Cairns squash juniors set to star at Australian Junior Open

Cairns squash coach Steve Finitsis says a swag of talented juniors are in the running to take out some silverware at the Australian Junior Open on the Gold Coast starting today.

Cairns boasts nine junior players competing at the tournament, including teenage standout Courtney Mather, who represented Australia at the Trans-Tasman Challenge in 2017.

Finitsis said Mackay-based talent BJ MacDonald, who finished second in the under-15 category at the Oceania Championships in Redcliffe at the weekend, and highly ranked under-17s star Wes Dyer were big chances to sweep the field.

“BJ beat the No.2 seed in the semi-final on the way. He caused a good upset and had a chance to win the title but couldn’t quite get over the line in a tough final,” he said.

“Wes Dyer came up prior to Christmas for three weeks to train with a few of our other juniors.

“We’ve put them through gym programs, plyometric training and on-court stuff.

“BJ was with us for 10 days prior to the tournament. It’s given them a bit more structure and they’ve definitely improved.”

Squash coaches Steve Finitsis and Marc Forster are mentoring Far North Queensland’s most talented juniors competing at the Australian Junior Open on the Gold Coast this week.

A former professional who reached No.45 in the world, Finitsis said Dyer and MacDonald had the potential to join the professional circuit in years to come.

“There are a lot of variables at that age with study and the like but there’s certainly a platform there to take that step,” he said.

The Australian Junior Open Championships will feature the top domestic talent, along with players from New Zealand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Saudi Arabia.

“It’s a pretty tough tournament,” Finitsis said.

“But this is the best way for them to get better as a player.

“We try to create pressure situations in training but when you’re in that tournament, the environment, it is different.”