Some of Canada’s top young squash players were kept on their toes as a handful of upsets made things interesting at the Shawnigan Open late last month.
Shawnigan’s own Ryan Picken and Michael Mehl ended up squaring off in the finals. The arch-rivals had met numerous times in the past, including at last year’s Canadian Under-19 Championship final, and Mehl had won each time. Picken’s fitness and perseverance allowed him to finally get the upper hand, as he prevailed 11-7, 7-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-4.
Another Shawnigan student, defending Canadian U15 champion Lucia Bicknell, lost only one game all weekend as she reached the final, defeating Brooke Herring of St. Michaels University School in a four-game final set.
The host school was well-represented in the field, with at least one Shawnigan player reaching the final in each division.
Sponsors of the Shawnigan Open included BowMel Chrysler, The Peer Group, and the Taiji Brand Group.