SQUASH sensation Mary Mahfood made history by winning three of the four titles at the Allied Insurance Brokers All Jamaica Junior Squash Championships last weekend.

The 14-year-old was at the top of her game, collecting trophies for the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 age groups and becoming the first athlete to achieve this feat in the tournament’s history.

In the Under-15 category, Mahfood fought off a spirited challenge from Under-13 champion Alyssa Mullings, beating the younger player 11-6, 14-12, 12-10.

Both girls also faced off in the Under-17 final where Mahfood was again victorious, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3. However, it was in the final of the Under-19 competition that Mahfood played her best squash, pulling out all the stops to beat her cousin Lauren Mahfood, 12-10, 6-11, 6-11 12-10 12-10.

Reflecting on her triple win, Mahfood said: “I’m very excited and this makes me want to improve even more to be able to win titles at the Caribbean level and the international level.”

Mahfood also said of all the matches she won at the three-day tournament, her victory over Lauren Mahfood in the Under-19 final was the most significant.

“Last year when I played Lauren I couldn’t finish the match; I think it was mostly nerves, but this year I fought because I was determined to win,” she said.

In the boys’ competition, Ashante Smith scored a double victory, taking both the Under-17 and Under-19 titles.

In the Under-17 category, he posted a straight sets win over rival Julian Morrison, beating the defending champion, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6.

Morrison bounced back to give Smith a harder fight in the final of the Under-19 competition, but after a shaky start Smith rebounded to win, 2-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10.

Meanwhile, reigning Under-15 boys’ champion Jake Mahfood made quick work of Cameron Anderson, 11-1, 11-1, 11-4, to retain his title.

In the boys’ Under-13s, Stephan Morrison beat Jonathan Walker, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6, to win the championship.

Liscarl Bell, senior broker at Allied Insurance Brokers, the tournament’s title sponsors, said his company was pleased with the tournament.

“We’ve gotten a good look at the future of Jamaican squash and it’s clear that we have every reason to be optimistic. However, if we want our local players to break through to the next level, it’s going to take tangible support,” he said.

“Allied Insurance Brokers is proud to have made an investment and we would like to encourage other companies who support sports to consider investing in the game of squash,” he added.

Liscarl Bell (left) of Allied Insurance Brokers presents Mary Mahfood with one of three trophies won at the Allied Insurance Brokers All Jamaica Junior Squash Championships at the weekend at Liguanea Club.