Herts Squash
AGM Newsletter
June 2006

Hand Out - Chairmans Note

Welcome to this NEW special edition Hertfordshire Squash Newsletter.

I hope to make this a regular edition with plans for this to be distributed half yearly.

In the meantime if you have any information relating to squash and your club and would like to contribute an article to the Newsletter please send it to me at jasonfoster@stortfordsquash.co.uk 

Alternatively why not send an article to our webmaster and get it on the Herts County Squash website squashherts@hotmail.com

National Champions

Congratulations to Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club who won the Mens National Club Championships in Nottingham in May 2006. The formidable team contained world No 5 Anthony Ricketts, World no 21 Peter Barker, Iain Higgins, Harry Leitch and Galen Le Cheminant, the club now goes on to represent England in the European team Champs in Malmo, Sweden in Ictober 2006 Good Luck.

Bishop’s Stortford also won the Ladies Over 35 Plate event in Nottingham, the winning team was Lorraine Harlow, Kath Kemp and Emma Abegglen, won the Mens O35 Plate event by a walkover and were runners-up in the Ladies Plate Final. Well done.

Herts Closed

This years event moved away from the weekly format at Cannons St.Albans and was held over a weekend at Broxbourne Squash Club 21-22 Jan. It was again sponsored by ‘Integral’ a brand of Just Rams Computer Memory distributors (thankyou) and was well attended. The Mens A was won for the first time by Marc Woolhead (R3) who beat Scott Rickard (Berkhamsted) in an exciting Final, 9-7 in the fifth. Maureen Morrison (Broxbourne) won the Ladies A round robin event with Jill Gaskell (Haileybury) coming second. The Mens B was an all Stortford affair with Gavin Noffki beating his team mate Neil Newbery 3-2.

Natalie Laurence (Cannons St. Albans) won the Ladies B beating Fiona McClure (Panshangar) into second place.

James Clyne (Broxbourne) was too good for Neil Stennett (Batchwood) in the Mens C Final and Steve Lloyd (Harpenden RC) saved 3 match balls to beat Adam Long (Broxbourne) 3-2 in the Mens Plate Final.

Thanks to Broxbourne SC for allowing us to use their facilities.

Herts are National Junior Champions

Congratulations to the Hertfordshire Girls Under 13 team who created history as the first ever Herts team to win the Inter-County Finals at Kingswood SC, Essex in May. The team was led by Jemma Ockwell (Radlett), Anna Bradly (Cannons St.Albans) and Brogan Lane (B/Stortford) who won the deciding match 10-9 in the fifth!

Also in the squad was Jessica Foster (cannons St.Albans)

Very well done!

Special mention to junior coaches Julian Craxton and Steve Lloyd for their invaluable contribution to the team and county.

Not to be outdone by this the Boys under 19 team qualified for the Inter-County Finals in Manchester and did fantastically well to reach the Final losing 4-1 to Nottinghamshire. The team was Adrian and Neil Waller (Potters Bar) Jonathan Fuller (Gosling) Oliver Dixon (B/Stortford) Ben Andrews (Berkhamsted) and Rhys Thomas (Gosling)

Well done.

In the National Junior Championships held at the National Squash Centre, Manchester in September 2005 Adrian Waller (Potters Bar) lost in the Boys Under 17 Final and Jemma Ockwell (Radlett) did very well to reach the semi-finals in the Girls under 13 event.

England Squash Affiliation

For most clubs, June is the time to renew England Squash affiliation. A club pays £55 per court (max 4) plus a registration per player of £6.30 adult and £4.30 junior (increase of 30p). All registered players are members of England Squash and benefit by receiving a quarterly magazine, insurance, eligibility for competitions and opportunities to become a qualified coach or referee. For further information about England Squash visit their website www.squash.co.uk

Senior Men gain Promotion

Remarkably the 4 man team (5 were needed) that travelled to Fareham in Cornwall in March 2006 did enough to gain promotion to Division 1 for the first time in 10 years. The depleted squad of Jason Foster (B/Stortford), Marc Woolhead (R3), Neil Waller (Potters Bar) and Chris Stanley (Berkhamsted) performed heroics beating Avon and Oxfordshire 3-2. Also thanks to Adam & Jon Fuller (Gosling) Adrian Waller (Potters Bar) Las Fernando (Radlett) and Dave Beattie ( Cannons St.Albans) who all played in Stage 1. 

Senior ladies stay up

The squad of Isobel Smith (Gosling) Zoe Durbach (Broxbourne) Emma Abegglen (B/Stortford) Elke Rubsam (Haileybury) Laura Taylor, Sally Philp and Mette Veitch (all Cannons St.Albans) did enough to finish above Devon and Gloucestershire in their Stage 2 matches at Gloucester in March 2006 to remain in Division 1 for another season.

Herts Leagues 2005-06

The leading results were;

Mens Division 1

1. Bishop’s Stortford 111 points

2. Berkhamsted 100 points

3. R3 Stevenage 93 points

Mens Division 2

1. Tring 2 107 points

2. Cannons 1 106 points

3. Potters Bar 1 105 points

Mens Division 3

1. Cannons 2 90 points

2. Hawks 1 76 points

3. Berkhamsted 3 75 points

Mens Division 4

1. Gosling 3 110 points

2. Bishop’s Stortford 3 91 points

3. Harlow 82 points

Mens Division 5

1. Cannons 3 92 points

2. Chantry 1 89 points

3. R3 Stevenage 4 84 points

Ladies Division 1

1. Cannons 239 points

2. Bishop’s Stortford 231 points

3. Haileybury 171 points

Ladies Division 2

1. Allenburys 245 points

2. Cannons 2 176 points

3. Tring 161 points

National Rankings

Senior Men: Chris Ryder (Berkhamsted) - 29

Boys Under 19: Adrian Waller (Potters Bar) – 5

Boys Under 17: Adrian Waller – 2 Oliver Dixon (B/Stortford) – 7

Boys Under 13: James Grimston (B/Stortford) – 14

Girls Under 15: Jemma Ockwell (Radlett) – 12

Girls Under 13: Brogan Lane (B/Stortford) – 5 Anna Bradly (Cannons St.Albans) - 14

Herts Senior & Junior Cup

This year the new and improved Potters Bar Squash Club hosted the Finals night on 20^th April. Both Finals were keenly contested with Bishop’s Stortford and Biggleswade running out 3-2 winners against Potters Bar and R3 Stevenage. This tournament kindly sponsored by Just Rackets is proving to be a very popular end of season event.

Many thanks to Potters Bar.

Herts Age Group Champs

This was hosted by Bishop’s Stortford Squash Club in April 2006. The winners were;

Mens O35 John McFarlane (B/Stortford) w/o Jason Foster (B/Stortford)

Mens O45 Paul Ryan (Broxbourne) bt Howard Gregory (Harpenden RC)

Mens O55 Dave Cooper (Broxbourne) bt Tony Clifford (Berkhamsted)

Mens O65 John Preston (B/Stortford) bt Edward Hackford (Haileybury)

Ladies Vets Elke Rubsam (Haileybury) bt Jill Gaskell (Haileybury)

Herts Committee

Chairman: Jason Foster

Secretary Dominic Webster

Treasurer: Paul Drakes

Ladies Captain: Isobel Smith

Mens Leagues: Sally-Ann Webster

Ladies Leagues: Fiona McClure/Nicky Wase

Website: Derek Thorpe

If you want to help, then why not join the Hertfordshire Squash Committee, we meet once every 2 months with the sole purpose to organise, encourage and promote the game we all love.