All the news from Luton & Dunstable Squash Club Luton & Dunstable Squash Club http://www.ldsquash.com Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:54:00 GMT Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:54:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com () http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/february/08/match-report-2512013/ LDSC Seconds get their 1 st win as teams deliver a treble   LDSC firsts returned to winning ways, whilst the Herts league team returned to the top of the league with a decisive win, performance of the week though goes to the seconds who triumphed for the first time this season  LDSC II earned their first win of the season with victory over a weakened Open University II.  With their number one string missing OU II only brought a team of four to Lewsey Sports Park, thus giving LDSC II a walkover victory at fifth string and John Stevens the night off. The matches on the evening started well for OU II as third string Steve Eyles levelled the tie with a 3-0 win over LDSC II captain Matt Carey.  After Eyles eased to a 1-0 lead he was pushed all the way in the other two games, just having enough to prevail over his opponent.  Next up were first strings Kachinga Kabwe and, playing up the order for OU II, Simon Percival.  Kabwe was far too strong for his opponent and won at a canter, comfortably earning a 3-0 win for his side.   This put LDSC II within touching distance of their first win, a win that was duly delivered by second string Craig Basham. Playing against Alberto Elfasi from OU II, and despite his array of drop shots coming and going throughout the match, Basham always had the edge over his opponent whose tireless running helped him stay in many rallies.  With victory sealed, fourth string Chris Ridgway had the opportunity to add some gloss to the evening in his match against Denzil Desouza from OU II.  In a tight match spread across four games, the LDSC II man added the gloss with is 3-1 victory.  The match provides a welcome boost to LDSC II who face a tough trip to Silsoe in their next fixture.  The firsts gained a much needed win away to Flitwick, which all but guarantees the vital top 5 finish they need to be able to contest the play-offs and retain their title.  Missing captain Steve Davies, Marc Woolhead delivered a trouble free win at 1 st string for LDSC, but on the other court Matt Mulara threw away a two game lead before tiring badly and losing 3-2. Scot Adam lost 3-1 to Trevor Keddo piling pressure on the remaining two players. Whilst Steve Wells won comfortably, it was an altogether different story on the other court in the deciding match. Dave Pugh started well taking a 2-0 lead and looked to be cruising, however, Stephen Mullens had other ideas and fought back to level the match at 2 each, before Pugh regrouped and eventually prevailed in a tie-break 17-15 in the fifth. In completing the first section of matches in the Herts league, LDSC knew that simply two points would be enough take them back to the top of the league and with only 6 games to go are in pole position for promotion. There were no scares whatsoever as they comfortably triumphed away at Radlett, with only captain Paul Main losing and overall only dropping one other game. The match finished with Kachinga Kabwe entertaining the spectators to a dazzling area of trick shots and continue his record of not even dropping a game this season. Next up the Herts side have two matches, firstly away to Berkhampsted in the cup, followed by a return to league action away to Broxbourne. Flitwick                                   LDSC I Scott Jarvis                0-3      Marc Woolhead Mark Trew                  3-2      Matt Mulara Trevor Keddo            3-1      Scot Adam Stephen Mullens     2-3      David Pugh Ian George                0-3      Steve Wells Match Score              8-15 LDSC II                                  OU II Kachinga Kabwe     3-0      Simon Percival Craig Basham          3-0      Alberto Elfasi            Matt Carey                 0-3      Steve Eyles Chris Ridgway          3-1      Denzil Desouza John Stevens           W/O Match Score              15-4 Radlett                                   LDSC Dave Rawlings         0-3      Kachinga Kabwe Manny Hopkins        1-3      Scot Adam Ian Taylor                  0-3      Craig Basham Anton Snell               0-3      Steve Wells Simon Cohen           3-1      Paul Main Match Score              4-18 http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/february/08/match-report-2512013/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/february/08/match-report-2512013/ Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:54:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com () http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/february/08/latest-match-report-bumper-edition-1st-of-feb/ Latest Match Report : Firsts March on, whilst seconds stumble, but joy in Herts Cup   As the first half of the Beds squash league nears its conclusion Luton and Dunstable first team secured their place in the championship play offs, whilst the seconds picked up a vital seven points to set up a tense bottom of the table final match of the season. In the Herts league LDSC won again to consolidate their lead at the top of the division. In the quarter final of the Herts Junior Cup, LDSC knocked out Berkhampsted to progress to the semi final.  Biggleswade were far from full strength in this latest fixture and indeed only travelled with 4 players to Lewsey, meaning a walkover at number 5 for LDSC. First on court was number 3 string Scot Adam who, after dropping the 1st game, found his form and won an entertaining match 3-1. Meanwhile on the other court it was a classic battle of experience versus youth with the home side’s Dave Pugh coming out on top with a 3-0 win over Biggleswade’s young Marcus Gray.  At number 2 string Matt Mulara would have gone into the match as heavy favourite but certainly did not have it all his own way against the opposition’s captain Martin Wright. Wright came out attacking everything and despite losing 3-0 certainly pushed Matt close in all three games. So it was left to number 1 Steve Davies to complete the 5-0 victory with a 3-1 win over county team mate Bruce St Leger.  Captain Davies said after the game, “We had a couple of poor defeats after Christmas so this win was much needed and really takes the pressure off.”  After the heady heights of their first victory of the season, LDSC II fell back to earth with a defeat away to Silsoe.  The evening didn’t begin well for LDSC II as fifth string John Stevens lost 3-0 to Silsoe counterpart Robert Sawko.  LDSC II second string Craig Basham continued the excellent form he has shown this season with a 3-1 win against Silsoe number two Ivan Schimanski.  After conceding a close first game, Basham went from strength to strength to reel off the next three against a tough opponent.  Captain and third string Matt Carey was on the other court facing off against James Nield of Silsoe.  The Silsoe third string was too strong in his all round game for Carey and a 3-0 winning margin seldom looked in doubt.  With the matched poised at 2-1 in Silsoe’s favour, the last two matches of the evening began.  Most of the attention was on the first string match between Kachinga Kabwe and Nathan Derrick.  Kabwe hit the ground running in this match and seized the early initiative to open up a lead, which ultimately proved decisive in taking a 1-0 lead.  The second game went much the way of the first with mistakes, from an increasingly frustrated Derrick, gifting points to Kabwe.   The match between fourth strings would be the deciding game of the evening, and thinks looked to be going Silsoe’s way as Stuart Bithrey stormed into a 2-0 lead against Chris Ridgway of LDSC II.  However, Ridgway fought back to take the third and came agonisingly close to taking the match to five games, but his 14-10 lead in the fourth game was pegged back and Bithrey took it 16-14, and thus the victory for his team.  LDSC II face Cleat Hill in the final match of the normal season with the winner avoiding last place in the league.  In the Herts squash competitions LDSC had a very busy week, firstly in the Junior Cup, where a win over Berkhampsted was achieved with a very flattering 4-1 scoreline, followed by an epic away win at Broxbourne 4.  The Herts Junior Cup is the competition for teams outside the top two divisions in Hertfordshire and so when the draw was announced Captain Paul Main decided to play the strongest available side against a team from a higher division by dropping himself! Matt Mulara stepped in at no 2, whilst the others moved down a string.  The final result looked comfortable at 4-1, but it was a lot closer than the result suggests and could easily have looked very different. The same team will be selected, subject to fitness for the semi final which is a home tie on Feb 12 against Radlett 2, the highest ranked side left in the competition.  In league business it was a night of two halves against Broxbourne 4 with captain Paul Main going down 3-0 in rather tame fashion whilst Steve Wells found himself frustrated with himself going down with the same scoreline. Scot Adam duly despatched a clearly injured former no 1 string, Rob Carroll, whilst the drama was unfolding on the other court in the pivotal match at 3 rd string.  Craig Basham looked comfortable as he raced to a 2-0 lead, however, some “interesting” refereeing decisions clearly upset Basham and allowed his opponent, the athletic Shola Bello, back in the match. The players emerged for the deciding game and initially traded points until, at 3-2 for Basham, a monster rally took place with Bello hurling himself to the floor to make an amazing retrieval then recover to play what looked like a point winning shot only for Basham to return with interest and set up a simple drop to win the point. Bello was broken physically and emotionally and Basham won the next 11 points to win the final game 15-2.  By the time that game was finished, the ever-reliable Kachinga Kabwe had already completed his demolition job.  After two weeks on the road, LDSC will be glad to return to Lewsey for their next tie against Gosling 3.  LDSC I                                   Biggleswade Steve Davies            3-1      Bruce St Leger Matt Mulara               3-0      Martin Wright Scot Adam                 3-1      Richard Anthony Dave Pugh                3-0      Marcus Gray Steve Wells              3-0      W/O LDSC I                       18-2  Silsoe                                     LDSCII Nathan Derrick         0-3      Kachinga Kabwe Ivan Schimanski      1-3      Craig Basham James Nield              3-0      Matt Carey Stuart Bithrey            3-1      Chris Ridgway Robert Sawko           3-0      John Stevens Silsoe                         13-7    LDSCII  Broxbourne 4                        LDSC Steve Leverington   0-3      Kachinga Kabwe Rob Carroll                0-3      Scot Adam Shola Bello               2-3      Craig Basham Paul Starkey             3-0      Steve Wells Rob Coghlan                        3-0      Paul Main Broxbourne               8-17    LDSC  Berkhampsted                      LDSC  Paul Romagnoli       3 – 0   Kachinga Kabwe James Cooper          3 - 0    Matt Mulara Alan Tierney             3 – 1   Scot Adam Ian Boardman           3 – 0   Craig Basham John Chesters          2 – 3   Steve Wells Berkhampsted          1-4      LDSC http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/february/08/latest-match-report-bumper-edition-1st-of-feb/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/february/08/latest-match-report-bumper-edition-1st-of-feb/ Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:50:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com () http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/january/02/latest-match-report-21-12-12/ Latest Match Report - 21st of December http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/january/02/latest-match-report-21-12-12/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2013/january/02/latest-match-report-21-12-12/ Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:49:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/november/04/match-report-versus-open-university/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/november/04/match-report-versus-open-university/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/november/04/match-report-versus-open-university/ Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:34:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/october/02/beds-league-luton-derby-match-report-lsc-first-versus-lsc-second's/ The Bedfordshire squash league kicked off around the county on Monday with last year's champions Luton and Dunstable 1st team in action against their 2nd team. The match started with new recruit for the second team Craig Basham playing one of last year's players of the season Matt Mulara. Basham will be auseful addition to LDSC2 playing at number 2 string and he got his season off to a flier with a fantastic 3-0 win against Matt. Meanwhile at number 5 string the first team had fielded talented youngster and former Pakistan international Muqaddam Khan aged 12 to play against Mohammed Azam. In a thrilling encounter that went right down to the wire Azam's experience and extra strength just told in the last game and he edged out the younger player. So with two matches gone the first team found themselves 2-0 down and under pressure to win the next three matches. Scot Adam and then Steve Wells duly responded with 3-0 victories against their opponents Matt Carey and Paul Main respectively. The match would therefore, be decided by the number 1 strings Steve Davies and Kachinga Kabwe. Kabwe came out the blocks really fast and took the first game but despite playing some excellent squash for the rest of the match could not quite do enough to beat Davies and eventually lost 3-1. The final match score was 14-7 to the first team but a good start for both teams and plenty of reason to expect good seasons from both sides. Results LSC 1st Team    v               LSC 2nd Team Steve Davies        3    v      1  Kachinga Kabwe Matt Mulara            0    v      3  Craig Basham Scott Adam            3    v      0   Matt Carey Steve Wells            3   v       0   Paul Main Muqaddam Khan  2    v      3   Mohammed Azam Match score        14    v    7  Next Game Next up for the firsts will be a home tie against Open University seconds, whilst LDSC seconds will be away to OU1. In addition next week sees further growth at LDSC as the club enters a team in the very competitive Hertfordshire League. It's a step into the unknown for many players as they open up with a home tie against Radlett 2 on Thursday 4 th Oct.  World Squash Day Saturday the 20th October will see the club supporting World Squash Day and a fun packed squash roadshow will be held at the club including some top professionals on show. Both the first and second team will be joining forces to take on the rest of the county in a 20 man team match with a fund raising aspect for the JCE Trust, set up to support local sportsman Jon Cole Edwardsfighting terminal cancer. Please contact Lewsey Sports Park for more information and to come and support the day.  .   http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/october/02/beds-league-luton-derby-match-report-lsc-first-versus-lsc-second's/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/october/02/beds-league-luton-derby-match-report-lsc-first-versus-lsc-second's/ Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:13:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/30/inaugural-bedfordshire-junior-open-entries-now-open/ LDS is delighted to announce that it is hosting it's first Bronze Sanctioned Event on the weekend of 10th/11th November. Entry form can be downloaded here: Beds Junior Entry Form http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/30/inaugural-bedfordshire-junior-open-entries-now-open/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/30/inaugural-bedfordshire-junior-open-entries-now-open/ Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:22:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/17/september-newsletter/ Beds League Kicks Off in Style July League Results Club Night 20th Of September LDSRC Awarded Sport England Grant Junior News Junior Of Month Coaches Corner World Squash Day 20th Of October Read More click on link : September Newsletter Do you have a story to add into next months issue? Any questions or comments? Email: steven.davies4@virgin.net http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/17/september-newsletter/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/17/september-newsletter/ Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:45:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (Mohammed Azam) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/05/junior-club-championship-2012/ The under-11 tournament produced high drama indeed. Saturday 21st July marked a landmark occasion for LDSRC with its first ever club Juniors Championships. In the mornings the youngest participated before the older ones played in the afternoon. On court 2 the very little ones took part in a series of fun games. Anna Ridgway ultimately triumphed and it was a tie for second between Sian Ridgway and tiny 4 year old Ben Hale-Brown. Ben was subsequently one of the nominees for player of the Tournament, a budding star by the looks of things. On Court 3 the mini squashers played a round robin tournament. Natalie Main beat Usmaan Malik first up, winning 2-0 in the best of 3 format. Usmaan bounced back to beat Ali Malik by the same score in the next match. In the final match guest of honour, local MP Kelvin Hopkins, witnessed Natalie take the title with a 2-0 win over Ali. The first match gave no clue as to what was to follow with David Pietruch taking the first game against Lily Main before eventually going down. Sam Swain then took on David and triumphed 3-0, leaving Sam and Lily to battle it out to become the club's first Under-11 Champion. The first game ebbed and flowed, before Sam prevailed 14-12 in the tie break. The second game also went to a tie-break but this time it was Lily's turn as she won 12-10. The third game was the odd one out with Sam's head seeming to drop as Lily won 11-1. Remarkably though, Sam picked it up and led 10-5, before lily fought back to get a match point at 11-10 up. Sam dug in though and took the game 13-11. The deciding game ebbed and flowed like most of the match and couldn't have been more evenly poised at 9 each. Lily held her nerve though to see out the match and win 11-9. Kelvin said, "I have to be honest and say I didn't expect to see anything like that. I was sitting on the edge of my seat. The standard of play was outstanding across all age groups and it's testament to the work the coaching team has done here. The club is clearly doing a tremendous job. How this sport is not in the Olympics is a total mystery to me." In the afternoon Ben Swain's greater experience took him through to an unbeaten victory over the relative newcomer cousins Aran Flynn and Connor Seymour who came second and third respectively in the U13 age group. Hannah Stevens won the under U15 prize pushing her twin brother Daniel into second place with and Shivani Sharma taking third.  