News & Events
Henley Squash Club gets new young players with Gillott’s School
Henley Squash Club, who play at the Leisure Centre adjacent to Gillott’s School, have partnered with the school to find ways to encourage more schoolchildren to take up the sport of Squash. The benefits of Squash are not only physical, but also social and mental.
Schoolchildren aged 11-14 have been playing Squash as part of their PE lessons, with the club donating the expertise of two coaches Brad Murray and Adam Edge, both certified by England Squash. The focus at first has been to have fun with friends, while improving coordination and confidence, and getting everyone to be more active. It’s been fabulous to see the enthusiasm from some of the children, and over 300 have experienced Squash so far. The response has been so successful that a brand-new Lunchtime Squash club has been established, with big plans for 2025!
Hayley Rogers, Head of PE at Gillotts School said “It’s great to see the opportunity for our students to try squash, a sport on our doorstep in Henley Leisure Centre. We’ve grateful to the club for making this possible.”
The club is thankful to it’s major sponsors Invesco (financial services) and Zzoomm (fibre broadband supplier) for their support, and in 2025 the club will need to find additional sponsors if this programme is to continue. If you can help in any way, please contact the club via www.henleysquash.co.uk
Henley Squash club is an inclusive club, and squash is a game for all ages. “Turn up and play, open to all” sessions are held every Friday evening (from 6:30pm to 8pm). All welcome!
2024 AGM Report
The 2024 Annual General Meeting for Henley Squash Club was held at the Bull on Bell Street on 14th November. Traditionally, AGMs are not very well attended, so this year we decided to up our game a bit and have it at a decent venue, with buffet food, and to include the prize giving for the 2024 Handicap Tournament. Thanks go to Peter Rivers for organising the venue – there was a splendid spread of food and we attracted several members in addition to the ‘usual suspects’!
The meeting commenced with the trophy presentations. Full reports on the Handicap Tournament can be found here and here. The overall winner was Barry Carson with Peter Rivers winning the Plate. Other category winners were Alistair Robbie and James Mortimer. The ‘to-keep’ ceramic goblets were kindly made and donated by former club chairman David Wright, who can be seen tucking into the food above!
Sponsorship and Fundraising (input by Jim Reay)
We have been working hard to retain our existing sponsors, and attract new sponsors in 2024. As you will have seen from the updated advertising boards on the courts, we have continued our excellent relationship with Invesco, and we are grateful to them for their unwavering annual support which has helped the Sunday junior programme to run year-on-year. They have been joined as a main sponsor by Zzoomm, the Internet service provider (via Fibre Broadband), who have agreed to a 2 year sponsorship package.
Our thanks go to Mercers solicitors, TMS3, OSRA, and GLL Better for company contributions, as well as Tom Moore, and Roger Booker for their individual contributions. We really couldn’t run the club without your financial generosity. Thank you.
In addition, we are seeking further financial inputs to allow us to run the Gillott’s initiative (see later); and so far grants have been applied for from SODC via the Councillor Grant Scheme; Tesco (via Groundwork UK), and England Squash (Phil Hancey fund). Other ideas for funding sources, whether Sponsorship/advertising or Grants are always welcomed. Please let Jim Reay know any ideas whatsoever…
The increased Press releases (Henley Herald, Henely Standard) by Steve Dance helps give our sponsors exposure and community goodwill.
One idea shared on the night was the idea of creating a ‘Sponsor’s report’ which shows where the money goes, and the impressive outcomes. This is helpful for persuading the existing sponsors to renew, and can be a helpful reference material when engaging new potential sponsors. Another is to offer a different kind of value proposition for sponsoring firms, e.g. a special coaching day for employees keen to try squash.
Gillott’s Initiative (input by Jim Reay)
There has been an obvious opportunity to encourage children from Gillott’s school to play Squash at Gillott’s Leisure centre. After some persistent follow-up, Jim Reay and club coach Adam Edge met PE staff in July 2024 for an on-court squash taster session. The teachers thought that a regular squash club for the schoolchildren would be a good thing, however rather than just appeal to kids who already may know what squash is.. they wanted to make EVERY STUDENT try squash as part of a PE lesson (equality of opportunity).
