Still progressing the Club in 2016

We are now into our nineth year and attracting new members; the website remains important for people seeking to play locally. With our on-line booking system, these are a big influences in us helping us recruit new members. In July this year our third court plans were approved by Wrexham Council as the Planning Authority; we now need to undertake a good deal of preparatory work to get the plans in a position for us to send out to builders for tender.

The monthly leagues continue to grow and are generally well supported and our Teams continued their achievements throughout the 2015-16 season.

Club's 2016 AGM

The Club held its 2016 AGM on Wednesday, 18 May in the Sports Club, but with a disappointing attendance.

Matters discussed included our subscriptions and light card fee rates for the next twelve months, as well as the Third Court progress and the election of a Squash Club Committee.

Highlights included the decision NOT to increase the light card rate but that our annual subscription rates should be increased by £10 - a full note of the meeting is available below.

At the meeting, Officers for 2016-17 were agreed as follows:

Chairman - Mark Davies;
Secretary - Jim Tunley
Treasurer - Kevin Jones
Assistant Treasurer - Mannon Goddard
Ordinary Members - Geraint Jones, Thomas Koscinski, Darren Lee & Abbie Barkley.

Some highlights from 2016 ...

A Fast & Furious success !

It was possibly our best yet (very late) Christmas Tournament, the 2015 Fast & Furious Tournament held over the weekend 8 / 9 January.

Hannah and Mark Davies provided their usual expertise to ensure its success.

Most pleasing this year was the entry spread from all ages and abilities; it was great to see some of the very youngest members taking part and helping to make it such a fun event.

Winner of the main event, for the third time, was our 2015 Club Champion, Jonathan Davies, with Runner-up, Darren Lee.

Jack & Hannah play well at Nationals

At the 2016 Welsh National Championships in Cardiff (22 / 24 January) two members performed superbly to achieve semi-final places in their respective events.

In the Men's D event, Jack Hayes lost 12/10 13/11 11/8 to the Runner-up, Lewis Poole

In the Ladies A event, Hannah Davies lost 11/6 11/2 11/1 to the eventual Champion, Tesni Evans. Hannah also went on to play Elin Harlow in a tough Third / Fourth play-off losing out 13/11 11/9 4/11 8/11 11/8 - superb results for both.

Glyndwr students try squash

Again this year, on 4 February, we were pleased to host First Year Sports Science students from Glyndwr University who came up to the Club to try squash as part of their Sports Practice Module. There is always the hope, of course, that some of this crop of students may wish to take up the game and even help out the Club with its Schools Squash programme !

Old Masters !

Four Club members were at Swansea in the 2016 Bourse Welsh Masters Open Championships over the weekend 6 / 7 February.

A good weekend was had by all, with the following results:-
Darren Lee ((lost in Q. Final) [Mens Over 40]
Jonathan Davies (lost in S. Final) [Mens Over 40]
Neil Rawlings (Runner-up) [Mens Over 45]
Mark Davies (lost in S. Final) [Mens Over 55].

2016 National Championships

On 10 February, Club member Hannah Davies played in the qualifying rounds of the 2016 National Championships at Manchester.

Hannah beat her first opponent, Chloe Marshall (England), by 3-0 but then had a tough final qualifying match against Chester's Rachel Chadwick (England); but went down in a hard fought match by 3-0.
Rachel went through to play the number 8 seed, Sarah Campion (England).

Congratulations to Laura Massaro and Nick Matthew on their victories, their third and eighth National titles respectively.

Huge congratulations also to Tesni Evans (seeded 7) on achieving a Semi Final place, only to lose out to the eventual Champion.

A New Squash Club for North Wales

In February, we welcomed the formation of Prestatyn Squash Club, based at Prestatyn High School.

To celebrate the new Club and the re-opening of the second squash court, a formal opening evening was held with an opportunity for club players to get on court with two world ranked players, Tesni and Emyr Evans.

A super evening was had by all and our best wishes and all success to the new Club.

Golden Oldies at the Masters !

