The main draws of the British Under 23 Squash Championships got underway in the idyllic sunny village setting of Hunts County Squash Club in Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire this afternoon.

The men's top seeds eased through round one but 9/16 seeds Olivier Pett (Sussex) and Lewys Hurst (Wales) both fell to unseeded opposition. Pett looked to be carrying an injury as he fell to Ray Nevin (Lancs) in three while Hurst was beaten by Nathan Lake (Glos) 11/9 in the fifth.

There were also scares for 5/8 seeded players Adrian Waller (Herts) and Adam Murrills (Cheshire) who both had to grind out hard fought 3-2 wins over Andrew Birks (Shrops) and Ben Jones (Cheshire) respectively.

The women's first round saw all 8 seeds move into Saturday's Quarter Finals.

Expected finalists and top seeds Fiona Moverley (Yorkshire) and Victoria Lust (Beds) recorded comfortable victories as did the 3/4 seeds Emma Chorley (Somerset) and Deon Saffery (Wales).

Leonie Holt, the 5/8 seed from Warwickshire, had her work cut out in her round one match against Victoria Bell (Cumbria). Bell has not been seen on the circuit for about a year and came into this event as a bit of an 'unknown quantity' and probably a player most were looking to avoid. The former British Under 19 Champion twice came back to level at 1-1 and 2-2 before finally surrendering 11/2 in the fifth game. However she will no doubt take comfort from her performance which shows that with a bit of competition she can still compete at a national level.

Kimberley Hay (N'bria), another 5/8 seed also had problems in overcoming the improving Harriet Ingham (Surrey) but took the final game 13/11 to book her quarter final spot against Victoria Lust.

The final session of the day saw the men complete the quarter final line up.

The top half of the draw was fairly straightforward with the expected outcomes. The tournaments hot favourite Tom Richards (Surrey) quickly dispatched Ray Nevin who had earlier caused an upset by defeating Oliver Pett. Richards now meets Adrian Waller (Herts) who didn't quite seem on top form today dropping four games in his two rounds.

Joel Hinds (Derbyshire) encountered spirited resistance from the European U19 Champion Anthony Graham (Gloucs) but went on to win 3-1 to secure his quarter final with James Snell (Devon) who defeated Adam Murrills (Cheshire) in straight games.

The second half of the draw saw Chris Simpson (Hampshire) and Joe Lee (Surrey), the No2 + 3/4 seeds, take the easy route to the quarters. Simpson will face Eddie Charlton (Notts) after he overcame Alex Ingham (Surrey) in straight games. Lee now faces Neil Cordell (Yorkshire) who caused the only upset in round two by taking out 5/8 seed Lewis Walters in a tight five setter.