JESTERS UNIVERSITY LEAGUE

The Ontario Jesters University Squash League is a home for squash players attending Ontario Universities to compete throughout the province. The league is separated into three divisions (East, Central, and West). Teams compete in 2 one-day Sectionals and 2 two-day Crossover events, followed by a three day Finals event. Men's and Women's teams are comprised of 7 players each.

The University League is documented on the Squash Ontario website at this link.

2019/2020 Season

Jesters University League Highlights Busy Weekend on the Courts

Squash Season is officially here as over 400 participants will take to the courts this weekend across our fair province. Amongst highlights is the kick-off to the 2019-20 Jesters University League season which will feature 24 teams and 170 athletes suiting up for sectionals at the University of Guelph, University of Toronto and McGill University. The Jesters of Ontario launched this incredible initiative over 10 years ago and has been one of the most successful drivers of the sport since, growing each year in both quality and quantity. This season will mark the first time the league will achieve gender parity as we welcome new teams Carleton University (Men and Women) and Glendon/York (Women). In addition, the most exciting rookie class in recent history will be highlighted by Canadian National squad member Cameron Seth (Waterloo), Egyptian star Asser Ibrahim (Carleton), Ontario junior phenoms Marlow Benson (Queen's) and Victoria Tonna (Glendon), National Champion Neel Ismail (Waterloo) and legend of the game Johnny Wilson (Laurier). You can follow all of the Jesters University League action this weekend and all season at this link.

University Squash Takes Over - 24 Jesters University League Teams head to Queen’s and Western Men vs. U.S. Navy in Markham

2018/2019 Season

It was a great year for the Jesters University League! The league continues to grow and the administrative assistance from Squash Ontario has transformed the league into a fantastic alternative to University squash in the U.S.

Below are summaries of the Emerging Teams weekend and Jesters Finals/OUA Finals.

Emerging Teams Finals (Non-OUA):

Hotel 10X, Toronto, ON. - The university squash scene continues to expand across the province with each season and the level of squash on display is increasingly exceptional. The 2018-2019 season welcomed numerous new teams into the league and this past weekend was a brilliant event to culminate the season for the Division 2 Teams and Emerging Teams from the Jesters University League.

In the Men’s Division 2 draw, a powerful roster of men from McGill edged out an intense 4-3 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks to clinch the Division 2 title and accompanying banner. Congratulations McGill!

The Men’s Emerging Teams draw saw representation from Ryerson University, Carleton University, University of Windsor and a wild card team from the St.George campus of the University of Toronto. All four schools brought athletes in high spirits, excited to compete, proving their suitability to compete amidst the Jesters University League in coming seasons. Ryerson University, captained by Junior star Will Harris, finished the day on top – winning all three team matches, and only dropping 2 matches along the way. Rounding out the podium was a Carleton team in the silver medal position.

In the Women’s draw, an Emerging Team from University of Windsor competed amongst Division 2 teams of University of Ottawa, University of Guelph and Wilfred Laurier University. The Windsor women, were joined by a Carleton student and demonstrated an impressive display of squash, winning the draw as an emerging team. Windsor was not included in the final tally since they were in a different division, allowing for Division 2 championship banners to be presented to Laurier – Division 2 Champions, Guelph – Division 2 Finalist, and Ottawa – Division 2 Bronze.

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Jesters and OUA Finals (for OUA-qualified teams): Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

The Queens Gaels women were successfully able to defend their title holding off Western for their fifth straight championship. The Western men continued their dominance in OUA squash as well on Sunday at White Oaks Resort and Spa in Niagara on the Lake, winning their 36th straight OUA championship.

The Gaels won all six of their fixtures without dropping a match! Their final record for the weekend was 42-0 in matches. The Gaels and Mustangs closed out the day in a contest that saw Queen's drop only one game in their path to claim the title. Western finished as silver medalists with a 30-12 match record, while the University of Toronto women took home bronze with a 26-16. Rounding out the group were host team Brock in fourth place, followed by Waterloo, McMaster and Guelph.

