There were some valuable lessons for Bermuda’s budding squash stars when they took on the best in the world at the Canadian Junior Open in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, this week.

Mason Smith, Ben Sherratt, James Bigley and Owen Rosorea flew the Bermudian flag in the boys singles from Saturday to Tuesday, with Anaya Smith, the Bermuda coach, viewing the trip as a learning experience for the four players.

“It was a really tough tournament that tested the players mentally and physically,” Smith said

“It was the level of squash that some of them haven’t been exposed to before. The pace that their opponents were playing at, my guys were not used to it.

“Most of our players were able to handle the pressure. They felt like they learnt a lot from this tournament, as one thing we don’t get to do in Bermuda is getting to play at such a high intensity.

“The biggest takeaway for them was how to deal with tournament conditions, mentally and physically.”

Playing in his last year in the under-11 age group, Sherratt was the highest-ranked Bermuda representative when he finished sixth, an improvement from last year’s seventh position, after an 11-3, 11-6, 11-5 fifth-place play-off defeat to Oliver Atticus.

Mason Smith, a double champion in the under-11 age group at the Junior Caribbean Squash Championships, found the going tough in the under-13 competition. The 11-year-old finished in 22nd after exiting the main draw at the round of 32 stage.

Bigley also had a tough time in the under-13 competition, where he was knocked out by Omar Ghoneim in the round of 64.

The under-17 division proved a tough test for Owen Rosorea, as the 15-year-old Suffield Academy student could not progress beyond the round of 64

All the four players will look to put their experience to good use when they participate in the Junior Squash Championships on December 20 and 21.