Carlisle Squash Club's Adam Goad has become the French Junior Open champion.

Adam, who is currently second in the England Squash Under-15 rankings, travelled to Lille to compete in the European event last weekend.

Ahead of the tournament, the 14-year-old who goes to school at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, had already enjoyed his fair share of success over the past 12 months, before he added to his tally in the Under-15 boys category.

The French Junior Open, a four-day event, is considered to be one of the most prestigious Junior Open Squash Championships in Europe and, indeed, the World.

It hosts over 300 players, representing between 20-25 countries each year.

The journey from Cumbria to Lille may be a long one but Stuart, Adam's dad, said: "With us living where we live, everywhere we go we have to travel. It's all self-funded."

Adam demonstrated quality play to beat players in the early rounds from France and Wales and moved into the Semi-Final, having only dropped the one set in the Quarter-Final.

In the Semi-Final, Adam then faced fellow English player Hassan Khalil, who had beaten the Swiss player Miguel Mathis, Number Two seed and European Ranked No.2, in the previous round.

Hassan took the early advantage with a 2-1 lead but Adam approached the fourth and fifth games with renewed focus and determination to take the tie in a match lasting 72 minutes and progressed through to the Final.

Adam faced the Number One seed and current Number One player in Europe from Czechoslovakia, Marek Panacek in the Final.

Panacek proved to be a difficult opponent, with great speed, and was challenging to break down in the first and second sets, after which Panacek led 2-0.

But Adam returned with some amazing rallies and some thrilling deceptive shots.

This, together with excellent controlled play, saw him ground his opponent down in the third, fourth and fifth sets and deservedly claim the championship in 54 minutes.