Georgia Adderley and Rory Stewart pull off Scottish squash double as both win tour titles

Scotland’s director of squash Paul Bell has hailed Georgia Adderley and Rory Stewart after both won PSA Tour titles.

Georgia Adderley in action during her semi-final victory over Elise Lazarus at the City of Peterborough Squash & Racketball Club Open. Adderley went on to win the final to secure her first PSA Tour title.

The Scots pair were victorious at the City of Peterborough Squash & Racketball Club Open at the weekend, beating English opponents in their respective finals.

For Edinburgh’s Adderley, seeded three, it was the 20-year-old’s first appearance in a PSA Tour final and she secured her maiden title by beating No 2 seed Alicia Mead.

It followed wins over Polly Clark in round one and Scottish team-mate Katriona Allen in the quarter-finals, before an impressive last four victory against Elise Lazarus, who had already beaten top seed Anna Kimberley.

Perth's Rory Stewart beat Tom Walsh in the semi-final in Peterborough before going on to defeat Miles Jenkins in the final for the second pro title of his career.

The PSA - Professional Squash Association - is the sport’s governing body and runs the pro tour circuit.

“Winning PSA titles are special and I’m really pleased for her,” Bell said.

“The number of titles you have won on tour is often how players are judged and it’s not an easy thing to do.

“I think her semi-final win was the big one, against someone who is the same age and a real talent who’s had issues with injury in the past.

Georgia Adderley and Rory Stewart show off their trophies after their victories in Peterborough.

“For Georgia, to get this title at a relatively young age will give her the belief to push on for further success.”

He continued: “She has always been capable of pulling off a shock result and beating top opponents. But backing it up is the hard part and winning four matches in two days requires experience.

“Over the past 18 months Georgia has developed maturity in her game and we are seeing the fruits of that labour.”

In a highly competitive men’s draw, top seed Stewart, from Perth, started his campaign in Peterborough with a win over Welshman Owain Taylor.

Victories against Harry Falconer and Tom Walsh followed and he met No 4 seed Miles Jenkins in the final.

The 24-year-old was victorious in four games and with it came the second title of his career, having won the Mar del Plata Open in Argentina in 2019.

Bell said: “The depth of quality in British squash is really strong and results have shown in recent weeks that these events are difficult to win.

“You need to be on top of your game from the first match, it’s a physical and mental challenge as well as a squash challenge.

“So for Rory to get through four matches against tough opponents, with two 3-0 and two 3-1 results, was impressive.

“Like Georgia, he’s really got stuck into training during lockdown and the hard work is paying off.“

He added: “All of the Scottish players have got plenty of events to look forward to in the next few months and hopefully the success of Rory and Georgia gives them a boost.

“The players are all feeling positive about where their squash is at and it’s now about finding that competitive edge in the events.”

Both Adderley and Stewart train out of Oriam, Scotland's national performance centre for sport, in Edinburgh.

While squash won’t feature at the Olympic Games in Toyko this summer, the sport will be part of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year, with the Scotland team expected to feature several medal contenders.

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