2020 changed the world forever

It was an unprecedented year across the world with the coronavirus pandemic causing misery and chaos, affecting all aspects of life, while causing the death of millions.

At our local level, this meant it was a very stop - start year for the Club as we tried to maintain some sort of normality, working within the Welsh Government regulations and restrictions.

Important in this was our implementation of a set of safety protocols; guided by the Welsh Government and Squash Wales, we had to show our compliance to the regulations that allowed some form of play to continue. Nationally, maintaining activity and exercise had been identified as an important contributor to individual's mental and physical well-being and so we were keen to continue, as long as it was safe to do so.

We understand the on-going concerns about the virus and how this has spiked within the Wrexham area; consequently, some members have not yet returned to play but we do hope to see everyone back at the Club one day in 2021.

The result of all this uncertainty, is that we've lost much of the Club's regular routine - our monthly internal leagues were suspended, the North Wales and North West Counties Squash Leagues seasons were abandoned. Junior coaching and all of the Club and Squash Wales competitions that had been lined up this season, were all postponed.

Club's 2020 AGM reflects the situation

For the first time, our Annual General Meeting, held as a virtual meeting; we had a number of important issues to decide e.g. how we should approach the easing of the current lockdown to open play back at the Club, albeit with protocols in place, and what we should do regarding subscriptions for the new year.

It was new ground for everyone with the meeting taking place using the Zoom platform.

Subs for 2020-21 eventually agreed

The Squash Club Committee approved the 2020-21 membership rates to be effective from 1 October 2020, as follows:

Seniors - £50.00
Family - £70.00
Juniors - £30.00 OR for 2 or more in a family - £40.00.

It was agreed to maintain Light Card fees at £3.00 per 45 minute session

NOTE: For the first time, this year we were able to offer members the convenience of payment by bank transfer:-

Account No: 90674111
Sort Code: 55-81-42
Reference: NAME OF MEMBER (this is most important).

Some highlights from 2020 ...

Hannah was our Fast & Furious Champion

On 5 January we had an excellent day at our 2019 Fast & Furious Challenge which saw finalists, Hannah Davies and Rob Evans battle for victotu over a single game, with Hannah coming through to take it 11-5.

VThere was good supprt for the event, in particular from the juniors who had taken part.

Outrage as vandals attack Club, again

During the evening of 31 January / 1 February, a group of people smashed their way into the Cricket / Squash Club building causing damage and a considerable mess throughout. There was evidence of drugs paraphenalia, alcohol and smoking having taken place; the Police were called and their Scene of Crime officers were in attendance for a couple of hours.

Thanks to Sandra & Mark Davies, Darren Lee and Jim Tunley for their support over the weekend and for taking time to get the place clear again on Sunday morning.

Such mindless acts of vandalism serve to create great frustration, but also a determination that they will never win !

It may help save a life ...

A number of members took part in a Defibrillator Training session at the Squash Club on 26 February.

The session was delivered by a Trainer from Heart Wales.
It is important that as many members as possible are familiar with the defibrillator - you never know, it could help save a life.

Monthly Leagues Suspended

In March, the Club's internal leagues were SUSPENDED until further notice; this due to the increasing concern over COVID-19.

COVID-19 continues to take its toll

On advice from Squash Wales, the 2020 North Wales Masters Open Squash Championships [21-22 March], has had to be POSTPONED.

Given the unprecedented situation we were all facing as a result of Covid-19, Squash Wales also postponed all of their other junior and senior programmes through to the end of April.

Squash Wales advised they would continue to monitor progress of this situation and review the position toward the end of April, when they hoped to provide an update on the way forward.

SQUASH CLUB CLOSES

Following the strong and clear advice from Government, our governing bodies and the Brymbo Sports & Social Complex, on 21 March the decision was made to CLOSE THE SQUASH CLUB WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT AND UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

The coronavirus had created an exceptionally difficult time for many people and the Club's responsibility is for a duty of care in helping to reduce unnecessary social interaction between people.

The Brymbo Sports & Social Complex is also closed.

Something to look forward to ...

