Lees Make History In British Junior Championships

Surrey teenager Joe Lee created a piece of squash history in Nottingham at the weekend when he beat Yorkshireman Neil Cordell in the final of the Tecnifibre British Under 19 National Championships to become the first offspring of a former champion to win the British National title.

It was 27 years ago that Joe's father and coach Danny Lee also won the British U19 trophy!

Runner-up in the European Junior Championship last year and a former U17 National champion, Joe Lee was second seed in the U19 championship at Nottingham Squash Club, behind defending champion Adrian Waller. But Waller, 18, from Enfield, crashed out at the semi-finals stage, beaten 7-9, 9-5, 9-5, 6-9, 9-1 in a 94-minute marathon by unseeded Neil Cordell.

Cordell's brave run came to an end in the final, however, as 18-year-old Lee, from Walton-on-Thames, cruised to a 9-3, 9-2, 9-0 victory in 30 minutes to win the Don Sanderson British Under 19 trophy.

There was also a new champion in the Women's U19 event - where Bedfordshire's defending champion Victoria Lust also lost out in the semi-finals, pipped 10-8 in the fifth game after a physical and bad tempered contest against Warwickshire's Sarah-Jane Perry.

But Perry was no match for fellow 3/4 seed Victoria Bell in the final as the Cumbrian 18-year-old from Carlisle - who was out of action for the first half of the season with an injury - despatched her Kenilworth opponent 10-8, 9-1, 9-6 in 35 minutes to claim her second national title after winning the U17 crown in 2006.

The Men's Under 15 event went according to the seeding with all top four seeded players reaching the semi-finals. Surrey's David Wardle started slowly in the final, losing the first game 0-9. But the 14-year-old from Woking - who won the US Junior U15 Open title just before Christmas - rediscovered his form and went on to defeat Oliver Holland, the second seed from Nottinghamshire, 0-9, 9-5, 9-1, 10-9 in 58 minutes to win his first British Junior title.

Essex's Sophie Lemom took the first title of the day when she beat Emily Whitlock, from Cheshire, 9-3, 9-4, 4-9, 9-2 in the 40-minute Women's U15 championship final. The No1 seed and former British Under 13 holder added the Under 15 crown to her collection with a powerful performance that confirmed her as the country's top player of her age group.

Men's U19 Final:
[2] Joe Lee (Surrey) bt Neil Cordell (Yorks) 9-3, 9-2, 9-0 (30m)

Women's U19 Final:
[3/4] Victoria Bell (Cumbria) bt [3/4] Sarah-Jane Perry (Warwicks) 10-8, 9-1, 9-6 (35m)

Men's U15 Final:
[1] David Wardle (Surrey) bt [2] Oliver Holland (Notts) 0-9, 9-5, 9-1, 10-9 (58m)

Women's U15 Final:
[1] Sophie Lemom (Essex) bt [3/4] Emily Whitlock (Cheshire) 9-3, 9-4, 4-9, 9-2 (40m)