Squash
Once again Solihull School were entered for the Nationals tournament but it was slightly daunting since there were only two first team players who had played in this event before, Sam Tucker and Hiren Chauhan.
In November, Heart of England came to play us at home for the first match of the season. We were prepared for some tough opposition as their top four players represent the county, their top two also play for England. They were too strong for us on this occasion, defeating us 4-1 with the only success coming from Matthew Gooden who won his match comprehensively 3-0.
Despite this setback, we had to pull ourselves up before the important away clash at Wolverhampton Grammar School. The team responded in emphatic fashion by winning 5-0. Even with this victory, a win was still needed against Uppingham School in order to qualify to the next stage of the national tournament. Sadly, this was not to be as once again we were defeated. The match was very tight, ending 2- 3, the successes coming from Oliver Talbot and Mark James.
After our exit, we faced Bromsgrove School in a friendly and then Malvern school. The latter ended in defeat but we defeated Bromsgrove without difficulty 5-2.
In conclusion, one major aspect that was pleasing was the constant encouragement given to the other players during the matches and the effort and determination shown by the players regardless of the situation or match. The team has improved greatly as the year has progressed and there has been stiff competition for places in the team. I am sure that the team will continue to grow and strengthen in the future as we have some exciting young prospects.
Hiren Chauhan