As we were not able to play at this unprecedented time, we took it as an opportunity to do some Squash Court maintenance and arranged for CourtCare to come into the Club on the 8-9th April, to tidy up all of the walls on both courts.

We also had some front amd side wall work done under warranty, So, when the Club is eventually opened up again for play, the courts should be like new !

A transformation to help fight COVID-19

In less than two weeks the glass back squash court at the Squash Wales North National Centre, in Bangor, as well as the sports halls at the University, become a ward facility in the Ysbyty Enfys Bangor temporary hospital.

Squash would return one day but it was brilliant that BangorSport and Bangor University supported the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board in the C19 fight.

Big changes at Squash Wales

A Squash Wales Board Communication issued to all stakeholders on 26 February 2020, raised concerns for many players, parents, coaches and Clubs in the North and Mid Wales areas, and highlighted many more questions than it answered.

In particular, it seemed that the potential for progression of our juniors in North and Mid Wales may, in future, be limited as a result of their Staffing Review, which identified the loss of a High Performance Coach.

We had hoped to convene a meeting with Squash Wales and interested parties to discuss the points raised. With the current restrictions due to the pandemic, however, at the Club we agreed to collect and collate all of the points of concern and forward these on to the National Governing Body; this was completed on 31 March and we now await their response.

UPDATE: Squash Wales hosted a series of four webinar sessions, to give members an update on their recent staffing restructure. There were updates from the Squash Wales Chairman and the operational staff on changes being made and how they see these affecting a more positive way forward.
The members involved in the webinar then had the opportunity to ask any questions.
The session covering the North and Mid Wales areas took place on 15 April, between 1.00 and 3.00 pm.

Attached is the full list of Questions and Answers, as supplied by Squash Wales on 21 April.

Webinar - Questions Answered

More vandalism ...

In May, we were sorry to report that the Squash / Cricket Club building has again been subject to vandalism (overnight on 29 / 30 May).

A door at the entrance to the Cricket pavillion was smashed as well as a considerable amount of damage inside; windows were broken in shower area and in the away cricket changing room, where the door was also smashed off its hinges. The Police and their Crime Scene Officers have attended.

How are you keeping active during the lockdown ?

During lockdown, we asked our juniors to let us know what they're up to, as there's no school and no squash; we had some very interesting responses - see our Juniors Page.

We also opened this up to all other members - asking that they share with us their top tips for getting through these unprecedented times.

15 May: Thanks to Hannah Davies who had been keeping fit while encouraging youngsters to do the same at Wrexham's IPC Gym.

From home, Hannah had been taking an on-line Fundamentals fitness class, achieving a consisent number of younger children taking part.
Think you could do it - why not check out this link and join in !

25 March: Making the most of the fantastic weather and walking close to home early on during the lockdown.

17 June: Our Chairman, Mark Davies has been putting in the miles on his bike to keep fit during the lockdown, this despite a big coming off in Erddig (resulting in pride and his hip being hurt).

Squash Circuits at Home

Doing our bit to help members keep active during the lockdown period, on 16 June, the Club's hosted the first "Squash Circuits at Home", an on-line fitness session led by Hannah Davies.

These would continue each Tuesday at 6.00 pm over the following few weeks, then evaluated having regard to advice on the likely re-opening of the Club.

Brymbo S&SC reopens

In line with Welsh Government guidelines, the Brymbo Sports & Social Complex re-opened on Wednesday, 15 July.

From 3 August, the Bar area would be open indoors on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight.
Currently, the opening relates only to the outdoor area, with opening times as follows:-
3.00 until 10.00 pm Wednesday & Thursday
1.00 until 11.00 pm Friday & Saturday
1.00 until 10.00 pm on Sunday.

The Squash Club, however, remains CLOSED.

A return to play in England

Some positive news, from 25 July, Squash Clubs and Centres across England were open for play.

The opening up of play is only possible providing venues have all arrangements in place for a safe return.

This includes some strict restrictions on the ways to play (see below) - these are likely to apply when we return to play in Wales.

