St Johns Anglican College year 8 student Sarbani Maitra has been named the Queensland School Sports Squash Championship for Under 15 Girls for the second year in a row.
The championship competition held in Cairns this year has secured her place to play in the Nationals and Trans-Tasman competition in August within the Secondary School Sports framework.
“We won the overall team championship,” Sarbani said.
“We came second in our girls Under 15 age group with a great team and great support. It was a great experience – I had a really great time.”
The 13-year old has been playing squash since February 2018 when she was nine years old.
“I got into playing because of my dad,” she said.
“I started hitting the ball and I was like – ‘oh my gosh, I really love this sport,’ – and it grew from there.”
Her mother Debbie said Sarbani’s other talents include swimming and music. She plays the violin, flute, guitar and is a gifted singer.
“Recently she competed in the Queensland Vocal Competition … for Musical Theatre she won first place,” she said.
Sarbani practices squash four times a week and plays in team sport on Thursday nights.
“I would love to play at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne,” she said.
“We’re hoping that squash will be included at the Olympics, and I would love to play in 2032 on home soil for Australia.”
Sarbani has earned a long list of achievements both through school-based Met West competitions and open competitions over the past four and a half years.
In 2018 she placed 2nd in the club State Championships, 3rd in the Under 11’s Australian Junior Championships, and 2nd at her first international competition in Scotland. In 2019 Sarbani placed 3rd in the Oceania Junior Championships in Auckland, 4th in the Australian Junior Opens in Sydney, 1st at the Queensland Junior Championships and 1st in the Australian Junior Championships for Under 11’s.
In 2020 she won the Queensland State Titles and the Rachel Grinham Trophy as the most promising female junior. She also came 1st at the Australian Junior Championships.
In both 2021 and 2022 she came first at the school-based Under 15 Championships representing Met West. She was also the runner-up at the Australian Junior Open 2022 Bendigo competition. Her next tournament will be the 2022 Queensland State Titles in Nerang on June 27.
