Squash Wales Autumn 2025 Newsletter

Author

Russell Edwards
September 26, 2025

Ready to find out the latest from Squash Wales? We've got updates, performance highlights, and exciting new events to share.

Dive right in...

Upcoming Open Tournaments

South Wales Junior Open 2025 - Sign up here by 1st November 2025

Important Reminder: League AGM 6th Oct

A quick reminder that the League Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Monday, 6th October, at 7:00 PM via Zoom. The agenda will be circulated to all Club Leads, covering a number of important items that need to be covered and adopted.

It's crucial that your club is part of this process. All clubs are invited.

The Welsh Wheelchair Open!

A massive congratulations to everyone involved in the very first Welsh Wheelchair Open! This truly historic event, held at Rhiwbina Squash Club, was a huge success, showcasing the inspiring skill and passion of the players and taking a huge step forward for inclusivity in our sport. A huge shout-out to Paul Preece, who emerged as the first ever Welsh Wheelchair Open Champion! What an outstanding performance! You can see some of the fantastic action from the day and read the full report right here: https://squashwales.com/squash-wales-welsh-wheelchair-open-2025/

Funding

Be-Active Wales Fund (BAWF) - Next window for applications Open: Wednesday 5th November 2025, 9am. Expression of Interest Closing Date: Friday 9th January. 2026, 9am Close: Wednesday 14th January 2026, 4pm.

Newport Squash Club are through to phase two of the Sport Wales Energy Saving Grant. 

Coaching

Level 2 Assessment Day 22nd  Novembers at SWNC

Level 2 Coaching Course Scheduled on 15th  & 16th  November has been cancelled.

Leaders Award. Want to help out during squash sessions? Complete our leaders award that can be found here: https://squashwales.com/coach/start-coaching/

Masters Europeans 

During 27th-30th August this year, 8 of our Masters players descended on Wroclaw, Poland, to compete in the 2025 ESF European Masters Individual Championships. Chris Owens, Steve Evans, Steve Colarusso, Stacey Gooding, Wendy Norris, Phil Regan, Lynne Davies and Rhian Davies all represented Wales with pride.

Over 600 players from all over Europe competed in events ranging from over 35's - to 080’s. All the Wales representatives played with passion and displayed quality squash. Some great successes came from the men's and women's 40+, and the women's 65+. 

The pressure of expectation was on number 1 seed Stacey Gooding as she entered the event. Making it to the final and roared on by her band of supporters who’d travelled from South Wales, Stacey went one better than her World Masters runner-up finish last summer by winning a lengthy duel with Czechia’s Eva Fertekova [2] by 11-9, 6-11, 11-2, 5-11, 11-8.

Wales were guaranteed a second gold medal in the women’s 65+ event, and it was Jill Campion who retained her title from Hamburg in 2023 with a 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 win over compatriot Lynne Davies. Wendy Norris lost 14-12 in 5th set to Irish Maureen Duke which robbed Wales of full house on the podium.

In the men's 40+ event, Steve Colarusso (5 / 8) had a superb run to the final, consisting of several five set marathons. Unfortunately, the final was one step too far and Steve gained the silver medal after losing to no 1 seed Roberto Kalshoven (Netherlands).

A fantastic display of Welsh Masters on the European stage. Llongyfarchiadau a diolch yn fawr. 

New Squash Wales Clothing

It's time to refresh your squash gear! We've launched our new clothing range on the Squash Wales Shop. Head over to our online store to check out the new range.

Performance Update

The 2025/26 squash season is underway, opening in Cardiff with the Welsh Junior Open Squash Championships over the first weekend of September. The event attracted over 130 players from across the world and provided a fantastic showcase of junior squash.

Welsh players delivered some excellent performances across the age groups. There were home victories for Owain Howe in the U11 Boys (overcoming fellow Welsh player Efan Davies), Siona Mishra in the U13 Girls, Mashhour Gadalla in the U13 Boys (defeating compatriot Lenny Lewis), and Welsh No.1 Eliza Hales in the U15 Girls. In the older age groups, Welsh No.1 and European No.3 Nia Seran Thomas stormed to the U17 Girls title, while Archie Davies-Clarke (U17 Boys) and Millie Breach (U19 Girls) both impressed with strong runs to their respective finals. It was a brilliant weekend of squash, showing the depth of talent developing through the Welsh pathway.

