WILTSHIRE Junior Squash celebrated the end to its most successful year for decades with a fine victory in the Five Counties Festival.

The event, held annually in Gloucestershire, invites the host county, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, to compete over a weekend of competition in the U11 and U13 age categories.

Wiltshire’s U11s had a number of players representing the county for the first time, including eight-year-old Rafe Smith, and their two teams claimed wins over Gloucestershire as Warwickshire swept through their matches.

Wiltshire One finished third, with the pick of the country’s performances coming from James Lemon and Calum Mathieson, while Harrison Hemmings led the order well and Rafferty Tate clinched a couple of tight victories.

The two U13 teams needed to make up ground on the leaders, but Wiltshire Two lost 3-2 to Warwickshire, Josh Tate coming out the wrong side of a 3-2 thriller in the third-string deciding rubber.

Wiltshire’s teams then faced each other, Crofton Keyes and Lewis Davies having a ding dong 3-2 battle, followed by the game of the day between Ben Howgrave-Graham and Sophie Bolland, with the former eventually winning 17-15 in the fifth.

With just the hosts to play, and Warwickshire struggling against Worcestershire, Freddie Rouse, Howgrave-Graham claimed wins, helping Wiltshire’s sides finish first and second, while the first team claimed the U13 trophy.

Jonathan Jarjis won the best individual performance as the player who had conceded the fewest points.