Muqqadam Khan came out on top, also unbeaten, of the most experienced field of U17 players.  Kurran Sharma came a close second  with their score tied until the final match. There were some highly competitive matches in this category from Ed Johnson's comeback and victory from 2-0 down against Azhan Khan to the final four game match between the tiring Muqqadam and Amy Rigby.  The player of the tournament prize, sponsored by Practical Car and Van Hire Luton , was awarded to the player judged by the Referees to have competed with the best competitive spirit and determination. It was a very difficult decision and finally came down to Sam Swain following his epic deciding match against Lily Main and Amy Rigby. In the end it was awarded to Amy.  John Stevens, Junior Co-ordinator said, "It's a landmark occasion today for the club. The last three or four years have been tough with the uncertainty surrounding the clubs future and perhaps, more than most, the youngsters have stuck with it. The juniors and coaches owe a debt of gratitude to Dave Merrell who ploughed a lone furrow for many years and I am not sure even he expected to see a day such as this. It was a real joy to see the youngsters respond to the prospect of trophies and hear so many of them strive to get their names on them first. The event will now be an annual one and already the youngsters are talking about rematches next year. The event will continue to grow I am sure." L & D Junior Over 11 Trophy Winners Under 11 Tropy Winners http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/05/junior-club-championship-2012/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/september/05/junior-club-championship-2012/ Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:19:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/29/lds-storm-to-grand-final-win/ Luton and Dunstable Squash first team put up a tremendous display of squash to see off Biggleswade in the County Grand Final only losing one tie in the process. Spurred on by packed galleries not seen for many years the side dominated from start to finish and the end result was never really in doubt once play commenced. First on was Marc Woolhead at number two string who set the tone for what transpired by overcoming the stiff resistance of County veteran and multiple County individual champion, Steve Barlow. Woolhead didn't seem to be hindered at all by his exertions earlier in the day which involved him being well beaten by World Number 1, James Willstrop, as he attacked from the outset with a very high tempo to which Barlow had no answer. Scot Adam and Dean Pike at 4 and 5 respectively knew they were under huge pressure to perform and Adam responded magnificently simply blowing his opponent Martin Wright away. Wright had beaten Pike 3-0 the previous week and Adam dished out revenge in the same fashion for LDS. On the adjoining court Pike raced to a 2-0 lead against Richard Anthony and for some time it looked as though the team wouldn't need wins from either of the top strings, but Anthony found reserves from somewhere to fight back valiantly for what turned out to be the visitor's only win of the evening. Number three string Matt Mulara delivered the killer blow for LDS as he demolished his more fancied opponent, Rob St Ledger. St Ledger was clearly frustrated and took much of it out on his racket which suffered several angry smashes against the wall. Number 1 string, Steve Davies, didn't have things all his own way against Bruce St ledger and trailed badly in the first game before showing incredible tenacity to come back and ultimately triumph 3-0. Captain Davies thanked the support and said, "We have been working towards this all season and for it all to come together tonight was simply brilliant. We were all inspired by the crowds who attended tonight and hopefully this can be the dawn of a new beginning for the club and the County on the third anniversary since the closure of the site." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/29/lds-storm-to-grand-final-win/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/29/lds-storm-to-grand-final-win/ Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:07:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/14/ldsrc-easter-squash-camp-3rd-4th-april-2012-with-world-number-19-tom-richards/ LDSRC Easter Squash Camp 3rd 4th April 2012 with World Number 19 Tom Richards Venue: Luton & Dunstable Squash and Rackets Club, Lewsey Sports Park, Luton Day 1 10:45 - Registration and introductions 11:00 - Warm up 11:15 - Group selection - king of the court 11:45 - Technique session - Marc Woolhead / Steve Davies 12:15 - Routine practice - 4 court rotation 12:45 - Group round robin (1 game) 13:15 - Lunch break (please bring own packed lunch). 13:30 - Tom Richards Video and Professional Match Analysis 14:00 - Court Movement clinic 14:30 - First4Squash challenges and prizes 15:30 - Recap day 1 & teams set for day 2 matches 15:45 - Day 1 close ________________________________________________________ Day 2 10:45 - Warm up 11:00 - Team Matches 13:00 - Lunch and Tom Richards Quiz 13:45 - Tom Richards arrival and Introduction 14:00 - Tom Richards coaching session 15:00 - Demo game Tom Richards vs Marc Woolhead 15:15 - Q&A with Tom 15:30 - Awards and Presentation. 15:45 - Close ________________________________________________________ Please note children are to bring a packed lunch and drinks for both days All children must wear eye goggles whenever on court Payment must be made in advance to confirm place on the camp Cheques made payable to First4Squash Address to send cheques: 48 Wagstaff Way, Ampthill, Beds, MK45 2F http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/14/ldsrc-easter-squash-camp-3rd-4th-april-2012-with-world-number-19-tom-richards/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/14/ldsrc-easter-squash-camp-3rd-4th-april-2012-with-world-number-19-tom-richards/ Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:47:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/14/tom-richards-(world-no-19)-training-camp-4th-april-2012/ Tom Richards (World No. 19) Training Camp 4 th April 2012 Venue: Luton & Dunstable Squash and Rackets Club, Lewsey Sports Park, Luton Agenda 17:45           Warm up - Tom's match warm up. 18:00           Technique Clinic - 3 per court 18:30           Pressure sessions - 3 per court 19:00           Solo practice demo from Tom 19:15           Games vs Tom - (video optional)          19:45           Close Payment must be made in advance to confirm place on the camp. Closing date 27 th March Cheques of £60 made payable to First4Squash Address to send cheques: 48 Wagstaff Way, Ampthill, Beds, MK45 2FY. Please include your name, phone number and email address with your cheque.           http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/14/tom-richards-(world-no-19)-training-camp-4th-april-2012/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/march/14/tom-richards-(world-no-19)-training-camp-4th-april-2012/ Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:24:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/shot-and-a-ghost-by-james-willstrop/ "I have a confession to make. I am a squash anorak and devour everything I can whether in real print, or virtually on the internet. Having only discovered the game just over 6 years ago and am now in a hopeless love affair with it. I mention this at the outset because I could never be described as a dispassionate reviewer of the latest contribution to what is, in reality, a paltry amount of squash literature." Two words seem to sum up this book, "Contradiction" and "Catharsis". The book itself is based primarily on a year in James's life as a squash professional, something that not enough people know about. The surprise, to me at least, and it's acknowledged by the James, is that the focus on that is somewhat lost as the author finds himself using the opportunity to put down on paper some of his demons and the book becomes, in many ways a personal catharsis. I think that adds to the richness of the book and makes it more interesting to those who are not as close to the sport as I am. He covers the death of his mother in quite a great deal of detail and he clearly was very close to her, just as he is with his father. The contradiction comes via the mismatch between my personal experiences of him, and those of my friends - such as is mentioned in the chapter called "The Cheek of it", where he effectively dismisses someone who fancies a hit with him, yet I know before he flew out for the World Open he had a hit with a friend of mine at Dolphin Square! The book is very readable (I read it pretty much in one sitting, less than 24 hours after I bought it at the Nationals), but I doubt it will be short-listed as a contender for William Hill Sports Book of the Year because of its diary style as much as it's literary merit. Having said that it does give an excellent insight into a typical year for a top professional squash player and how utterly demanding it is. Anyone who reads this and thinks it all comes naturally will be in for a rude awakening. What I found doubly interesting was both the similarities and the contrasts with Jonah Barrington's legendary "Murder on the Squash Court" in terms of the psychology of the training and the volume and pain endured and James acknowledges Jonah's contribution to his development in the book. The description of the tournaments and how he feels as he performs is very well communicated, but in many ways I found it a little disappointing that the actual rivalries were not explored in more depth. Let's be honest most of us want to know how he and Nick REALLY get on and whilst it's touched on, it's frankly a little lightweight - maybe there will be more when he departs the circuit.The irony is that early on James states that there should be more controversy in squash and to me there is no better way than personality clashes - think Borg/McEnroe, Coe/Ovett - to me it was an opportunity missed. My second confession is that since I started watching pro squash (my first experience was 2008 Quarters at Canary Wharf) I was intrigued by Nick Matthew, despite his absence then, in that he appeared to be a grafter who worked bloody hard at his craft rather than be "naturally" talented, so I wasn't and never have been instinctively a James fan per se. This book has changed my opinion of him in a positive way. Clearly a bit of a loner, but I suspect many squash players are, as there is definitely something not quite right with wanting to spend large chunks of time in a box about 10 metres long! For the first time I also got a glimpse of the real James having sent my daughter up to get him to sign the book on behalf of the family. Despite his assertion that he finds company difficult, as soon as he saw my smiling daughter later whilst watch Nick against Daryl later in the day, he gave an appreciable nod and a wink - a sweet moment. The book is a must read for any squash fan, of that there is no doubt, and for me it has made me more supportive of him as a player, knowing what appears to be the real human side of him, rather than the reputation which has been portrayed to me by other players. When you realise how different he is from those closest to him, Mick Todd and his father, you realise that his social skills are not quite as bereft as he tries to make out, because in my very personal experience, neither of them will make the effort for shrinking violets. A review by Mainser of www.ldsquash.com http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/shot-and-a-ghost-by-james-willstrop/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/shot-and-a-ghost-by-james-willstrop/ Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/30/chance-to-win-funds-for-the-club!/ Dear all   Our squash club has a chance to enter a community competition to win £5,000; we are looking to enhance our coaching facilities with Video Coaching equipment. We need to be nominated first though.  The nominations will be counted and the Top three will be entered into the competition.  So, could you click on the following link to nominate us? http://www.themall.co.uk/sign-up/mall-champions-nominations.aspx When there you will be asked your name, postcode and telephone number, I am sure that you know that. Then you need to select your Local Mall, please select Luton Then you will be asked the name of the club, please enter Luton & Dunstable Junior Squash Club. All help gratefully received, and if you can pass onto someone else to nominate us, that would be great too.   Thanks from Luton & Dunstable Junior Squash Club. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/30/chance-to-win-funds-for-the-club!/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/30/chance-to-win-funds-for-the-club!/ Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:46:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/courts-reopening/ Dear Squash enthusiast; I am delighted to announce that the squash courts in the newly renamed Lewsey Sports Park will open on 16 th January 2012. The committee has decided to hire all 5 courts for the evening from 5pm until 9pm so that everyone in the club and the wider squash community in the area can come and have a look around and have a hit. There will be a bucket for contributions towards the cost, but there is no obligation to contribute. The idea is just a bit of a social squash evening to mark the re-opening. Steve McCoy has kindly allowed the LDS teams to postpone their county fixtures that evening (ironically it would have been a derby match between the 1sts and 2nds), he has also stated that in other matches, if BOTH teams agree, then they can do likewise to allow others in the county to join us in what should be the premium squash facility in the County. For those who are not existing members, feel free to join us, there will be membership forms available on the evening, as well as entry forms for the rescheduled Beds County Championships which will be held at the club in the new year. Active Luton will also be there with an offer of some sort of "corporate" deal for membership of the gym facilities, but I am unclear at the moment what the details are. There will be a formal relaunch of the club later, probably in April involving a squash legend, but for now it's important that we hit the ground running on day one and ensure people either begin, or return to playing on the site. Whilst there are currently 5 courts, one of those is multi-use and will be under threat if sufficient demand is not created, but conversely, if there is excess demand, there is the prospect of a 6 th court being created. On a purely personal note, it's been a tough few years. In fact it will be just two months short of three years since Riley's closed it's doors and since then the Committee and others such as England Squash and Racketball have worked tirelessly towards this day. Frankly, there have been many who didn't believe this day would ever come, thankfully sufficient people refused to give it up. However, it is now in every one of our hands, as a squash community, to make this site a success, I urge you to attend if you can, get active in the leagues and the ladder and make the site a success. Let's make 2012 the year of squash in the County! Thanks for your support. Feel free to forward this to ANY squash contacts you know. Regards Paul (07787) 920451 http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/courts-reopening/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/courts-reopening/ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:13:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/british-open-u13-2012-sheffield/ On the 2nd January 2012 Muqaddam Khan represented Luton and Dunstable Squash club in the U13 British Squash Open in Sheffield. Muqaddam moved to Luton from Pakistan in 2010 and has since received support for his obvious squash talent from both his school (Foxdell Junior School) and Luton and Dunstable Squash Club. This support lead to him gaining entry into one of the most prestigious junior tournaments around with the best 64 players in the World competing. Muqaddam has just turned 11 so was very young in the u13 age group category and his first opponent was over a year and a half older than Muqaddam and seeded to reach the later stages of the competition. As expected he was too strong and Muqaddam lost 3-0 but gave him a few scares along the way and showed plenty of fight. He had 5 more matches in the tournament and managed to win 2 of them 3-1 and only just lost out 3-2 in another. The eventual winner of the U13 category was the Egyptian Ziad Sakr but Muqaddam will be back next year and will be hoping to mount a serious challenge. County captain and Luton and Dunstable coach Steve Davies said "He can be very proud of his efforts throughout the week in Sheffield. Knowing Muqaddam he will probably be a little disappointed with a final finishing position of 52nd but at his age it is all about learning and improving and he certainly showed he has the determination to do just that. Next year he has every chance of competing with the top players in this tournament." