Squash Wales Winter 2024 Newsletter

Christmas is only a few days away so fresh off the back of the end of the winter leagues and the Welsh Senior Championship - here is the Squash Wales winter 2024 newsletter.

Dive right in...

Squash Camp 🙌

Join us on the 2nd January for an active, fun-filled day for children aged 6 to 13. A perfect opportunity for all levels to learn, play, and make new friends! The session will run from 10am - 3pm at Sports Wales National Centre, Cardiff. There are limited spots available, so be sure to sign up here.

Performance & Senior Players 🌟

Congratulations to all our performance players who have competed over the past few months. Here are some standout moments to celebrate 🙌

  • Joel Makin won the PSA Silicon Valley Open

  • Tesni Murphy won the PSA Monte Carlo Open

  • Joel Makin reached the Semi Final of the PSA Hong Kong and Qatar Opens

  • Emyr Evans reached the final of the PSA Northern Open and the Lagord Open

Senior Intercounty Championships

Last season, Squash Wales entered two ladies’ teams and three men’s teams into the Senior Intercounty Championships. The ladies’ teams performed brilliantly, with one team reaching the finals, while the men narrowly missed out on qualification. This season, a record number of teams—four men’s and three ladies’—will compete, aiming for greater success and representation in the finals.

League Update 🏆

Winter season has now finished, and Spring 2025 season is just around the corner - Jan 6th will be here before you know it!!  

It’s been a tough season for many clubs with injuries, lack of player availability and adverse weather causing a number of issues – but we’ve got through it and season is complete, and, well done to all clubs who fulfilled their fixtures:  

So, how did we do??!.....

Congratulations to Swansea A for topping Premier One, and they will be joined in Premier One in the Spring by 

  • Llanelli A and 

  • Rhiwbina B 

who have topped Premier Two -congratulations to both teams

Congratulations to the teams joining Premier Two from the Feeder leagues, who will be 

  • Old Penarthians from South Central One 

  • Abergavenny B from East Central One, and 

  • Llandeilo A from West Central One 

Congratulations too go to Teifi who topped Pembroke One league for the 3rd season in a row!

 With some matches still to play in other leagues final positions are yet to be confirmed but Eryri One will be won by either Llanrwst or Ynys Mon, while North East Wales will  be topped by either Mold or Wrexham Brymbo – watch this space for further updates!

Congratulations must of course go to all teams who won their individual leagues and the best of luck to all for the Spring season.

We will be welcoming a few New/returning  Teams to the Leagues for the Spring, namely, 

  • Abergavenny C (East Central two)

  • Pontadawe B (West Central Two) 

  • Bangor University (Eryri)

Welcome to all!

Unfortunately, due to injuries and availability concerns we will be losing teams from Monmouth, Llanishen, Newport and Ynys Mon- hopefully they will be back for Winter 2025!

Full League structure and fixtures for Spring 2025 for all leagues will be available very shortly so booking of courts can commence.

Further preparation for the Spring will include ranking lists, and  templates will be sent out to all Club Leads in the next few days  – they will need to be completed and back with me   before December 24th so League Master can be updated and ready  to roll for the start of the season.

Welsh Nationals Championship 2024 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The Karakal Welsh Senior Closed 2024 showcased over 60 of Wales’ top squash players in a weekend of electrifying competition. Joel Makin claimed the Men’s Championship, while Tesni Murphy triumphed in the Ladies Championship, both demonstrating exceptional skill and dedication.

Thank you to all players, supporters, and organisers for making this event a highlight of the Welsh squash calendar.

Find more results and a summary of the action here.

Disability Squash

We spent an inspiring evening at Rhiwbina Squash Club to see how they support and empower players with disabilities to enjoy squash. Watch all the action here.

Junior Events ✨

British Junior Squash Championships – A Record-Breaking Event for Wales

Squash Wales made an impressive mark at the British Junior Squash Championships in Sheffield, with 27 Welsh players—the highest-ever entry—competing at this prestigious event.

Highlights include Ellie Breach reaching the Girls' U19 final in her final junior tournament, and Elsie Griffiths making her first final in the Girls' U11 category. Strong performances were also seen across all categories, underlining the dedication and camaraderie among the Welsh contingent.

Nia Seren Thomas’s Double Success

Nia Seren Thomas achieved incredible success by winning both the Irish Junior Open and the Swiss Junior Open in the Girls' U17 category. Her achievements highlight her exceptional talent and dedication to the sport.