Western dominated on the men's side winning all six of their match ups going an impressive 41-1 in their matches. Waterloo was able to squeeze a match out against the Mustangs Sunday morning. The Queen's University men's team went 5-1 on the weekend with a 26-16 record to claim silver just ahead of the bronze medalists University of Toronto who went also went 26-16 but only won 4 of their fixtures. Rounding out the group with the same outcome as the women's draw were Brock in fourth place, followed by Waterloo, McMaster and Guelph.

Leading Western to their 45th overall banner was undefeated David Mill who was named to the 2019 OUA All-Star squad for his efforts. The Mustangs first year player Elliott Hunt (son of fellow Jester Al Hunt) snagged the Rookie of the Year award joining the league after an excellent junior career. MVP of the weekend was University of Toronto's Josh Hollings who went undefeated all season until his final match up against Mill.

Individually on the women's side, Queens top player Sydney Maxwell finished undefeated earning herself the OUA women's Rookie of the Year, MVP, as well as an OUA All Star nod. Sydney went 6-0 on weekend only dropping 2 games along the way.

Adding to an already successful weekend for the Mustangs, coach Derek Moore took home the coach of the year award on the men's side, while Holly Delavigne of Western was named the top women's coach.

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2017/2018 Season

If you haven’t yet experienced the incredible environment at a Jesters University League event, the energy is electric, the level and depth of play impressive and the team spirit and camaraderie indicative of the special squash community we have in Ontario.

Teams are comprised of former Squash Ontario junior stars, international students choosing Ontario as their place to study and compete and an array of brand new players with raw athleticism who typically experience playing other sports at a high level. This past Saturday, 16 squads descended on Mayfair Lakeshore in the culmination of the Jesters University League’s most competitive season yet.

Our Division 1 finals were hotly contested on both the men’s and women’s sides with upset champions Queen's men and University of Toronto women shocking the league. On the women’s side, Josh Ginou’s U of T Varsity Blues women had their full roster in place, including the dangerous Myers sisters (Thandi and Deiria) from St. Vincent lurking at the #5 and #6 spots and superstars Evelyn Moorhouse, Rhea Dhar and veteran Juana Chaves at the top of the line-up to go up against Lisa Coates' juggernaut and 3 time defending champions Queens Golden Gaels. With matches tied at 2-2, Thandi Myers wins an epic 5-gamer to turn the momentum and Coach Ginou’s team pulls off the Philadelphia Eagles-like upset to prevail 5-2 and win the title, with 4 of the 7 matches going the full 5 games.

Holly Delavigne’s Western University Mustangs place 3rd, Matt Easingwood’s Brock Badgers place 4th and Vinit Kudva and Clive Porter’s Waterloo Warriors captured the Division 2 title.

On the Men’s sides, it was an epic day on the courts as both semifinals went the distance and ended in upset fashion coming down to the final matches ending 4-3. #1 seeds McMaster lead by all-time great Patrick Morkus were shocked by an in-form Queen's team, coached by Jesters League legend Eugene Zaremba who had his team focused, organized and up for a fight. On the other side, 3-time defending champions UWO Mustangs lead by a very busy head coach Derek Moore (who has his Stangs back to #10 in the NCAA) went up against the buzz saw of John Lennard’s U of T Varsity Blues led by rookie sensation Sam Burley and veteran Alex Garceau at the top of the line-up. After 3 hours of total play and 5 of the 7 matches going the distance, David had slayed Goliath to set up the Cinderella final of #4 Queens vs. #3 U of T. Down 3-2, with 2 matches to finish and both coaches Lennard and Zaremba admittedly “very nervous”, captain Cameron Butler gets a Queen's win at #2 to even the score, and all eyes focus on the #5 match being played on a back court with the championship in the balance. With Spencer Lee of Queen's up 2-1 and 7-3, he begins to feel the pressure and the U of T player Nicholas De Sousa scraps his way back to 9-9 and a 5th game looks imminent before Lee plays two inch-perfect drops to close out the contest and hand Coach Zaremba and Queen's University the 2018 Jesters League Title.

Almost simultaneously, MAC wins the bronze medal match 4-3 over UWO and McGill defeats Waterloo 4-3 in the Division 2 final in a perfect culmination of the best Jesters University League season yet!