The inauguaral 2016 North Wales Masters Open Tournament was held at Deeside LC on 5-6 March but despite a disappointing response from players across North Wales, seven members from the Club took part:-

Jonathan Davies, Darren Lee, Neil Rawlings, Geraint Jones, Mark Davies, John Williams and Jim Tunley.

Our Club members performed with some success, playing excellent squash against quality players from as far away as South Wales, as follows:-
Neil Rawlings - made Final of O45;
Jim Tunley - O65 Winner:
Mark Davies - O55 Winner;
Darren Lee - O35/40 Plate R'up
Jonathan Davies - O35/40 Winner.

Third Court update ...

We met with representatives of the Brymbo Sports & Social Complex Directors on 16 March, to progress the Club's ambition for a Third Squash Court. There was still much work to be done but we were hoping soon to be in a position where we may proceed with a bid to Wrexham Council for Planning consent.

Click on the link below to see how the plans are shaping up.

They represented Wales ...

We were proud that three Club members were to be involved in the 2016 Masters Home Internationals to be held in Nottingham between 6-8 May.

Congratulations went to:-
Jonathan Davies in the Over 40 Team;
Neil Rawlings in the Over 45 Team; and
Mark Davies who will Captain the Over 55 Team.

Defibrillator on site

From April this year, the Brymbo Sports & Social Complex had an accessible Automated External Defibrillation (AED) device, located in the glass washing area of the Sports Club.

On 7 April, two members from the Squash Club, Hannah Davies and Jim Tunley, took part in a training event launching the device, along with members of the Bar Staff and other Sections.

Superb International debut for Neil

On his debut for Wales in the 2016 Home Internationals, hosted by Wales in Cardiff on 22-23 April, we congratulated Neil Rawlings on winning both his matches, against Scotland and Ireland.

Wales had a good weekend finishing in second place, to England.

Mark flies the flag for Wales

Over the weekend 6-7 May, Mark Davies captained a successful Welsh Mens Over 55 Team at the 2016 Home Internationals, in Nottingham.
The Team had an excellent weekend to finish in second place, unlucky not to have beaten the first placed England Team.

North East Wales Ladies Team

The region submitted a Ladies Team to play in the Welsh Inter Counties series in Cardiff during June but narrowly missed the top spot to finish a creditable second out of four.

The team, which comprised Hannah Davies, Elin Harlow, Lindsay Silvester, Rachel Cooper and Lianne Kiearney, played teams from Gwent, South Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire & West Wales.

A new Club Year !

June brought us into a new Club year with a small subscription increase in each category of membership, as follows:
Seniors - £80
Juniors / Students - £40
Family - £110.

National Awards for Club

The Squash Club was honoured to have two nominations considered at the Wales Squash & Racketball 2016 Awards Evening in Cardiff on 1st July.

First, we were nominated in the "Club of the Year" category along with Llantrisant, Newtown, Llanelli and Milford Haven (Winners).

Second, our Club Secretary, Jim Tunley was a successful nomination in the category "Volunteer of the Year" - excellent news for the Club on the evening when the Wales Football Team made history by beating Belgium 3-1 to qualify for the Euros 2016 Semi Finals - superb !

JD retains Club Championship

On 9 July, we congratulated Jonathan Davies on becoming the 2016 Club Champion, retaining it in grand style.

Jon played some stunning squash to beat the number 2 seeded John Ashton in three games - 9-0; 9-2; 9-3.

In the 3rd/4th Play-off match, Darren Lee won his match 3-0 against Rob Evans - 9-5; 9-6; 9-5.

We were still awaiting matches to be completed in the Plate Competition.

Inaugural Denbighshire Open success

It was a great first ever Denbighshire Leisure Open at Prestatyn on 16-17 July with 40 players and 70 matches - lots of squash with some of our Club members doing well.

In the Ladies Event, Hannah Davies came up against the Welsh Number 1, Tesni Evans, losing 3-0 in the Final.

In the Mens C Event Final, young Jamie Silvester did really well to finish as Runner-up.

Squash-based circuits

This year, throughout the school summer holidays, Hannah Davieslead a Weekly Squash Circuits session at the IPC Gym in Gwersyllt.