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/british-open-u13-2012-sheffield/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/british-open-u13-2012-sheffield/ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:10:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/silsoe-vs-ldsc1/ The first match back after the Christmas break saw LDSC1 take on table topping Silsoe. With only 6 points separating the sides this was a great opportunity for LDSC1 to move ahead of their rivals. Steve Wells was first on court and was too strong for his opponent and won fairly comfortably 3-0. Meanwhile on court 2 Matt Mulara was getting involved in a long battle that really tested his fitness and mental strength. Matt was clearly not as fit as he was post Christmas but just edged his opponent out 3-2. At number 4 string Dean Pike simply carried on his good form of 2011 beating the hard hitting Stuart Bithrey 3-0. With the match already won it was left to Scot Adam and Steve Davies to finish the night and they both won 3-0 to complete an excellent whitewash of the league leaders. This victory sets the side up nicely for 2012 when they will be competing out of the newly refurbished Lewsey Sports Park. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/silsoe-vs-ldsc1/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2012/january/11/silsoe-vs-ldsc1/ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:08:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (Qaiser Malik) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/november/11/no-wins-for-ldsc/ Luton and Dunstable Squash club took on Henley Squash club in the first round of the National Club Championships on Friday evening. This was the first time the side had entered the prestigious National event that draws out the best players across the country. Number 1 string Steve Davies got the evening off to the perfect start with a 3-0 win over Henley's Luke Power. The match was fast paced but Davies always had control and the win was comfortable enough in the end. It soon became clear however that Henley were strong in depth and Numbers 4 and 5 strings Scot Adam and Dean Pike were on the wrong end of 3-0 defeats. Both Scot and Dean have excellent records this year in the Beds County league but in truth their opponents from Henley were a step up and the strongest they have faced this year. That left Henley 2-1 up and LDSC had to win the final two matches at 2 and 3 string to progress into the next round. Unfortunately, despite playing well and pushing his opponent in each game Matt Mulara was beaten 3-0 by the experienced Simon Street. The final game was the best of the evening and very evenly matched. LDSC number 2 Kachinga Kabwe lost out 3-1 in the end with both players looking extremely tired from a gruelling battle. Captain Steve Davies said, "Whilst it is disappointing to lose in the first round we can have no complaints about the final result. This is the pinnacle of club squash in the country and hopefully, we can come back stronger next year. It's been a great experience and a sign of the growth in the sport and the club that we can field teams in competitions such as this" Back in the County League, both LDSC sides lost, the 1st suffering their first reverse of the season away to Open University I, whilst the 2nds went down at Bunyan For the firsts, the match started very much as planned with a 3-0 win for number 1 string Steve Davies against Wayne James. Steve Wells was up against arguably one of the best number 5's in the division and started fantastically well. For the first two games almost everything Steve hit seemed to go exactly where he wanted and he raced into a 2-0 lead. Laurie Collick then upped his game and Steve could not keep the winning shots coming and eventually lost 3-2. Number 2 string Matt Mulara was also expecting a tough match against the classy Ben Shakespear. Their previous encounter was a thrilling 3-2 match and so the rematch was eagerly anticipated. Ben however, looked fitter and sharper than last year whilst Matt has been suffering with shin splints over the past few weeks and not played as much as he would have hoped. The match was full of quality squash and long rallies but Matt was never able to get in front of Ben Shakespear in any of the games and ultimately ran out of steam in a 3-0 defeat. Dean Pike was a firm favourite to win at number 4 string against Terry Saunders, especially after playing so well in the first game and moving swiftly into a 1-0 lead. The key moment happened in the 2nd game though when Dean pulled a groin muscle and whilst he battled on gamely his opponent was well aware of the injury and took full advantage with plenty of drops and boasts. Dean lost 3-1 and left LDSRC 3-1 down and the match gone. Scot Adam was last on court against the awkward style of Dave Gibson. Despite having already lost the match Scot played very well indeed and secured 3 extra points for the team beating Dave 3-2. His opponent pulled a calf muscle at the end of the 4th which made the 5th just a formality for Scot. Next week the team look to get back to winning ways against Flitwick. The LDSC second team slumped to a disappointing defeat away at Bunyan. The panelled back wall at Bunyan gives the home side a clear advantage against any visitors and the team will learn a lot about coping with "hostile" conditions in future. Kachinga Kabwe returned to winning ways this week with an impressive win over the experienced Matt Towers. The watching crowd couldn't help but be impressed with Kachinga's fluid movement and relentless fitness. In reality all the other matches were fairly straightforward with the home side racking up a comfortable home win, with Carl Bates feeling well below par in his match. Only Adrian John put up any sort of resistance, but Bob Amos showed his experience at key points in the match and was always on top. Next up for the seconds is a trip Open University 2, who will be the team most likely to be competing with LDSC 2 to avoid the bottom spot. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/november/11/no-wins-for-ldsc/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/november/11/no-wins-for-ldsc/ Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:18:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (Qaiser Malik) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/october/24/ldsc-ii-pull-off-shock-of-the-season/ LDSC second side pulled off what can only be described as a major upset by chalking up their first win ever, beating current defending Champions Flitwick 3-2 away from home. Meanwhile LDSC first team continued their 100% record at home to Silsoe. LDSC's development side travelled to Flitwick, more in hope than expectation. Flitwick have traditionally been one of the powerhouses of Bedfordshire squash always finishing very high in the league table are current champions and they were predicting an easy win. There was no indication as to the drama that was about to unfold as the inexperienced Qaiser Malik and Ramon Sharma went down 3-0 in both games. Qaiser played Ray Marshall who has been playing Beds team squash for about 3 years and whilst he started really well he ended up over-powered by Ray. Ramon also played very well and felt aggrieved not to take at least a game with the third going to Ian George, another team veteran 15-12. Carl Bates should have triumphed easily against Stevee Mullins, but once again, as in recent weeks, unforced errors meant that he made life difficult for himself, ultimately scraping home 3-2. Team captain Simon Swain had a titanic struggle against the experienced Steve McCoy of Flitwick, with Simon finally triumphing 3-2, setting the match up for the extraordinary climax. The unbeaten Kachinga Kabwe delivered the coup de gras beating what had been a confident Scot Jarvis 3-0. Team captain Simon Swain said, "This was a great victory for us. It shows the whole team is going from strength to strength. Our aim for the season was to not finish bottom of the league and a few results like this will make that a reality." LDSC first team were at home to Silsoe and playing out of Luton Regional Sports Centre while the home club is undergoing refurbishment. The courts were very warm which was destined to produce some long hard matches and there was a good amount of local support for this clash, which was much appreciated and really added to the atmosphere. First on court was a fired up Steve Davies after a weeks absence and he saw off the young Nathan Derrick at number 1 string in quick time 3-0. The rest of the night proved a much tougher affair for LDSC. Dean Pike played well and always had control of his tricky opponent Stewart Williams, although a pulled muscle in the third nearly forced him to retire. He managed to carry on and in the end secure a well deserved 3-1 win. Matt Mulara at number 2 string and Steve Wells at number 5 string were next on court and both involved in titanic battles. Matt's game ebbed and flowed but his opponent James Nield had the edge in the last and played an array of excellent drop shots to win 3-2. The performance of the night came from Steve Wells though who battled back from 2-0 down to beat the hard hitting Stuart Bithrey. Steve gave every last ounce of energy he had and showed real fight to come through this one. The final match of the night was also a genuine thriller and resulted in a well earned 3-2 victory for Scott Adam over Silsoe's Richard Earl. A final match score of 17-8 to LDSC 1 was another good result from the team and keeps them top of the table after 4 wins from the first 4 matches. Next week sees a historic derby match between the first and second sides. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/october/24/ldsc-ii-pull-off-shock-of-the-season/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/october/24/ldsc-ii-pull-off-shock-of-the-season/ Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:15:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (Qaiser Malik) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/september/28/confessions-of-a-team-squash-novice/ With thanks to some of the team members I had been given many insights about Club Team games and relished the chance to play in one. The butterflies began from the point of which I recieved a phone call from Simon Swain asking me to play on the very day of the match. I did not expect to be involved and immediately mixed emotions went through my head combining excitement and nervousness. Eventually I took on words of advice from my friend Paul Main who strictly told me to just relax and enjoy, which i took on board. Finally we arrived and I was feeling pretty calm and confident and was looking forward to play but it was then the bombshell was thrown on me. I was first up against the MK number 5 and my nerves went sky high. We eventually warmed up and started the game. I managed to hold the first game putting the pressure on but my opponent managed to take the lead due to my unforced errors and by that time the game was over. I was really angry at myself as I was missing shots which normally came second nature to me but due to my nerves I was just not myself. The second game was a complete wipeout as he was just too strong. Playing really coercively to the back corners pushing me really hard and testing my agility as well as my stamina, I worked extremely hard to stay in the game. In the final game the table started to go in my favour where I took a clear four point lead and I could see that my opponent was tired. But his experience prevailed leading to a 15-8 loss for me. In hindsight I certainly could have played alot better than I did and was more worried about getting things right rather than playing with my natural instinct. I should have relaxed as that would have helped my develop a flow in the game which I was not really able to and raised the level to make it a tougher job for my opponent. I was pleased to see him exhausted by the end of it as I didn't throw him the game, trying to retain some club dignity. I am so glad that I have been given this opportunity because not only is it a wake up call as to where I am in terms of my level but also I feel quite chuffed considering I have worked hard over the past year to improve my game and be more competitive. For some it may not be much, but I personally feel a sense of achievement even getting this far. I now look forward to the next opportunity not only to prove to the club but also prove to myself that I can do better and hopefully assist LDSC2 make some loud noises in the league! http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/september/28/confessions-of-a-team-squash-novice/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/september/28/confessions-of-a-team-squash-novice/ Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:08:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/august/04/new-eastern-regional-newsletter/ Below is the January edition of the Eastern Regional Newsletter, including dates of the the County Closed in September. ESR East Region Newsletter - August 2011 http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/august/04/new-eastern-regional-newsletter/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/august/04/new-eastern-regional-newsletter/ Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:07:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/july/25/closure-announcement/ Refurbishment about to start Members will be delighted that the long awaited refurbishment of the facilities at Lewsey are about to start. The Contractors will begin work on the 1 st August and Active Luton hope that the work will be complete by the end of the year. In the interim the internal leagues will continue to run, but members will have to organise courts elsewhere. Whilst the County League fixtures have yet to be determined, LDS will be entering 2 sides, one elite and one development. It is hoped that Beds SRA will assist us by scheduling the first half of the season's matches away from home and the return fixtures at home. Similarly the Saturday sides should be able to fulfil their fixtures with some creative scheduling. The juniors will relocate to Houghton Regis for the autumn term, commencing in September. Inevitably this upheaval will cause some frustration, but the prospect of refurbished courts, warm showers and a heated facility should ensure that the inconvenience is ultimately worth it. The Committee is confident that we will return to the site in a much stronger position in the New Year. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact us . http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/july/25/closure-announcement/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/july/25/closure-announcement/ Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:05:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/may/06/can-they-win-it/ Yes they Khan Phenomenal performances by LDS junior members Muqaddam and Azhan Khan delivered the finest individual victory for the club since it's inception two years ago, with Muqaddam winning The Hertfordshire Junior Squash Under-11 title. His younger brother, performed equally well only losing out by a tie break in a 5 game thriller in the semi-final, having disposed of the third seed in the first round. Both boys travelled to Bishop Stortford with high hopes, but it was all unknown territory for them, having only arrived in the country a few weeks ago. Azhan, 8 years old, faced the experienced Harry Kitchens in the first round and that experience told as Harry raced to a 2-0 lead, but Azhan showed incredible maturity in recovering to win the match 3-2. In the next round he comfortably despatched Harry Senior, before losing out in an epic battle with Jay Ledger, who had accounted for the top seed earlier in the competition. Muqaddam showed similar nerves as he fell quickly behind 2-0 to number 2 seed Josh Abbs, but just like his younger brother, showed incredible resilience to triumph 3-2. Almost identically he disposed of his next opponent 3-0 to progress to the semi-final. Again like his brother, the semi-final was a titanic struggle with Muqaddam losing the first two games, but he dug deep and lengthened the rallies to put his opponent under intense physical pressure to triumph 3-2. By contrast the final was a straightforward affair as Jay Ledger, his brother's conqueror, toiled after such a demanding semi-final. Paul Main, Chair of LDS, said, "This is a tremendous boost for the club. For the lads to enter one of the top squash tournaments in the country and win is an outstanding achievement, all the coaches are absolutely thrilled by it. Muqaddam has gained the prize, but Azhan's performance at such a young age, is nothing short of amazing. Hopefully it can be the dawn of a new era, not just for the club, but for the sport too - I am very proud of both the boys." Mohammed Nadeem, local entrepreneur and sponsor of the boys, said, "When I saw these boys play it was fantastic and I was delighted to help them out. I play a bit of squash myself and could see the talent right away and feel, with the support of the LDS coaching team, they could go very far indeed". http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/may/06/can-they-win-it/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/may/06/can-they-win-it/ Fri, 06 May 2011 22:01:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/16/graded-tournament-in-abbotsley-cambs/ Abbotsley Squash Club in nearby Cambridgeshire is hosting an Open Graded Adult Tournament on the first weekend in April, details can be found here  and entry form here . http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/16/graded-tournament-in-abbotsley-cambs/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/16/graded-tournament-in-abbotsley-cambs/ Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:59:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/10/another-successful-gbi/ "The first Get Back Into session of 2011 finished on a competitive high with the end of course Tournament being won by Belinda Jones seen receiving her trophy from ES&R Level 1 coach Adrian John.  