Cardiff Met Student Grace In Top Gear For Wizards

Cardiff Met University student Grace Gear made her Premier Squash League debut for Welsh Wizards and powered to a straight games win.

The 20-year-old from Welwyn Garden City was called up by Wizards with Welsh number one Tesni Evans playing in World tour events.

A sell-out attendance watched Wizards take on PSL South leaders Tradition@RAC on the glass backed courts at Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff.

New Zealand’s Paul Coll, ranked six in the World, and the London-based team RAC won 4-1 with Gear earning a home success in the women’s match.

Grace Gear in action for Welsh Wizards against RAC’s Alice Green.

“It felt good to earn the win, particularly against one of my training partners from back home,” said Gear after an 11-6, 11-9 success against Alice Green.

“We are really good mates and it felt good to come out on top.

“I was excited about playing for Wizards, my local team while I am at university.

“It was a sell-out crowd and the atmosphere was amazing with all the cheering and support.”

Gear, who won a team gold medal ay the World University Squash Championships in 2018, achieved her highest World ranking so far this month, climbing to 85.

Alice Green in a back corner with Welsh Wizards’ player Grace Gear on the T.

The five-times Hertfordshire under-19 champion, who started playing squash at the age of five, is in top gear and aiming to continue her climb up the rankings.

Marwan Elshorbagy, Edmon Lopez, Elliott Morris Devred and David Evans were the other Wizards in the match against RAC, while Welsh trio Peter Creed, Emyr Evans and Tesni Evans will be available for the next fixture against Chichester away next month.

For Wizards match tickets click on the link: welshwizards.com/book-tickets

World number eight Marwan ElShorbagy from Egypt pictured with two Wizards’ fans. He played first string for Welsh Wizards against RAC’s Paul Coll, a New Zealander who is two places higher at six. Coll recovered from a game down to win in a fiercely contested match.

Premier Squash League remaining fixtures 2019:

Round eight:

March

Tuesday 5: Nottingham v WarKens, Chichester v Welsh Wizards, 

Friday 8: Birmingham v Bristol, Coolshurst v Tradition@RAC, Newcastle v Pontefract, Bexley v St George’s.

Round nine:

March

Tuesday 19: Pontefract v WarKens, St George’s v Welsh Wizards, Nottingham v Birmingham, Chichester v Coolshurst..

Friday 22: Newcastle v Bristol, Bexley v Tradition@RAC.

Round 10:

April

Tuesday 2: WarKens v Newcastle, Tradition@RAC v Chichester, Bristol v Nottingham, Birmingham v Pontefract, Welsh Wizards v Bexley.

Friday 5: Coolshurst v St George’s.

Play-Off semi-finals to be played week commencing May 6, while the final will be at St George’s on Saturday, June 1.