Each session was designed very much with squash in mind, using exercises that mimic and strengthen the typical movements from a game of squash. All participants were agreed this was a must for general fitness and for pre-season training in particular.

Never too late to learn !

The Club hosted a Wales Squash & Racketball Coach Mentoring Session for coaches working in the Mid and North East Wales areas on 24 July.

Thanks to (Andrew Evans, High Performance Coach with WSRB) this on-going education provides coaches with an excellent forum for planning and practical coaching, with an emphasis on progression through effective routines.

Third Court - planning approval

Our Third Court aspirations took a huge pace forward on 12 July with news of planning approval being notified to us by Wrexham County Borough Council .

This follows some two plus years of work by members of the Club Committee, but some hard work is still required as we move into the detail - this will involve a strategy in moving forward to achieve full member support for the project, particularly as we put together our bid(s) for grant funding and seek various quotes for building work.

Disappointed, incomprehensible, wrong !

These were just some of the sentiments expressed as, once again, the sport of squash failed to make the list of sports accepted into the Olympic Games.

At their meeting in Rio de Janeiro on 3 August, the IOC accepted the following sports - Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing as part of the Tokyo 2020 games.

Doubles act ...

On 6 August, father and daughter team, Mark & Hannah Davies, entered the 2016 National Squash Centre Doubles Open Tournament, in Manchester.

They played some tough competition but had a great day to finish as runners-up - well done both.

The Plate ... finally !

As part of the Club Championships, first round losers moved into the Plate Competition, with the idea that both the Main Final and Plate Final should be played on the same day.

Despite much encouragement this did not happen, however, it was eventually played on 14 August with Richard Ackerley taking the honours, beating Simon Koscinski by 3 games to 1. Congratulations both on making the Final.

Coach mentoring

We hosted a second Coaches Mentoring session at the Club for Squash Coaches from across North and Mid Wales on 2 October.

These occasional sessions are key in sharing knowledge to assist coaches in their role within Clubs across the region; the theme for this session was about achieving a good balance on court.

JD is Cheshire County Champion

On 2 October, our Club Champion, Jonathan Davies, achieved his fifth Cheshire County Closed Championship, in the Over 35 category, playing at Alderley Edge Cricket, Tennis & Squash Club.

World Squash Day - Club event cancelled

With some regret and due to some circumstances beyond our control, the Club's contribution to World Squash Day on 22 October had to be cancelled.

We'd hoped to follow the success of the 2015 event, in which we helped raise funds for UNICEF. In stead it was agreed that money raised at the Christmas Fast & Furious Tournament should be donated to that charity.

Hannah & Emyr were champions in Newport

Congratulations to Hannah Davies and Emyr Evans who were 2016 Coors Newport Open Champions on 22/23 October.

Hannah won her Ladies Final by 3-1 over Lowri Roberts from Llanrwst; Emyr won his Men's A Final by 3-1 beating David Haley.

Jack & Mark play Inter Counties

Two members of the Club, Jack Hayes and Mark Davies, played in the English Inter Counties Tournament on 5 November, against two strong teams from Cheshire (Lost 5-0) and Merseyside (Lost 3-2). Despite the results, a good day was had by all !

2016 North East Wales Open

A most successful 2016 N.E. Wales Open Championship was held at Deeside LC on 11-13 November.

Winners of the main events were - Tesni Evans and Elliott Morris Devred.

Players from the Club were involved in some of the supporting events - Darren Lee (Runner-up in the Mens B Competition), plus Jack Hayes, Hannah Davies, Simon & Thomas Koscinski and John Hayes.

It's an honour ...

Wales were one of 17 nations competing at the 2016 Womens World Team Championships in Paris between 27 November and 3 December and we were proud that Hannah Davies was selected to the Welsh Team.

This was great reward for Hannah, who has previously represented her country in this event.

They had a great time in Paris, with Hannah, Tesni Evans and the rest of the Welsh Team completing the Championships in 14th place.

This was their week: -

Lewis, the youngest player ever ...

On 6 December, Lewis Davies became the youngest player to represent Wrexham Brymb Squash Club in the North Wales Leagues.