Squash Wales issue Return to Play Protocols

On 3 August, Squash Wales issued their Protocol and guidance for the Return to Play and the re-opening of Squash Clubs/Courts.

The document sets out a structure of actions required of Clubs and individuals for a safe return to play, possibly from 10 August.

It also sets out some fairly strict restrictions on the ways that you should play; these are similar, but slightly different, from those previously issued by England Squash.

Club re-opened on 10 August

Following discussions with Squash Wales, via a webinar on 5 August, we advised that the Squash Club would re-open for a Return to Play on 10 August.

Members were advised about the strict guidelines and requirements that we all needed to follow for a safe re-opening

The latest Return to Play Protocols

Squash Wales revised their Return to Play guidance for Squash Clubs from 24 August.

Members were advised that thisA copy of this outlines all of the current regulations that Clubs MUST to adhere to when open for play during COVID retrictions.

COVID-19 Officer at Club

Important in our compliance to Welsh Govt. / Squash Wales regulations for a safe return to play at Clubs and Centres, was to designate the role of COVID-19 Officer and, from 26 August, this has been taken on by Club Secretary, Jim Tunley.

Essentially, the role is to be the central point of contact for Squash Wales and possibly our members who may have revised guidance or any comments / concerns regarding COVID-19 matters at the Club.

In preparation for the role, Jim has been required to complete modules of an online COVID-19 Awareness Course from the Welsh Sports Association.

MOST IMPORTANT: If any member or parent, who has been playing / visiting the Club, subsequently displays any of the three common COVID-19 symptoms, they were requested to notify Jim as soon as possible; this would then alert our Track and Trace record of possible contacts.

We lost a great supporter of the Club

On Saturday, 15 August came the sad news of the sudden passing of Malcolm Williams (also known as Big Mal).

Mal had been both a member and huge supporter of the Club for many years and, on behalf of his Company, Redwither Ltd, he had supported our Teams with shirts and match balls over several seasons.

A private funeral took place on 4 September; our condolences were passed to Mal's family.

Face masks required

With effect from 14 September, the Welsh Government legally required face coverings to be worn in all indoor public places.

This applied to everyone over the age of 11 years at all indoor public areas such as shops, salons, cinemas and leisure centres / clubs.

With immediate effect everyone attending the Club had to wear a face covering, unless they are on court playing.

Squash Club host training sessions for elite players

During the recent lockdown and current restrictions, the Club has been pleased to support the training regime for two of our World ranked, Welsh elite players.

Tesni Evans [WR 9] and her brother Emyr [WR 102] , as elite professional sports players, were given special early access to facilities by the Welsh Government, and we were pleased to oblige.

Wrexham goes into a local lockdown

On 29 September, the Welsh Government announced further local lockdown restrictions across Wales, this time it included Wrexham.

From 6-00 pm on Thursday, 1 October, new restrictions were been placed on residents of Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy; this includes no unnecessary travel outside of the County area; no more extended households; or any gathering indoors with members of any other household.

Squash Wales issued the following to Clubs experiencing local lockdowns, in relation to both play and essential travel, as follows:

* Matches are now only permitted from players in the same household;
* Players cannot play full matches against anyone from their extended household (or others), only modified squash games should be played e.g. Sides;
* For full details on ways to play, please refer to the Squash Wales website.

Virus closes Sports Club Bar

We had to report that due to some Complex Staff testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend of 3 October, the Sports Complex Bar was closed until further notice.

This had a consequence for members in being able to purchase light cards at the Bar, and so we again made arrangements for these to be available at the Squash Club. The arrangement would continue after the Sports Bar re-opens.

UPDATE: The Sports Bar opened again from 12 October.

Club CLOSED for 2 weeks

Following the Welsh Government announcement on 19 October, the Squash Club was closed for all play from Friday 23 October at 6.00 pm until Monday, 9 November.

Closure of both the Squash Club and the Sports Complex was a legal requirement under the Coronavirus Firebreak Lockdown, described as a short, sharp shock across all of Wales, to help regain control of coronavirus.

Keep up fitness during Lockdown !

