Squash: IoM women's squad takes on European championships

Island players looking to take positives from trip to Luxembourg

The Isle of Man women's squash team put in a series of battling displays as they took on the ESF European Team Division 3 Squash Championships earlier this month.

The trio of Dasa Brynjolffssen, Hannah Dixon and Clare Townsend represented the Island against some of the emerging squash nations in Europe during the event in Luxembourg from 15-18 April.

It was a bright start for the Isle of Man which took its first and only win of the event in a 2-1 victory over Gibraltar in the first match with Dixon and Brynjolffssen winning their respective matches.

The Isle of Man's remaining five matches against Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Croatia and Greece ended in 3-0 defeats.

In their final outing against Greece there were positives to take as Brynjolffssen, Dixon and Townsend did win games during their respective matches despite the loss.

Following the conclusion of the competition, the Isle of Man ended the championships sixth in the standings out of the seven nations involved.

Malta and hosts, Luxembourg finished first and second respectively to earn promotion to Division 2.

Speaking after the event, Dixon said: "As always, it was a real honour to represent the Isle of Man at the European Team Championships 2026. 

"The atmosphere in Luxembourg was incredible, both on and off the court, and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so much talent and passion for the sport. 

"As a team, we came away with not just a valuable experience, but great memories and a real sense of achievement too."

Meanwhile, Townsend adds: "We are extremely thankful for the support we received which helped make it possible for us to compete at this level. 

"It was a valuable opportunity to represent the Isle of Man internationally again against such a high standard of opposition. 

"Playing in competitions like this really helps you learn, highlights areas where you need to improve and pushes you to keep developing as a player."