Top Squash Juniors Head For Millfield School

The British Under 17/13 Nationals will take place this weekend at Millfield School in Street, Somerset, for the first time. The event will see almost 170 of the top juniors from around the country converging on the renowned school in search of a coveted British junior title.

Millfield School, which enjoys an international reputation for sport, is home to the legendary six-times British Open champion Jonah Barrington and his Squash Academy. The school is extremely successful at squash and is a dominant force in the England Squash National School Championships, of which they have held both the Boys' and Girls' Under 19 titles for the last four years.

Top seeds in this year's Boys' Under 17 Championship are Adrian Waller (Hertfordshire) and Alex Ingham (Surrey). Adrian will be looking to go one better than last year - when he was runner-up to Surrey's Joe Lee - and add the Under 17 to the British Under 13 and Under 15 titles that he has already amassed. Alex, the 2005 British Under 15 champion, will be sure to provide stiff competition.

Victoria Bell is the No1 seed in the Girls' Under 17 event and will also be aiming to build on last season where she was runner-up in the Under 17 and beaten semi-finalist in the Under 19 Championships. In the latter, the 16-year-old from Carlisle came extremely close to reaching the final with match balls against Sussex's Rachel Willmott - who went on to win the title. The No2 seed, who comes into the event with two British Under 15 titles already to her name, is Natalie Pritchard of Wales.

In the Under 13 Championships, Oliver Holland (Nottinghamshire) and Emily Whitlock (Cheshire) will start as hot favourites for the titles - but will face determined opposition from the likes of Tom Ford (Gloucestershire) and Chloe Pearson (Warwickshire).

The Championships involve a heavy schedule with matches running from 9.00am on Friday 27 October with the finals scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday 29 October. Any visiting spectators will be welcomed free of charge.