Over the two weeks of the latest Firebreak lockdown, we Hannah revived her Squash Circuits at Home.

There were two 40 minute sessions, on Tuesday, 27 October and again on Tuesday, 3 November.

Lockdown maintenance at the Club

During the period of the pandemic, and the two lockdowns, we managed some work to help keep the Club in shape. Both courts were refurbished and the changing rooms too.

Members will know that the courts were tidied up, by Courtcare Ltd, during the early stages of the first lockdown and we have now taken the opportunity to refresh both the Ladies and Men's Changing Rooms (November).

While both the changing areas and showers remain out of use, due to the Coronavirus restrictions, they are ready now for when these are eased.

Club is open again !

The Welsh Government confirmed that, the Firebreak Lockdown would end on 9 November and, as a result, the Squash Club was re-opened again for play.

Good news for us in getting back onto court, however, members had to note that Welsh Government restrictions continued to apply, with all of the Club's COVID-19 protocols remaining in place.

December restrictions announced, but the Club remains open

On 1 December, new restrictions were announced by the Welsh Government for the period until review on 17 December; these were designed to strengthen regulations in response to an increase in coronavirus cases in Wales.

The greatest impact will apply to the hospitality businesses. From Friday, 4 December, all pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes had to close by 6 p.m. and would not be allowed to serve alcohol in the premises; this included the Brymbo Sports Club.

A big positive, however, is that gyms, non-essential retail and close-contact services would remain open; acknowledging the positive impact on mental health and well-being by allowing people to exercise.

While the Squash Club remains open members were reminded that Welsh Government restrictions continue to apply, with all of the Club's COVID-19 protocols remaining in place.

Squash Wales visit to Club

We had a visit by officers from our National Governing Body, Squash Wales, on 7 December, partly to introduce Sioned Williams, the newly appointed North Wales Regional Development Officer, with Roy Gingell, SW Operations Manager and Dave Evans, SW Performance Director.

Discussion ranged matters to do with strengthening the partnership and looking at how we may increase junior and adult participation when the current restrictions are eased.

16 DECEMBER - LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCED

Mark Drakeford, Wales First Minister, announced new tougher Coronavirus Christmas rules, on the day when 11,000 new positive cases were recorded.

Originally due to start on Christmas Eve, this was changed to midnight on 19 December, when the new restrictions would mean:

* All non-essential shops cannot reopen after that time, meaning there will be no Boxing Day sales;
* Gyms, Leisure centres, hairdressers and other close-contact services must also shut at the end of the working day on December 24;
* Christmas bubbles should now only include two families;
* Full lockdown will start in Wales on December 28;
* The new restrictions apply to the whole of Wales and will be reviewed after three weeks.

From 19 December, this included the Squash Club, which will be closed for all play until further notice.

Keep active, stay connected during lockdown

To help members through Christmas and into the New Year lockdown period, Hannah Davies agreed to deliver three 40 minute Squash Circuits at Home, via zoom starting on 22 December (at 6.00 pm), continuing over the following two Tuesdays.

Due to popular demand, the members who've been taking part have requested that sessions continue during the lockdown period in January - feel free to join using the information that will be circulated. Keep active and stay connected !

New Year, new lockdown

As we started 2021, we received grim news that all four home nations will be in lockdown from 5 January.

We understand that the situation in Wales is due to be reviewed towards the end of January; the reality, however, is that all indoor sports are unlikley to be allowed to return before February, at the earliest.

We send best wishes to all members and guests of the Squash Club, with a plea to keep active and stay healthy.
Let's get through this.

Our Teams in 2020 ...

2019 - 2020 Season

INTERIM END OF SEASON TEAM REPORT
- May 2020

* All team squash was suspended from 17th March 2020
* 1st Team on Thursday were poised to win the 2nd Division
* 2nd Team were poised to win the 3rd Division with 100% record
* 3rd Team were likely to finish in the top 4 of the 3rd Division.
* North West Counties set a deadline of 14th December by which time all the outstanding matches must be played.