Thanks to the Jesters for continuing to provide University students this wonderful outlet to continue their squash careers, Bert Keene, Ontario Jester’s President for his continued leadership and vision, Alex Carter, Ryan Forster and Iain Crozier as the Jesters University League Committee, Jamie Nicholls from Squash Ontario for his energy and enthusiasm, all of the coaches and volunteers who do this for the love of the sport and Mayfair Lakeshore as fabulous hosts for the days.

2016/17 Season

Commissioners Closing Comments

Mens Final Results:

Womens Final Results:

Tournament Results:

Oct 21-23 - Eastern Sectional Tournament #1 hosted by McGill University

Oct 22/23 - Western Sectional Tournament #1 hosted by Northfield Racquet & Fitness Club

Nov 19/20 - Crossover Tournament hosted by Northfield Racquet & Fitness Club 

Jan 21/22 - Eastern Sectional Tournament #2 hosted by Brock at White Oaks Club

Jan 14/15 - Western Sectional Tournament #2 hosted by McMaster University

Mar 18     - Finals hosted by Ryerson and Toronto Universities

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Jesters University League Final - Logistics

Dear Coaches and Jesters League Enthusiasts,Dear Coaches and Jesters League Enthusiasts,

I am pleased to release the schedule for March 18th's championship event with a huge thank you to hosts University of Toronto and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club for giving access to their facilities.

This will be our largest ever Jesters League finals and we sincerely appreciate all of the work by Alex Carter and his team as well as all of the coaches and volunteers who have put their time and energy into the incredible growth in both volume and talent of the league. For the first time we have included all teams in the finals day in tiered divisions and this will dovetail nicely with the plans to further formalize the league going forward.

Please see the championship schedule and note that all teams are invited to the RCYC from 4:00pm onwards to watch the women's final matches and for the awards ceremony and reception. Lunch will also be served at both venues midday. Alex and the Jesters team will be scheduling a coaches meeting at some point during the day as well and will further communicate on that prior to the 18th.

You will also note that all Jesters League results have now been entered into the Squash Ontario provincial rankings. I have include a brief synopsis of the men's and women's top 10 adjacent to the schedule in order to inspire some healthy discussion over bragging rights - you can visit https://squashontario.tournamentsoftware.com/ranking/ranking.aspx?rid=153 for full results. Unfortunately we could not yet coordinate including our Quebec brothers and sisters into the Ontario rankings but we know the legendary Bernie Reid would most certainly be included.

Thank you once again for your participation and GOOD LUCK on Super Saturday March 18th in Toronto.

Jamie Nicholls

Executive Director
Squash Ontario
jnicholls@squashontario.com

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Standings after Sectional #1, Crossover and Sectional #2 Tournaments:

Mens Division:

Womens Division:

Commissioners Opening Comments (Alex Carter)

Hello Coaches,

We hope you are enjoying your summer. Our newly formed Committee met and have many exciting initiatives planned to grow the league and make it very enjoyable for the athletes.

The schedule, after contemplating locations and available weekends due to exams, etc., will be as follows:

· Sectional #1 EAST = McGill Oct 22/23, WEST = Northfield (Waterloo) Oct 22/23
· Crossover = Queens Nov 19/20
· Sectional #2 EAST = Location TBD Jan 21/22, WEST = Location TBD Jan 21/22
· Finals = Toronto Feb 25/26

Important dates to consider: Team Tournament for Junior Women (Sept 10), Court Classic (White Oaks Oct 15), Cdn Junior Open (Dec 10), Reggae Cup (White Oaks Jan 7), OUA (Waterloo Feb 4), Canadian University & College Championships (March 4).

We are looking for hosts in January for the events. If you are able or would like more information, please contact us.

The Crossover was moved to Kingston this year as their facilities can easily host the growing number of teams and matches. We thank Queens and their Coaches for willing to host this large event.

The Finals format will be larger this year and all teams will qualify and have the opportunity to upset and take home the title.

We will provide more updates and news as the school year begins.

Enjoy the rest of your summer,

Jesters University Squash League Commissioners

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2015/2016 Season Results

The Jesters University Squash League came to a close over the last weekend of February after the strongest level of play in a final since the league’s inception five years ago. Over 150 men and women came together throughout this season from nine different participating universities: Brock, Guelph, Laurier, McGill, McMaster, Queen’s, University of Toronto, and Western.