All year 7, 8 and 9 students (ages 11-14) will try squash for 1 lesson as part of their PE curriculum. As the year groups rotate between indoor and outdoor sports, this is always at irregular times on different days. In total will we reach c. 500 children before spring 2025.
So far since September over 290 unique students experienced squash as part of their PE lessons (the rest will be in January and February 2025).
Since October 2024, we have run a lunchtime squash club on Thursdays from 12.45-13.15 with increasing numbers each week (it was 19 kids this week!!!)
I thank all those who gave equipment at our appeal in September – we had over a dozen racquet donations.
I thank the Leisure centre (esp. Jenny) who volunteered to give very discounted court rates.
I thank Simon Stone – whose company (TMS3) sponsorship helped start this journey in 2024.
I thank the club to take the financial risk to try this.
I thank the two coaches – Adam Edge and Brad Murray (Beaconsfield) for their dedication and flexibility to make this work at really odd and disjointed times.
The cost for this is not negligible at between 2k and 3k GBP per year, we will need to find funding to continue this. I will ask the school for a contribution in the next academic year, I have applied for 3 grants already, but the club will need to continue to find sponsorships to cover costs.
This is proving so far to be popular. An afterschool club, and possibly a juniors tournament, are all possible and likely next steps. We really need a volunteer or two to help this area continue or grow.
Henley College (input by Jim Reay)
With over 2000 students aged 16-19, this should be a source of Squash players. I was lucky enough to be in a meeting with the deputy head, and he put me in touch with Ty Sterry (Head of Sport & Careers).
Starting 15th January 2025, they will offer Squash as an “Enrichment activity”. They will bring 12-16 student to courts, with a supervisor/sports teacher, to play from 11.45-12.45. They will book their own courts. This will run as a trial until Easter 2025.
All the club needs to do is offer a) loan of equipment e.g. eye wear and racquets and b) provide a volunteer who can advise them on the rules of squash (as their PE teacher may not know them).
How can we provide them with a volunteer (or two), in order to help them have a great experience and fall in love with the game? The idea suggested here is to create a ‘rota’ where we can take turns, with Harry Carr and David Wright both volunteering (so we only have another 12 or so weeks to fill so plenty of space of other volunteers).
Membership (input by Duncan Nightingale)
Membership has been pretty stable (70-80) since COVID. But not quite recovered to pre-COVID levels (90-100).
Since 2010 there have been 275 members of Henley Squash Club. We churn approximately 14 members a year – more than one a month. So vital to find new members just to stay still – to grow the club by one member in total, we need to find two new members!
How do new members find us? In order:
(1) Website
(2) Word of mouth
(3) Articles in Henley Standard etc.
(4) Leisure Centre
Internal League (boxes) (input by Duncan Nightingale)
Number of boxes (each of five players) in the League has been stable at 7-8 since COVID – the same level just prior to COVID. Looking further back to 2018, we were stable at 10 boxes.
Each month, some players opt out and others re-join. At any one time there are enough opted-out players to make up 4-5 boxes! Could do with a few more people re-joining and only opting out rarely!
Since COVID, we have had no Juniors make the transition to the boxes (and teams) which was common before COVID. Hopefully our Junior and School initiatives will take care of that in time.
Social Media (input by Duncan Nightingale)
The club now has accounts for X/Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Please follow, like, forward etc.
These really need pictures and video clips to come alive. Please send me as much as you can and I will post them.
Website (input by Duncan Nightingale)
The club website has had a number of updates in recent months:
(1) Making the website adhere to the latest security standards (https versus http). This is important and was overdue – some members had reported not being able to view the website because their browsers said it was not secure.
(2) A refresh to the colour scheme to coincide with all our new sponsors.
(3) Making the website responsive to being viewed on a mobile phone, rather than just on a desktop (ie different layout and larger fonts when viewed on a phone). This has been tested on an iPhone – feedback welcome from Android phones.
Any comments/suggestions about the website are most welcome!
Jim reported there is also a new website for Oxfordshire Squash.
Teams (input by Harry Carr and Steve Dance)
Harry and Steve gave a brief update about the teams. You can see a report about the team’s exploits over the summer here.
Currently we run two teams in the Oxfordshire league and one in the Berkshire Vets. We could do with one or two more players to make the Vets sustainable and to get to three teams in Oxfordshire.
