Georgina Kennedy won her first British National title, while Joel Makin dethroned two-time champion Mohamed ElShorbagy in a five-game, 85-minute thriller at St Georges Hill on Sunday evening.

In the womens final, British No.1 Kennedy looked to overcome the three-time champion Perry in a repeat of the 2021 final.

In a great start for the No.1 seed, Kennedy managed to nullify her opponents threat with effective use of boasts, ultimately claiming the first game 11-9. The No.1 seed rallied back from an early lead from the 34-year-old and found parity at 7-7 before going on to earn a 2-0 advantage.

The third game saw a battle between Perrys pin-point accuracy and Kennedys athletic retrievals, with the England No.1 earning more points to an 8-4 lead as she found a metronomic rhythm to her play. The three-time champion showed her mettle and responded to the early deficit with five consecutive points, before winning the game to take the match to a fourth game.

Perry looked more relaxed on the court as she pushed to 8-3, but Kennedy showed character as she fought back to 8-9, and pushed on from there to claim the title.

Its such an honour to win this title for the first time, Kennedy said after the match. Ive never won it before, and I really wanted to win it this year, especially being the No.1 seed for a second year in a row. That was such a tough test against SJ, shes such a good person on and off the court, and she did so well to come back and take the third. She was completely dominating me in the fourth, but I managed to turn it around and got that lucky shank on match ball.

I could feel the momentum was swinging, so I thought it was essential that I took it in three. I knew she would get better and better, Ive watched her play for so many years and Ive seen her go down 2-0 and then she gets better. I was aware of that, but I couldnt stop her and then I was outplayed in the fourth and couldnt get her off the middle. If that went to a fifth it would have been worrying, so Im really happy to win.

In the mens final, Wales No.1 Makin defeated defending champion ElShorbagy to claim his first British Nationals title since 2021.

ElShorbagy stormed to a 5-0 lead in game one and despite Makin rallying back to 8-10, the two-time champion kept composed and took the first game.

In the second game, both competitors traded points in attritional rallies to a tie-break. ElShorbagy had the first four attempts to convert the game, but Makin dug in and saved four game balls before taking the game on the first time of asking at 15-13.

Reaction from @JoelMakin after claiming his second British Nationals title #BritishNationals pic.twitter.com/T3emi4GINw

England Squash (@englandsquash) August 18, 2024

Makin quickly put pressure on the 33-year-old in the third game as he pulled away on the scoreboard from 3-3 to 11-3, to go a game away from the title.

The former World No.1 began game four with an intensity that Makin struggled to match as he took a quick 8-2 lead. The Welshman lengthened the rallies and battled back to 8-10, but ElShorbagy held on to take the match to a decisive fifth game.

The Englishman looked more fatigued that his Welsh counterpart as the clash continued past 80 minutes, and Makin dominated the fifth game to win the dramatic final and claim the second Nationals title of his career.

It wasnt looking good for the first half hour, said Makin after the match. I had to bite my tongue a bit and dig in. He nullified me and controlled the pace. He was clinical and I had to wait for him to deviate and me to find my spots.

For the past two years hes put on unbelievable performances. Ive taken those losses and come back. It was a massive one to win and Im so happy to get over the line.

It was massive to win the first one, but this is almost a new era now. We have Mohamed and Marwan [ElShorbagy] both in the draw and to come through a week where youve got to beat both of them back-to-back Its something Im very pleased with because these are world-class players and have been for years.

Result Final: 2024 British National Squash Championships
Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt. Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 (48m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt. Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-2: 8-11, 15-13, 11-3, 8-11, 11-2 (85m)