* 1st Team on Tuesday were likely to finish in the top three in 1st Division
* 2nd Team likely to stay in the 2nd Division.
* 3rd Team should have gained promotion to the 2nd Division.
* 4th Team would remain in 3rd Division.
* Well done to Josh Davies promoted to 1st Team in NWCSL.
* Also, to Will Silvester promoted to No.1 position in the 3rd Team.
* It's been great this season to see the following juniors flourishing in the Tuesday's North Wales Leagues:
David Thomas, Max Kaye, Cameron Dennis, Jamie Silvester, Kieran Sievers, Tom Willis & Ethan Willis (age 11).
* A huge thank you to all the players for turning out to represent the Club each week.

BREAKING NEWS - 21 April 2020: COVID-19 Update from the NWCSL on a strategy to be adopted in moving the League forward once the lockdown has been lifted and clubs are open to play squash once again.
It is their intention to recommence the 19/20 season once the Government, together with England Squash, have each advised that it is safe and acceptable to do so. They will, however, introduce a cut- off date of the 14th December to have the season completed.
If and when it becomes clear that the season cannot be completed by this date, NWCSL will have to reconsider the position and decide if the 2019/20 season is abandoned.
In addition, if this season is not completed before 14 December, the League might also have to be reduced to one round of matches for 2020-2021 [this because if both home and away matches were played, it would take the next season into July].
They continue to keep the situation under review.

14 March 2020:-
Due to the threat from the Covid-19 virus, Squash Wales announced that, with immediate effect, ALL League programme activity is suspended and subject to a review at the end of April.

On 16 March it was announced that all matches in the North West Counties Leagues are also affected.

It was a sad end to the season; we hoped everyone would stay safe and well.

BREAKING NEWS - 7 July 2020: North Wales Leagues were cancelled.

The following statement was been made by the Committee of the North Wales Leagues - "In view of the current restriction and looking forward, the Committee has decided that the current league is abandoned with results being null and void. There will be no promotions or relegation.
Since there is no clear idea as to when we can start a new season, it is intended to have two divisions only.
We will play one game home and away [not in two halves] running through Christmas into the New Year. This makes a start date flexible; we will try and find some weeks for the Cup."

LATEST NEWS - 7 September 2020: The Wales Leagues Panel issued a statement in that given the current complexities, unknowns and challenges the pandemic has created and, as more time passes since the scheduled end of the 2019-20 Season, they consider the less viable and relevant the completion of the Welsh League fixtures becomes.

For this reason and to bring closure to Welsh clubs and members, it has been decided that the 2019-20 Season will be declared null and void and no promotion, relegation or otherwise will be applied.

LATEST NEWS - 23 September 2020: The NWCSL Committee at their AGM agreed that they would have to abandon the 2019/20 season.

Final League positions for Teams will be determined by looking at the uncompleted league fixtures and replicating results of the corresponding fixture from the first half of the season. This could be good news for our Teams as they were competing for promotion!

Our Juniors in 2020 ...

January 2020

North Wales League start for Tom & Kieran

Congratulations to Tom Willis and Kieran Sievers on their debuts in the North Wales League, playing at Deeside in our Fourth Team.
Tom won his match but Kieran was slightly out-played in his match.

Tom & Ethan at Welsh National Squad

Well done to Tom & Ethan Willis on their invitation to attend the Under 11 and Under 13 Welsh National Squads weekend (25-26 January) in Cardiff.

February 2020

Juniors League

On 29 February we hosted a North - Mid Juniors League at the Club, with teams from Newtown, Llanfyllin, Moreton Hall and Wrexham taking part.

This provides great competition between juniors from these Clubs / Centres; and is invaluable to their on-going development.

It's Wimbledon for Josh !

We wished best of luck to Josh Davies as he played in the Surrey Gold Junior Open at the Wimbledon SRC and four other venues across Surrey (21-23 February).

Josh competed in the strong Boys Under 17 event, alongside fellow Wales player Dan Lewis from Llanfyllin.

Back from Half Term ...

We hope that everyone has had a good break, but now looking forward to our next series of Junior Coaching from Monday, 24 February through to the Easter Holidays.