Belinda won a tough best of three final against Gloria Rodrigues 12:10, 12:10.  This is the fifth time LDSRC have hosted a GBI squash course which gives the opportunity for new or returning squash players to try out the sport under the supervision of Licensed ES&R coaches and is hopefully a stepping stone towards full participation.  The next seven week course is due to start in May." LDS regularly runs Get Back Into Squash programmes on behalf of Team Beds and Luton and has become one of it's most successful sports. LDS Coach, Adrian John, presents Belinda with her trophy (right) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/10/another-successful-gbi/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/10/another-successful-gbi/ Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:57:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/09/adil-macbool/ In other club news, Adil Maqbool competed in the BSPA North of Scotland Open, in Aberdeen and performed creditably. The locals took to Adil warming to his aggressive style and flamboyant style, renaming him "MacBool". Adil eventually went down 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 to Chris Ryder, ranked 34 in the world. The irony being that Chris is visiting LDS at the end of the month to do some coaching and play. Adil said, "I was pretty pleased with my performance over the weekend and it continues my good run of form as I try and climb back up the rankings." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/09/adil-macbool/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/09/adil-macbool/ Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:56:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/01/great-piece-about-squash-in-yorkshire-post/ It's a mystery to me why squash is not included at the Olympics Published on Sun Feb 27 21:52:37 GMT 2011 Yorkshire Post BETWEEN now and August 2012, when the British Olympic Association will attempt to dazzle the watching world with its opening ceremony in London, be prepared to be blitzed with an increasing barrage of column inches and TV newsreels hyping up the self-styled 'greatest sporting occasion in the world', this esteemed newspaper included. The same frenzied coverage will doubtless occur for the 2014 Winter Games in Russia and the 2016 summer games in Rio in those respective host countries. Over the years, the inclusion of certain sports, particularly for the summer Olympics, has often led to widespread debate, often leading to a newly-Olympicised sport being derided for not being fit to be given such status (anyone for beach volleyball?). For 2012, women's boxing will be staged for the first time and in 2016 golf and rugby 7s were given the nod over a number of other sports - not surprisingly, not everyone agreed. Now, at the risk of alienating several of my colleagues, I just don't get golf. In much the same way that those same colleagues often look back at me with vacant expressions when I start eulogising about ice hockey, it's a safe bet that whenever discussions about Tiger Woods or Padraig Harrington pop up, I tend to glaze over and pop off to make a cup of tea or find that tidying my desk suddenly holds great appeal. Why it has become an Olympic sport is difficult to understand, but not totally surprising - it hardly embodies the 'amateur' spirit often associated with the Games, certainly in terms of the highly-paid and famous individuals expected to be taking part in Rio. And when news of its admission to 2016 was revealed, it was received by some in a similarly negative way that tennis was when that was given Olympic status back in the 90s - particularly when it came at the expense of other sports considered by many to be more in keeping with the Olympic ideal. One sport to miss out on garnering enough votes to be given Olympic status at both London and Rio was squash. Some of you may have assumed it was already an Olympic sport and when you consider a number of the sports that will form part of London 2012, it becomes even more difficult to work out why it isn't there. After all, other racquet sports will form part of the Games with badminton, table tennis and tennis now all long-established parts of the summer schedule - why not squash? Arguably the most athletic and physically demanding of them all, it is played all around the world, is widely played by both men and women, young and old and is, seemingly, well-governed and administered. Therefore, you would think, it would be a shoo-in for the Games. On a purely local level, it's particularly disheartening when you realise that, for a number of years, Yorkshire has produced a string of world-class players. Of the current crop, Sheffield's world No 1 Nick Matthew is following in the footsteps of Pontefract's Lee Beachill, who was the world's leading player back in 2004. With Matthew's rival James Willstrop, from Leeds, now back up to fourth in the world - he was briefly world No 2 in 2005 - and Harrogate's Jenny Duncalf world No 2 in the women's game, success has been achieved on a regular basis over the past few years. Last year, Matthew became the first Englishman to become world champion, defeating Willstrop in a thrilling final in Saudi Arabia in December. He became world No 1 at the turn of the year, completing a memorable 2010 for the 30-year-old, who also captured two Commonwealth gold medals in India. One criticism levelled at squash is that it doesn't translate well to live TV. But one thing the Commonwealth Games in India showed is that squash could, if given a similar media platform to many other sports, produce plenty of interest and coverage, with the overall success of the British team undoubtedly helping it to entertain the millions watching around the world. Like many sports, it's much better live. I remember going to my first professional squash night several years ago thinking I was a fairly decent player at the time, believing that an ability to hit the ball as hard as possible and occasionally being able to sustain a rally for longer than 10 seconds was all that was required to be a 'decent' player. I was blown away by how fast, combative and, at times, downright niggly, the game could be particularly the higher up the game you got, as I discovered while covering the two-hour plus epic British Open final in 2009 between Matthew and Willstrop in Manchester. With plenty of other British talent at the top-end of both the men's and women's tours, it is therefore all the more disappointing that they will not be able to showcase their undoubted skill, energy and competitiveness on what is often labelled the biggest sporting stage of all, particularly next year in London when Matthew, Willstrop and Duncalf would have been genuine candidates for medals on home soil - gold ones at that. It remains to be seen whether the leading figures in the world of squash can muster enough effort to try for a third successive time to get the sport admitted for 2020 - you couldn't blame them if chose not to, given the futility of the whole process. But let's hope they do and, if successful, it would be no more than the sport deserves although, by then, it will be too late for the likes of Matthew, Willstrop and Duncalf. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/01/great-piece-about-squash-in-yorkshire-post/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/march/01/great-piece-about-squash-in-yorkshire-post/ Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:53:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/february/09/website-review-number-1/ Periodically I am going to post a review of squash related sites I find on the web. I am not going to promise to do it weekly, or monthly for that matter, but this won't be the only one I do. So first up I found Squash Blogger on the imaginatively titled http://squashblogger.com/ I have to say it's a tidy site, easy to navigate and plenty of resources there. However, it does graphically highlight the fundamental problem with squash - there isn't as much out there as I, or other anoraks, want. Perhaps that's best illustrated by the fact that the 6 th story down is getting on for a year old, yet amongst the links are ones to recent items such as Squash Skills (When that goes properly live I will do a review of that, but it promises much). The idea is great, the execution and delivery make my handiwork on this site look like my squash skills do against Nick Matthew - Blogger wins hands down!!!! I like the links to the PSA 2011 calendar (easier to navigate than the official PSA Site, in my humble opinion), I also like a lot the ability to download the i-sports squash magazines. The only drawback I suspect, is the same as the ldsquash website, it's probably run by an over-worked, underpaid volunteer who does it for the love of the game and would love to have more time to post more articles. Overall 7/10 and well worthy of a link from our links page, good effort. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/february/09/website-review-number-1/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/february/09/website-review-number-1/ Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:53:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/february/01/club-members-play-alongside-the-elite/ Club members Adil Maqbool and Victoria Lust have been chosen to play for Surrey Health and Rackets in Englands top squash team league, the Premier Squash League. Playing alongside legend Peter Nicol, veteran Tim Garner and current world number 8 Peter Barker Adil said, "It's great to be invited to take part in an event like this and to be playing with such players will be an incredible experience. The call came very late, so the studies may suffer a bit, but opportunities like this don't come every day". Also is the team is ex-club member Victoria Lust. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/february/01/club-members-play-alongside-the-elite/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/february/01/club-members-play-alongside-the-elite/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:52:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/31/club-night-tomorrow-night-tues-1st-745-for-8pm/ Don't forget it's the first Tuesday of the month tomorrow - great chance to play new people - cost for an hour's squash is £4.25. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/31/club-night-tomorrow-night-tues-1st-745-for-8pm/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/31/club-night-tomorrow-night-tues-1st-745-for-8pm/ Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:49:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/27/ever-fancied-going-to-see-how-the-professionals-do-it/ Last year, amongst other things, Dave Merrell was rewarded for his many years of service to squash by being a guest of England Squash and Racketball at the Rowe British Grand Prix at the National Squash Centre in Manchester. If you have never been to a professional tournament, maybe Dave's recounting of his visit in his own words, perhaps this will inspire you: My visit to the National Squash Centre, Manchester Being tempted by the free entry to the Rowe Grand Prix competition, courtesy of England Squash, I ventured up to the National Squash Centre. After going round the ring road twice I managed to find Sport City - a very impressive site that incorporates Eastlands the Manchester City ground. The big bonus is that parking is FREE right next to the centre. I went up on Friday 17 th September which was Quarter finals day. Matches started at 1 pm and there was the possibility of watching 10 matches all for the princely sum of £10. What incredible value when compared to the costs of other sports. I watched 5 matches all of a very high standard. The irretrievable shots were retrieved, the speed of recovery unbelievable and the agility of the players incredible. After all these years of playing I still am astonished at the quality and type of shots played by these supreme players. It is obvious that the squash court is much smaller than the ones that I play on or how else do they do it. Quarter Finals day is a good day to go to see both the top players and up and comers. I saw Daryl Selby, Gregory Gaultier, James Willstrop, S Goshal and David Palmer all put their slightly lesser opponents to the sword. 6 hours of squash was sufficient even for me. I hopefully learned a few extra shots, it appears that the idea is to drive the ball to the back of the court! Thanks to England Squash and to Paul Main for providing the temptation to go. David Merrell http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/27/ever-fancied-going-to-see-how-the-professionals-do-it/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/27/ever-fancied-going-to-see-how-the-professionals-do-it/ Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:48:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/26/new-eastern-regional-newsletter/ Below is the January edition of the Eastern Regional Newsletter, including a big piece on the success of our members in the County Closed ESR East Region Newsletter - January 2011 http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/26/new-eastern-regional-newsletter/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/26/new-eastern-regional-newsletter/ Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:46:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/25/exclusive-england-squash-membership-benefits-announced/ As a member of England Squash & Racketball you are entitled to a range of benefits - accessed through our brand new member's only area. This area hosts exclusive benefits to ESR members only plus there are some excellent club related offers too. Some of our latest discounts include up to 25% off Madame Tussauds, up to 48% off trips to Warwick Castle and up to 55% off your entry to national Sea Life Centres. You can also book special hotel breaks and order new equipment with PDH Sports with an exclusive 7.5% discount. But, to have access to this page you must activate your membership online. To activate visit: www.englandsquashandracketball.com/signup If your membership isn't activated you won't be able to to take advantage of these offers including Squash Player magazine which is only available to activated members. When activating your membership you are asked if you would like to receive 3 complementary issues of Squash Player magazine a year, as an added benefit you can subscribe to receive 6 issues at a discounted rate of only To activate your membership you will need to have your membership number at hand, if you are not sure what this is then email: activation@englandsquashandracketball.com Each membership helps us to develop and promote squash and racketball in England. As the National Governing Body for squash and racketball we support over 1,500 clubs, providing individual assistance, coaching and expertise. We are working hard to maximise participation in partnership with clubs, leisure centres, schools and organisations, building programmes to encourage people onto court. We also provide competition and events for all ages and abilities across the country in both squash and racketball. We want to continue to produce English champions who compete on the world stage and help to cement England's position as the number one world squash playing nation. Currently we have four Englishmen and three Englishwomen in the world top ten of their respective rankings. Only with your help and support will we be able to achieve this. Get involved today and activate now! www.englandsquashandracketball.com/signup ALL paid up members of LDS are automatically members of ESR, but you do need to activate your membership. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/25/exclusive-england-squash-membership-benefits-announced/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2011/january/25/exclusive-england-squash-membership-benefits-announced/ Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:45:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/13/lds-dominate-county-finals-day/ The Lewsey Squash and Fitness Centre hosted finals day for the County Closed on Sunday 12th December and went on to be dominated by LDS members. The day kicked off early with Adil Maqbool, fresh from narrowly losing in the quarter final of the BSPA Closed Event in Boston Lincs, taking on regining champion Steve Barlow from Biggleswade club. A sparsely attended match saw Adil see off Steve in very quick time as time after time the ball seemed to be magnetically drawn to the nick. It was virtually exhibition play with Steve often chasing shadows and clearly wilting under severe pressure. Later in the afternoon, Dean Pike took part in a very tightly contested Plate Final. Unfortunately, Dean lost 3-1, but the feeling in the gallery was that with a bit of luck he could have easily taken the 4th and set-up a nerve jangling climax, sadly it was not to be. The final was almost inevitably between the County's two best current players, long-time club stalwart, Steve Davies and newcomer Adil. The first game was a tremendously tight affair and Steve clearly had Adil under pressure and somewhat rattled. The gallery, were in the main, rooting for the underdog, but ultimately Adil's greater experience told and he prevailed 15-13 to take the first game and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of Steve. Steve, described his performance in words that are not really printable, but he was being harsh on himself, he put up a great fight and had done well given that  the day before in the semi-final winning a 5 game thriller. Mayor Cllr Tom Shaw with club players (l-r) Adil Maqbool, Steve Davies and Dean Pike. