No fewer than 120 junior players converged on Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Saturday, for the finals of the fourth edition of Ex-Pro Diaspora Squash U-11,U-13 and U- 16 boys and girls championships.<\/P>
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The Ex-Pro Diaspora is a group retired players who organise tournaments as a way of giving back to squash and to develop the sport at the grassroots.<\/P>
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was the first time the U-11 category featured in the tournament since its Inception in 2019.<\/P>
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Khadija Durosinlorun, in the U-11 girls category in a best of five game defeated Shetemi Adekunle 11\/6, 21\/19 and 11\/6, 3-0, with the audience treated to an energetic match as the players picked the ball from various angles.<\/P>
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The two players represented Kwara in the tournament; call it the clash of the Afonjas and you won\u2019t be wrong.<\/P>
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\u201cWe\u2019ve met a couple of times and she won some and so did I, but this time around I was determined to win and I\u2019m glad I did.<\/P>
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\u201cMy focus now is to compete at the U-16 category at the Obasanjo Championships coming up in Abeokuta and win like my big sister Mistura,\u201d she said.<\/P>
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In the U-11 boys category, it was a close call between Lanre Yusuf of Lagos State and David Awe of Akwa-Ibom. Yusuf won 15\/11, 11\/9 and 11\/8, an aggregate of 3-0.<\/P>
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Gift Ulisis of Akwa-Ibom defeated Loveth Balogun of Kwara by 11\/4, 5\/11,2\/11,11\/9 and 14\/12, 3-2, in the U13 category, it was a tough match that made the fans scream with excitement as the tension built up in anticipation of the winner of the contest.<\/P>
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Balogun, who couldn\u2019t hold her tears told NAN that she could have worked harder in order to maintain her superiority over her opponent.<\/P>
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\u201cI have defeated her in some tournaments, it\u2019s painful I lost. I don\u2019t know why I can\u2019t stop crying, losing hurts and I don\u2019t want to feel this way again.<\/P>
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\u201cI\u2019d focus on training hard to ensure that I don\u2019t feel this way ever again,\u201d she said.<\/P>
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The audience was yet to recover from the thrilling performance of the girls when Ayomide Omotayo of Ogun defeated Kennedy Ola of Akwa-Ibom, 13\/11,3\/11,4\/11,13\/11 and 11\/7, an aggregate of 3-2.<\/P>
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Omotayo who has a small stature compared to his opponent was a delight to the spectators as he wowed them with his skills.<\/P>
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\u201cThe crowed cheered for him more, and for my age, I didn\u2019t know how to handle that. It was distracting; I hope to learn from this and ensure that I don\u2019t get distracted by what\u2019s happening in the gallery,\u201d he said.<\/P>
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In the U-16 girls category Khadija Abdulraheem of Kwara defeated Awawu Balogun of Ogun 11\/5,11\/4,11\/8 in all 3-0.<\/P>
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Kwara maintained dominance again as Shuaib Giwa of Kwara defeated Matthew Yusuf of Lagos State, 11\/7,13\/11 and 12\/10 an aggregate of 3-0.<\/P>
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NAN reports that the tournament served-off from Aug. 12 and ended Aug. 19.<\/P>
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Yusuf Durosinlorun, the Technical Director of the tournament said he was impressed by the quality of play on display by the players. He said, indeed, the development of squash at the grassroots was certain.<\/P>
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\u201cIt is safe to say the future squash is secured in the country because the quality of play seen here is commendable; the energy of these children is unmatched.<\/P>
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\u201cI want to appreciate all ex-players in the diaspora that have thought it right to give back to squash. The children will be better for it,\u201d he said.<\/P>
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Friday Odey, the president of Ex-Pro Diaspora told NAN that the tournament had come to stay and that it would only get better for grassroots development.<\/P>
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\u201cI don\u2019t want to brag but next year\u2019s tournament will be bigger and better, seeing these youngsters play has given us the strength we need to keep pushing.<\/P>
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\u201cI started playing like this and squash gave me a solid foundation, the focus is to ensure that these children learn to combine squash with their education. When squash stops their certificate can continue,\u201d he said.<\/P>
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Source: News Agency of Nigeria<\/P>
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No fewer than 120 junior players converged on Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Saturday, for the finals of the fourth edition of Ex-Pro Diaspora Squash U-11,U-13 and U- 16 boys and girls championships.The Ex-Pro Diaspora is a group retired players who …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n