SQUASH SECTION NEWS LETTER AUGUST 2010

Squash Court Booking

A revolution is a foot, at least by Sheen standards! Your squash committee, after much agonising debate has agreed to a change in the court booking system, initially on a four month trail starting the 1st of September. The new system is designed to make it easier to book courts by avoiding the need to visit the club in person.

The new system will involve:

(1) Telephone bookings; accepted by the club office between 9-00 and 12 noon Monday to Friday (ring 020 8878 7650) or the bar during opening hours (ring 020 8876 4756) The bar opening hours are (Monday to Friday 7-15pm to 10-00pm and Saturday and Sunday 12-00 to 14-00).

(2) No court booking fee required. Booking sheets will continue to be used as now but there will be no need to book with a stamp;

(3) The light meter rate will be adjusted to compensate so that a 45 minute court slot will require £5.

(4) The facility to cancel bookings by telephoning the office or the bar.

You will still be able to book courts when at the club since the booking sheets will continue to be hanging in the squash court lobby except during the periods when either the office or bar are receiving bookings. It will still be possible to book courts when in the bar.

The possibility that members, freed from the need to purchase court booking stamps, may abuse the system by booking and then not using courts, will be monitored during the trail period.

Squash Subscriptions.

After maintaining last year’s subscriptions at the previous year’s rate, the squash committee has agreed a small increase this year which approximately matches the current annual retail price index. This matches the tennis subscription increase which came into effect earlier in the year. The new subscriptions are:

These rates still represent excellent value money and are even better value if you are also a tennis member or if other members of your family are members of the club

Squash Blitz

This is a squash team tournament organised by the sports department of the Isle of Man government. It’s scheduled to take place between the 1st and 3rd April 2011. We contemplated entering in 2010 but left our entry too late. If you would like to participate in this, please contact Mark Cullington who is leading or any committee member. For further details see www.IOMsportschallenge.com

Court Maintenance

The courts are scheduled to have their annual maintenance later this week with the contractor promising to be finished before the August Bank holiday week end. This year the side walls will be cleaned complimenting last year’s floor sanding and re-marking. I’m sure you will agree that any minor inconvenience caused is worth the gain; our courts compare favourably with those of other clubs and frequentoy receive complements

Competitions

As for last year, the combination of school and bank holidays meant that the optimum date for holding the annual squash championships was mid May with Finals’ Night on the 21st. A variation this year was to hold finals on a Friday which, contrary to some died in the wool committee members, proved to be a great success with record numbers turning up to watch and enjoy Phil Crowther’s cooking in the bar afterwards.

As always, I would like to play tribute to Roger Jones for so efficiently running the tournament.

The results were:

Squash Captaincy

Our Captain, Paul Wright and his deputy, Oliver Jones, I am pleased to report have agreed to continue in the forthcoming season. Their efforts in gathering a team and coping with team members dropping out at short notice should not be under estimated

Matches.

To play in the team you don’t need to be one of the club’s top players. Our fixture list is drawn up by Brian Thomlinson. We play friendly games where the respective skippers try to match the team selection to ensure even games. If you would like to play in the team please let Paul Wright ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or any committee member know.

Communications

The club web site http://www.sheentennisquash.co.uk/ is now fully operational and is unrecognisable from its previous incarnation. For this we must thank Wally Howe, a tennis member who has put in a great deal of work.

Willie Boon

A visit from Willie Boon is now an established feature in the Sheen Squash calendar. Willie, an ex racquets world champion and no mean squash player, delights in putting us all to the metaphorical sword. This involves taking on around 15 of Sheen’s finest and by dint of his skill and superior fitness running us ragged around the court so that we feel grateful if we manage more than a few points each. Willie visited us in late January and after the on court thrashings, continued to entertain us in the bar with his rendition of Hilaire Beloc’s “ The boy who threw stones”.

Leagues.

I am please to report that Mark Brody has agreed to continue as the league organiser for another year. This is a rather thankless job but one that is a vital component of the club. I am sure you will all wish to join me in thanking Mark for the very efficient way he runs the leagues.

Membership

I frequently get asked about our membership numbers. As you can see, there’s plenty of room to accommodate more so do encourage anyone you know who may be considering playing squash to join.

Racquet Stringing

If your racquet is in need of a re-string, then a very efficient and reasonably priced service is provided by Tony Scarlett. Just leave your racquet with your name and instructions behind the bar.

Regular Activities.

Saturday morning round robins take place every Saturday between 11am and 1pm. These are a great opportunity if you’re new to the club to meet other members. All standards are welcome. A charge of £3 is made to cover lights fees.

Keep fit

Sessions take place every Tuesday evening at 7.45pm on Court 1. The regulars are keen to have new recruits join them and also in the bar afterwards.

Ladies squash

This takes place early on Friday evenings under the guidance of Jan Absolon. For more details ring Jan on 020 8878 8008 or Robin Jones 020 8878 2991.

Refereeing and Marking

The Roehampton Club is hosting a Marking and Refereeing course on Monday 13th September at 7pm, tutored by Mark Dilloway. The course is being organized in partnership with England Squash & Racketball, If you’re interested, contact Paul Lindsay, Head Squash Professional at Roehampton Club on 0208 480 4200 or Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Committee.

I have already mentioned several of the committee by name but I would like to thank them all for the support and contributions they make. The increased responsibilities of being a father necessitated the resignation of James Jorgenssen. Thank you James for your contribution and we look forward to you re-joining us in the future.

As always many thanks are due to Christine Beynon and Tony Scarlett, respectively the club’s manager and deputy managers, who between them ensure that the day to day functions of the club continue.

Wishing you all an enjoyable squash season.

Nick Fenton Squash Section Chairman