Omneya Takes BJO Title
by Colin McQuilllan for SquashTalk, Jan 6, 2004  © 2004

India's Ghosal breaks Egyptians, Pakisanis Stranglehold over Medal Podium

Omneya Abdel Kawy - Repeat BJO Champion. Photo © 2004 Deb Tessier

Egypt and Pakistan started finals days at the 2004 British Junior Open Squash Championships at Abbeydale Park in Sheffield looking likely winners of all eight titles. But the seemingly overwhelming joint stranglehold was surprisingly broken when the fifth seeded Saurov Ghosal of India took the 33 minute Under-19 Drysdale Cup Final 9-0 9-6 9-1 from Mahmoud Adel El Said and the unseeded Annie Au Wing Chi of Hong Kong defeated the top seeded Shahenda Osama 9-4 9-4 9-4 in the 33 minute Girls Under-15 Final.

Egypt still emerged with three girls titles and a boys title, Pakistan took two boys titles and one of each went to India and Hong Kong. India had not previously won a British Junior Open title in the boys championships since they began in 1980, and Hong Kong have not previously won at any level in this event.

Ghosal, a small fast-footed 17-year-old from Calcutta, has won only local junior events until now, but has been training with Cyrus Poncha on the new championship courts at Chennai over the past year. He hits the ball with ferocious technically based power and speed for such a slight character and tonight quickly established himself as the dominant force on the court against an opponent of considerably more height and width.

In the semi-finals the little Indian similarly produced too much pace and too earlier a choice of shot for the second seeded Laurence Delasaux of Yorkshire. El Said, a six footer who became increasingly confused by Ghosal's speeding performance, had accounted for the top seed, Khalid Atlas Khan of Pakistan, in the quarter-finals.

Short in the limb, but fast across the court floor and firm in the arm, the 14-year-old Wing Chi, winner of the Scottish Open Under-15 title last week, when she defeated Malaysia's Wee Wern Lee over a four game final, came through a semi-final earlier today at The Hallamshire Squash Club against the same player 10-9 9-4 9-2 in 37 minutes.

Egypt's top seeded Omneya Abdel Kawy brought things back on an orderly basis later in the day when she took her fourth successive British Junior Open Under-19 title beating the third seeded Joshna Chinappa of India 9-4 9-0 9-7 in 24 minutes. The win brought Kawy level with England's Del Harris as the only players to have taken four British Under-19 titles in a row.

With the European challenge eliminated before the finals began today at Abbeydale Park, the question for the last day of the world's leading lower age group event was whether anyone could break Egyptian/Pakistan control of the titles ?

Wing Chi, Chinappa and Ghosal were the last remaining players against the trend as Pakistan struck first with Atlas Khan taking the Boys Under-15 title with a 73 minute 10-9 8-10 9-2 10-8 win over Mohamed Reda of Egypt, and Waqar Mehboob taking the Boys Under-13 title with a 22 minute 9-3 9-0 9-0 win over Adel Zarka of Egypt.

Egypt was quickly back in the frame, however, as Raneen El Welily took the Girls Under-17 final from Sarah Badr 9-3 9-0 9-4 in 25 minutes and Heba Alaa Ahmed defeated Merhan Mahmoud 9-5 10-8 9-1 in the 28 minute Under-13 final.

Then Egypt struck in the boys championship as Omar Mosaad Abou Zeid took the Boys Under-17 title 4-9 9-5 9-5 6-9 9-7 in 73 minutes from the top seeded Farhan Mehboob of Pakistan.

British Junior Open Squash Championship
Abbeydale Park, Sheffield.

Final Results:

Boys Under-19 For The Drysdale Cup
[5/8] Saurov Ghosal (Ind) bt [5/8] Mahmoud Adel El Said (Egy) 9-0 9-6 9-1 (33m)

Boys Under-17
[2] Omar Mosaad Abou Zeid (Egy) bt [1] Farhan Mehboob (Pak) 4-9 9-5 9-5 6-9 9-7 (73m)

Boys Under-15
[2] Atlas Khan (Pak) bt [1] Mohamed Reda (Egy) 10-9 8-10 9-2 10-8 (73m)

Boys Under-13
[3/4] Waqar Mehboob (Pak) bt [5/8] Adel Zarka (Egy) 9-3 9-0 9-0 (22m)

Girls Under-19
[1] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt [3/4] Joshna Chinappa (Ind) 9-4 9-0 9-7 (24m)

Girls Under-17
[2] Raneen El Welily (Egy) bt [1] Sarah Badr (Egy) 9-3 9-0 9-4 (25m)

Girls Under-15
Annie Au Wing Chi (HK) bt [1] Shahenda Osama (Egy) 9-4 9-4 9-4 (32m)
Semi-Finals
[1] Shahenda Osama {Egypt} bt [5/8] Myriam Hardy {Essex} 9-2 9-4 9-0 {18m}
Annie Au Wing Chi {H K} beat [5/8] Wee Wern Low {Malaysia} 10-9 9-4 9-2 {37m}

Girls Under-13
[1] Heba Alaa Ahmed (Egy) bt [2] Merhan Mahmoud (Egy) 9-5 10-8 9-1 (28m)

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