Buccaneers Sign British No.1 Kennedy to Join Star-Studded Squad

The Bristol Buccaneers have announced their line-up for the upcoming Optasia Squash Super League season, with the team unveiling the transfer of British No.1 Georgina Kennedy to join a box-office squad at Workout Harbourside.

World No.9 Kennedy will feature alongside world-class acts such as former World No.1 and World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy, as well as current British National Champion Tesni Murphy and Malaysian No.1 Eain Yow Ng.

Last season, the Buccaneers finished the league phase of the season in fifth position, but look well-placed to launch a title bid over the coming season with a squad full of match-winners and crowd favourites.

Speaking ahead of the new season, Bristol Buccaneers team manager John Welton said:

“Our big signing this summer was Gina Kennedy. We also brought in Sam Osborne-Wylde as he joined UWE on a part time masters course. Lauren Baltayan is in for the WU25 to strengthen there as well.

“Last season we came unstuck with a lot of drawn matches and losses on count back. We were keen to strengthen across the team to make sure those draws turned to wins this year as we look to challenge for the title! The biggest signing being Gina, bringing a top 10 player into our squad.

“We are hugely excited to bring the SSL back to Bristol and the Workout Harbourside show court. We have a full strength side for our first home game and tickets have sold incredibly quickly. With over 100 sold in the first weekend, a sell out crowd will be expected to give St Georges Knights a big Bristol Buccaneers welcome!”

Squad: The Breakdown

World No.9 Mohamed ElShorbagy, World No.10 Youssef Soliman and World No.14 Eain Yow Ng make up a formidable men’s line-up for the Buccaneers, with the trio a consistent force at the backend of feature PSA Squash Tour events over the past few years.

Both ElShorbagy and Eain Yow featured for the Buccaneers in the inaugural season of Squash Super League action, with the pair treating the home crowds to some blockbuster matches against the likes of Karim Gawad and Declan James. Former World No.1 and World Champion ElShorbagy will once again prove a formidable opponent for opposition teams, with ‘The Beast’ having an incredible list of honours to his name, including over 50 titles and close to 800 matches under his belt on the PSA Tour.

Meanwhile, the women’s team is equally as stacked, with Georgina Kennedy and Tesni Murphy holding four British National Championship titles between them and the pair having been consistent forces at the top of the women’s game over the past years.

After last year featuring for the Bexley Ballers, World No.9 Kennedy will join both Murphy and Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold, as the team looks to push on from their fifth-place finish last term. The Englishwoman is a former World No.5 and has reached multiple major semi-finals, such as the El Gouna International, the Windy City Open and the PSA Squash Tour Finals.

An exciting group of U25 talent returns for the Buccaneers, with several having been or currently part of the UWE University squash program.

Malaysian trio Ameeshen Chandaran, Harith Danial and Yasshmita Jadishkumar return to the team following impressive showings in their debut seasons, with the pair joined by the signings of fellow rising stars Sam Osborne-Wylde and Lauren Baltayan.

England’s Osborne-Wylde will certainly be a force to be reckoned with on recent evidence, with the 21-year-old recently powering through to the Japan Open title without dropping a single game. Baltayan, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in French squash.

The Buccaneers squad is rounded by local Club Hero’s James Peach and James Snell, who both have deep links to the club as UWE alumni, and last year proved a big hit with the local crowds.

The Bristol Buccaneers start their campaign with a home match against the St George’s Hill Knights on Friday, 19th December. Every second of action will be available to watch LIVE and for FREE on SQUASHTV.

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2025 Bristol Buccaneers Squad:

Men’s Pro’s