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The Club is currently looking at the possibility of funding a squash clinic for the more novice & newer Club Members in the very near future.

If you are interested,  please add your name & contact details to the list located on the court booking display boards at the Club or contact Neal Adams at NealandPam@aol.com

With all the snow that has fallen recently many may have been put off by the journey to the squash club for a squash match, but whilst it may have been chilly (it’ll be good when those court heaters are sorted!) it’s still good to have a knock about. So as an ode to the heaters, the slightly amended lyrics to Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Tis snowing outside - must soon be Christmas!

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But stamford squash courts are delightful,
And since we’ve no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

The heaters are nearly freezing!
The school kids must be holidaying,
The heat is turned down very low!!
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

I would rather the sun actually came out,
Then the heaters would not really matter,
But I do like to see the snow,
so, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

We’ll just have to warm up harder,
So that we can play a really good game,
We’ll run around a bit farther,
Now I’m glad I came.

The view from the club window.

The ball is slowly dying,
And, my friend, we’re still playing,
But as long as you hit it back at me,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Merry
Christmas
Everybody

and a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

At last we are able to bring some good news about the squash courts.

The Squash Club Committee has approved expenditure to sand the floors and paint the walls (with squash court paint) of courts 2 and 3. This funding comes from club reserves built up during the past years.

This refurbishment will vastly improve the game quality for players as the floors and walls were becoming very slippery.

Court 4 is also scheduled to have a completely new floor fitted and walls painted as soon as possible during the coming Christmas / New Year period, but no firm date has been set yet.

All being well we will have four top quality courts to play on by the first week or two of 2010.

Heating
During the school holiday period (11th Dec – 3rd Jan incl) when the school is not using the courts during the day the courts can become extremely cold. Accordingly, during the holiday period, the court fan heaters will be switched on at 4.30 every day to warm the courts up before the usual start time of 5.30.

PLEASE NOTE: During the school holiday period the squash courts are available for booking ALL DAY weekdays and weekends, but unfortunately the heating will only come on at 4.30.

(This situation is being addressed and we hope to be able to come to a more satisfactory arrangement soon)

Squash Court Booking on the Internet
Martin Brewin and Simon Barker have been asked to review the various products and systems available for the Committee and we hope to be able to implement an internet/web-based court booking system early in the New Year. (For those who don’t have internet there will be a facility at the club to book courts as well).

Best regards,

Martin

Maurice Mosdell, Alastair Gunn and Martin Shippey went to the ISS Canary Wharf Classic semi finals last week, here are some pictures from their expedition!

Jon White and Thierry Lincou ....and for the sharp eyed amongst you -you can also see Alastair just above the 7 behind the front wall – he was manning the radar speed gun to measure the speed of Jon White’s drives. You can also make out Maurice in the front row of the forehand wall.

Nick Matthews and James Willstrop warming up – Alastair and Maurice still visible.

Alastair and Maurice in the bar.

Jon White and Thierry Lincou’s match was a bit of a dogfight, with Lincou desperately fighting for every point against White’s relentless 143 mph drives in a 95 minute battle to five games with two tie breakers. The Matthews and Willstrop tie was a complete contrast, a cat and mouse match of wits, stealth, reflexes and agility, with Matthews succumbing to some extremely unlucky bounces from a dead board at the rear of the backhand court, one of which, on an early game point, could well have cost him the match.

….and for info, Jamie Willstrop beat Jon White in the Final.

report from www.collegesquash.com

Michael played Julian Illingworth, Yale’s number one male player and seeded to reach the final. Michael immediately showed he has the game to put immense pressure on the talented Yale sophomore. Illingworth, who was not sharp at the outset, ran into a focused buzz saw in Ferreira, whose accuracy was totally on target, allowing him to jump on every Illingworth loose ball.

Ferreira ran to a fast 9-5 first game lead, and then an almost unbelieveable 9-0 second game against Illingworth. Ferreira continued to take advantage of Illingworth mistakes, steadily moving to a 2-0 7-2 lead; at which point his game plan tragically changed — he began looking to close out the points too quickly, and began clipping the top of the tin. In the third, it wasn’t that Illingworth really became inspired, though he did become steady as a rock and determined. It was a series of Ferreira mistakes that brought Julian steadily back into the game.

Once Ferreira had let Illingworth back in, at 7-7 in the third, Illingworth took charge. He closed out the third and gained more and more advantage throughout the fourth, as he closed out his near escape, 5-9, 0-9, 9-7, 9-7, 9-1.

Michael played at No.1 for Trinity against Gilly Lane (Freshman from Penn) and won 9-2,9-3,9-4. Trinity beat Penn comfortably 8-1.

However, a few days before Trinity were playing Yale and Michael lost at No.1 against Julian Illingworth (ranked one place below him at beginning of the season) – though Trinity won 6-3 overall.

Michael won the first two games of this semi-final against the No.1 seed El-Halaby from Priceton, 6-9, 7-9. However his best opportunity came when he served in the fourth game at 7-all. However, El-Halaby ran out that game when he hit a good ball that clung too tightly to the right wall to be returned by Michael. The Egypt-born Princeton freshman then won the fifth game 9-1 to take the match 3-2.