Junior World Championships dream about to come true for Perthshire squash player Anna Halliday

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Perthshire squash player is looking forward to reaching the peak of her career so far when she jets out to compete in the Junior World Championships.Anna Halliday (18), who is from Crieff, will take her talent Down Under and mix with the globe’s best in Melbourne, Australia.The former Crieff High student is embarking on the long journey next week ahead of the tournament running from July 18-29.“This is the peak of my junior career,” a delighted Anna explained.“I have been representing Scotland for quite a few years now but have never had this opportunity and this exposure.

It means so much to me.“I’m going to learn so much, not just from playing but also from watching world class players.“It is really nice to feel like all my hard work and effort over the years has been building towards this point.“The most important thing is just going and playing my best.

I’ll just look to get through as many rounds as I can and take away as much as possible.”Scotland are, for the first time since 2005, sending a girls’ team to the Junior World Championships.

A special fundraising journey has made the dream become reality.“When we realised we had four or five girls at the standard to compete in a worldwide event, we thought it was a great opportunity,” Anna said.“We had been placing highly at European tournaments and wanted to take the next step.“Getting to Australia is obviously very expensive and, therefore, it was going to be difficult to afford on our own.“We started fundraising together, ranging from bag packs, a race night and an auction and exhibition match.“Honestly, I have really enjoyed doing the fundraising.