Young Squash players shine at Ikoyi Club tourney
August 16, 2026 12:43 am
By Peter Akinbo
Young squash players shone at the annual children’s Squashtival tournament organised by Ikoyi Club 1938, with Khadijat Durosinlorun and Abdul Hamid Durosinlorun emerging champions in the girls’ and boys’ categories respectively, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The tournament, held as part of the club’s children’s squash development programme, attracted young players who had spent weeks in training ahead of the competition.
Khadijat, who also won the previous edition, said she was delighted to defend her title, attributing her victory to consistent training and support from her family.
“Well, I’m very, very happy that I won. I was actually the one that won last year, and I’m happy I’m able to win this year’s one too,” she said.
“I actually train a lot. I train every day, so I feel like I have done a lot to win, and I deserve to win this time.”
Khadijat dedicated her victory to her father, mother and sister, whom she said had trained and supported her throughout.
In the boys’ category, Abdul Hamid Durosinlorun said he was especially pleased that his parents were proud of his achievement.
“It feels really great winning because my mum and dad are very proud of me,” he said.
“I just started doing my training. I started swimming for the first time and all of those exercises. I will dedicate my victory to my dad because he trained me.”
Chairman of the Squash Section at Ikoyi Club 1938, Oluwole Sojinrin, said the tournament recorded a notable improvement in both participation and standard of play compared with previous editions.
“I’m very impressed. Judging comparatively between last year and this year, we can see that the children have improved. Participation has also grown, and our coaches are more interested and happier that the number of children grew and the intensity of the game has improved,” Sojinrin said.
He explained that the programme, now in its 22nd year, began as an initiative by club members keen to encourage their children to take an interest in squash. He said mini-tournaments were introduced in recent years to give children the opportunity to experience competitive squash after their training.
Sojinrin said the three-week summer holiday programme gave children the opportunity to remain active while learning new skills, adding that it helped improve their health and fitness in a conducive environment. He, however, identified sustaining children’s participation after the holidays as a major challenge, noting that many found it difficult to continue attending weekend training once schools resumed, with some returning to schools outside Lagos or outside Nigeria altogether.
He urged parents to continue encouraging their children’s participation, stressing that sustained commitment was essential for improvement.
The chairman also commended the tournament’s sponsors, noting that Amala.com had initially supported the final-day activities before Zenith Bank and George Lagos Hotel joined in recent years.
Representing George Lagos Hotel, Ikoyi, Ifiemi Berepubo said the hotel continued to support the event as part of its commitment to giving back to society and promoting healthy lifestyles among children.
“George Hotel Ikoyi Lagos has been sponsoring this particular event for several years, and it is something we love to do because we give charity to society, and this one is for children,” she said, adding that the hotel hoped to continue its support in future editions.
In the girls’ category, Toluwalase Balogun finished as runner-up, while Ireoluwa Alabi and Adaeze Ezeh placed joint third. In the boys’ event, Chinua Ezeh was runner-up, with Temitayo Onabolu and Ikechi Ezeh finishing joint third.
Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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