External tournaments and Women’s Initiative (input by Steve Dance)
Steve congratulated Jill Campion on her continued successes at World, European and British over 65’s championships – see the many reports on these in the News section.
Steve also thanked Jill for her recent initiative to promote and deliver squash taster sessions for women.
Juniors (input by Paul Ski)
The Sunday morning Juniors session is run by Paul and club coach Adam Edge. Thanks to the support of our sponsors, it is provided completely FREE. Paul gave his apologies for not being able to attend the meeting, but submitted the following:
- Beginners class 10-11 and intermediates 11-12
- Adam and I coaching
- circa 20 regular players – approximately 50:50 girls and boys
- continue to support a diverse set of backgrounds including a Ukrainian family living locally
- equipment stocks are good with a few recent small additions (balls, goggles, grips) to supplement the equipment for Juniors and Gillotts classes
- could do with getting a better connection into the Oxfordshire region for tournaments and potentially funding
- costs in line with previous estimates
Finances (input by Peter Rivers)
Peter had already prepared full up-to-date accounts and these had been distributed to all members prior to the meeting. In summary, the club finances are almost break even (a small loss for the club year ending 31 May 2024). There is a healthy bank balance, but with the on-going plans to support our Juniors and Gillotts School initiatives, this could quickly be depleted without continued efforts to raise sponsorship.
Appointment of Officers
Steve Dance was confirmed as Chairman.
Duncan Nightingale was confirmed as Secretary.
Peter Rivers was formally appointed as Treasurer, handing over in recent months from previous Treasurer, Andy Ball, who was thanked for all his work in creating accounts over the last few years.
Jim Reay was formally given responsibility for ‘Sponsorship and Fundraising’, although he has already been performing these duties for several months!
Paul Ski, Adam Edge and Harry Carr were confirmed in their positions as Juniors Organiser, Club Coach and First Team Captain respectively. Steve Dance and Richard Little will continue as 2nd Team Captain and Vets Captain respectively.
The club continues to be grateful for the support of past chairmen Roger Booker and David Wright and confirmed them in their honorary positions.
We are looking for additional volunteers to take on Social, Communications and Welfare roles. It was suggested we outline job descriptions of what the roles require before asking members.
Discussion
Much of the discussion centred on the state of the courts at the Leisure Centre and difficulties in communicating with the staff there. Specifically: cleaning, heating, lighting, one of the doors, booking courts.
Steve undertook to take up these issues with the Leisure Centre staff.
Summary and Close
The meeting closed with a short ‘state of the union’ from chairman Steve Dance. Steve said the club is very active at many levels, financially stable and with a steady growth in squash activities. Members should thank everyone involved in making Henley Squash Club a great place to enjoy playing squash.
2024 Handicap Tournament completed
The end of September saw the final matches completed in the 2024 Handicap Tournament.
The completed draw and final positions may be seen here.
As previously reported, the overall winner and only undefeated player was Barry Carson and you can read about the final between him and James Rowson here.
The winner of the Plate – the player who only lost one match AND had the lowest SquashLevel – was (for the 2nd year in a row) Peter Rivers.
The winner of the 2nd Plate – the player who only lost two matches AND had the lowest SquashLevel – was James Mortimer.
The winner of the 3rd Plate – the player who only lost three matches AND had the lowest SquashLevel – was Alistair Robbie.
As well as the Cup and Plate trophies for Barry and Peter respectively, the four winners will also receive ‘to-keep’ goblets which have once again been generously created and donated by former Club Chairman David Wright. You can find out more about David’s ceramic wares here.
The trophies will be presented to the four winners at the combined AGM/social event in November.
New T-shirts to go with New Sponsors
Henley Squash Club now has new T-shirts, sporting logos from all our new sponsors and supporters
Thanks especially to the fund-raising activities of Jim Reay and Steve Dance, the following companies and organisations are now supporters of the club: Zzoomm, Invesco, Better (the Leisure Centre), Oxfordshire Squash, Mercers solicitors, and TMS. To find out more about these organisations just click their logos on the club website!
Anyone can purchase their own club T-shirts – they are available in multiple sizes for men, women and children. Just go to the new on-line shop. on the club website – curtesy of our supplier 305Custom.
