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Evesham Rowing Club Squash Section Report
for the year to 30 September 2001
England Squash We were delighted to learn before Christmas that Evesham Rowing Club was the first club in the country to fulfill the requirements of the new England Squash Club Charter Scheme, with the award of Bronze Accreditation. This establishes us as having met the high standards of organisation, management, sportsmanship and development of Squash set by the former SRA, and we are extremely proud of this unique achievement.
Membership
After an upsurge in activity last year, membership has leveled off, with about 120 members now using the courts, and there has been a slight reduction in court usage. With a high proportion of veteran players in the Club, it is inevitable that a number will retire each year due to age or injury. Last year we lost Alan Purnell, and this year Mike Palmer and George Oxley have retired, while Tony Arthur, Pat Walsh, Chris Thompson, Russell Harrison and Steve Dyke are all struggling to recover from injury.
For this reason it is so important that the new Junior coaching scheme, which Errol launched in September, is successful in introducing new young members and their parents to our sport. We are hoping to build this up to a maximum manageable level of at least 30. It is now a regular Saturday morning feature, with some 20 young people quickly developing skills of ball control and sportsmanship, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
At the beginning of the season we reintroduced Club Night on Thursday evenings, open to Club members of all sections, and potential new members. This has proved popular with players of all standards, and it has been particularly encouraging that team players have been willing to join in and share their experience with beginners. It has been invaluable in helping new members to find their level, and to meet players of a similar standard, in further integrating ladies, men, and veterans, and in generally raising the overall standard of play. Playing standards have also benefited from the coaching facility now offered by our vice captain Errol Ferris. In addition to regular sessions for the Ladies' squad, and the new Junior coaching, his services are available to all members wishing to improve their game.
After many years as both Club Captain and 2nd Team Captain, Clive Simons has retired from Team Squash, but hopes to continue to play for the time being, and is remaining as Worcestershire League Secretary. Clive has given a great deal of effort and commitment both to the Club and the County, and we are very much indebted to him.
We were sorry to lose our Ladies Captain, Louise Nuttall, who has returned to Wales. We hope to see her from time to time, and offer her our thanks for her contribution to the renaissance of the Ladies Team. She and her family have our very best wishes for the future.
During the year, George Oxley's outstanding services to the Club and the Squash section over the past 25 years were recognised by his appointment as a Vice President. Remarkably, he is the first Squash member to be accorded this honour since the Section was formed in 1972.
Facilities
Regrettably, the lottery application has still not been submitted, and, in spite of recent excellent work by Johnny Johnson and John Rose, the changing rooms and toilets remain below standards in comparable clubs. It would seem unlikely that there will be any significant improvements for at least another year, depending on how (and whether) the lottery application progresses. Meanwhile the general fabric of the Club and its car park continue to deteriorate, in spite of the best efforts of a few hard working members to "make do and mend", and it seems that these too must wait for the lottery. Members had the opportunity to express their views on these matters at a special EGM in April.
The courts have had a great deal of hard wear this year, and light fittings and out of court markers have had to be repaired. We are grateful again to the evergreen Johnny Johnson, and John Rose for completing this work . We have become very concerned at the condition of the floors, which have been checked by both the installers and the makers. We are at present awaiting receipt of a report by the latter which is likely to recommend that they be at least partially relaid. The movement has been attributed to excess moisture, but we have been unable to confirm this conclusively, and are seeking independent advice. The lack of heating in court 3 continues to worry us, and we are hoping to find a way of fixing this. We have also been disturbed at delays in the operation of the general heating system, which has resulted in cold courts, increasing the risk of injury, but hope that this problem has now been overcome.
We were delighted to support Errol and Karen's plans to open a Club shop, which has significantly enhanced our facilities, with an excellent range of clothing and equipment for all racket sports. We wish them well in this venture, as a result of which we now have Club strips for all our teams. We much appreciate STB's sponsorship of the Ladies and other Club teams.
Squash players were extremely worried to discover that the Club development plan in support of the Lottery application incorporated a lift into the main Viewing Gallery, and a passageway through it for disabled persons. This would have seriously reduced the facilities of the Section, and representations were made for the relocation of the proposed lift. After much debate this was agreed.
Competitions
During the year, we ran 8 individual knock out competitions, introducing a Racketball Championship for the first time, and including, after an interval of several years, the Restricted Competition for non team players. Winners and finalists were:
| Competition | Winner | Runner Up |
| Club Open Championship | Glenn Danks | Brett Green |
| Ladies' Championship | Lorna Robinson | Louise Nuttall |
| Open Handicap Competition | Ian Smith | Neil Healey |
| Restricted Competition | Ben Salcedo | Granthan Speake |
| Racketball Championship | Errol Ferris | David Potter |
| Club Open Plate | Neil Healey | Steve Porter |
| Handicap Plate | Richard Chinn | Wayne Hooper |
| Racketball Plate | Brian Ireland | Karen Ferris |
Open and Ladies' Ladders operated throughout the year, and ladder leagues during the season. It was disappointing that many of the matches were not played. We are still trying to find a formula for internal competition whch players of all levels can support wholeheartedly. Once again, many thanks are due to our indefatigable Secretary, Paul Heneghan for organising the various competitions and keeping us all up to date with progress on the Squash Section website at http://www.eveshamsquash.co.uk. Thanks also to all who helped as markers and to those who contributed refreshments for our post-match sessions.
Teams
The Section again ran 7 regular winter teams, the Club teams competing in the Worcestershire League, and the Veterans in the Gloucestershire Veterans Squash League. Also, a team participated in the Worcestershire Summer League. The Veterans A Team topped their league, and retained the League Team KO Shield. The Ladies Team had a tough first season in the top division, but played well enough to retain their status, and are now becoming a force to be reckoned with in the County. Rankings and team squads for the new season have recently been announced. Brett Green again captains the Mens' 1st team, Martin Kiff the 2nd team and Pete Scully the 3rd team; Lorna Robinson has taken over the captaincy of the Ladies following Louise's departure. The three veterans teams are now led by Rob Fitzmaurice, Jonathan Bomford and Brian Ireland.
Social
Once again the Section ran the barbecue at the Club Regatta, raising over £1,000 for Club funds; the Club was open for the Evesham River Festival, and we ran a barbecue for members and the public. Brett organised a most enjoyable balti night last December, and this was repeated recently. We are planning to introduce a Squash Disco Supper in the spring to coincide with the Club championship finals.
Thanks
Finally, it gives me great pleasure to thank our Honorary Secretary Paul Heneghan and Vice Captain Errol Ferris for their untiring efforts on behalf of the Squash Section and the Club. Thanks are also due to the team captains, to Steve Porter for organising the bookings book, and to Karen Ferris and Neil Thorneywork for their valuable contribution to the development of the Juniors. We are so fortunate to have people with such a high level of dedication to our sport, who are prepared to give up their time for the benefit of us all.
Brian Ireland
Squash Captain
22 January 2002