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/13/lds-dominate-county-finals-day/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/13/lds-dominate-county-finals-day/ Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:42:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/10/world-open-all-yorkshire-final/ Yorkshiremen Nick Matthew and James Willstrop will contest the first ever all-British World Open final after prevailing in the semi-finals of the $327,500 Saudi PSA World Open Squash Championship , the richest PSA World Tour event of all-time at Sunset Beach Resort in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Khobar . Matthew, seeded to become England's first winner of the title in the premier event's 34-year history, ousted defending champion Amr Shabana , the former world number one from Egypt who was hoping to become a five-time winner of the trophy. The 30-year-old from Sheffield, 5/7 down in their career head-to-head count before the match, got off to the perfect start, quickly establishing a 6-1 lead before finishing off the opening game with three winning shots. In the second it was Shabana's turn to take a lead, but Matthew, took five points in a row to draw level. The pair matched each other point for point before Shabana squandering his first game ball to allow Matthew to move two games ahead. A tense third game saw the score move from five-all through to 10-all with the players winning alternative points before Matthew converted his first match-ball to win 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 after 59 minutes. "I got off to a very good start in the first game, then I was just hanging on, he was just so tight down the forehand side, he was killing me there," said Matthew, now in his first World Open final. "I just got the belief from being one up, then two up, I just kept pushing and pushing, there was absolutely nothing in it. "So proud to have two English boys in the final, but it's not done yet," added the world No2. Willstrop also secured his first appearance in a World Open final after beating England team-mate Peter Barker . Despite having played each other countless times before - both on the Tour and in numerous junior clashes, including the World Junior Championship final - none can have been as crucial as this. Willstrop went into the match 10/0 up on their Tour career head-to-head count - but it still took the 27-year-old from Leeds 87 minutes to see off Londoner Barker 8-11, 14-12, 11-4, 11-8 in a tense and closely-contested affair. "It was on a knife edge again," said Willstrop afterwards. "If I had gone two down against so physical a player as Pete, I would have been in big trouble. I just had to try to get past every hurdle, take it inch by inch, point by point and then move on to the next one. "I knew I had an opening in the draw with Ramy going out - but seeing it and taking it are different things. " World Open final: it's what you dream about lying in bed as a ten-year-old .... and for it to be against another Englishman too! "The pressure's all on Nick tomorrow, he's favourite. I'll just try to do my best." The pair last met in the Commonwealth Games final in Delhi in October, with Matthew winning gold. Matthew has not lost to Willstrop since December 2007 and goes into the Saudi clash 15/8 ahead on their Tour head-to-head tally. For all the latest news, visit the official event website: www.atcosquash.com PSA's SquashTV is the official live and video on-demand website of the Professional Squash Association. Watch all the live action and highlights at www.psasquashtv.com Follow PSA's Squash TV on Facebook at www.facebook.com/squashtv and the latest PSA Tour news on www.twitter.com/psaworldtour http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/10/world-open-all-yorkshire-final/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/10/world-open-all-yorkshire-final/ Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:41:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/08/junior-sponsor-announced/ As indicated a few weeks ago, LDS are delighted to announce that it has secured sponsorship for it's junior section. Duncannon Executive are a recruitment company specialising in top end executives. They have a history of being involved in the recruitment of senior executives in some household sporting names. Gary Buckley, a partner in the firm said, "The raw enthusiasm of the coaches involved with junior squash here made a sponsorship package very attractive to us. Our company is delighted to be involved with such a progressive club. At a time when government cutbacks are beginning to bite, it's great to see investment taking place in our youngsters future through sport. I have recently taken up squash and have fallen in love with it, albeit I suspect it won't be long until some of the youngsters here are beating me so easily I will be questioning why I ever bothered in the first place!!!" Junior co-ordinator, John Stevens, said, "The youngsters were delighted to be kitted out in club t-shirts and to be honest it was very moving to see them all smiling as they put them on. There is a real sense of belonging now and we are grateful to Duncannon, and Gary in particular, for being able to support us and give some real tangible backing to our club and the sport" http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/08/junior-sponsor-announced/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/08/junior-sponsor-announced/ Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:39:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/06/adil-and-steve-heading-for-final/ The County's premier squash event the Beds Squash Championship continued this week and the seeds continue to triumph, with one exception, despite the inclement conditions affecting both transport and the courts where single dot balls were often used. Lee Murdoch, 13th seed was the exception, but his withdrawal meant an unexpected quarter final appearance for LDSRC stalwart John Stevens, who subsequently asked too much of himself by attempting to play straight after coaching youngsters for two hours and was swiftly dispatched 3-0 by Andy Jenkins. Young Nathan Derrick, 6th seed, was run very close by 15th seed Steve McCride eventually triumphing 3-2. Finals day is Sunday at the Lewsey Squash and Fitness Centre, with the first match commencing at 13.30 and the final scheduled to start at 15.45. Tournament organiser, Steve McCoy, said, "Everything is shaping up nicely for a cracking weekend of squash climaxing on Sunday with the final. Newcomer Adil Maqbool looks in great form and it would be a big surprise if he didn't make it to the final. In the other half, Steve Davies, will take some stopping. "Everyone in the County is very excited at the prospects and it will be great to welcome the Mayor of Luton, Tom Shaw who is coming to present the prizes. The event is free for spectators, but if the chilly weather is still here, they would be well advised to wrap up warm." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/06/adil-and-steve-heading-for-final/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/06/adil-and-steve-heading-for-final/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:38:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (Adil Maqbool) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/06/quarter-final-finish-for-adil-at-csrc-open-2010/ Event: CSRC Open 2010 Held @ Canterbury Squash Rackets Club, CT2 7LR. Dates: 3rd-5th December 2010 Final position: Quarterfinal. This was the third tournament I have participated in since i arrived here in England two months ago. I can say that the result acceptable considering this was my first event since I contracted a shin injury during the Coronation London Open two weeks back. I had a bye in the first round, and in the second round I played Canterbury's Tom Woods beating him in straight sets, 11-8, 12-10, 12-10. He was a very talented player who had a very wide forehand swing and that in addition to him being a lefty made it really hard to read what he was going to do in the front of the court. We exchanged short rallies in which both of us were in a hurry to put the ball away on the first opportunity we got. In the quarterfinal I drew the inform Obaid Jahan Khan, brother of the legendary Hiddy Jahan Khan, Zarak and Zubai Jahan Khan. I won the first game quite convincingly, 11-4 but then then lost focus loosing the next 11-5. The third was a close game with both of us going head to head on till 5-all and then he pulled away with a few quick winners and got to 10-5 holding 5 match balls. I did recover briefly by lost the game 11-9. The fourth was similar as we went on till 8-8 but Khan managed to pull of a winner and a mistake from me game him two match-balls. I saved the two match-balls rallying up and down, playing a game I am very uneasy playing, and leveled the score at 10-all. He then went up twice and i managed to save two more matchballs. Getting my first change at 13-12 i finished the game off with a cross court flick wining 14-12. The fourth seemed to have taken its tool on me and I seemed to be struggling a lot physically. I went in attacking and was quickly holding a 5-1 lead, but Khan steadied himself and rallied back to 5-all and then took the lead to go 8-5 up. We then exchanged a few short rallies and i found myself 10-8 match ball up. Two errors from my racket got Khan back in the game and he went up 11-10 serving for the match. I saved two match-balls but he put it away in his third try wining the match 14-12. I was quiet disappointed but knew that I played the fifth game purely on my will power as I had nothing left physically to give. So all in all it was an entertaining match and apart from the result I enjoyed it tremendously. My next engagement is the Beds County Championship's Quarterfinal on Wednesday followed by the Boston Open which will be held from the 10th to the 12th of December. Will keep you all posted. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/06/quarter-final-finish-for-adil-at-csrc-open-2010/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/december/06/quarter-final-finish-for-adil-at-csrc-open-2010/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:36:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/18/lds-players-lead-county-team's-charge-for-promotion/ On November 13th The Bedfordshire mens county side were in action in Ipswich against Lincolnshire and Suffolk. With Leinster having to withdraw from the competition it meant that we only had to finish above one of these sides to be in with a chance of promotion in March. Having won our last three county matches and with the addition of world ranked Adil Maqbool to the side at number 1 our hopes were high of being able to continue this winning run. Confidence was not misplaced as we ran out 5-0 winners in our first match against the hosts. Gary Milner won a good match at number  5 string 3-1. Bruce St Leger was involved in the toughest battle of the afternoon at number 4 string as he ended up winning 3-2 despite picking up a hamstring injury late on in the match. There were fairly comfortable wins for Nick Lavery at 3 and Adil Maqbool at 1 - both winning 3-0. After a shaky start Steve Davies then wrapped things up with a 3-1 win at number 2 seed. The second match against Lincolnshire was a tougher test and due to the tight schedule of the running order we were pretty much straight back on court after our match against Suffolk so were perhaps carrying a few tired legs. Gary Milner started proceedings off and again was involved in an excellent match at number 5 string eventually losing 3-2. Meanwhile Nick Lavery lost 3-1 on the other court against a steady opponent and was not quite able to impose his normal accuracy on the match. LDS pair Adil Maqbool and Steve Davies then brought Bedfordshire back into the frame and levelled things up at 2-2, both winning their matches 3-1. This left the match all down to the number 4 string Bruce St Leger but unfortunately he was unable to recover from his earlier injury and whilst putting up a valiant effort was basically on one leg and lost 3-0. In the final match Lincs beat Suffolk 4-1 and so Bedfordshire qualified in second place for the promotion weekend in March and hope to continue our recent good form. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/18/lds-players-lead-county-team's-charge-for-promotion/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/18/lds-players-lead-county-team's-charge-for-promotion/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:35:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/17/world-class-player-joins-the-club-and-gets-tremendous-publicity/ For those of you who have visited the club recently you may have spotted that we have a new member who has been ranked as high as 66 in the world, Adil Maqbool. Adil is currently studying at the University of Bedfordshire's Luton Campus and has joined us whilst he is there. Adil is available for a hit with members. Should you wish to take advantage of this unique opportunity to get on court with such a star of the squash world, just contact him via his website or using the details on his poster Adil has already shown his commitment to playing locally, by turning out for the County side and helping them succeed in getting into the promotion pool, which will be held in March. Adil has also entered the County Championship, which kick off this weekend, unsurprisingly seeded no1, where he is scheduled to meet no 2 seed, our own head coach Steve Davies. The club has also pulled off a great publicity coup in the local press with his arrival, with the below appearing in a recent edition of The Luton News - it's not often that squash gets second billing in the sports section Luton News 03-11-10 I am sure I speak for everyone in giving Adil a warm welcome and wishing him the best for his studies and his various tournaments, which start this weekend with the BSPA Solent Classic where Adil is seeded to reach the quarter finals. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/17/world-class-player-joins-the-club-and-gets-tremendous-publicity/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/17/world-class-player-joins-the-club-and-gets-tremendous-publicity/ Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:32:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/16/sorry-for-the-silence/ Apologies for the lack of updates on the site recently. This is down to the fact that Webjam whose platform we use has gone into administration.  Our most pressing task was to get everything backed up so that if the site should go down permanently then everything is not lost. Now that's complete (a big thanks to Paul White for that) we can ensure that all future items are backed-up before it gets posted.  So over the next few days keep an eye out on several new developments within the club. It should be noted that SquashNet are actively pursuing alternative platforms, so hopefully there should be no interruption in service. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/16/sorry-for-the-silence/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/november/16/sorry-for-the-silence/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:29:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/25/canary-wharf-tickets-go-on-sale/ Tickets are now on sale for one of the best squash tournaments in the world, The Canary Wharf Classic. Commencing on 21st March 2011 it may seem like a long way off, but last year it became the first ever squash event to sell out EVERY ticket for EVERY night. Several members go to this stunning venue to soak up the atmosphere and watch some incredible squash. Last year's semi-final between Nick Matthew and James Willstrop was arguably one of the best matches ever. Buy your tickets here http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/25/canary-wharf-tickets-go-on-sale/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/25/canary-wharf-tickets-go-on-sale/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:27:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (Stephen McCoy) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/22/details-of-beds-county-closed-announced/ Dear Squash Colleagues This year we are running a 'Beds Closed Squash Tournament' .  This will run from LDSC Luton from 20th November to 12th December 2010.  The closing date for receipt of entry is 15th November 2010.  Entry fee is £15, which will include a minimum of 2-games (knockout and plate) good quality T-shirt (stay-dry material) no court fees, prizes and trophies (awarded by the Lord Mayor of Luton) to all finalists. This year we are supporting Active Luton 'Sports Traider' which aims to encourage the uptake of all sporting activities by providing very low cost sports equipment.  Accordingly, please donate at The Tournament any unwanted sports equipment you may have, both used or new (rackets, bags, football boots Etc)  Unbroken and clean please. The entry  pack is downloaded from our web site Complete the entry form on your computer, print it out, sign it and post it together with the entry fee……its easy!  All fixture schedules and results Etc will also be downloaded from our web site Please enter this competition and support squash in this area. Please encourage everyone you play squash with to enter. Please enter ASAP and help make my life easier!  Please don't leave it to the last minute! Regards Stephen McCoy sgdmccoy@msn.com +44 (0)7774 840888         http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/22/details-of-beds-county-closed-announced/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/22/details-of-beds-county-closed-announced/ Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:59:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/18/brave-show-by-jasmine-and-hannah/ Jasmine Watson and Hannah Stevens (pictured above) entered this weekends Peter Nichol Junior Open at The Hunts Country Club near Cambridge.  