Kermit's Boys and USRC Squash in general

Squash is a funny old sport. Unlike, say, tennis, it enjoys virtually no media coverage. Yet, in spite of a worldwide decline (no doubt caused by the lack of media exposure) squash's popularity in Hong Kong seems to be growing. The demographics of the sport in Hong Kong are quite interesting.

Take our Second team, for example, which is admirably and enthusiastically convened by Kermit Yuen. Our team plays in Division 10 of the Hong Kong league, which is about half way up the league (or half way down, depending on your view).

Because it sits in the middle, those who play in Division 10 might be said to represent the average competitive squash players in Hong Kong. Not so. Division 10 is more of a staging post for those players on the way up the league and those on the way down. I hesitate to say this, but our present team falls into the latter category. Each week's matches are either against other club teams (e.g. the KCC) whose players are, by and large, at a similar stage of their careers (i.e. declining gently) or against much younger teams of local lads (and some lasses) who are very definitely on the way up. Many of these local teams use, as their "home" bases, various HK Government sports halls located within food markets in diverse (and usually not very salubrious districts) such as Sham Shui Po, North Point and Mong Kok. The facilities in these centres are, however, first class, and are a credit to the Government's planning and foresight.

New USRC players with Ilyas Gull

We are seeing many more such teams emerging as each season goes by. In general, unless we are able to field our strongest team on any given night, we are likely to face a tough time against them. Whenever we lose, our no 5 player and Club Chairman, Ross Parker, attributes it to that dirty word 'training' which our players shun, but which the local teams seem to relish. I suspect that winning or losing also has quite a lot to do with the difference in age between our team and theirs. The young local lads tend to be very fit and can run around all day, whereas some of our players....

So, as the local players continue to improve and their numbers expand, the future of squash in Hong Kong looks bright. But how about the future of squash in the USRC? How long will it be before Kermit and his boys are forced to admit that they need to pitch their talents a notch or two lower down the league? Alternatively, will we be able to inject some young blood of our own to maintain our competitive edge? The good news is that we have already started to do so. As the pictures show, we have some keen young members who are beginning to show signs that they will become the future stars of squash in the USRC. They are most welcome to the squash section.

In the meantime, how are Kermit's boys faring in the league so far this season? The answer is that we have won two matches and lost two. Not a bad start.

Our Master's team

The Hong Kong Squash Association runs a Masters League, for players aged over 40. The Masters League operates in parallel with the "main" squash league. Once a player reaches 40, he or she is allowed to play in one of the two Masters Divisions or remain as a main league player (or play in both leagues).

Rather like the situation in Division 10 of the main league, the standard of players in the Masters League varies considerably. There is a big difference between a player who has just reached 40 and someone in their 50s or 60s. (There is an even bigger difference if you are 70 plus, as one of our regular players admits to being, but prefers not to advertise the fact).

The Squash Association attempts to cater for this disparity by creating two Masters Divisions. The upper division caters for those players who are not necessarily younger, but who have played at a high level in the main league. The second division is for the rest of us.

Sunil Daswani and Anthony Charter after their 2008 Club Championship quarter final battle. Anthony went on to win the championship

Our Masters Team plays in the second of these divisions, as we are firmly at the upper end of the average age bracket for Masters players. Fortunately, the same has traditionally been the case for many of the other teams in our Division. The USRC team has, accordingly, enjoyed a fair degree of success in past years, usually finishing in the top 4 teams of the Division.

We are witnessing, however, a new and disturbing trend. Some other teams in our division are fielding players who have played (or perhaps ought to play) in the higher Masters Division. These scallywags have their sights on winning some easy silverware that they would find difficult to earn in the higher division. Who said that the older you get the more honourable you become? For 'honourable' read 'tricky'.

Still, we are gamely sticking to our principles while all around us are losing theirs. Until, that is, our superstar coach Ilyas Gull, turns 40 in a couple of years' time. Then we may think again.

David Edwards

David's passing away while playing squash on 11th October came as a big shock to us all. David was a great supporter of the Squash Section and we will miss his company, humour and bonhomie both on the court and in the bar after a Saturday 'drop in' session. On behalf of the Squash Section, I extend our sympathy to David's family and friends on this untimely loss.