As part of a very young Team, alongside his brother, Josh (age 11) and Thomas Koscinski (Age 16), Primary School pupil Lewis (Age 9) played for our Third Team against St Asaph 2.

With this level of performance and commitment, by players and their parents, it augers really well for the future of squash in North Wales.

Wales Colleges at Club

We were pleased to host the Welsh Regional Squash Competition, as part of the Colleges Sport National Competition, across a number of different sports, on 9 December.

Students from as far as Cardiff and Pembroke were at Glyndwr University to decide who will represent Wales in the National Finals next year.

Glyndwr students grasp the basics

On 15 December, the Club again hosted First Year Sports Science students from Glyndwr University.

On this occasion, 16 students were on court as part of a series of practical taster sessions across a range of different sports for their course; they came to the Club to understand more about the game and, for some, play squash for the first time.

Our Teams in 2016 ...

2016 - 2017 Season

Sponsorship continues ...

Our sincere thanks to Malcolm Williams (Big Mal) on behalf of REDWITHER Ltd for his continuing support of our teams this season, with generous sponsorship of our match balls.

MID SEASON REPORT - DECEMBER 2016

North East Wales League

Our First Team finished in Second place over the first half in Division One, having had a 13 point penalty deduction for fielding a junior player late in the season (where is the encouragement ?). This cost us the League title, but never mind, these trivial matters have a habit of rebounding.

The Seconds just managed to avoid relegation from Division Two, on the last game of the season thanks to the management skills of Team Captain, John Wiliams. Quite why and how this team found itself in such a precarious position is a mystery as they have a strong side. Lets hope they can rectify matters in the second half.

The Third Team, with new Captain Nick Carlton (taking over from Tom Trueman) organising very efficiently, had a good season and consolidated their position in Division Three. On various occasions, three juniors were introduced into the Team - Thomas Koscinski, Josh Davies and (9 year old) Lewis Davies and all had very creditable wins to their names. We hope that these juniors will be challenging for place in the Second Team next season, so watch out!!

North West Counties League

With three teams in the Leagues, two in Division 2 & one in Division 3, the season was always going to be tough, with the quality of opposing teams as well as player availability, but overall these Teams have all performed better than expected.

The First Team finished at Christmas in second place with old heads, Jonathon Davies & Darren Lee, showing the youngsters, Hannah, John & Jack, how it's done with the benefit of their experience in playing (and drinking) throughout the first half.

The Seconds finished comfortably in mid table - a very good performance considering the number of times some of the higher end players were not available, either due to injury or work commitments.
One very bright point this first half came with the rising star, in young Huw Williams (age 16), joining the Club - Huw is a quality player who will benefit both the Club and his own development in this League.

Our Third Team are sitting proudly on top of Division 4, not unexpected as the Team are very experienced 2nd & 3rd Division players. The overall age of our sides does need to come down, however, so we need to encourage some of our younger players like Josh & Thomas to come through.
Special mention and thanks to Richard Ackerley, Kev Jones, Aled Goddard & Tom Bird who have all been called into the side last minute and performed admirably. Great team spirit.

Congratulations to all the players who have played team squash this 1st half and may it continue into 2017.

Superb start for Third Team

Our NWCSL Third Team have maintained a 100% record so far this season; it's the first season we've put out a Third Team in these Leagues.

First North Wales League win for Josh

On 11 October, one of our juniors won his first ever match in the North Wales Leagues.
At aged just 11, the Year 7 pupil Josh Davies came from 2-0 down to win his match for the Third Team against St Asaph 2.

Our congratulations to Josh on what we hope will be the first of many such victories while representing the Squash Club.

Our 2016-17 Fixtures

2016 Challenge Cup Winners

Congratulations to our North Wales First Team players on winning the first trophy of the new season. They beat Midtown 5-0 to win the North East Wales Challenge Cup (it's like the Charity Shield !) on 6 September.

New this season ...

To allow more Club members the opportunity to play teams squash, this season we will field an additional team in the North West Counties Squash League, playing in Division 4 West. A new Third Team will be selected to play a reasonable standard of teams at clubs in Cheshire and the Wirral.

