Are we the most successful sports section in the Club?

Allow me to embark on a little promotion of the squash section and to throw down the gauntlet to the other sports convenors in the Club. I know it is unseemly to boast, but I can’t help it - the squash section is the most successful in the Club, bar none. We are not the largest in terms of membership but:

• We have won more league trophies in the past 6 years than any other sports section.
• We contribute the most to charity.
• We cater for the widest range of ages and ability, including the youngest club champion, the oldest league player and the longest serving one.
• We contribute most to the F&B revenue in the Club.

Here are the facts to back up my assertions:

• The highest achievers

From 2003 onwards, our first team came top of its Division and/or won the Divisional ‘Cup’ title for 5 years in a row. Last year we were runners up in the Summer League.

This year, our first team is vying for top spot in the league. The standard among the top 4 teams is high and there is presently just a point separating us and the team in first place. Going into the last 2 matches we knew that only maximum 5-0 wins would give us a real chance of taking over the top position as the other 3 teams were also likely to beat their opponents. As I write this, our team secured a 4-1 win after Chinese New Year in the penultimate match of the season. This win is good enough for us to take a runners-up trophy but the point dropped probably means that our title hopes are dashed. We shall see.

We still have the Cup competition to play for (which is fought out by the teams who finish in the top four) so the chances of silverware are still good for us this year.

• The most charitable

Last year, our players contributed HK$12,400.00 to Operation Santa Claus Charities through our participation in the annual Wing Ding competition held at the Football Club. USRC players gave the third highest contribution among 14 participating club teams in that event.  We do this every year. If other USRC sport sections can better this, I would be happy to hear of it.

• The Youngest

At 16, Shivam Hemnani is our youngest ever Club Champion. His progression over just a couple of years has been phenomenal and is testament to the coaching skills of our internationally trained coach, Ilyas Gull.

• The Oldest

Sorry Mike, I realize that age means nothing to you but you have to admit that you are a bit special. Many people in their mid 70’s struggle to even walk the dog, let alone compete in the charged atmosphere of a squash league match, often against opponents who are several decades younger – and win a decent proportion of matches into the bargain.

• The most committed

Our regular first team player, Anthony Charter, is coming up to his 40th unbroken league season in the HK Squash Winter League. Anthony not only turns up regularly but wins a very high proportion of his matches. A few seasons ago, he was undefeated for the whole season in Division 5 and helped us to win the league title that year. Can anyone beat this record?

• The booziest

OK, it is perhaps not something to shout too loudly about, but audited club accounts show that the squash players contribute the most of any sports section in the Gunner’s bar. This is an absolute measure (excuse the pun) and is not related to the number of members in the section. It all goes to show that you can play hard at your sport and play equally hard in the bar, without apparent detriment to your well-being.

A plea for new players

A note of caution, however. I am the first to admit that we face challenges in the squash section. Foremost of them is the need to attract new blood, particularly youngsters, to replace players who have retired or fallen by the wayside.

Unfortunately, the trend these days is for younger people to be drawn to higher profile sports such as tennis.

Squash is a truly great sport and is played in over 40 countries but it does not enjoy the media converge of tennis or the visibility of lawn bowls. (Everyone has heard of Roger Federer, but who knows the name of the World squash champion?). Although an exciting sport to watch live, it does not come across well on TV, basically because it is too fast. It has shamefully been kept out of the Olympics and is rarely televised.

It is however the coolest of all sports and once you start to play it you will be hooked. So all those USRC parents out there, please take a look behind the closed door of our rather austere squash building and give your youngsters a chance to develop their skills and fitness, vastly improve their hand/eye coordination, learn real discipline and develop mental toughness under pressure. There is nothing quite like the pressure of a one-to-one encounter within 4 walls of a squash court watched over by your peers. It is a lesson in life.

The Squash Year

How do we spend our time? The section is quite busy – there are league matches on 3 evenings each week for 6 months (October to March) of every year. All standards of players are catered for. On other days of the week we offer training or social play. There is regular Friday evening training with Coach Ilyas Gull and the afternoon drop-in every Saturday.

In the off-season, we hold our annual Club Championship which takes place over a 2 month period and includes a handicap competition as well as the straight knock-out. So everyone of every ability gets a chance to win. There are also ad-hoc social matches and the very high profile Wing Ding interclub competition in November. We field a team in the Summer League which is organised by Hong Kong Squash and runs from July to September.

Ladies team

We have a team of enthusiastic ladies who are under training with Ilyas Gull once a week (every Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm). The aim is to be able to have a team in the lower ladies division of the Hong Kong League next season. If you wish to join, please give Ilyas Gull a call on 9421 4741. No previous experience is necessary.

Coaching for youngsters and beginners