The Isle of Man women's squash team recently participated in the ESF European Team Division Three Squash Championships at the Infinity Sport Arena in Bucharest.
Held from April 17-20, the championship brought together talented players from across Europe, providing a platform for the Isle of Man team to showcase their abilities and gain invaluable experience competing at a high level.
The island squad, comprising of Dasa Brynjolffssen, Hannah Dixon, Beth Jones and Clare Townsend, faced challenging matches against some of the strongest opponents from Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Gibraltar.
Despite finishing 13th overall, the team was extremely pleased to end the week with a win against Gibraltar.
Competing as a small island nation against countries with much larger populations, the Isle of Man women's team demonstrated excellent resilience and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.
The championship saw Ireland emerge victorious, with Ukraine coming in second place, both therefore achieving promotion to Division Two.
The Isle of Man team is incredibly proud of its performance against some very strong European teams and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent the island.
The squad members look forward to continuing their development in the island and hope this experience may inspire other women to begin squash locally.
The team would like to extend its thanks to their sponsors, Greystone LLC Chartered Accountants and Capital International Group, as well as to the individual contributors and Isle of Man Squash Rackets Association for the generous support.
The players also appreciate the efforts of the Romanian Squash Federation and the European Squash Federation for organising such a well-run and memorable event.
For anyone interested in trying a new sport, polishing their squash skills or competing competitively, the Isle of Man Squash Rackets Association has various clubs and leagues to cater for all abilities.
In particular, there is a club every Saturday morning between 10am-12pm which is held at the National Sports Centre in Douglas.
It is open to players aged 16 years old and above, and is suitable for all levels of ability, with coaches on hand to assist.
The Saturday sessions cost only £5 each.
For more information, please visit Isle of Man Squash Rackets Association’s Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/IOMSRA
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