Anyone who is interested in representing the Club is encouraged to let Mark Davies know and, if possible, come along to the Teams meeting at the Club on Monday, 5 September (8.00 pm).

Pre-season training begins !

Wit a new season starting in September, the school summer holidays provided an ideal way to get ready with a Squash-based circuits, devised by Hannah Davies, at the IPC Gym, Gwersyllt.

2015 - 2016 Season

Unprecedented season in NWCSL

Congratulations to our two teams in the North West Counties Squash League on finishing so well this season.

The First Team were runners-up in Division 2 West, to Southport & Birkdale; while are Second Team remained undefeated to win the Division 3 South West title to gain promotion - they moved into the Regional play-off matches but lost out to a strong team from Prestbury.

In the North Wales Leagues, again an outstanding season with our First and Second Teams winning their respective Divisions
The First Team were Champions in Division 1, while the Seconds won Division 3 to gain promotion back to Division 2; the Third Team, also in Division 3, finished the season in 6th position.

These are superb results for the Club, particularly for those playing North West Counties, with its reputation as one of the toughest and the largest squash leagues in the world.

We are North Wales Double Champions

Congratulations to our Tuesday First Team who completed their double on 3 May by winning the 2016 North East Wales Cup Final, beating a Hope Leisure Centre Team 5-0. This capped off one of the most succesful ever seasons since the Club was formed in 2007.

It was a different story, however, for our Tuesday Second Team who were also hoping to make it a double success, having recently won the Division 3 title. They "won" their Noth Wales East Plate Final match 4-1 against Midtown, but were then disqualified on a "technicality" for apparently playing an unauthorised player ! Team members were very upset at this outcome, particularly following some hard fought matches.

Promotion for Seconds

Congratulations to our Thursday Second Team who, on 17 March won early promotion from NWCSL Division 3 South West.

This follows an impressive performance all season from the Team led by Mark Davies, which has included:- Neil Rawlings, Jack Hayes, Stuart Fisher, Laurie Jones, Geraint Jones, Pete Davies and some guesting from John Evans and one or two others. Well done all.

SPONSORSHIP
For a second season, the Club is grateful to the support from Malcolm Williams (Big Mal) who, on behalf of REDWITHER LTD, has generously agreed to sponsor our Match Balls and, for 2015-16, he has also kindly sponsored the Shirts for Teams in the North Wales and North West Counties Leagues.

A formal handover of shirts took place with members of our top of the table NWCSL First Team on 3 December.

The new Season in the North West Counties Squash Leagues commenced on 17 September. Since then the First Team have maintained their excellent start and head their Division.

Fixtures for our Thursday Teams are shown via the link below.

The 2015-16 Season for the North Wales Leagues started on Monday, 7 September; it followed a Teams Meeting held at the Sports Club on 27 July.

Fixtures for our Tuesday Teams are shown via the link below.

Our Juniors in 2016 ...

Our Junior Coaching programme started each Monday (from September) with three groupings (beginners; intermediate and advanced), at the usual times from 4.45 pm.

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.

Some highlights ...

January 2016

North Wales Academy Squad

The 2016 Academy Squad training sessions started on 15 January at Deeside Leisure Centre with coaches Andrew Evans and Mark Davies.

The following Juniors from the Club were in attendance - Jamie & Will Silvester, Josh & Lewis Davies, Jamie Roberts, David Thomas, Katie Hayes, Owen Platt and Thomas Koscinski

Juniors match v. Flintshire APC

Some of our Juniors at Deeside

Happy New Year !

Our 2016 Junior Coaching Programme commenced on 11 January when we welcomed many who were keen and raring to go !

February 2016

Playing away for juniors

On 1 February, we took a group of juniors out of the regular Coaching Programme to "test" them against players from the Flintshire Area Performance Centre (APC) at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Supervised by Mark Davies, the following juniors represented the Squash Club and took part in a good evening of squash - Cameron Dennis, David Thomas, Max Kaye, Daniel Jones, Matthew James, Josh & Lewis Davies.
Well done to them all.

Half Term break

The Junior Coaching took a break on 15 February due to the Schools Half Term break - we were back at the usual times on Monday, 22nd.

