Matthew Lucente – U17 Oceania Junior Champion
Matthew Lucente and Gabe Yam were Champion and Runner-up respectively in the boys U17 division of the Oceania Junior Championships. Their thrilling final saw Matthew taking the win in four close games over Gabe and showcased both players’ speed and accuracy inside the court. Matthew, who recently attained a rare and hard to achieve A1 grading at just 16 years old, was also the boys U15 champion in 2015.
After the Oceania Championships, Matthew and Gabe put aside their healthy rivalry and teamed up for the Trans-Tasman Test series to help New Zealand defeat Australia 26-10, winning all their matches against the Australians. The two-day test involved 18 of the best U13 to U19 players from NZ and Australia battling each other in their relevant age divisions.
Matthew Lucente and Gabe Yam with the Junior Trans-Tasman Trophy
The two international events were held on 14-19 April at the Henderson Squash Club, with players from Australia, Singapore, New Caledonia, China, Hong Kong and French Polynesia participating in the Oceania Championships.