The Academy weekly sessions are now in full swing, along with the National Squads, setting the stage for an exciting year ahead. Welsh players will represent their regions in the Intercounties Championships, pull on the national shirt at the 5 Nations, and take to the European stage in the European Team Championships. Alongside this, a busy calendar of domestic competitions promises plenty of opportunities for players to compete and develop throughout the season.

On the senior side, it has been an outstanding start. Joel Makin and Tesni Evans were both crowned British Champions at the National Squash Championships, underlining Wales’ strength on the big stage. Joel also produced a stunning run at the London Classic, defeating world number 2 Diego Elias in the semi-final before reaching the final.

With so much to celebrate already, and plenty more to come, it promises to be another fantastic season for Welsh squash!

League News

The Winter season 2025 is now under way and I hope you are all enjoying being  back playing competitive league squash.

There have been a few “minor hiccups” in the first few days of the season, but all now seems to be working well, and many thanks to all clubs who  supplied the information I needed to launch the Winter Leagues - your support is much appreciated

Ranking list are now locked until the Mid-Season (w/c Monday 27th Oct) when there will be the opportunity to “fine tune” your playing orders if you wish to do so, and remember, new players joining your clubs can be added onto your lists at any time.

New players, and indeed all players, will need to  have a suitable Squash Wales membership (Team player or above) to play in the leagues so please ensure all of your current players who have SW membership expiring during the season renew that membership so they can continue to enjoy league squash

As you know there has been a survey of clubs to get feedback on the current league structure and set up, and that feedback is due in very shortly. I look forward to reviewing the feedback with the  Squash Wales committee and if there are any changes that need to be made to make our Squash even  more competitive, fair  and enjoyable we will endeavour to deliver them.

Good luck to all for the rest of the Winter season!

Autumn Half Term Squash Camp

We’re back with another Squash Camp at the Sport Wales National Centre (SWNC) in Cardiff.

Perfect for all levels, these camps focus on learning, playing, and making new friends. It's just £25 for the day, which lasts from 10am - 3pm. Children will be looked after by Squash Wales' trained coaches and all attendees will be eligible for a one-year child's membership to Squash Wales!

Find out more, including what to bring and a typical day's activities, here!

Safeguarding Update

At Squash Wales, the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our sport is our top priority. Whether you are a player, coach, volunteer, or parent, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

This quarter we want to remind you of a few key points:

  • Our Safeguarding Policies: All Squash Wales safeguarding policies can be found on our website. www.squashwales.com/governance/safeguarding/ 

  • Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): David Evans is our Lead Safeguarding Officer. You can contact them at [email protected] 

  • Club Welfare Officers: Every club should have a welfare officer. If you’re not sure who yours is, please ask your club committee.

  • Reporting Concerns: If you have any concerns about a child, young person, or adult at risk, please report them. Concerns can be raised directly with your Club Welfare Officer or Squash Wales Safeguarding Team.

  • Keeping Up to Date: We provide regular training and resources to support coaches, officials, and volunteers in understanding their safeguarding responsibilities.

  • Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week (6–12 October 2025)
    The Play Your Part activation pack is now available to download from our website in both Welsh and English (with more Welsh-language assets coming soon). download from our website

    This year’s campaign focuses on helping parents and carers understand what support their child needs — before, during, and after activities.
    As a sport professional, your role is vital in promoting this message and supporting local clubs, key partners, and families across our squash community.

Remember: If you ever feel unsafe, or you’re worried about someone else, it’s always better to speak up.

Contact:[email protected]
Phone: 07904332251

Anti-Doping Update

Squash Wales is committed to keeping our sport clean, fair, and safe for everyone. As part of our responsibility under UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) rules, all athletes, coaches, and support staff must understand their role in protecting squash from doping.

Key reminders:

  • Always check medications and supplements before use — visit www.globaldro.com. 

  • Remember: athletes are strictly liable for anything found in their system.

  • Education and resources are available through UKAD Clean Sport.

If you have any questions or need guidance, please contact David Evans – [email protected] 

Together, we can protect squash and uphold the values of clean sport.

Thank You to Our Partners

Squash Wales would like to thank The National Lottery and Sport Wales for their continued support in helping us grow and develop our sport across Wales. Their funding and commitment make a real difference to players, clubs, and communities at every level of squash.

We hope you've enjoyed this update from Squash Wales. Enjoy the cooler weather, we look forward to seeing you on court soon!