Kunle Adewale

The immediate past President of the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF), Boye Oyerinde, has commended the steady improvement in the standard of play at the ongoing fourth edition of the Prime Atlantic Squash Tournament, describing the championship as a major platform for talent development.

Oyerinde spoke yesterday during the second round matches of the tournament holding at the squash courts of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

He said the quality of matches and the development of young players had improved significantly compared to previous editions.

“The growth is evident for everyone to see.

The games are better, the players are getting better and it shows they are putting in the hard work in training.

“I am particularly impressed with the junior players. Some of them are very young, yet their level of play has improved remarkably from what we saw last year. It is fantastic and encouraging for the future of the sport,” Oyerinde said.

The former federation president also underscored the importance of corporate sponsorship in sustaining the growth of squash in the country.

“Virtually everything we do in sports depends on sponsorship. It is always commendable when organisations identify with a sport and support its development.

“Such support encourages participation at all levels and helps create opportunities for players to improve and compete,” he said.

Also speaking, the tournament’s lead referee, Adebowale Oladeji, said the competition had witnessed a significant increase in both participation and playing standard.

In some of qualifying matches for quarter-finals, Temiloluwa Adegoke defeated Sheu Muyideen 3-0, while Samuel Nduka-Uba won Abudusman Olanrewaju 3-0.

According to him, junior players have emerged as major contenders in the senior categories, resulting in several surprises during the tournament.

The defending champion in both U 19 and Men-s category have qualified for the quarter-finals after defeating Monday Bright, Samson Asade progressd to the next game having defeated Daniel Elisa.