Micah Franklin will shrug off recent mixed results as he puts the final touches to his squash preparations for the NatWest Island Games.The past six months have been a roller-coaster ride for the promising professional who has been competing in Australia for the past six weeks, having advanced to the quarter-finals of one event while losing in the opening round of another.Although his ability to consistently make deep runs into tournaments isn’t quite there yet, Franklin feels he is ready for the task at hand on home soil.“I’ve certainly had mixed results in my last three months of competing internationally, but I am determined not to let this be a factor for my matches next week,” he said.“I have been preparing the best way I know how and am looking to use the crowd as my advantage on our home courts.“It’s a huge deal for me to be playing such a large event on my home soil and I promise that win or lose I will do everything in my powers to leave everything out there.”Having played on the international circuit for the better part of a year, the budding youngster believes he is ideally suited to take on the pressure of playing in front of the home fans.The 20-year-old is currently ranked 173rd in the world with his highest ranking being 156 which was only two months ago.“Having friends, family, and sponsors watching in the crowd does always add something to the mental side of the game with nerves always being a factor.“However, in the past year it has been an aspect of my game which I have been working on the most. I know now what to do to counteract these nerves and how to prepare myself mentally for each game that I play.”While knowing how to play at the highest level, he pointed at past experiences that will enable him to handle the nerves and be competitive come game day.“Most important for me leading up to the Games is to focus on myself and my game rather than who I will be competing against.“In the past I have spent too much time in advance worrying about the competition which made me get quite anxious and nervous. Now I try not to think about my opponent until the day of a match when I then will decide a game plan to use on the court.“Squash can be quite a mental game like most sports and that will be what I spend the next few days working on the most, visualising and preparing for everything.”Squash begins off at the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association (BSRA) on Sunday at 10am and continues throughout the week, with players competing in both singles, doubles and with teams.