The finals were held at both the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and the University of Toronto, both great hosts throughout the season for this university league. The men of the University of Toronto came out strong this season securing their first league victory after finishing close to last place in the first several seasons. Western stayed right behind as the 2nd place finishers, with McMaster a close 3rd.

This year the Queen’s women dominated the league the whole year, sliding into champion positions in the league finals. The University of Toronto secured 2nd place while McMaster took home another 3rd place finish.

I believe this year was impressive with the strong sportsmanship and comradely we saw between rival teams. Based on this university league, it is clear that the level of play and interest from other Universities continues to grow.

Have a wonderful year and we look forward to continually improving the league and growing it to serve your athletes’ well.

Cheers,
Alex

2015/2016 Season - Commissioners Comments (Alex Carter)

Operational details

Participating Teams

Playing Schedule

The operations for the league have been a significant undertaking but have become easier as the years progress. The previous schedule, rules and regulations and financial implications are provided in this section to capture the essence of how the league currently operates.

Maintaining this league will require a ‘hands on’ approach. Additional considerations to take into account are as follows:

• Continuing to get buy-in from the current OUA, Ontario and Quebec coaches and determining the financial support necessary for each team. Some teams will receive no funding from their university while other teams will be fully supported.
• Building out a larger committee to delegate and provide successors.
• Monitoring the budget regularly and looking for beneficial ways to grow the league and utilize our funds appropriately.

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The 2015/2016 Jesters University League Schedule is as follows:

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Other important dates:

Rules and Regulations

Rules are reviewed annually and provided to the coaches at the beginning of the season. They are based on OUA rules but aligned with the Jesters Squash League.

Finances

A typical OUA team trip to Toronto for UWO (based on 6 players and 1 sub plus coach in 2008):

Recommendations for future growth

Secondary Sponsorship

• Industry Sponsor (Harrow) provides a 45% equipment discount to any participating team.
• Sponsorship opportunities could potentially include a travel sponsor such as Greyhound, Via Rail or a car rental company.

Phases of Expansion

Phase 1:

• Maintain status quo of the current league operations under the Jester’s jurisdiction.
• Gain a commitment to participate in the league from current coaches/athletic departments.
• Determine the financial situation of each individual school. Every team will vary from being fully funded to receiving zero support.

Phase 2:

• Add one team to the men’s pool in the East to balance the league (Ottawa U, Ryerson, Carlton or York).
• Add two teams to the women’s side to balance the league (Guelph, Concordia and schools above)
• Build out of Committee (Brian Hong, Rebecca Hazel & Strachan Jarvis)
• Partner with Squash Ontario to utilize their tournament software and build numbers for Squash Ontario

Phase 3:

• Identify universities that have a desire to be added to the league and who have the required leadership to organize the functions of the team. Potentials include: Windsor, Trent, etc...
• Build a Central Division while keeping the East & West divisions

Phase 4:

• Actively market The Jester’s University Squash League as a stepping stone for juniors across Canada.

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Other Thoughts

• Trophies – Men and Women (Cricket member owns trophy store)
• Budget – potential Grants, Josh’s streaming service
• Crossover and Finals – UofT hosts? Ryerson?
• Potential Teams – Ryerson, York, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Trent
• Player Profiles – coaches to submit to Commissioners (delegated to committee member)
• University All-Star team (2016-17)?
• Finals – change to top 8 teams. 4 from each division (1 play 8, 2 play 7, 3 play 6, etc…)
• Women – OUA – 6 teams competing, very important to maintain and attempt to grow
• Webpage – directing traffic. What Al requires? Pictures, write-ups, etc…
• One-pagers: How to host an event & How the Jester’s League runs

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2014/2015 Season

League Format

The format is similar to last year. All events are co-ed. Mens and Womens teams each consist of seven players. We organize four Sectionals split between East and West (sectional teams play one another), one Crossover event (West teams play East teams) and one Finals event

Commissioners Comments

KINGSTON (November 2, 2014). – Over the weekend of November 1st and 2nd, the Queen’s Men’s and Women’s Squash team held the first Jester’s East Sectional which hosted teams from Brock University, McGill University, and the University of Toronto. Throughout the weekend there were many hard fought matches, great rallies, and close games. By the end the of the weekend, the Queen’s Women’s Golden Gaels finished undefeated in first place, beating the reigning OUA and Jesters champs 7-0, followed by U of T, McGill, and Brock. On the men’s side, the McGill Redmen came out strong winning the majority of their matches and placing first, followed by Queen’s, Brock, and Toronto. At the end of the month, the team will participate in the crossover tournament where they will face the teams from the West Region (Laurier, McMaster, Waterloo, and Western).

