Duo Jake Castaldi and Dielyn Edwards (Blackball), and Mattea Saliba (Squash), are the winners of November’s Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award.

Jake Castaldi, who will turn 15 in January, and Dielyn Edwards, who is 14 years old, secured the U-15 category title at the Blackball World Championships held in Malta in November. In a thrilling final, the Maltese duo faced Marcel Kusa and Riley Patterson from Northern Ireland. Castaldi and Edwards maintained their lead for much of the match, but Kusa and Patterson consistently stayed within striking distance. Ultimately, Castaldi and Edwards triumphed in a tense 6-5 decider, securing the championship title and lifting the trophy as World Champions.

Meanwhile, squash champion Mattea Saliba, 14, has won the Girls Under 15 Irish Junior Open Tournament in Dublin. She sailed through the tournament and reached the final without losing a single game. This is Mattea’s fifth European title this year and it will most certainly push her up to number 7 in the Europe’s Girls Under 15 ranking.

The Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award was presented to the winners by Robert Micallef, Chief Commercial Officer at Atlas Insurance. The Malta Sports Journalists Association was represented by Administrator Stephen Azzopardi.

This award is a joint initiative of the Malta Sports Journalists Association and Atlas Insurance. The adjudicating panel of this award takes note of all the youths’ national and international achievements of the month under review, and at the same time, it invites local sport associations and federations to send in their nominations for consideration if they feel that any of their under-21 athletes have distinguished themselves during that month. All the monthly winners are eligible for the annual award.

Nominations for this award may be sent via email to [email protected]. The rules and regulations of this award can be viewed through the link https://www.maltasportsjournalists.com/atlas-youth-athlete-of-the-month-rules-and-regulations/