Reigning national junior champions Alyssa Mullings, Mia Mahfood, Tahjia Lumley, Adam Ardito and Julian Morrison all emerged winners in the Jamaica Squash Association’s Age Group Tournament which was played at Liguanea Club on the weekend.

All Jamaica and Caribbean Under-15 girls’ champion Alyssa Mullings seemed relatively comfortable in her new age group, beating Ashley Lynch 11/9, 1/11, 11/4, 11/5 to take the Under-17 title.

Similarly, All Jamaica Under-15 boys’ champion Tahjia Lumley moved confidently at his new level, shaking off a first-game loss to beat Stephan Morrison 4/11, 11/8, 11/1, 13/11.

In the Under-15 girls’ category Sarah Conway defeated Mira Handa 11/7, 11/1, 11/8 to take the title. Conway went on to reach the final in the girls’ open knockout but she was beaten by Ashley Lynch, who shook off her loss in the Under-17 final to win 9/11, 11/2, 8/11, 12/10, 11/7.

All Jamaica Under-13 boys’ champion Adam Ardito also appears to be managing his transition, looking decisive as he dismissed Joe Rousseau 11/6, 11/4, 11/6 to win the Under-15 title.

Rising star Mia Mahfood asserted her dominance at the Under-13 level, beating Mia Lake 11/7, 11/5, 11/9. Mahfood, who has been All Jamaica Under-13 girls’ champion since 2012, looks like a sure bet to take her third title at the championships in June.

In the same vein, reigning All Jamaica Under-19 champion Julian Morrison seems unbeatable among the junior cohort. Morrison, who took three major tiles last year, easily dispatched David Mullings 11/7, 11/3, 11/7. Mullings appeared to have rebounded when he won the opening set against Morrison in the final of the mixed open knockout category, but Morrison fought back to win 10/12, 11/8, 11/7, 11/3.

Youngsters Tobias Levy and Sebastian Levy appear to be players to watch this season. Tobias Levy beat Aman Dhiman 11/8, 11/4, 14/12 to win the Under-11 title, and Sebastian Levy wore down William Wildish to win the Under-13 category 17/15, 11/9, 11/2.

“The main focus of the Junior Squash Programme is the All Jamaica Championships in June and the Caribbean Area Squash Championships in July, so this is the first in a series of age-group tournaments to give the players match practice,” Junior Programme Manager Gill Binnie explained.

“It was good to see several of our seasoned junior players showing good form, but it’s also encouraging to see newcomers stepping up and we’re looking forward to an exciting year of squash on the local and regional scene,” she added.

The next age group tournament will be held in April.