ORANGE squash gun Jesse Keegan says his recent trip to south east Asia with the Australian Junior Squash team provided him with a fantastic learning curve.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Australian juniors took on the might of Hong Kong and Malaysia during the 15-day tour that began when Keegan flew out to Singapore on December 8, and after experiencing the quality of squash player coming through the junior systems in the region was in awe of the talent on show.
“They’re very strong over in Malaysia,” Keegan said.
“And we played some of the strongest guys out of Hong Kong as well ... they’re all just really quick, they do a lot with the ball. They just don’t make any mistakes.”
He said the trip was a massive eye-opener for the younger players on tour, with Keegan’s under 19s age group the senior age bracket donning the green and gold.
“It’s a good chance to show some of the junior players coming through what standard they have to be at to play at international level,” he said, the under 13s the youngest group making the trip.
“It was a good experience being able to play on different courts around the world.”
On court, Keegan’s Australian team enjoyed mixed results, losing its Test match with Malaysia 11-6 before earning a victory over Singapore nine matches to six.
Following both Test matches the Australian side played as individuals at the prestigious Old Chang Kee Open, with Keegan making it through to the quarter finals of the tournament before losing to the number two seed and eventual winner to round out eighth in the under 19s boys division.
“I was pretty happy with that,” he concluded.
“I was seeded fifth to eighth before the tournament started, so to finish where I was meant to was pleasing.”
Keegan will enjoy a break now before heading to Queensland to be part of the Australia Day Challenge, a professional tournament beginning on Thursday, January 22 and finishing on Australia Day.
