The bi-annual NatWest Island Games have been taking place in Gibraltar with the Isle of Wight sending a team of more than 100 competitors. The youngest member of the team was Godshill’s 13 year old Amelie Haworth, an international top-ranking squash player in her age group.
Amelie played in the women’s singles, women’s doubles with Fleur Orchard and in the mixed doubles with her dad, Rob. A better draw would have seen Amelie into the play-off for the gold medal, but, unfortunately, she met the eventual gold medalist and top seed, Marlene West from the Cayman Islands in the fourth round. This was Amelie’s only singles defeat, to a woman some 30 years her senior with extensive international experience including a number of commonwealth games appearances. Amelie won her bronze medal play-off against Beth Garton of Jersey, 3-0.
In the women’s doubles, Amelie and Fleur lost to the Cayman Islands pair in the semi-finals but went on to win the bronze play-off match against Bermuda, 2-0.
It was daughter and father in the mixed doubles as Amelie teamed up with Rob. They won through to the quarter-finals but were beaten by the Cayman Islands team, the eventual gold medalists. Cayman Islands won all of the squash gold medals.