North Wales Junior Open Championships

Over the weekend 6-7 February, seven of our juniors took part in the 2016 North Wales Junior Open Championships at the Deeside Leisure Centre.

Playing some tough opposition from across Wales, they were all a credit to the Club, finishing as follows:-
David Thomas (Under 15 - 14th)
Katie Hayes (Under 17 / 19 - unplaced)
Jamie Roberts (Under 15 - 12th)
Josh Davies (Under 13 - 5th)
Lewis Davies (Under 11 - 4th)
Will Silvester (Under 13 - 7th)
Jamie Silvester (Under 11 - Runner-up).

Congratulations to all players for taking part and playing so well.

March 2016

Northumberland success

Congratulations to Will and Jamie Silvester on their success in the 2016 Northumberland Junior Open.

The event took place over the weekend 26-27 March at The Northumberland Club in Jesmond, where Will finished 6th in the Boys Under13, while Jamie won his event, the Boys Under 11 Trophy - a fantastic result by both, well done.

Jamie wins in Northumberland

Enjoy the Easter break ...

The Club's Junior Coaching programme took a two week break for the Schools' Easter holidays and started up again on Monday, 11 April.

New grouping started

From 7 March, our Coaching Team implemented their New Junior Coaching Groups, this was designed to recognise the individual needs of players and how, within the groups, the coaching programme is best set up to accommodate them.

There was a new start time for the Beginners Group, at 4.30, with the Intermediate Group starting at 5.15 until 6.00. A new Advanced Group is from 6.00 until 6.45 followed by the new Elite Group through to 7.45.

The intention is that the revised groupings should allow coaches to work more closely and much harder with the juniors on all aspects of their game.

April 2016

Josh & Lewis in winning mood !

Two of our promising juniors played in the Fairways Lodge Junior Open on 23-24 April at the Fairways Lodge Squash Club in Prestwich, Manchester and came away winners.

Congratulations to Josh Davies who finished 5th in a tough Boys Under 13 event and also to his younger brother, Lewis who lost in the Final of the Boys Under 11 event - well done to both.

Lewis claims runner-up spot

Development Event for all

A day-long North / Mid Wales Junior Development Eventtook place at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday, 30 April with all juniors from the Club invited to take part.

Organised by Wales Squash & Racketball, the event was run by High Performance Coach, Andrew Evans.

Boys do well at Alderley Edge

Well done to Josh and Lewis Davies who finished 5th and 9th respectively in the tough Under 13 category of the 2016 Alderley Edge Junior Open, a one day Bronze Sanctioned Event on 3 April.

May 2016

Junior coaching takes a break ...

There was no coaching on Monday, 30 May as it was the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. Sessions resumed again on 6 June.

June 2016

Jamie shines at Merseyside Open

The Club congratulated young Jamie Silvester as he continued his great development in squash by becoming the 2016 Merseyside Junior Open Champion (under 11) on 26 June.

Jamie - Merseyside Open Champion

Kayden (age 4) introduced to squash

The Squash Club welcomed its latest, and possibly youngest, recruit to the Junior Coaching Programme on 20 June, with Kayden Davies.

Kayden, who was brought along to his first coaching session by his Taid, Kevin Lloyd, said later that he had enjoyed himself.

Kayden with his Taid

Tri Tournament

Congratulations to the seven juniors who represented the Squash Club on 12 June playing in the latest Inter Club Tri Competition at Llanfyllin:-
Thomas Koscinski, Max Kaye, Owen Pratt, Kayie Hayes, Poppy, Chloe & Matthew Green and Cameron Dennis.

They played against Newtown and Llanfyllin, with the Wrexham players winning the Under 17 category (thanks to Tom, Owen & Katie).

Wrexham's Tri Tournament players

July 2016

Schools out for summer ...

All members of the Coaching Team, wished our juniors a super summer holiday break.

The message was to return, refreshed and ready, for the start of a new season on Monday, 5 September.

He's our head boy !

Congratulations went to all who took part in the 2016 Juniors Tournament on 18 July.