An England Squash sanctioned Bronze event  it is the second in a series of five open tournaments played around the East of England this season.  Needless to say the quality was high with their opponents ranked 15, 20, 21 and 30 in the UK girls U13 category. There were two groups of three round robins with the top two playing in the final, the second two for third and fourth and the thirds playing for fifth and sixth place.  Hannah and Jasmine, still new to tournament squash came third in their groups and played off for fifth and sixth place with Hannah taking the honours. The next in the series is in Suffolk at the end of November with plenty of court time and practise between now and then http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/18/brave-show-by-jasmine-and-hannah/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/18/brave-show-by-jasmine-and-hannah/ Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:57:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/15/tough-task-set-for-hannah-and-jasmine/ Two of LDS's brightest youngsters Hannah Stevens and Jasmin Watson head off tomorrow to take part in the latest leg of the Peter Nicol Junior Challenge series. The national series of events is being hosted on this occasion at Hunts Club in Cambridgeshire. Both girls face tough challenges against nationally ranked players, Jasmine in particular faces the daunting prospect of getting on court with Nadine El-Refee, ranked 15th in England. I am sure all members wish them well and they will surely return as better players for the experience. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/15/tough-task-set-for-hannah-and-jasmine/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/15/tough-task-set-for-hannah-and-jasmine/ Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:49:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/13/great-bbc-article-about-squash-by-matthew-pinsent/ With four Olympic Golds to his name, Matthew Pinsent reckons squash deserves a shot at the Olympics ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/matthewpinse ... ympic.html - you can comment on the article, and watch videos of the finals (if you're in the UK) Squash makes case for Olympic inclusion Matthew Pinsent | 09:03 UK time, Saturday, 9 October 2010 On the face of it squash, like so many of the racquet sports, seems a cordial and genteel way of spending an hour but, in reality, it is really a vicious sporting encounter. There is scope to bully your opponent, shout at the officials with seeming impunity and it would certainly challenge any of the sports taking place in Delhi to be the sweatiest - despite being held in the air-conditioned hall of the Siri Fort Complex. At some points the gladiators stand at the back of the court and exchange strokes of enormous speed and power but in an instant they are darting forward, lunging like fencers, arms fully straight front legs fully folded to reach some of the deft touch shots. After Peter Barker won the bronze medal on Friday afternoon, an England sweep was assured in the men's singles with Nick Matthew and James Willstrop in the gold-medal match. As the game started it was a great mix of a good crowd and the highest-level sport - a combination seen far too seldom in Delhi so far. You might think that, with the doubles competition starting on Saturday, some sort of team orders would have been issued but there was no quarter asked or given. Nick Matthew was making no secret of his opinion about James Willstrop's calls in the middle of games for the cleaners to come in and provide a dry floor - and incidentally some breathing space - and both players at times were furiously asking for lets. Getting a let in squash is part tactic, part truth and a lot of bravado. The encumbered party looks angrily back to the panel of officials, miming the action he would like to have taken with his racquet, while the blocker looks aghast and points to some area of the court with palms up and a shrug - the full Mediterranean "What's he on?" The officials have a quick vote between the three of them and deliver a polite "yes, let". The point is replayed sometimes more than once and the sweat goes on. In the end, Matthew swept Willstrop aside in straight games. But the match was full of nuance and skill that the bland 11-6 11-7 11-7 cannot relate. Squash of course is not an Olympic sport, which gives gold in the Commonwealth Games an elevated status. It's not that they haven't tried to gain a place in the Olympic programme. They applied for inclusion for both the 2012 London Olympics and, more recently, for Rio de Janiero in 2016, both times unsuccessfully. Seeing both golf and rugby sevens being voted into the biggest multi-sport event on earth must have been a bitter pill. Squash would be a good addition to the Olympics - it is relatively easy to set up, especially in a modern urban environment, and is fast and exciting to watch both on television and live. Crucially, the Olympics would be the absolute pinnacle of what the sport offers - unlike so many of the current sports in the programme (such as tennis, football and arguably now rugby sevens). Golf's inclusion in the rota is - on that particular metric - strange. Nothing in golf is going to break into the four majors or the Ryder Cup as the must-win event of someone's career. The reality of what makes the grade for inclusion and what keeps a sport inside the ropes is never openly published. Some of them must include number of competing countries, tradition of being in the Games, spectator appeal, cost of staging, spread of medals in terms of countries and ticket sales. The fact that squash can compete with many of the sports already in the Olympics on many of these makes me think that they must be head of the list should the 28 sports ever be increased even by one. The earliest they could ever be included is now 2020 - too late for this generation of athletes. For now, let's hail some of the best squash players in the world and wish them well. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/13/great-bbc-article-about-squash-by-matthew-pinsent/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/13/great-bbc-article-about-squash-by-matthew-pinsent/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:47:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/13/team-victory-in-luton-news-13_10_10/ apologies for the quality, but for those who don't get the Luton News here it is Luton news 13-10-10 http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/13/team-victory-in-luton-news-13_10_10/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/13/team-victory-in-luton-news-13_10_10/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:46:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/12/2nd-win-for-lds-in-county-championships/ News reaches me that LDS obtained a hard-fought 3-2 win last night at home to Biggleswade, more details to follow. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/12/2nd-win-for-lds-in-county-championships/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/12/2nd-win-for-lds-in-county-championships/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:45:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/11/1st-team-start-with-a-win/ From EC Member representing team squash: Monday 04/10/2010 away to Open University 2 This week saw the LDSRC First Team starting the 2010/11 season with an away fixture against Open University 2 at the Milton Keynes campus. Although retaining the main core of last years Title winning squad we had two new members both making there debut, in the form of Charlie Lee and Chris Ridgway. Both players had to go on court first and showed why they had been added to the squad as they both started with 3-0 wins at numbers 2 & 5. Steve wells had the toughest match at number 4 unfortunately  he lost but picked up two valuable points during the process.This left the number 1 and 3 to play, both Steve Davis and Dean Pike brought home the maximium 3 points a piece. Making the score 17-3 on the night, being a pretty good start to the season. LDSRC                                 Open University 1 Steve Davis          bt              Michael English   3-0 Charlie Lee           bt             Steve Rochford     3-0 Dean Pike             bt             Phil Hayles           3-0 Steve Wells          lost to       Daniel Richards    3-2 Chris Ridgway     bt              Peter McCullock  3-0 Next week Monday 11th October will see LDSRC First team in action at home to Biggleswade. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/11/1st-team-start-with-a-win/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/11/1st-team-start-with-a-win/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:43:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/08/juniors-get-amazing-sponsorship-deal/ LDS is delighted to announce that the junior section has secured a sponsor to provide all the youngsters and the coaching team with personalised polo shirts. More details will be announced soon! http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/08/juniors-get-amazing-sponsorship-deal/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/08/juniors-get-amazing-sponsorship-deal/ Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:42:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/05/defending-champions-start-with-a-win/ LDS started the defence of their title with a 17-4 win, with debutant Chris Ridgway gaining an eye-catching 3-0 win, more details to follow. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/05/defending-champions-start-with-a-win/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/05/defending-champions-start-with-a-win/ Tue, 05 Oct 2010 18:41:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/01/team-fixtures-announced/ Suddenly, as if by magic, in my inbox today (Friday 1st Oct) appears the fixture list for the forthcoming season of team matches in the County League. LDS, as current champions, kick off away to Open University 2 on Monday evening (shouldn't reigning champions have their first match at home?), sadly our most local of rivals, Team Dunstable, have withdrawn from this years competition at the last minute, but there is a new team in the guise of squash: mk 2. Hopefully, one of the team can do a proper preview of the season soon, in the meantime, best of luck to all involved. The full list of fixtures is Team fixtures http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/01/team-fixtures-announced/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/october/01/team-fixtures-announced/ Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:40:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/29/disappointment-in-windsor/ Disappointing is the only word to describe how our members fared at Windsor. After overcoming a prelimenary round on Thursday, Ramon Sharma succumbed to a stomach bug and had to withdraw. John got off to a cracking start winning 3-0 in his first round match on Saturday morning in a very one-sided game. However, he had to face a player known to many in the club, Rob St Ledger, in the second round. Rob is really a B Grade player but suffered a very serious injury to both knees some months ago and is on the long road back. He had entered at C, but as that was full was slotted into D and thus proved too strong for John. Better luck next time chaps! http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/29/disappointment-in-windsor/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/29/disappointment-in-windsor/ Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:37:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/24/windsor-update/ Congratulations to Ramon who won his prelimenary round match last night, 3-0 to progress to the main competition starting tomorrow. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/24/windsor-update/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/24/windsor-update/ Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:36:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/23/seniors-prepare-for-windsor-graded-tournament/ As long-standing members John Stevens and Ramon Sharma prepare to play in this weekend's Windsor Graded Tournament, aside from wishing them luck, it also provides an opportunity to explain what they are all about. A couple of years ago I stumbled across a reference to Graded Squash Tournaments and sought about finding out what they were. I asked around the club and was pointed towards a player whom I barely knew at the time called Ed. It seemed that of all the players in the club he was the only one who regularly entered them. He explained what they were and since then I and a few other members have entered them, but in a discussion with a fellow player from Flitwick recently, it dawned on me that maybe it would be worth explaining in writing what they are and share some experiences. Let's start with some FAQs What is a Graded Squash Tournament? The best answer is that they are festivals of squash. They are competitions officially recognised by England Squash and Racketball and until recently a player could log their results at these tournaments and have a national ranking. (The module that used to have that has been disabled by ES&R and I am not sure when it will be replaced) Will I play professionals? No. The grading system is fairly easy to understand and you will only play people in the same Grade. What Grade am I? Grade A is County Standard Grade B is Team Player Grade C is lower team player Grade D plays in internal leagues Grade E is an improving player Grade F is new to the game What format do these competitions take? It depends on the number of entrants, but usually there is up to two games to be played on the Saturday, with semi-finals and finals on Sunday. How many games do you play? A player is guaranteed at least two games, with first round losers dropping into a plate competition. How often do they occur? They are quite sporadic, but it depends on how far you wish to travel, there is usually one per month within an hour of Luton. How do I find out about them? They are usually advertised on the ES&R website, but often they can be found first on GoSquash Anything else? Not only do you get to play competitive squash against players of a similar ability, but you get to see some incredible players at very close quarters. Without exception so far, all players at the top of the ladder are happy to talk to you, pass on tips and are generally very approachable. The ONLY downside, is that if you win your match you have to mark the next game on court, which is pretty daunting if you have never done it before, but rest assured there are always plenty of other players to give you a hand if needs be. Ramon Sharma and John Stevens are entering Windsor (which for Ramon, due to the high number of entrants kicks off with a match this evening, 23rd Sept) and they share their thoughts below. Ramon "I did my first Graded Tournament at the beautiful Croydon Esporta Club - indoor tennis courts, swimming pool, etc, a stark contrast to the Lewsey Squash Centre! That was just over two years ago and since then I have played in around 10 and frankly, would play in one every weekend if a) I had the time, and, b) there was one to attend. Like John I never knew they existed until Paul Main introduced me to them - it's not like the Masons everyone really is welcome, they often just aren't advertised very well. I love going to different clubs and seeing their set-up and playing against total strangers, but most of all I love meeting and talking to the elite players as they are all so approachable. Many have been happy to get on court with me during the tournament and give me a few hints and tips. The only worry is when you end up drawn against a precocious teenager who can hit the ball better than me - then it requires the use of all my experience, rather than technique, to prevail! I am pretty evangelical about them now and look forward to the day that we can host one at Lewsey, until that day I would encourage any member to give it a go, whatever your ability or age - my 13 year old son even enters them now when the opportunity arises." John "I have played squash for about ten years, admittedly with a twenty plus year break between years six and seven!  Since joining Dunstable Squash Club, now Luton and Dunstable Squash and Racketball Club I have been an active, if not overly successful, participant in the leagues and internal tournaments. The prospect of playing in an external tournament always appeared daunting as they are full of "County and Team Squash" players so never considered it.  Until that is I was told about graded tournaments which pit up to seven different grades of players against players of similar standards.  I have the claim to fame of playing in the same tournament as Joey Barrington, admittedly he was Band A and in that tournament I played at Band C, usually I enter in Band D. I have now played in six graded tournaments, with similar levels of success to that achieved internally!!  Can you believe the first match in the first tournament was against Paul Main, I thought what was the point of going all that way to lose to someone I play every week!!  That was the exception rather than the rule.  And I would thoroughly recommend others to take part as you get to play different people in a proper tournament atmosphere and you get to see some very good players play some very good squash. I will be playing in the Windsor Graded this weekend for the third time.  Last year I lost in the first round 9:11 in the fifth to the eventual winner.  I still say he was a ringer as he was a former Buck County Veterans champion, that's probably just sour grapes.  