MANCHESTER Grammar School pupil, Richard Hall, has finished the 2014 squash season on a high after reaching the quarter finals at the European Squash Federation Dutch Junior Open this summer.

Richard, who is 13 and from Altrincham, travelled to Amsterdam to compete in the last of the Junior World Squash Series Events for this season.

To reach the quarter finals, Richard beat the No 3 seed, which was quite an achievement, having suffered a number of injuries this year.

He battled on to finish an impressive seventh out of 64 entries in the under 15 category, even though he was one of the younger players in this competition.

Richard, whose academic interests include maths, history, chemistry and electronics, trains with his coach, Annette Pilling, at the Alderley Edge Squash Club and is a member of Bowdon Squash Club.

In a stunning start to this season, just last week he won the Sutton Junior Open Squash Tournament.

Richard said: “The last season was been tough for me as I experienced problems with a torn adductor at the start of the season, followed by a series of facet joint problems in my neck and back.

"However, I am so pleased that I was able to perform to the best of my ability in Holland and to improve my ranking ahead of this season which has started so well.”

Mark Walmsley, Manchester Grammar School’s director of sport, said: “This is a fantastic achievement by Richard. He works hard, both in and outside of the classroom, and it is inspiring to see how he has overcome the challenge of injury to succeed at such a competitive level. We wish him all the best for his season this year.”