Junior Ladies' Club Championship

We held our first ever Junior Ladies' Club championship in June.

The competition was organised by Ilyas Gull, and was a big success with the players. All the girls put in spirited performance.

Many of the girls who took part only started to play squash a few months ago and would never have dreamt that they would be competing at the sport within such a short period. The ability of youth to learn and improve so quickly is quite humbling to those of us who struggle to maintain our previous form at this fast-paced sport.

The girls first played "round robin" matches in order to sort out the seedings. They were then divided into two groups.

The results were:

Overall Winner Runner-up Semifinalists Plate Winner Plate Runner-up

Janice Lam Roshni Hemnani Komal Harjani, Renata Mak Kieran Lavisha

We hope the competition has helped fuel their continued interest in squash and that we can enter a team in the main Ladies' League run by Hong Kong Squash one day.

Many thanks to all those who took part and to the parents for their support. Thanks also to Jonathan Meigh for presenting the trophies.

Squash court upgrade

We are planning an upgrade of the squash courts in the summer (planned for August).

Our two courts are reputedly the oldest in Hong Kong. They are a legacy of the British military establishment where functionality, rather than aesthetics, was paramount. We intend to improve the décor and general ambience inside the building by the provision of a glass balustrade, improved seating in the upstairs gallery, a trophy cabinet and a small bar counter. Suggestions for improvements from those who use the courts would be welcome.

2010 / 2011 League season

As I write this, the Squash League season is in recess for the Summer. The season starts again in October and we are planning to enter three teams again in Divisions 8, 15 and Masters (over-40 age group).

These Divisions cater for a wide range of abilities. If you are interested in playing for us, please let me know by email (lespearce@netvigator.com) or telephone (9039 2603) or contact our coach Ilyas Gull (9421 4741).

Squash Handicap ladder competition

By the time you read this, the ladder competition will be under way but you can join it at any time.

The ladder competition will run until the end of September, until the start of the Winter League. All you have to do is add your name to the list. You will then be allotted a handicap (according to your ability as assessed by our coach) and a place on the ladder.

You can challenge anyone who is within five places above you on the ladder. If you win the match, you swop places with the person you have beaten. It is as simple as that. There is just one twist: whenever you win a match, your handicap will be reduced by a point. Whenever you lose, your handicap will be increased by a point. So if you think your handicap is too stringent, you have a chance to rectify it by making lots of challenges.

There are penalties for those declining challenges and for those who, in the opinion of the organising committee, play tactically, e.g. deliberately losing a match in an effort to increase his / her handicap. (Not that any of our honest bunch of players would ever contemplate such a tactic).

I am sure it will be fun.

In the end, squash is about having fun and keeping fit at the same time. There is no better sport to achieve these aims.

The Junior Ladies' squad at the Club Championship held in June

Janice Lam being presented with her winner's trophy by Jonathan Meigh		Mohammad and Kermit. Two of our regular League players

Wednesday evening training

Coach Ilyas Gull conducts regular Wednesday evening training sessions throughout the summer. The training is mainly through match play, where players are paired up with opponents of a similar ability. This is a good way to maintain fitness and sharpness, ready for next season and to obtain valuable tips from a professional on how to improve your game.

Saturday afternoon drop-in

The Saturday 'social' drop-in (start 2:30pm) is for all-comers. Anyone can play anyone else in the best of three games ('American' scoring up to 15 points). As we only have 2 courts, it is a good idea to arrive on time to ensure that you are not kept waiting.

A man of many talents

In addition to being a highly talented squash player (not losing a single league match last season) our resident squash coach, Ilyas Gull, was named Hong Kong Cricket Captain of the Year. Under his captaincy, his team won all three major cricket trophies this year. He was also named the Best Bowler in Hong Kong. To cap it all, he has been selected to represent Hong Kong at the Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou in October. Quite an achievement and congratulations from all of us!