I have seen he is playing again this year but at least he is in the other half of the draw, although Ramon Sharma isn't so I could end up playing a regular opponent again, hopefully not with the same result this time." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/23/seniors-prepare-for-windsor-graded-tournament/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/23/seniors-prepare-for-windsor-graded-tournament/ Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:34:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/13/disappointment-for-brave-hannah/ A record breaking entry of 126 players descended on Bishop's Stortford Squash Club in Hertfordshire for a great weekend of Squash that would decide the 10 Championship and 7 Plate titles on offer. Everyone seemed to have a superb weekend and as expected some of the squash on display was first class. There were a number of outstanding performers throughout the weekend that deserve great credit but special mention must go to Ritchie Fallows, Charlie Green, Anna Kimberley, Grace Gear and Elise Lazarus who all managed to win their respective draws without dropping a single game. As published on Friday, our own Hannah Stevens entered for the first time and her first round opponent was Rosemary Luscombe who plays out of Tring squash club.  Hannah put in a valiant effort but Rosemary's greater experience and UK ranking of 45 took her through to a  3-0 victory. In her plate match, Hannah started very nervously, but began to grow into the match, sadly for her in the first game it was too late and, despite saving three game points, lost the first. The second was much more tightly contested, but sadly Hannah lost it 12-10 in the tie-break. That seemed to break Hannah's spirit somewhat and she struggled to find any rhythm in the third and bowed out. Hannah said, "I really enjoyed that despite the results and I am looking forward to my next tournament" This was the first time Hannah had entered a tournament as big as this and she deserves a tremendous amount of credit for her efforts and she didn't let her supporters, who had travelled from Luton, in the gallery down The Regional Closed serves as a great curtain-raiser for the season ahead and everyone at the East Region Office would like to wish everyone that took part the very best of luck for coming year. Huge thanks must go to all the players and their parents for supporting the event, everyone at Bishop's Stortford for helping it to run so smoothly and to our team of Markers who worked tirelessly all weekend. The full round up of 2010 Champions is as follows: U11 Boys: Winner: Charlie Green Runner Up: Billy Beecroft Plate Winner: Ross Curtis U13 Boys: Winner: Laurence Green Runner Up: Greg Goodwin Plate Winner: Will Henden U15 Boys: Winner: Jagpal Sehmbi Runner Up: Josh Turmel Plate Winner: Ed Curtis U17 Boys: Winner: Ritchie Fallows Runner Up: Angus Gillams Plate Winner: Jo Green U19 Boys: Winner: Nick Mulvey Runner Up: Dan McGinn Plate Winner: Nathan Derrick U11 Girls: Winner: Elise Lazarus Runner Up: Lucy Turmel Plate Winner: Amber Marshall U13 Girls: Winner: Grace Gear Runner Up: Collette Whittington Plate Winner: Rose Luscombe U15 Girls: Winner: Hannah Daly Runner Up: Beth Dowie U17 Girls: Winner: Anna Kimberley Runner Up: Bryony Paczy-Smith U19 Girls: Winner: Brogan Lane Runner Up: Sophie Lemom Full Draw results can be found at the links below. http://www.englandsquashandracketball.com/news/east-regional-closed-review http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/13/disappointment-for-brave-hannah/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/13/disappointment-for-brave-hannah/ Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:33:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/10/club-juniors-get-ready-for-bishop-stortford/ This weekend sees Hannah Stevens (pictured left) and Declan Osborn travel to Bishop Stortford for the Eastern Regional Closed Junior Squash Championship. Whilst Declan is almost a seasoned pro given his relative experience, for Hannah it is her very first Regional Competition. Declan is in the Boys Under 19 category and kicks off against C. Shaw at 10.20on Court 5 at the Bishop Storford Squash Club on Saturday. Should he prevail he will face a seed, A. Lemon, in the second round at 13.40 on the same court. Hannah has to wait until Sunday before making her bow, starting at 9.40 on Court 2. Again success would pit her against a seed in the form of G. Gear on Court 6 at 11.40. Best of luck to both of them - a report from the competition will be on the site next week. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/10/club-juniors-get-ready-for-bishop-stortford/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/10/club-juniors-get-ready-for-bishop-stortford/ Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:29:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/09/fancy-some-high-quality,-low-cost-coaching/ LDS has once again been asked to deliver squash as part of Team Beds and Luton's regular drive to encourage more adults to participate in sport. The programme is aimed at adults who wish to try a new sport or revisit a sport that perhaps they played many years ago and want to revisit and is delivered by our coaching team. Squash has been one of the most popular sports and the success of the course is shown by the number of new members LDS has managed to attract from those students who participated. This session's course commence on 29 th September and runs for 7 weeks, by which time even people who have never picked up a racket before are usually ready to play in the club's internal leagues. The cost is only £28 for the full course and anyone who has ever had any coaching will testify that is a snip! A booking form can be found here: Booking Form http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/09/fancy-some-high-quality,-low-cost-coaching/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/09/fancy-some-high-quality,-low-cost-coaching/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:27:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/08/lds-host-first-county-squad-session/ LDS head coach, Steve Davies, has been working for some months on creating a County junior side on the back of the increased junior participation at Flitwick and at the Lewsey Squash Centre, home of LDS. Last night, 7 th September, those formative plans began the preliminary stage of coming to fruition with the first squad session, run by Steve, aimed at priming the most promising youngsters aged 13 and under for their first exposure to formal County Competition. Jasmine Watson, Hannah Stevens, Sam McCoy and Alex Tentori enthusiastically took part in the session and participated with all the enthusiasm you would expect for youngsters of their age. There was no shortage of talent on show either. For some time there has been a gap in the system locally to take youngsters to the next level and expose them to more enjoyable and broader experiences than those they have currently on a weekly basis at their home venues. Hopefully this is the start of a long lasting programme to raise the profile of squash in the County and encourage more youngsters to take up the game. Best of luck to everyone involved. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/08/lds-host-first-county-squad-session/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/september/08/lds-host-first-county-squad-session/ Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:26:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/13/easter-regional-racketball-competition/ The Eastern Region has launched it's first ever Regional Racketball Competition. Taking place at nearby Berkhampsted on 20th November. It's open to anyone in the region and all abilities are welcome 2010 RACKETBALL POSTER 2010 RACKETBALL ENTRY FORM http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/13/easter-regional-racketball-competition/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/13/easter-regional-racketball-competition/ Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:25:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/06/great-interview-with-nick-matthew/ It's not often our great sport gets mainstream coverage so, with grateful thanks to menshealth.co.uk for their permission to reproduce, attached is a great interview with World Number 1Nick Matthew which gives some idea into the demands and dedication required to reach the top. Mens Health Nick Matthew Interview http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/06/great-interview-with-nick-matthew/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/06/great-interview-with-nick-matthew/ Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:24:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/04/unique-junior-competition-in-tendring/ LDS recently had the pleasure of a visit from top coach Chris Vine see earlier news. Chris and his team have organised a fabulous series of events over the summer for juniors of all ages and abilities. Hopefully it will be a great success and many more will run in future. Activetendring Summer Junior Squash Festival Entry form http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/04/unique-junior-competition-in-tendring/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/04/unique-junior-competition-in-tendring/ Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:22:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/03/a-triumph-for-young-oliver/ It's often been said that sport is a powerful force for good whether it be building bridges between warring countries, bringing divided communities together or at a more micro level instilling a sense of confidence in youngsters. That's aside from the health benefits that accrue from playing sport. Luton and Dunstable Squash and Rackets Club (LDS) has had it's own example of that recently in the shape of 7 year-old Oliver Hale-Brown. Diane, his mother, said, "My husband and I noted from a very early age that Oliver appeared to be very heavy footed. He used to fall over all the time, found stairs very difficult and this was exacerbated due to the fact that he had in toeing of the right foot. Oliver has been seen by several Paediatricians and I think a diagnosis has been hard to formulate. He was seen in 2007 and Dyspraxia was suggested. Following this assessment he had his first block of physiotherapy and then was discharged. "As he grew older we became concerned that Oliver was still finding stairs difficult and some of his movements seemed very ungainly.  This was very frustrating and upsetting for Oliver when other children started to comment on it. The school also picked up on his inability to do certain movements during physical education so we decided to have a second opinion. Oliver was seen again by a different Paediatrician who felt that Oliver had in -co -ordination and felt that more physiotherapy was required. Since this second block of physiotherapy he has also been referred to the orthotics who has issued insoles for Oliver to help with his foot placement. "This process has been very lengthy and frustrating as there is no quick fix and diagnosis has been very vague.  My husband and I have questioned on many occasions whether or not we were doing enough to help Oliver. "We have seen a significant improvement in Oliver's co -ordination since this second block of physiotherapy and the insoles have changed his foot placement dramatically. "We have continually encouraged Oliver to do exercise without it seeming a chore; this was difficult at first as Oliver had no interest in any sport and used to shy away, especially from anything that placed pressure or goal setting on him. He showed no desire to win at anything sport related. "I had been looking for an activity for Oliver to join that he would enjoy and that would not place to much pressure on him, my friend Liz mentioned squash and some of the activities seemed to mirror his physiotherapy programme and we have not looked back since! "Oliver's confidence has increased dramatically since starting squash. The one to one aspect of coaching has allowed him to reach achievable goals at his pace. Oliver, has now been discharged from physiotherapy, his physiotherapist was delighted that we had found a fun based sport for Oliver that reinforced so many aspects of physiotherapy. "We are very proud of the way he has dealt with this situation as he has worked very hard to achieve what he has to date, always with a smile on his face.  This new confidence has now transferred across to other sports and he has become a very active little boy who suddenly wants to win everything! "When I asked Oliver what was his favourite thing about squash he said "I like using the racket to hit the ball against the wall, my favourite game is when Paul throws the blue ball and everyone has to try and catch it! I did not realise that could hit a ball with a racket until I started squash and now I am really good at it". Paul Main, Level 2 coach at LDS, said, "When I started coaching Oliver at the end of last year it was clear he had confidence issues, but he stuck at it and week by week, the smile has grown broader and the ability has improved beyond all recognition. Recently I remarked to Diane that I had seen the improvement and that is when she told me about the success of squash in improving not just his confidence, but also his overall level of physical ability. It's successes like this that make coaching so worthwhile." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/03/a-triumph-for-young-oliver/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/august/03/a-triumph-for-young-oliver/ Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:19:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/27/eastern-regional-closed/ The BIGGEST event of the year here in the East is coming - the Regional Closed Championships 2010 This year's extravaganza will be held on 11 th & 12 th September 2010, at Bishop's Stortford Squash Club. NEW to this year's event will be the inclusion of the under 19's, allowing those who may have thought they would miss out due to age, to try their hand again. Also NEW is the ranking status in recognition of its importance within the junior structure of the sport.  The Regional event will attract points half way between those awarded to Bronze and Silver Events.  It should also be pointed out that an Under 11 national ranking system is being launched and results from the Regional Closed Championships will count towards them. There will be 10 draws in total this year which are: Girls under 11's Boys under 11's Girls under 13's Boys under 13's Girls under 15's Boys under 15's Girls under 17's Boys under 17's Girls under 19's Boys under 19's JOIN IN AND PLAY For more information please contact Andy Lee on 01223 305471, email: andy.lee@englandsquashandracketball.com or simply follow this link to the England Squash and Racketball website http://www.englandsquashandracketball.com/competitions/377 or download an entry form here ENTRY FORM http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/27/eastern-regional-closed/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/27/eastern-regional-closed/ Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:17:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/19/a-great-send-off-for-dave/ Saturday morning's final junior coaching session of the season was tinged with emotion as Dave Merrell finally called time on a long and illustrious coaching career. Dave has been coaching first at Dunstable Squash club and latterly at the newly created Luton and Dunstable Squash and Rackets Club for the best part of two decades. The club had organised a surprise event whereby the juniors and several of his old players turned out to reminisce and pay tribute to a great servant to the sport of squash. Mark Williams the regional manager of England Squash and Racketball, the National Governing Body, said, "As a sport, Squash relies massively on volunteers such as Dave to keep it alive. Perhaps the most important thing a squash enthusiast can do is use their passion for the game to inspire the next generation of players. Dave has been doing this for many years and I am sure that there are many people around the local area and further a field that would not have had the opportunity to play our sport if it wasn't for Dave's hard work. It is a real shame that volunteers do not often receive the praise and recognition that they deserve, so I am delighted to have been able to organise this small gift and two complimentary tickets to the British Grand Prix as a small token of our appreciation. Everyone at England Squash & Racketball would like to wish Dave a very happy and deserved retirement." Mike Palmer, Bedfordshire Junior coordinator, added, "I personally would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Dave Merrell for the great support given to Junior Squash over the past 20 yrs (at least) leaving a legacy of juniors who have continued to play squash to club level and beyond. The encouragement to establish Flitwick Juniors, and the many times (usually at short notice) covering lessons at Flitwick due to numbers and emergencies. Dave was a founding member of the BJS (2004) coaching team and his many ideas on staging events, the provision of equipment for the Open days (the beep test being the favourite), Assessment days and matches against Flitwick Juniors were invaluable in keeping junior squash alive in Beds and making these events a success.  