Josh, Will, Tom and Ethan at the 2020 Welsh Junior Closed

Four of our juniors took part in the 2020 Welsh Junior Closed Championships in Cardiff over the weekend 31 January to 2 February.

Will Silvester and Josh Davies played in a high quality Boys Under 17 Group, with Josh finishing the weekend in Third Place and Will in Fifth Place.

Tom Willis finished in Eighth Place in the Boys Under 13s, while brother Ethan took Third Place in the Boys Under 11 event - well done to you all on a good weekend.

March 2020

Juniors Coaching SUSPENDED

With regret, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, our Junior Coaching Programme at the Squash Club had to be suspended.

Across the UK, all schools would close indefinately from Friday, 20 March and so, in the context of this unprecedented and rapidly changing situation, the Squash Club had to make this call with immediate effect.

League is cancelled

The North - Mid Wales Junior League that was scheduled for 7 March had to be cancelled, due to player non-availability and a clash with another event taking place in Bangor.

The next League, which had been scheduled for 18 April, would not take place.

Our boys do well in Newcastle

Congratulations to Will and Jamie Silvester who played in the Dunlop Northern Junior Open in Newcastle over the weekend 29 Feb / 1 March.

Will was Runner-up in Boys Under 17 event, while Jamie finished Runner-up in the Boys Under 15 event - a great weekend and you can see the boys in action on YouTube by searching: "dunlop northern junior open squash"

April / May / June / July 2020

A New Player Pathway from Squash Wales

A New Player Pathway was launched by Squash Wales on 29 May.

This is designed to identify players, and in particular Junior players, through their developmental stages to ensure that appropriate opportunities are provided for the maximum potential of their performance goals e.g. through National Squads.

To view a copy of the New Pathway, click on the following link.

What are you up to during the lockdown ?

All of our Juniors have been invited to share how they are getting through the lockdown, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with their stories and photos of work, rest and play while the schools are closed and we're all forced to stay at home.

We are hoping for some interesting responses and these will be shared over the coming weeks and months.

10 MAY: Keeping active through jogging and on his new bike, Kieran Sievers has been putting in the work and mileage to keep fit during the lockdown.

9 MAY: Brothers Will & Jamie Silvester remain very competitive with each other and it's very much the case as they keep active during an improvised table tennis match at home.

28 APRIL: The stats don't lie for Henry Scarsbrook who was definately up for the challenge, using his Strava app, a social-fitness network, tracking his cycling and running exercises (using GPS data) during April.

15 APRIL: Another impressive show as Tom and Ethan Willis are up for the challenge.

Well, we wanted to know what everyone was up to but this will take some beating; what a great effort this is - huge congratulations to Tom and Ethan who have taken the Squash Club into their garden !

10 APRIL: The first respones to our request were from Josh and Lewis Davies.
No barber, not a problem with Josh doing a close shave job on Lewis ...

Now this is impressive; check out the video and could anyone else match this excellent challenge from Josh ?.

With helmet on, Lewis is going for it downhill in the local woods.

In the garden but stll competitive.

These responses are great, just what we were after!

August 2020

Good luck with exam results

We wished the very best of luck to all juniors who were due to get their examination results on 13 August and the following week.

It's been a difficult time at best, but further complicated this year; fingers are crossed !

Squash Club re-opens

Following advice from Squash Wales, taking on board their guidance and regulations, the Squash Club re-opened on 10 August.

Until further notice, our junior coaching programme remains suspended but, as this is an evolving situation, we hoped to be able to sort something out soon!

Meanwhile, members may use the Club but strictly for modified squash or routines only.

September 2020

Coaching still on hold !

We had hoped to get some form of play organised for those juniors who may not yet have been able to get back on court; however, this has had to be delayed until such time that we can arrange this safely and within the Welsh Government guidelines.

We would contact everyone directly when the situation changes. Meanwhile, stay active, safe and well.

October 2020

Firebreak lockdown changes everything !