2014/2015 Crossover Event - What a successful weekend! We want to thank you all and your players for your participation in the 2014/2015 Jesters Crossover. We had a record 18 university teams competing together all under one roof at The National Squash Academy. The atmosphere was vibrant as we saw the highest level of squash ever played in the league to date. We also had a very successful display of live streaming matches on the glass court so that families could watch their sons and daughters play from miles away!

2015 Second Sectional Events - Another great weekend is in the books! The second Sectionals of the year were held at McGill in Montreal and London Squash and Racquets Club in London, Ontario over the past weekend. 18 universities participated in a weekend full of healthy competition and sportsmanship. The weekend’s results solidified the top two teams in each division who will play for the Championship on February 28th. The Finals will be hosted at the National Squash Academy for a fourth year in a row. Coaches are thrilled with their respective programs and very happy that the Jesters League was created as a platform for University squash players in Canada to continue their competitive play in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

2015 Finals Event -

Hello Coaches,
Thank you for another fantastic season of University Squash. The Finals hosted at the National Squash Academy was a great display of squash with many matches between schools being so well balanced that different results could have easily been posted. Many 5 game matches were played which could have tipped the scales to either team. Players and spectators were really impressed by the level of play and the sportsmanship which is sometimes lost in sport.

Some of the matches (played on court 4) are still posted on Squashstream.tv for those interested. They will eventually be archived on that site.
We will be posting photos to the Jesters website in the coming week. Please forward this email onto your players so they can see the results and pictures. (http://ontariojestersclub.com/).

Thank you all once again for a fantastic year and your ongoing participation which allows the league to succeed and your players to enjoy inter-collegiate sport.

Congratulations to all teams,

Alex, Iain & Ryan

Event Results

Nov 2014 - Eastern Sectional #1 Women
Nov 2014 - Eastern Sectional #1 Men
Nov 2014 - Western Sectional #1 Women & Men

Dec 2014 - Crossover 

Feb 2015 - Eastern Sectional #2
Feb 2015 - Western Sectional #2

Feb 2015 Finals

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Standings after Sectionals and Crossover are as follows:

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Final Standings:

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Photo Shoot

2015 Champions

2015 Finalists

2015 Third Place

2015 Fourth Place

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2013/2014 Season

League Format

All events are co-ed. Mens and Womens teams each consist of seven players. We organize four Sectionals split between East and West (sectional teams play one another), one Crossover event (West teams play East teams) and one Finals event

Commissioners Comments

Hello Players and Coaches,

The annual Jesters University Squash Championships was held on Saturday, March 8th at the National Squash Academy. It was a full day of squash with the semi-finals of the East and West teams beginning early in the morning followed by the First Annual Doubles Championships sponsored by the Ontario Squash Doubles League (OSDL). The finals began in the late afternoon to conclude a packed day of squash.

Once again, the depth of play was fantastic with hard-fought matches played at all levels. Spectators were well entertained by the solid squash and good sportsmanship. The Women’s National Team was training and a Junior Bronze event was also being hosted at the same time lending to a great atmosphere.

The commissioners were thrilled with the efforts of all athletes and how they continued to conduct themselves on and off court around fans, competing teams and their own teammates. The coaches were once again supportive and engaged which lends to the atmosphere in the league. A great day of squash and another successful year for Jesters University Squash League!

-Alex, Iain & Ryan

Event Results

Nov 2013 - West Sectional #1 Women

Nov 2013 - West Sectional #1 Men 

Nov 2013 - East Sectional #1 Women

Nov 2013 - East Sectional #1 Men

Dec 2013 - Crossover

Jan 2014 - East Sectional #2

Jan 2014 - West Sectional #2

Mar 2014 - Final Results

Standings

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