In particular, it had been a good week for Thomas Koscinski - he had just been made Head Boy at The Maelor School, Penley (from September) and played some excellent, powerful squash to win our end of season mini Junior Tournament. The elite event was a really close and competitive contest; some excellent squash being played.

2016 Tournament - Beginners Group

2016 Tournament - Intermediate Group

2016 Tournament - Advanced Group

2016 Tournament - Elite Group

Year 8/9 pupils at the Club

A small group of Years 8/9 pupils from St Joseph's High School, Wrexham attended the Club for a two hour squash taster session on 6 July. This followed on from a Mini Squash session at the School, which had included an opportunity for pupils to watch video of professional players.

We do hope that this introduction to squash will be the first of many with juniors of local secondary school age.

St Joseph's pupils at taster session

Development Event

A North Wales Junior Development Event was held on 3 July at Llanrwst.

This day-long session was organised by Performance Coach, Andrew Evans and congratulations to Josh Davies who finished in third place overall.

August 2016

North & Mid Wales Squad at the Club

The Club was delighted to host a WSRB two day Squad Session for players from across North and Mid Wales on 30-31 August.

Under the supervision of two WSRB High Performance Coaches, Andrew Evans and David Evans, the players were worked hard both on court and outdoors.

North & Mid Wales Squad players

September 2016

Junior Players Pathway

Five juniors from the Club took part in a One Day Junior Players Pathway at Deeside LC on 25 September; this was a Regional Squad for Under 11s and Under 13s, organised by WSRB with their Coach, Greg Tippings.

The juniors were Lacey & Cory Gardner, Tom & Ethan Willis and Ieuan Thomas.

Well done to all of these juniors; it is through play and attending sessions such as these that your games will develop.

Welsh Junior Open success

Four of our junior members, Josh & Lewis Davies and Will & Jamie Silvester were in Cardiff over the weekend 9-11 September 2016, taking part in the 2016 Welsh Junior Open Tournament - a European ranking event.

Congratulations to all four players on achieving so well - in the Boys Under 11 Group, Jamie was Runner-up and Lewis finished in 5th place;
In the Boys Under 13 Group, Josh finished in 9th place with Will just behind him in 10th.

These are excellent results by all four - well done.

Riding out to benefit others

On 1 September, two of our junior members, Josh and Lewis Davies (with parents Emma and Jonathan) took part in a 30 mile bike ride to raise much needed funds for Hope House Children's Hospice.

The new season starts soon !

Juniors were reminded that the 2016-17 coaching programme wwould commence on Monday, 5 September from 4.30 pm.

October 2016

British Junior Championships

We wished the best of luck to the local juniors in their matches as part of the 2016 British Junior Championships in Manchester on 27-30 October -
Josh Davies, Will & Jamie Silvester and Jack Whitfield

UPDATE: Josh, Jamie & Will played their qualifier rounds but were unable to make the Main Draw; Jack did, however, made it through to the Second Round - well done to you all.

Josh & Jamie at the Championships !

WSRB Academy Squad

AnAcademy Squad session, organised by WSRB, was scheduled for Wednesday, 26 October at Deeside Leisure Centre, (10.00 until 4.00).

Abbie meets her role model

Abbie Barkley, who is a member of the Club's Junior Coaching Team and a student at Glyndwr University, met her role model Colin Jackson, the former World Champion and Olympic Silver medalist, at his induction into the University on 26 October.

Abbie meets Colin Jackson

Half Term break

As usual Junior Coaching tooks a break during the schools Half Term on 24 October but started again on 31 October, from 4.30.

Juniors at Inter Counties

Over the weekend 15-16 October, seven juniors from the Club were selected to represent North Wales in the National Inter Counties weekend at different venues around the country, according to their various age groupings.

Our congratulations went to the following:-
Jamie & Will Silvester; Josh & Lewis Davies
David Thomas & Matthew James
Owen Platt.

North Wales Under 11s

North Wales Under 13s

North Wales Under 17s

November 2016

Wrexham Development Event

On 26 November, the Squash Club hosted a WSRB Development Event and 30 junior players, from as young as 5 years, attended from across North and Mid Wales.

This was an opportunity for players from as far as Llanrwst and Newtown to play each other in four different categories. Thanks to Andrew Evans, supported by Mark Davies, for organising the day.