Henley are Champions of Oxfordshire (Summer League 2024)
Henley 1st team were crowned Oxfordshire Summer League champions, only losing two matches all season and topping the division 1 table by a massive 43 points (218 points versus 175 for second place Oxford University).
Most appearances for the team were Munro Simon Montanus (13), Paul Ski (10), and Harry Palfreyman (10). Other players this season were Harry Carr (skipper), Andrew Martin, Richard Brown, Sam Carr, Charlie Homewood and Will Ward.
Henley 2nd team competed in the 3rd division of the Summer League and finished a creditable7th.
Most appearances for the team were skipper Steve Dance (13), Tim Budden (12), and Jim Reay (11). Other players this season were Peter Hopkins, Tom Tuite-Dalton, Rick Legget, Dan Andrews, Richard Little, Miles Edwards, James Rowson and Paul Ski.
Skipper Steve Dance commented “Having lost several matches very closely, we are looking to strengthen the team for the Winter1 season starting in September. If we have just one extra 1st-string-level player (so everyone else could play one position down), I reckon we would be challenging for top of the division.”
Steve went on to confirm the club’s plan to field three teams in the Winter2 season (after Christmas), following an encouraging influx of several new players into the club in recent weeks.
The Winter season kicks off on 12th September. Anyone interested in playing for the teams should contact Steve Dance.
Barry Carson wins epic Handicap Tournament Final
The final of the 2024 club Handicap Tournament was played out on Saturday 13th July with the only two unbeaten players facing each other. Barry Carson (handicap +2) played James Rowson (handicap -2) in a 5-game classic, which proved the accuracy of the SquashLevels-generated handicaps by producing a match that went right down to the wire.
The first game was level pegging until, with the score on 12-10, James pulled away to win 15-10. The second game was closer with James winning 15-12 – but he always led and looked confident at 2 games up. In the break, Barry took advice from a family member and this seemed to inspire him and he raced away to 12-0 lead. Although James started to claw his way back, Barry took the game 15-9. Both players were moving really well and anticipating where the other player was going to hit the ball, leading to some extended rallies, thrilling the small but enthusiastic audience. In the 4th game Barry inched ahead until a final burst of 5 points in a row gave him the game 15-8, taking the match score to two games each.
Both players were tiring now, but if anything Barry seemed slightly more tired and was taking deep breaths in the interval to get his wind back before the final deciding game. Nevertheless, Barry raced away to an 8-0 lead before James dug deep and started to pull back, causing a nail-biting finish. Barry led 13-8 and then 14-11, before James took the next two points to make it 14-13. But the next rally went to Barry and he had completed a memorable victory coming back from two games down.
The Henley Squash Club Handicap Tournament uses handicaps generated by the SquashLevels system, designed to make every match as close as possible, giving every player an equal (in theory) chance of winning the whole tournament and allowing players of all abilities to play each other – players who may never come across each other in regular League matches or in the inter-club teams. The draw is completely random, with one round being drawn at a time with approximately one month between rounds – sort of F.A. Cup fashion!
After the conclusion of the final, the players were congratulated by Tournament organiser, Duncan Nightingale, who presented the Henley Squash Championship cup to Barry. Barry commented “It took a lot out of me… James played an amazing game…I had a bit of luck… but it was one of the best games I’ve played.” James Rowson generously conceded “anyone who can come back from two games down like that deserves the win.” James is now ‘in the mix’ for winning the Plate competition – for players who have only lost one match throughout the tournament – but that result needs to await the completion of other final round matches. As does the winner of the groups for players with only two and three losses during the tournament.
The full draw of the Handicap Tournament may be seen here.
Jill wins British Open
Jill Campion last weekend won the British Open over 65s Squash Championship, beating arch-rival Karen Hume 13-11, 12-10, 11-5 in a closely fought final. This is the the sixth time she has won this tournament in her age group and this title comes shortly after her victory in the National (Closed) Championships in February and the European Masters Championship last summer, which means that she has won all the major titles this season.
