KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) has named an eight-member squad comprising four male and four female players to compete in the Asian Junior Championships (AJC) held in Chennai, India from February 8 to February 12 next year.
SRAM coaching director S. Maniam said those named in the squad will compete in the British Open Junior Squash Championships in Birmingham, England from January 4 to January 8, as part of their preparations for the AJC.
Maniam said the players will leave for Birmingham on Friday (December 30).
The National squad will comprise four male and four female junior players, namely Harith Danial Jefri, Low Wa Sern, Hi Jia Rong and Shamiel Haeyzad Sharulhisam (men’s), while Aira Azman, K. Sehveetrraa, Whitney Isabelle Wilson and Doyce Lee head the cast in the women’s team.
“SRAM has set a target of reaching at least the final. However, SRAM believes it is a work in progress, they are young players and certainly are working to improve every day.
“Overall for the year 2022, I am happy with the results whereby the backup players like Noor Ainaa Amani Ampandi, Aira, Yee Xin Ying showed promising playing styles. So next year, in addition to the main players, backup players are going to shine,” he told Bernama when contacted today.
Maniam said the performance of the players in the two championships will serve as a yardstick to measure their talent and potential and determine whether they can be roped into the National squad that will represent the country in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China next September.
He added the system used by SRAM to rope in players for the National squad is not merely based on the world ranking of the players but rather the quality of the player when facing his or her opponent in the court will also be taken into consideration.
Maniam said junior players must be on the list of among the top six players in the country whereby the top four spots have already been filled by S.Sivasangari, Aifa Azman, Rachel Arnold and Chan Yiwen.
On June 19, the National Junior squash team put on a tremendous show at the 2022 Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Pattaya, Thailand to maintain the country’s supremacy in the women’s event when Aira captured the women’s Under-19 category title which was won by Yi Wen in 2018 and 2019.
— Bernama
