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Squash Section Report to the Executive Committee
1st November 2001
The Handicap competition resulted in a good win for Pete Scully over Jimmy Harrison by three games to one. In the Plate, David Preedy overcame the holder, Richard Chinn to win by three games to two. The closeness of the games throughout the competition testified to the accuracy of the handicapping, and we are grateful to Paul Heneghan for another excellent event, which was followed by nibbles in the bar, and the Section AGM. Brian Ireland, Errol Ferris and Paul Heneghan were re elected as Captain, Vice Captain and Honorary Secretary respectively, and, in addition, the following were elected to the Squash Committee: Lorna Robinson (Ladies Captain), Karen Ferris (Ladies Team Secretary), Tony Arthur (Fixtures Secretary), Brett Green, Martin Kiff, Pete Scully (Men's' Team Captains), and Steve Porter.
We are indebted to Steve Porter for carrying out a temporary repair to the floor of Court 2, making it safe for play, and to Johnny Johnson and John Rose for fixing the light in Court 1. Richard Chinn managed to put it out almost immediately, with a loose shot in the Plate final, but it has now recovered!
I had a meeting with Watson-Brook, the company which originally installed the flooring, to discuss its permanent repair, and was very surprised to be told that all three courts had expanded due to excessive moisture, and had become detached from the underlying battens, necessitating being relaid, at a quoted cost of £1,550 per court !!! Close examination of the courts showed that the floors were tight against the edges, with very slight undulation at the front. No players had noticed, or were concerned about this prior to the meeting. I later contacted England Squash for advice, and have had conversations with Eric Cruttenden, their full time Facilities and Medical Adviser, and Bill Pevy, their approved architect, who advised the Club when the courts were rebuilt. He suggested that we should try to find the source of the excess moisture, with a view to taking corrective action before undertaking any work on the courts. He also recommended that we remove the side boards, one court at a time, trim them to the recommended width, and replace them. This would also enable us to examine the underlying damp course, and could allow any excess moisture below the floors to disperse. We have asked one of our members Wayne Hooper, a carpenter by trade, to do this work for us on a commercial basis, and hope that it will either solve the problem, or at least prevent it from getting worse, and would hope to avoid having to incur costs of the level quoted. In addition, we are asking players to close the court doors after use, and keep the gallery access closed. This will keep the internal heating within the enclosed area of the squash courts, and not dissipated. Bill Pevy indicated that, in view of the time that has elapsed since the courts were rebuilt, it is very unlikely that the problem can be blamed on the contractor.
Until we know the cause of the problem, we cannot be certain that further costs can be avoided. If we are unable to identify the source of the dampness, we may need to engage Mr. Pevy on a professional basis to assist us in doing this. It will also be necessary for court 2 to be permanently repaired, probably with a partial relay. We shall be obtaining alternative quotations for this work.
England Squash have recently announced a new basis for the collection of Club Affiliation and Membership fees, effective from 1 July 2004, but with optional transitional arrangements available immediately. The Chairman has full details of the proposals, and copies may be obtained from him. From 2004, the present Club Affiliation Fee of £115 per court will be reduced to £40 if paid by direct debit, and there will be new Individual Membership fees of £6 for seniors (over 18) and £4 for juniors. In the past year, about 120 Club members have used the courts. The Club would be required to submit basic details of all Squash playing members, who would become direct members of England Squash, entitled to receive on court personal accident insurance, and a range of discounts and other benefits. The new scheme has been developed in response to requirements of Sport England, which controls funding grants to England Squash, and is heavily influential in the allocation of Lottery funding. It is possible that the LTA and ARA may also be encouraged to introduce similar affiliation structures in the near future.
The implications for the Club membership fee structure are considerable, and raise a number of major questions. Should the new individual membership fees be borne by the Club, passed on to members as a subscription supplement, or be absorbed from the surplus on light fees? How do we determine which Association(s) Full members playing more than one sport should be affiliated to? How do we adapt subscriptions to deal with Family members? How do we deal with Life members, who pay no annual subscription, at least 8 of whom play squash regularly? How will we be able to retain individual Section memberships at a standard level, if differing Affiliation/Membership fees are payable? I have not yet had an opportunity of discussing these proposals with the Squash Committee, but will be doing so shortly. I do feel however, that we should examine affiliation fees of all sections, and any proposed changes in membership fees at Executive Committee level, as the implications are likely to be significant and far reaching, and precedents set by one section are likely to affect others in the future.
We have now received the England Squash Club Charter Bronze Accreditation application pack, and are in the process of completing this. It attaches a high level of importance to child protection, codes of conduct, accident procedures and risk analysis, and procedures are being drawn up to comply with the indicated requirements. These are considerably more demanding than the Playing programme!
We are hoping to repeat last year's Christmas Balti, and are planning to organise a social event around Valentine's day. Watch the noticeboard for further information.
Brian Ireland
Squash Captain
1 November 2001