National team selected for 2024 World Junior Championships

Squash Australia is pleased to announce the athletes who have been selected to represent Australia at the 2024 WSF World Junior Championships in Houston USA.

The team is full of new faces with just three players returning from the team which played last year’s event at home in Melbourne.

West Australian Hannah Slyth is contesting the tournament for the third straight year having also competed in France in 2022, while Courtney Scholtz and Thomas Scott have again earned selection this year.

For the first time, a Team event will be contested for both men and women at the conclusion of the individual event. Last year’s tournament in Melbourne saw the women’s event played while in 2022 in France it was the men’s turn.

Joining Slyth in the women’s team event are Joanne Joseph, Emmy Lamb and Sarbani Maitra. All four will also contest the individual event along with Scholtz and Soha Khatri.

Scott, the newly-crowned Australian Junior Open champion will play the men’s team event with Daniel Marsh, Haider Naqvi and William Slade. Kasper Cheung and William’s brother James Slade will join the other men in the individual event.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the twelve players selected to take their game overseas and compete against the best in the world,” said Lachlan Johnston, Squash Australia High Performance Director. “The players selected last year had a unique opportunity to play such a prestigious event at home, but it’s also a privilege to represent your country playing abroad and that will not be lost on this group.

“We’re really fortunate to have just had a lot of quality international players contesting the Australian Junior Open, Oceania Junior Championships and the Trans Tasman Test Series, which most of this team were a part of.

“That experience holds them in good stead as they head to Texas which to compete in what will be the biggest event they have played in their young careers.

“Every athlete we’ve selected has had to work hard to earn their selection, a number of whom will have more opportunities to be selected in the coming years.”

The team will be led by Jenny Duncalf, Stewart Boswell and Nathan Turnbull. Jenny won the teams event in 2001 while Stewart was the 1996 individual runner-up.

The men’s and women’s individual events will be held at Houston Squash Club on 12-17 July, followed by the team events on 18-23 July.

2024 WSF World Junior Championships
12-23 July | Houston Squash Club, Texas USA

AUSTRALIAN TEAM (alphabetical order)
Men
Kasper Cheung (NSW), Daniel Marsh* (WA), Haider Naqvi* (VIC), Thomas Scott* (NSW), James Slade (NSW), William Slade* (NSW)

Women
Joanne Joseph* (VIC), Soha Khatri (SA), Emmy Lamb* (NSW), Sarbani Maitra* (QLD), Courtney Scholtz (VIC), Hannah Slyth* (WA)

* denotes competing in team event

Coaches
Jenny Duncalf, Stewart Boswell, Nathan Turnbull