Success at British Junior Intercounty Championships

Welsh juniors excelled at the British Junior Intercounty Championships, achieving historic milestones. Teams reached finals in Boys’ U13, and Girls’ U13 and U15 (both A and B teams—a first-ever achievement), with Plate Final appearances by Boys’ U11, U15, and U17. The teams eagerly anticipate the Finals Weekend in Sheffield this March.

Junior Development Events

Swansea

The inaugural Squash Wales Junior One-Day Event in Swansea provided 32 players with an inclusive and fun competition experience.

Players competed in graded categories, with winners including Noah Allnatt (A Grade) and Huey Crockett (B Grade).

Cardiff

24 players attended the second Squash Wales Development event held at SWNC on the 8th Dec.

The event saw players from Merthyr, Abergavenny, Bridgend, Builth Wells, Hereford, Monmouth, Newport, Rhiwbina and David Lloyd Cardiff playing across 3 graded categories with some great squash on show.

The Winner were Lennie Lewis of Merthyr (A grade), Sam Thomas of David Lloyd Cardiff (B grade) and Sam Morris from Bridgend (C grade).

More development events planned for next year including an event in North Wales.

National and Regional Squads – Building a Team Culture

National training nights have been restructured to foster a supportive and respectful team environment, with senior players mentoring juniors. Regional squads in Merthyr and Cardiff are at full capacity, with plans for West, Mid, and North Wales squads in 2024.

The Clubs 🏘️

Porthcawl squash club were awarded with a be-active grant to support the development of their junior section.

Squash Wales are working with club’s safeguarding and welfare officers to ensure full compliance. We thank clubs for their cooperation.

Sports Wales Energy Saving Grant

Awards have been agreed for the following clubs, Rhiwbina, Maesteg, Cowbridge, Wrexham Bymbo and Llanelli LTSC totalling £110,000 with payment made in due course once all paperwork has been agreed.

Squash in Schools 🚸

7 schools completed our inaugural Squash in Schools Programme with over 350 pupils achieving the OTW Level 1 Squash Award.

Schools from Swansea, Cardiff, Ynys Mon, Llanelli, Neath and Newcastle Emlyn participated in the programme. The programme concluded schools visiting their nearest squash clubs and completing the level 1 award assessment and getting a squash taster session.

Swansea tennis and squash club hosted Llanrhidian and Grange primary schools, St Mellons hosted Willowbrook primary school and Ynys Mon hosted Ysgol Cybi.

Thank you to all schools, staff and clubs for their commitment and involvement.  

This term, 3 schools from Newport, Cardiff and Swansea have taken part in the programme with Cardiff hosting Lansdowne primary school and Newport hosting St Marys’ Primary school. Swansea will host Ysgol Pen-y-bryn after the Christmas break.

Schools that complete the level 1 programme will have the opportunity to take part in the level 2 award later in the year.

Coaching 📒

A level 1 coaching course took place on the 26th Oct and saw 6 new coaches qualify from Swansea, Llantrisant, Aberystwyth, Newport and Rhiwbina.

The second level 2 coaching course of the year began on the 16th Nov. 4 coaches from Swansea, Hirwaun , Cowbridge and Newport completed the first part of the level 2 course.

Good luck to these coaches who will be completing their assessment in March 2025.

Anti-Doping ✋

Squash Wales 2024 annual submission to UKAD has been reviewed and accepted. Please find details below regarding the published 2025 Prohibited List now confirmed as being in force and a summary of the major modifications which can be found on the Agency’s website via the following links: -

2025 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods 2025 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes As the WSF is a signatory of the WADA Code it’s mandatory to comply with this list and the full details are also available under the Anti-Doping Information section of the WSF website. If you have any questions or queries please contact Squash Wales Anti-Doping Lead [email protected]

Respect Starts With You Video Series 🎬

Respect Starts With You is a powerful 5 part video series that sheds light on the challenges and experiences faced by squash referees. Listen to our three experienced Squash Wales’ referees share their stories.

Upcoming Highlights 📣

The season ahead promises excitement with the British Junior Open in January, Welsh Junior National Championships, Junior & Senior Intercounties, and other national representation opportunities. These events will build towards greater achievements, reflecting the dedication of players and coaches.