On the courts of The Club at White Oaks, 24 of Canada's juniors took on their neighbours to the south in a battle……a battle of the border.
In it's fourteenth year Team USA reclaimed the BOTB Trophy, defeating Team Canada 14-10. In total 48 junior athletes from Canada and the USA hit the courts as perennial hosts, The Club at White Oaks (Niagara-on-the-lake, ON), once again held a top-notch event.
On the courts of The Club at White Oaks, 24 of Canada's juniors took on their neighbours to the south in a battle……a battle of the border.
In it's fourteenth year Team USA reclaimed the BOTB Trophy, defeating Team Canada 14-10. In total 48 junior athletes from Canada and the USA hit the courts as perennial hosts, The Club at White Oaks (Niagara-on-the-lake, ON), once again held a top-notch event.
Although the main focus was on the ‘Battle’ on the Sunday, the weekend consisted of multiple different sessions as the coaches balance creating teamwork within their own team and developing friendships with the opposing teams, as well as some fun evening activities and a trip to the Niagara Falls on Saturday evening.
The Canadian squad was led by coaches Greg Hutner, Jake Hooker, Spider Jones, Chris Sachvie, Nicole Garon, Janet MacLeod and Marci Sier.
Now a part of Canada's junior athlete development pathway, the Battle of the Border is bookended by Athlete Development Program camps run by Squash Canada's Performance Director Jamie Hickox. With National Team coaches on-site, Hickox runs the ADP camps as way to provide Canada's rising junior talent exposure to national team coaches and high-level training.
Canada's 2017 Battle of the Border squad
RESULTS
GU13 (0-4)
#1 – Christa Kay (USA) beat Iman Shaheen (CAN) 11-7, 11-3, 12-10.
#2 – Quincy Cline (USA) beat Grace Huang (CAN) 11-2, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8.
#3 – Jhansi Bhavsar (USA) beat Maddison Laine (CAN) 11-5, 11-8, 11-8.
#4 – Zayna Usman (USA) beat Maddie Martin (CAN) 11-2, 11-7, 11-6.
BU13 (0-4)
#1 – Hollis Robertson (USA) beat Alexander Yuzpe (CAN) 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8.
#2 – Lachlan Sutton (USA) beat Patrick Walford (CAN) 11-5, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6.
#3 – Avi Agarwal (USA) beat Daniel Deverill (CAN) 14-12, 11-7, 11-9.
#4 – Mason Menin (USA) beat Jacob Marrison (CAN) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9.
GU15 (1-3)
#1 – Lucia Bicknell (CAN) beat Maureen Foley (USA) 4-11, 11-9, 15-13, 12-10.
#2 – Annabelle McTaggart (USA) beat Molly Chadwick (CAN) 15-17, 11-0, 11-6, 11-7.
#3 – Joy Qu (USA) beat Taylor Mackay (CAN) 11-8, 11-6, 11-3.
#4 – Aubrey Lennon (USA) beat Jana Dweek (CAN) 11-6, 16-14, 12-10.
BU15 (3-1)
#1 – Nikhil Ismail (CAN) beat Shaam Ghambir (USA) 12-10, 11-3, 11-4.
#2 – Ryan Chen (USA) beat Dylan Deverill (CAN) 11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-6.
#3 – Seif Elfiky (CAN) beat Auggie Bhavsar (USA) 9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3.
#4 – Liam Jinks (CAN) beat Rohan Iyer (USA) 11-13, 14-12, 11-5, 5-11, 11-9.
GU17 (2-2)
#1 – Olivia Robinson (USA) beat Emma Jinks (CAN) 11-4, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10.
#2 – Charlotte Orcutt (CAN) beat Eujung Park (USA) 11-7, 11-4, 11-3.
#3 – Jesse Brownell (USA) beat Marlow Benson (CAN) 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 9-1, 11-9.
#4 – Patricia Debele (CAN) beat Sophia Velazquez (USA) 11-2, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10.
BU17 (4-0)
#1 – George Crowne (CAN) beat Max Velazquez (USA) 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11.
#2 – Liam Marrison (CAN) beat Nicholas Robinson (USA) 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-9.
#3 – Elliot Hunt (CAN) beat Cullen Little (USA) 11-9, 11-3, 11-6.
#4 – Abdelrahman Dweek (CAN) beat David Rubin (USA) 11-3, 10-12, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5.
About the Battle of the Border
The “Battle of the Border” was initially founded as a Team Ontario vs. Team USA format in 2004 by U.S.-based Bryan Patterson and the late Mark Sachvie. For many players, the Battle of the Border is the first introduction to representing Team Canada in international competition in the U13, U15 and U17 age divisions. In 2015, Squash Canada incorportated the Battle into Canada's junior athlete pathway, using the event as an opportunity to create development and training opportunities for some of Canada's rising talents. Each year the Athlete Development Program junior camps are held before and after the Battle.