Congratulations and well played to all of the local players who took part:-
Cory & Lacey Gardner, Ethan Jones, Will & Dylan Nolan, Lauren Barkley, Cameron Dennis, Matthew James, David Thomas, Will & Jamie Silvester, Josh & Lewis Davies & Thomas Koscinski.

Wrexham Development Event - some local players

Wrexham Development Event - the youngsters

Under 13s at Inter Counties

The weekend of 19-20 November was a busy one for players and coaches representing the Welsh regions at Inter Counties. It is a huge commitment for all concerned and, in particular, Mark Davies who travelled to Cambridge on the Saturday with the Under 19 Girls then, on Sunday, was up in Carlisle with the Under 19 Boys - that is some commitment !

In the North Wales Under 13 Boys Team, playing at the National Squash Centre in Manchester, we had three local players on duty against teams from Leinster (lost 4-1), Northumbria (won 5-0) and Lancashire (won 4-1). Congratulaions to Josh Davies (No 2), Will Silvester (No 4) and Jamie Silvester (No 5).

North Wales Under 13s at Inter Counties

North Wales Under 13s at the National Squash Centre

Mini Squash at local school

Over two weeks in November, coaches from the Club took the Mini Squash Experience to a school local to the Squash Club, Brymbo St Marys Primary.

On consecutive Wednesdays, Coaches Abbie Barkley and Jim Tunley helped two year groups, 3/4 and 4/5, with some basic racket work.
This would culminate in pupils from the School coming to the Club on 23 November to experience play on court.

Brymbo St Marys Year 3/4 Group

Brymbo St Marys Year 4/5 Group

Brymbo St Marys Pupils at the Club

December 2016

The youngest player ever ...

On 6 December, Lewis Davies became the youngest player to represent the Squash Club in the North Wales Leagues.

As part of a very young Team, alongside his brother, Josh (age 11) and Thomas Koscinski (Age 16), Primary School pupil Lewis (Age 9) played for our Third Team against St Asaph 2.

With this level of performance and commitment, by players and their parents, it augers really well for the future of squash in North Wales.

Juniors Christmas Tournament

Our Christmas event for all juniors took place on 12 December; it was the final coaching session of 2016; all members of the Coaching Team wished players a very Happy Christmas and hoped to see everyone again in 2017.

Juniors Christmas Comp Group 1

Juniors Christmas Comp Group 2

Juniors Christmas Comp Group 3/4

Juniors Christmas Comp Group 4

2016 Welsh Junior Closed

Over the weekend 2-4 December, four local juniors were in Cardiff took part in the 2016 Welsh Junior Closed Championships.

Best of luck went to Josh & Lewis Davies and Will & Jamie Silvester as they bid to win their respective age group categories.

LATEST - Lewis and Jamie played each other in a thrilling five set Final of the Under 11s category, with Jamie coming through to take the title.

WJC Under 11 Finalists

Practice makes perfect for our juniors !

January 2017

National Squads for Juniors

Four local junior players were invited to attend the WSRB National Squad Training sessions held in Cardiff over the weekend 28-29 January.

Congratulations to two sets of brothers, Josh & Lewis Davies and Wiil & Jamie Silvester - all said that they'd had a good time, with some tough routines, games as well as some important classroom based workshops.

National Juniors Squad Training - how many ?

National Juniors Squad Training - off court session

Big wins for Josh & Lewis in Manchester

Two of our Juniors had an exceptional weekend playing in the Northern Junior Open Bronze Event that took place on 21-22 January at The Northern Club in Didsbury, Manchester.

Brothers, Josh & Lewis Davies played some fantastic squash in this 2 day (England Squash bronze sanctioned) event and each won their age categories - Lewis won the Boys Under 11s, while Josh won his event, the Boys Under 13s.

Winning at such an event is clear evidence of the progress both juniors continue to make - well done and keep it going.

Lewis wins at Northern

Josh wins at Northern

Juniors Coaching

With Christmas over for another year and everyone back into school or college; a our Junior Coaching sessions were starting up again on 9 January 2017, from 4.30.