Pontefract's Asia Harris plays key role in England being crowned European U19 Squash champions

​Asia has recently broken into the top 100 in the women’s world squash rankings and is now on the Professional Squash Association tour where she enjoyed success in the last month.

The 18-year-old former Ackworth School student won a PSA title in Newcastle, beating Scotland’s Ellie Jones 3/0 in the final in an event in which Asia produced a string of impressive displays.

Asia has also just been to Switzerland with the England team and helped them to be crowned European champions in the girls U19s section.

England reached the final where they took on regular rivals France and Asia played a key part in her country’s eventual 3-2 victory.

Up against Lauren Baltayen, the Pontefract ace came out on top 3/2 in an epic match that proved pivotal. Asia looked set for a comfortable victory initially when going went 2/0 up, but lost the next two sets before coming back strongly to win 11/7 in the decider.

It was an outstanding performance, doing herself and her England team proud.

An individual competition also took place in the same week and saw Asia beat Franka Vidovic, from Croatia, 3/0 in the semi-finals and defeat Amelie Haworth, from England, in the final to bring home a second gold medal from the event.

Asia recently celebrated turning 18 by finishing third out of 128 competitors at the US Junior Open in Philadelphia and was sixth at the British Junior Open in another large field.