From at least 23 October until 9 November, the Welsh Government's lockdown regulations will supersede all previous rules and guidance; they affect the whole of Wales and, in particular, the ability of our young people to participate in organised sport.

The Firebreak lockdown requires all Clubs and Centres to remain closed during this period, or until any new regulations offer some relaxation.

We hope to bring you better news in November, with a re-opening of the Club and everyone getting back to play - meanwhile, keep active and stay safe.

Juniors may now cross County borders

On 16 October, Squash Wales finally confirmed the good news (previously announced by the Welsh Government on 9 October), on a relaxation of rules to allow Juniors to travel across County borders for Organised Sports Training Sessions.

This change will affect several of our junior players, who should now be able to attend training sessions organised by Squash Wales and the Club; it's an important change that allows continuity for juniors development.

Sibling rivalry on World Squash Day 2020

Although we were unable to organise any formal events, two of our juniors managed to celebrate World Squash Day 2020.

It was good to see brothers Tom and Ethan Willis on court and competitive together !

Reward for their ongoing development

Congratulations to those juniors from the Club who had been invited by Squash Wales to attend this winter's National and Regional Squad Training Sessions.

The invitations are a mark of their ongoing development and potential - well done to the following:
Josh Davies, Will Silvester, Jamie Silvester Kieran Sievers, Tom Willis and Ethan Willis.

November 2020

Juniors Coaching programme starts again

While we continue to operate within strict Welsh Government guidelines, current restrictions do allow us to continue with organised coaching sessions at the Squash Club and so we're pleased to announce that our Juniors Coaching Programme, for the first time since March, will start again on 23 November.

Working with smaller numbers this is possible and, most important, it will get our juniors back into activity, participating in sport and on court and hitting that ball again.

The Monday evening coaching sessions will run for 4 weeks leading to the Christmas break, from Monday, 23 November until 14 December.

Back after lockdown ...

Three of our juniors [Henry, Cameron and David] went back on court on 13 November; it was their first real opportunity to be part of an organised session for months.
It was good to see you back at the Club again boys.

Club to re-open on 9 November

The Welsh Government's lockdown regulations will end next week and the Club is set to re-open on Monday, 9 November.

We hope that as many juniors as possible will soon get back onto court, either as part of an organised activity or individually with parents / coach. We hope to see you soon !

December 2020

Final session of 2020

After a very difficult year for so many people around the world, 2020 is drawing to a conclusion but with the desparate news that 2021 will begin with another lockdown.

It's been a stop / start year for the Juniors Coaching Programme and, on 14 December we held our final session.

It's been particularly good to see some new youngsters joining the programme and we recently welcomed Miles, Lukas, Dylan and Daisy, joining Kian and Lainey in our beginners group.

We hope to see everyone back sometime in the New Year, when the lockdown restrictions are eased, meanwhile, from Jim and Mark, keep active, have a Happy Christmas and Safe New Year.

Squash Wales Regional Training at Club

On 4 December, the Club hosted the first of this season's Squash Wales Regional Squad Training Night.

Players were invited to attend and, on the night, we had eight from eleven who were able to take part.
Directed by Coach, Mike Harris, the juniors were encouraged into early racket preparation and, through a series of exercises, hitting the ball consistently to target.
The photos below show some of the juniors who took part.

Safeguarding ...

Child Safety & Equity

The Squash Club fully supports and welcomes the work of its National Governing Body, Wales Squash & Racketball in the area of child safety and, as such, members and parents may be interested to see the WSRB Safeguarding Policy & Procedures in Squash document.

"Child Safety - Our Priority"

Eye Protection - our Policy

At the start of another season and a new Junior Coaching Programme, it is important for everyone to understand the Club's approach to Eye Protection - a policy which is also adopted by Wales Squash & Racketball (WSRB).

To view our policy click on the link below.

Eye Protection - the Policy

Calling all potential coaches . . .

Do you have what it takes to become a qualified squash coach - if so, your Club needs you!

If any Club member has an interest in committing to become a qualified coach, the Squash Club may be able to assist with necessary fees and mentoring.
Please contact either Mark Davies or Jim Tunley to learn more.