination was strengthened by our training and matches. I would love to repeat the experience.
