Challenger Cup 2026

On the 24th of October, 15 people of all age ranges competed for the inaugural Challenger Cup. It was played in a monrad format, best of three games, first to 11. This ensured that everyone had 3 or 4 matches. With Court C back in action, matches got underway at 9am.

The highlight of round 1 was a three-game battle between Ian Drummond and James Beaty. Ian took the first game 11-7 before James prevailed in a tough 13-11 second game. A tight third game was eventually won by Ian 11-8. The highlight of round 2 was James again involved in another three-game match, this time against Howie Harding. James took the first 11-9 before Howie fought back to take the second 11-6. This time James would prevail in the third set 11-6.

In the lower half of the draw in Round 3, Jennifer Moore beat Harriet Datta in a tough 3 game match to qualify for the Plate Final, with James Beaty playing extremely well to beat Gervase Summers in 2 games to book his place in the Plate Final.

The final two matches of Round 3 were the two that would determine the finalists. Up first was Paul Phillips vs Julian Griffiths. Paul took a closely fought first game 11-8 and in a tense second game, with rallies often going to all four corners of the court, Paul was also able to come out on top 11-8, securing his place in the final.

Up next was Ed Chapman vs Amelie Briggs. Amelie came out on top in the first game 12-10 after some incredible winning shots by both players. The second game was back and forth, with Amelie able to eventually come out on top again 12-10 to book her place in the final.

After the other matches took place in Round 4, we were left with just the two finals. Up first was Jennifer v James for the Plate. James took an excellent first game 11-6 before Jennifer fought back to take the second 11-7. In the third game James found another gear and played very well to win 11-2 and claim victory in the Plate Final.

Up last was the battle for first place, with Paul taking on Amelie. Amelie took the first game 11-7 with some excellent length hitting and retrieval. In the second game, after some close early exchanges, Amelie was able to build up a lead and then keep it through the rest of the game, taking the second game 11-6 and becoming the first ever Challenger Cup champion!

Below are some quotes from some of the participants:

Amelie Briggs – I really enjoyed the opportunity to play competitive squash at my local club; it was a well-organised day with a fun atmosphere. I hope to capitalise on my win by beating my dad very soon
Ed Chapman – 10/10 – so much fun and a great opportunity to practice playing in a competitive tournament setting!

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this such a success. Lisa for doing tons of organising work in the background, the players for turning up to play, as well as marking for other people’s matches and the spectators who came down to cheer everyone on.

Overall, it was a really fun day of squash, with some excellent matches between players who might not ordinarily play each other. Look out for news about next year’s Challenger Cup in a few months’ time.

Congratulations to Amelie and James and well done to everyone who took part.