May has been quite an interesting month for Squash in the context of growth and accomplishments, both in the UK and the emerging Squash nations.
Surprisingly as a business, we have been quiet; nevertheless, there were a lot of great stories that kept us entertained:
Jean-Marie wins another national title
The month kicked off with Jean-Marie Besombi, our brand ambassador, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, winning the senior category of the Tournoi de Squash at the Club Squash Elengi.
Even though the competition was held towards the end of April, nevertheless it was a good news month to kick off the month.
About 56 players participated in this competition in the following categories and the results were as follows:
- Mens Seniors: 24. Jean Marie Besombi beat Calvin Mandambo: 3 sets 2 (8-11, 14-12, 7-11, 11-3, 11-9)
- Ladies Seniors: 12, Orline Nzau beat Rama Kambaji by 2 sets (11-8, 11-4)
- Junior boys: Yoka beat Lubanzilado by 2 sets (11-2, 11-2)
- Veteran: Mr Bernard knocked down Simon Yoka, president of the Congolese Squash Federation by 3 sets (11-8, 11-9, 14-12).
Quite soon there will be another regional tournament hosted by BKS Club, in which Freddy our other brand ambassador will take part with other squash players from the same region.
Lichfield Club plans Squash growth
Credit: Lichfield Squash Club
As many know, our company has strong roots in the West Midlands – so, each time we hear stories of Squash clubs in the press doing well or launching a new initiative to more people from the local community we want to shout about it to the world.
The Lichfield Squash Club announced plans to boost its membership to get people from its own area and Burntwood into the sport with Squash Start and Squash Elevate, two new development programmes after securing a grant from Sport England.
Each programme is designed to help people learn or improve on their Squash skills.
Squash Start is a 4-week programme aimed at beginners and returners to the sport, whereas the Squash Elevate scheme will be for intermediate to advanced players hoping to take their game to the next level. Both programmes begin in June and will be delivered by professional England Squash coaches.
Yorkshire junior tournament success
When it comes to junior Squash tournaments, we always like to hear stories of future talent taking part in local competitions as it helps improve coverage of the sport at a grassroots level.
The York & District junior squash mini-series league concluded with a grand finale being held at Scarborough Squash Academy.
Entrants were divided into four categories (Groups A, B, C, and D), based on a combination of their age, experience, and level of play throughout the mini-series.
Observers say the tournament produced a lot of thrilling matches and each young particular demonstrated their potential in becoming the next talented Squash player from Yorkshire.
Well done to the winners and all that participated.
U19 Nigeria Squash player honoured in the local community
Jacob Esuene Sports Club, our partners in Nigeria, held an event in honour of one of their U19 players who won a major national title.
We are immensely proud of the Directors and Squash coaches at the Jacob Esuene Sports Club and they should be commended for their excellent work in growing Squash in their local community as well as Nigeria.
Husband and wife duo win respective titles in Manchester
Egyptian Squash duo Ali Farag (world no.4) and his wife, Nour El Tayeb, at the Manchester Open 2023 Silver squash event.
Photo credit: Squash Site
Surprisingly, this was the second time in six years they had won titles at the same tournament – they won the US Open in 2017; the significance of this win was their young daughter saw them win.
Squash to return to London Youth Games
In a post on social media, we were very pleased to hear that Squash is going be part of the London Youth Games in 2024 – following being left out in 2023.
When you find out squash is back in the @LdnYouthGames!
Bring on 2024 #squash #sport pic.twitter.com/REULyT3fAe
— England Squash (@englandsquash) May 25, 2023
What many don’t know is that the London Youth Games is a major platform for youth sports development, but in the context of Squash, it is pivotal for the sport as it helps grow participation in the sport and build on the legacy too.
So the return means a lot, especially since other cities in the UK are working toward building up participation at a grassroots level, hence London needs to do the same.
Squash gets ready for summer recess
With summer just around the corner, Squash is getting ready for a summer recess – nevertheless, we reckon a summer outdoor Squash league would be a great way to keep the sport going.
We hope this momentum continues for up and coming months, especially with the news of investment in Squash’s media and marketing platform, but we discuss this more next month.
Each one of these stories shows that Squash is growing more and more.