Commenting on her win, Jill, who lives in Bix and plays at Henley Squash Club based in Henley Leisure Centre, said: “This is a great way to end what has been one of my busiest – and most successful – squash seasons! The final was a re-run of the British Closed final, in which I beat Karen 3-2, coming back from 2-0 down. This time I went in with a clearer game plan, focusing in particular on my serves and returns of serve. I edged ahead in the first game mainly by playing the ball hard to the back, but Karen fought back using her low hard kills. I’m not quite sure how I managed to sneak that game 13-11. The second game was a different story, with numerous lets and what we both felt was inconsistent decision-making, and I quickly found myself 5-9 down. Fortunately I managed to regain focus and concentration, pulling back to win that game 12-10. Being two games up gave me the confidence I needed. I quickly established a clear lead by varying my shots, making Karen twist and turn and keeping her guessing and won that game comfortably, 11-5 and therefore the match 3-0. The match was far tougher than the result suggests!
“I’ve adopted a different type of on-court training this season, Gevolution Squash developed by Tony Griffin, which seems to have improved my shot choice, my focus and my reactions. I find it rewarding that after playing squash for more than 40 years I can keep learning and improving aspects of my game.”
Campion helps Wales Women’s Masters Team achieve best results ever
Jill Campion represented Wales in four age groups at this year’s Home International Masters Squash Team events. She played three matches on each of the four weekends, winning 9 and losing 3, helping Wales win gold in one age category and silver in two others.
The event, which is held annually over four weekends in late Spring, pitches teams representing England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland at age groups from over 35 to over 65 for when and to over 75 for men.
The first weekend, hosted by England in Nottingham, included a women’s over 65s team for the first time. With Campion playing at 1 and number 2 and 3 both experienced international players, Wales went in as favourites and clinched the title, beating England 2-1, Scotland 2-1 and Ireland 3-0.
The following weekend Campion, again playing 1, captained the Wales over 60s team in Edinburgh. With the English team looking particularly strong, coming second seemed to be a realistic objective. However it was not to be and he Welsh team finished fourth.
Next up was Dublin for the over 50s, where again the aim was to finish second. Campion, playing number three in a team of five, was on top form. She won her match against Scotland, narrowly lost her match against Ireland, and took the English number 3 and current over 50s European Champion Sarah Parr to two games all, with Parr unable to complete the match due to a serious shoulder injury, The rest of the Welsh team also delivered and they got their silver medal.
And finally, at the over 55s event in Cardiff on the final weekend, With England looking very strong, the objective was to get silver. Campion, playing number 2, won her matches against Ireland and Scotland but England’s Izzy Bramhill was too dexterous for her.
“The Masters Home Internationals are great events to play in, with men’s and women’s teams from two or three age categories at each venue. I was somewhat daunted by the idea of so much squash in so little time – last year I competed in three of the weekends and that seemed like plenty! Playing in all four weekends gave me the opportunity to play women I hadn’t played before and playing in lower age groups and I was was delighted to be able to hold my own against them. These matches certainly sharpened me up for the British Open Masters.”
Spring 2024 Update
After an enjoyable and successful winter season, Henley Squash club are looking forward to an active summer of squash.
The club is currently buzzing with all manner of squash activities including a monthly club player league, an open Friday evening club night, a handicap tournament, dedicated junior and adult squash coaching sessions, Oxfordshire county and Berkshire veteran teams, as well as elite level player participation in several domestic and international tournaments.
In the Oxfordshire leagues, Henley’s 1st team, captained by Harry Carr, finished second in the Oxfordshire first division behind Brackley. An excellent result against the best teams in the county. Richard Brown and Harry Carr played the most matches, whilst Adam Edge had the best win ratio winning all 7 of his matches played.
The second team, captained by Steve Dance, had a creditable season finishing joint 4th alongside Hithercroft in the Oxfordshire fourth Division. During the season 14 different players played in the team with Tim Budden playing 11 out of the 12 matches whilst Richard Little had the best win ratio.
The Veteran team, captained by Richard Little, in their first season playing again after the covid lockdown, finished a creditable fourth in division 3 of the Berkshire Winter Vets league. Jim Reay and Steve Dance played the most matches. The team had an enjoyable season winning seven matches and travelling to away matches across several counties.
During the winter, Jill Campion had an absolutely outstanding season including winning her Masters age category at : The European Championships, The Welsh Masters closed Championships, British National Masters Championships and the prestigious RAC Vintage Squash Tournament.
