Wyatt caps England debut with victory

May 3 2012

James Wyatt

SEER Green’s James Wyatt helped guide England to victory in squash’s Five Nations Championships – their third win in as many years.

Wyatt, 12, became Beaconsfield Squash Club’s first ever England international and went on to win all four of his matches at the Sports Wales National Centre in Cardiff last week.

Playing at number two string, he beat opposition from France 3-0, Scotland 3-1, Ireland 3-0 and Wales 3-1 to help his England under 13 side finish top of the pile with maximum points.

The international success follows on from impressive wins at the Scottish, Czech and German Opens this year.

This fine run of form has taken him to top of both the English and European rankings in spite of being the youngest in his age group.

Father Mark said: “I am very proud, I’ve taken him to lots of tournaments but this was definitely the highlight for me.”

Despite the prestige of the venue, home to Welsh 400m hurdler Dai Greene, James failed to be overawed by the 150-strong crowd – a much bigger audience than he has previously been
used to.

“He loves all that, it doesn’t faze him. He’s used to getting calls from the crowd and he just takes it all in his stride,” said Mark

The experience stands him in great stead for the upcoming Dutch Junior Open and the Pioneer Cup in the summer where he will again meet some of the world’s finest opposition.

And he will hope successes there will boost his chances of representing his country in the same competition next year in which he would be in the under 15 age group after turning 13 this September.

“Seeing him wear the England shirt was just great for him,” added Mark. “You could see in his face the excitement when he was picking up his medal.”