I wish you all the best in hanging up your coaching racket. It has been a pleasure working along with you in a sport we are both mad about!!!" I concluded proceedings by paying my own tribute and expressing the hope that the current coaches could carry on the fabulous work done by Dave over the years, often on his own and highlighting that if it hadn't been for the fact that there was a junior section then I wouldn't have been able to get in the door of Active Luton to keep the Lewsey Squash Centre open. In addition to the certificate, tickets and bottle of Champagne, Dave was also presented with a personalised club t-shirt! Dave, commented, "It's great to see how the juniors section has grown over the past couple of years and that is testament to the coaching team. Alan Copley, who roped me into coaching, told me that there comes a time when you know that it's right to hand on the baton and that time is now. I intend to keep playing until I can no longer do so. In the meantime I am sure my wife has plenty of plans for me!" http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/19/a-great-send-off-for-dave/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/19/a-great-send-off-for-dave/ Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:15:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/16/victory-in-victoria/ In days of yore Dunstable Squash Club had what was called a Development Team which used to take on challenges from other clubs and organisations which had either made contact, or, more often than not, me making contact with them. So it was that recently the Queen Mother Sports Centre league contacted me to arrange a challenge match. The team that made the trip to Victoria, London was made up of Dean Pike, the Captain from our County Championship winning team, Charlie Lee, sadly not a current team member, but club member nevertheless, John Stevens and me. Dean and Charlie despatched their opponents with comparative ease, the exposure to regular team squash and overall experience shining through, John made heavy weather of his match and on another day could have won more easily, but fair play to his opponent who kept him honest and took the match to a 5th game, where John finally prevailed. QMSC managed to prevent a clean sweep due my failure to take a game, albeit a dodgy refereeing call at 13 each in the third played its part (well that's my excuse and I am sticking to it!!!) If anyone is interested in putting their name down for such ad-hoc challenges (we try and match abilities) then let either John or I know, we have outstanding invites from Crieff, Scotland and Paris to name just two. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/16/victory-in-victoria/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/16/victory-in-victoria/ Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:12:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (John Stevens) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/14/juniors-return-from-burnham-beaten,-but-unbowed/ Development Officer, John Stevens reports: Five LDS Juniors took part in a Junior graded Tournament at LA Fitness in Burnham on World Cup Sunday. Kurran Sharma and Hannah Stevens in the C grade and Shivani Sharma, Daniel Stevens and Jasmine Watson in D. Unfortunately none got out of the group stages but some good competitive matches were had.  Hannah left the venue asking when the next tournament will be keen to get more matches under her belt. Playing in tournaments against different and better players is great for the development of the Juniors and we will definitely be entering more next season. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/14/juniors-return-from-burnham-beaten,-but-unbowed/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/14/juniors-return-from-burnham-beaten,-but-unbowed/ Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:11:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/12/another-visit-from-an-exceptional-coach/ On Saturday the 10 th of July it was the turn of the youngest juniors at LDS to be privileged with a visit of one of Eastern Regions top coaches, Chris Vine. Chris did not disappoint and as is obvious from the picture he gave them a real work-out. Not only did the youngsters really enjoy it, but the visit was designed to assist the coaching team to enrich their skills in teaching the little ones. Chris stayed for some time after the junior session was complete to bring the team up to date with the latest thinking in coaching and pass on a veritable feast of ideas for games and activities. Chris has earned a reputation for introducing Mini Squash leagues in Essex and if LDS are to produce a crop of talented squash players the sooner children learn the basics of hand/eye co-ordination and balanced movement the better they will be. Azam, a recently qualified Level 1 coach, who incidentally was taught by Chris, said, "It was great to have Chris visit the club, he is a very talented guy. Everyone could see that the children enjoyed it, as did the coaches who participated in the session, and as a coach it was great to see new techniques and games introduced that we can pass on to the students." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/12/another-visit-from-an-exceptional-coach/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/12/another-visit-from-an-exceptional-coach/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:09:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/08/davies-joins-the-elite/ Luton & Dunstable Squash & Rackets Club is delighted to announce that Steve Davies has passed his Level 3 Coaching qualification, meaning that he becomes one of the Elite squash coaches in England. Steve (pictured) said, "After 6 months of hard work and 3 trips up to England Squash HQ in Manchester I have now completed my level 3 coaching certificate. This is designed to allow you to coach at regional academy standard and having had contact time on the course with some of the countries top coaches I certainly found it very useful and insightful. My aims now are to make use of the qualification both at my home club LDS who helped me with funding for the course and around the county and region. LDS has seen a recent growth in both the number of juniors playing squash and the number of coaches available so hopefully, we will see some more talent coming through soon." John Stevens, development officer said, "It's a real boost for the club to have an Elite coach at the club. It strengthens the quality of the coaching team, which has grown to 6 members now, and will allow us to continue the growth of members and participation of the club at all levels" http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/08/davies-joins-the-elite/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/08/davies-joins-the-elite/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:08:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/06/regional-head-coach-visits-lds/ On Saturday 3 rd July, Regional Head Coach, Paul Carter, paid a visit to the Lewsey Squash Centre to coach and assess some of our older youngsters. The visit is part of Paul's tour of the region to improve the quality of coaching and the quality of youngsters within the Eastern Region following recent reviews of strategy. The youngsters were certainly energised by having such a luminary visit, to the extent that two of them organised a social game the next day, probably the first extra-curricular game that has been played between juniors in the last 3 or 4 years. Paul enthused about the quality generally and has agreed to visit again in the autumn to do some video and analysis work with both the juniors and the coaches to make sure the coaches are identifying key areas of weakness. Ramon, one of our Level 1 coaches, said, "It was great to see a coach of such quality at work. My son Kurran certainly learned a lot, even in such a comparatively short space of time." On the 10th, it's the turn of the very young ones to have a regional visitor in the shape of Chris Vine, a specialist in Mini-Squash who has set up a ground breaking Mini Squash league in the County of Essex. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/06/regional-head-coach-visits-lds/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/06/regional-head-coach-visits-lds/ Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:04:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/06/club-t-shirts-available-for-purchase/ Dean has been an absolute superstar and a) organised the availabilty of polo shirts with the new club logo on and b) volunteered to co-ordinate the logistics for people who wish to buy them. Attached is an order form at a basic price of £15 they are a bargain in my view. Polo Shirt Order Form http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/06/club-t-shirts-available-for-purchase/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/july/06/club-t-shirts-available-for-purchase/ Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:59:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/30/curates-egg-for-club-members-at-edgbaston/ Three LDS members made the trek up to Edgbaston to compete in the Edgbaston Priory Graded Squash Competition, Ramon Sharma, Kurran Sharma and myself. Curate's egg seems the most appropriate description of the performances - good in places. The facilities were outstanding with 10 courts, clay and grass tennis courts an indoor pool and a very busy outdoor pool and leisure area, along with the obligatory bar and gym. Kurran (pictured left) performed very well to get to the final on the F Grade showing great resilience and fitness winning one of his group matches 3-2 on a very impressive show court. He fell just short in the final going down to an incredibly talented and precocious 10 year old (who it later transpired is the son of a professional as on court as often as 3 times a week!). Kurran said, "It was great to come here and see players like Joel Hinds play at such close quarters. I was pretty pleased with my performance in getting to the Final." Kurran's dad, Ramon, (pictured left) recovered from a potentially soul-destroying 3-0 defeat in his first match in D Grade, having been awarded a bye in the first round, to despatch another precociously talented 14 year old, 3-1 to make it to the plate final. Ramon made few mistakes in winning the final and said afterwards, "It's great to come to places like this and challenge yourself rather than play the same people all the time. You see some great squash at the higher grades and you can't help but be inspired by that." I had to travel up on the Saturday to play my 1 st round game and had to concentrate hard on the job in hand when confronted by what seemed like just another in an endless stream of talented youngsters. My return with the Sharmas on Sunday saw me paired with Ramon in the second round and then onto the final. It was a titanic struggle, on the positive side I did fight back from 2-0 to take it to a 5 th , but having been well ahead on the 1 st and losing the second in a tie-break, I should have been home and hosed before it came to that and I was left disappointed losing the 5 th 11-9. In summary, 3 entrants, 3 trophies isn't a bad return for the club, but I for one was left feeling that it was a great opportunity let slip to win a Grade and move up to the next one. These Graded events take place regularly, so keep an eye out on the website for future opportunities to take part and mix with the wider squash community. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/30/curates-egg-for-club-members-at-edgbaston/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/30/curates-egg-for-club-members-at-edgbaston/ Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:54:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/24/breaking-news/ Active Luton today announced that at long last work will commence on relaying the warped floor on Court 6 (formerly known as Court 7). Work is scheduled to commence next week. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/24/breaking-news/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/24/breaking-news/ Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:54:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/21/outstanding-county-debut-by-hannah/ Hannah Stevens made an outstanding debut as the club's first ever player to be invited to represent Beds County Juniors in a recent tri-County event against Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Hannah joined no1 string Sam McCoy and 5th ranked Tom Dobson in a sorely understrength Beds County side in Burnham. In her first match, playing against Oxfordshire 4 th String, Youenn Urquhart, Hannah started very nervously and found herself 2 games down before finding her feet and launching a stirring fight back to take the match 3-2. In her next match Hannah did even better beating the Buckinghamshire 4 th String 3-1. As Beds were short of players, Hannah then agreed to play further matches, but by then the heat had taken their toll and she lost 3-0 in both ties. An excellent effort playing at such a level and I have no doubt it will be the first of many successful outings for Hannah, one of the brightest stars amongst our juniors. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/21/outstanding-county-debut-by-hannah/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/21/outstanding-county-debut-by-hannah/ Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:52:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/10/end-of-an-era-with-final-get-back-into-session/ The final evening of the latest Get Back Into programme delivered by LDS on on behalf Team Beds and Luton was a bitter sweet occasion. Sweet for the victor of the tournament Jenny Sookraj pictured receiving her trophy and bitter as it was Dave Merrell, our senior coach's final Get Back Into programme before he retires. Dave has been central to the successful partnership developed over the last 15 months during which time the club has delivered 5 very popular programmes in varying locations in fact it was he who queried, why squash hadn't been included when he saw an advert for the popular adult sport participation project. Dave still has a few more weeks of coaching juniors to go before he puts away his cones and markers for good, but this was definitely the end of an era. http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/10/end-of-an-era-with-final-get-back-into-session/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/june/10/end-of-an-era-with-final-get-back-into-session/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:50:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/may/28/congratulations-to-ramon-and-azam/ LDS members Mohammed Azam and Ramon Sharma have successfully passed their Level 1 coaching qualification, adding to the number of coaches that LDS has in the team. After several weeks training and delivery lessons to the juniors on Saturday morning, the pair successfully completed their assessment in Great Yarmouth recently. Ramon said, "I have been thinking about doing this for some time and am delighted to have passed. Coaching on Saturday mornings with the kids has been very rewarding and I am looking forward to doing much more." Azam added, "I volunteered to help out with the juniors as it is clearly growing fast. I was excited with the opportunity to go on a coaching course which would help me delivered structured squash sessions which I could use to affect change. I will now help the coaching team to develop the youngsters so they can fulfil their potential Steve Davies, head coach, said, "The club has prioritised coaching as something that it must invest in. We have now gone from 1 coach to 6 in a little over 18 months, it's remarkable growth, but even now we are stretched to meet all the requests that are being made of us. I am delighted to welcome Azam and Ramon into the coaching team." http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/may/28/congratulations-to-ramon-and-azam/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/may/28/congratulations-to-ramon-and-azam/ Fri, 28 May 2010 10:27:00 GMT admin@ldsquash.com (LD Squash) http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/may/05/lds-win-county-championship/ LDS Power to title A large crowd was on hand to witness a flawless performance as LDSRC thrashed David Lloyd 18-0 to seal the Beds County title in their first season. The team knew that 13 points would be enough to clinch the title but David Lloyd have traditionally been one of the stronger teams in the league. The task was made all the harder by the news that Team Captain Dean Pike had failed to recover from injury as had stalwart Steve Wells adding to the long term absence of Victoria Lust, again due to injury. The team news wasn't all bad as Ryan Osborn had returned from University to make a rare appearance for the team. It was in fact Ryan who sealed the title when he won the second game in his match, but every member of the team excelled to do an unexpected, but thoroughly deserved clean sweep, much to the disappointment of LDSRC's nearest challengers Silsoe, who were also playing at the Lewsey Squash Centre. Captain Dean Pike said, "The team have performed brilliantly, especially over the last few weeks when injuries have hit hard. Mark Pinnock, deserves a special mention for turning out in recent weeks and being undefeated. Now those of us who are injured can concentrate on recovering and having a crack at the National Club title later in the year." Club Chair, Paul Main, added, "This is a remarkable achievement by the players. The club has been in existence less than a year and to win the title is beyond our wildest dreams. I know the last few weeks have been incredibly tough with all the injuries and credit to all the squad for their achievement and to finish the season with such a remarkable result is the icing on the cake" Final match score LDSRC 18 David Lloyd 0 LDSRC                                 David Lloyd Steve Davies             bt         Mahdi Ali                  3-0 Declan Osborn        bt         Adam Marmaras     3-0 David Lankester      bt         Carl Beckett            3-0 Ryan Osborn            bt        Will Johnson           3-0 Mark Pinnock           bt         Juilet Johnson         3-0 http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/may/05/lds-win-county-championship/ http://www.ldsquash.com/news/club-news/posts/2010/may/05/lds-win-county-championship/ Wed, 05 May 2010 10:27:00 GMT