Over the summer the club is looking forward to fielding two teams in the Oxfordshire County leagues as well as seeing the results of the final rounds of the internal handicap tournament.
In addition over the next few weeks several Henley Squash Club financial supporters and sponsors are expected to be announced.
Squash has been announced to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the club is keen to take advantage of this announcement where possible to promote and make available the enjoyment of the sport at all levels to the local Henley community. All are welcome. The club plays out of the Henley Leisure Centre in Gillotts Lane, details can be found at www.henleysquash.co.uk
Jill wins RAC Vintage tournament
Jill Campion, the reigning European and British over 65s squash champion, has won the prestigious Royal Automobile Club’s (RAC) Vintage squash tournament for the third time, beating Dr. Keith Bush, a highly experienced player and former RAC Open, Handicap, Veterans and Vintage title-holder. The tournament is open to men over the age of 65 and women over the age of 60 who are members of the RAC.
Jill, who lives in Bix and is also a member of the Henley Squash Club, said: “I played Keith in my first final in this tournament, when, unfortunately, he pulled a calf muscle when I was leading 2 games to 1. I knew this year would be different as Keith had been doing some serious training in the run up to the final and had had a very good semi-final win.
“My aim was to take the ball early and drive him to the back of the court, putting him on the defensive which would hopefully give me the opportunity to play the ball short. I knew that I had to be unpredictable, and vary the pace. This seemed to work and so I stuck to the game plan using variety to make Keith wish and turn. I won the first game 11-6. In the second game my nerves settled and I continued to use variety and pace to wrong-foot Keith, winning it 11-5. Keith struggled to get into the third game and I kept to my strategy, winning it 11-4. I was absolutely thrilled to win this title for the third time, in a match that was mentally a lot tougher than the score line would lead you to believe.”
After her match, Jill had just enough time for a quick shower before going back on court to play the final of the Ladies’ tournament, in a repeat of the three previous finals of this tournament, her opponent was Shane Ballie, who, like Jill, plays international masters squash.
“Shane has always been a better player than me, plus she is 15 years younger, so the odds are always against me in this one! Last year I got a game off her and that was my target this year. But it was not to be. Shane was on top form, hitting the ball hard and accurately. She won the first game relatively quickly, I had my chances in the second but as usual Shane powered through and kept the momentum going in the third to win 3-0.”
Jill clinches 5th British Masters Title
Hot on the heels of her recent victory at the Welsh Squash Masters Championships, Jill Campion, who plays squash at Henley’s Better Leisure Centre, has won her age category in the iPROSPORTS British National Masters Squash Championships, the fifth time she has won the title.
The tournament, which was held at the nine court Nottingham Squash Rackets Club, attracted over 250 participants in age categories ranging from over 35 to over 65 for women and over 35 to over 80 for men. In her semi-final Campion, who was second seed, played Lynne Davies, a re-run of the Welsh Masters final. This time Campion dominated from the start, varying the pace and taking the pace off the ball and won comfortably 3-0.
On the other side of the draw Karen Hume had a similarly comfortable semi-final. Campion and Hume both have masters world, European and national titles under their belt. As is often the case, it was a high quality match. In the first game Hume used hard, low balls to the back of the court, with Campion taking the ball early and using variety to counter-attack where possible. However, Hume dominated, winning the first game 11-9.
Hume continued to dominate in the second game, with Campion clearly struggling to find a way back in to the match. At 1-7 down she seemed to find her stride, outpacing Hume on tight drives and intercepting more on the volley. She managed to draw back to 7 all, but lost that game 8-11.
Campion was now looking more comfortable and confident but at 0-2 down, there was no margin for error. “I found my game plan during that second game, so I went back on the the third with a different mind set. My lob serves started going well which immediately forced loose balls from Karen. I was hunting for volleys, playing them short when I could, and I tried to keep Karen guessing. Once I got a reasonable lead in the third my shots were flowing. I was able to maintain this during the next two games, which followed a similar pattern. I was thrilled to win. Karen and I tend to have highly competitive matches which can go either way.
“I would like to thank my training partners at the Henley Squash Club, which is based at Better Leisure, Henley, and Tony Griffin’s Gevolution Squash method which has helped me so much in the six months I have been working with him.”
Campion won 9-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8.
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