On Saturday 19^th March a team of Civil Service squash players travelled to Nottingham to play the Veterans Club of Great Britain. This social fixture was organised for a range of standards with an attempt to match people up to opponents of a similar level. This worked out fantastically as there was some great squash played with 5 of the 9 matches going the full distance to 5 games. The Civil Service ran out 6-3 winners.

Following the initial match games we played a series of second matches and overall for the day 14 matches were played, with the score for the day being 8-6 to the Civil Service.

This was the first friendly social Civil Service match played for a few years and a fixture we hope to keep in the diary for years to come. This is an opportunity for all squash players! If interested, please contact Tim Burrell, the team captain. 

Overall score:

• Civil Service 6
• GB Vets 3

The annual Crown Services Quadrangular Tournament was cancelled in 2022 out of respect for the passing of the Late Queen Elizabeth II. 

CSSC Squash, back on the road after lockdown, followed its 2021 National Singles event with an equally successful one in November 2022, held again at the Nottingham Squash Club.

Despite the current mens and ladies captains and several of the top players being  absent, an impressive cast of 22 men and 5 ladies were anticipated at the club on Friday 18^th November, ready to do battle on the court. This included the current 7 times Champion, James Hodson, as number one seed. Along with many of the regular top CSSC players an encouraging number of newcomers had entered and there were players across all grades A to E.   Unfortunately, by the start, injury and illness had reduced the men players to 19.

Three competitions were held – Ladies, Mens combined A,B,C grades and Mens D,E grades. These started on Friday lunchtime and continued through to the finals on Saturday afternoon.

The Ladies event, with 5 entrants was held as a Round Robin with all players playing each other. After a number of hard fought and close matches, newcomer Kristy Watson came through the winner, with Shena Rolfe runner up. A new name on the Ladies Trophy.   

The Mens ABC group was played as a knock-out event. The first round resulted in the losing players dropping down to the B grade event. The successful A Grade players played a further series of knock out matches with the next round losers going into the A Plate event.

In the top half of the A Grade, the semi final was between Chris Mason-Thom and the number 1 seed and 7 times champion James Hodson. James was not going to be stopped in his quest for an 8^th title and he overcame Chris 3-0.

In the other half of the draw, the semi-final was between Jonathan Simpson (who had earlier defeated ex-Champion John McFarlane) and the Number 2 seed Craig Webb, a losing semi-finalist last year. Craig booked his place in the final by beating Jonathan 3-0. However, despite a good effort in the final, Craig was not able to take the title away from James. Eight in a row now for James!! Can he reach John McFarlane’s total of 10?

Losers in the second round of the A Grade event went into a Plate competition, which was won by John Perry.

The BC Grade for losers in the first round consisted of five players and started as a knock out, but changed to a round robin format after the first round.  There were some tough matches played in this group, especially between David Nethercott and Tom Littleton with David’s 3-2 win giving him the B Grade title.  The losers from the B Grade went into a C Grade event. Unfortunately, an early retirement gave Paul Clarke a walkover to the C title.

The men’s DE Grade consisted of 6 players so two Round Robin groups of three  players were initially played.  Louis Cowling beat both his opponents to win one group and . Tom Dodd did likewise in the second group. Tom then went on the win the DE Grade without losing a game..  The 3rd place players from these 2 groups played each other for the Plate, which was won by Gary Butler

All the players in this grade had some hard fought matches. Many were new to CSSC Squash and we hope to see them in other events in the future.

The squash matches were spread over the two days, Friday and Saturday and, as usual, a light hearted Quiz was held at the club on Friday evening with the club providing supper, giving players and organisers a chance to relax..  All in all it was a very successful event –a lot of good squash played in a good spirit.

Final placings

In September 2019 the CSSC men’s and women’s representative team played the annual Crown Services Quadrangular squash tournament against the Police Force, Fire Service and UK Armed Services. 

Ladies Team Results

This year, the Ladies team consisted of 5 players: 

• Rebecca Campbell
• Helen Midgley
• Keeley Grindle
• Ruth Sleigh
• Sian Hughes

Our first game was against the UK Armed Forces who in past years have been really close games. This year was no different.

Keeley and Helen got the games underway. Unfortunately, both matches resulted in a 1/3 loss but again both games could have gone either way. Becky and Ruth were up next – unfortunately again both resulted in a loss. Becky lost 1/3 and Ruth lost 0/3. The score does not reflect the quality of the matches. Both great games ladies. Last but not least was Sian. Sian played amazing really getting “stuck in” and managed to pull off the first win for the Ladies CSSC team. 3/2 Well done Sian a great game to watch. Final result CSSC 6 UKAF 19

Fresh as daisies the Ladies team were ready for their Saturday morning match against the Police – The social side was not after all compromised. Unfortunately, the Police only had 4 players so Sian managed a 100% win in the tournament

Again Keeley started. She managed to start the team off with a 3/0 win, no hangover present! Followed then Helen. Helen battled away with a long-time nemesis Chrissie. Chrissie was just too strong (and sober) for Helen. Result was 0/3. Becky played next and was up against the Welsh number 2 (no pressure Bex!) The result was as envisaged nether the less Becky played really well and tried her heart out.  Next up was Ruth. As in previous years it always seems that our last matches are 2 all with everything to play for. Ruth didn’t disappoint with all the team behind her. Ruth managed to keep us all on the edge of our seats at 2 all. The last game was so hard fought but unfortunately just missing out on the game 13/15. Really well played by Ruth.Final result Police 14 CSSC 8

Final Results in the Ladies Competition: 

Men's Team Results

Once again the individual standard on show at this event was exceptionally high. The Civil Service team went into the event with two injuries hampering the usual squad, regular number one James Hodson and stalwart Ethan Thornton both out  of selection this year. This did mean we were very pleased to welcome a new member, Sam Levin, to come in at number one and make use some of the more experienced squad members could play lower down the order.

This year the Civil Service had put together a strong consisting of:

• Sam Levin
• Tim Burrell
• Tom Metcalf
• James Whelan
• Mark Aldridge
• Adam Lavis

Civil Service vs Police:The Police Service are always a tough fixture and this year was no different. With good wins for Marc and James, both 3-1, and a couple of tough losses for Tom and Sam – who both fought very hard with little reward – the match was finely poised 2-2 with the last match to go on court. Tim won the first game but couldn’t quite get over line despite game balls in the 3^rd and 4^th games before losing 3-1; and with it the Civil Service lost 3-2.

Civil Service vs Fire Service:Adam Lavis came into the team for this match and played well to win 3-1. A fantastic 3-2 win from Sam at number 1 coupled with unfortunate losses for James and Tom again left the match at 2-2 with Tim last on court. Once again Tim found the match hard-going and despite a good performance which produced game-balls in the 2^nd and 3^rd games he went down 3-0. The score-line does not reflect how close the match was as again the Civil Service lost a close match 3-2.

Civil Service vs UKAS: Another very close match. Again, Adam played well to get a 3-0 win while Tom managed to notch his first win of the weekend. Losses for Sam and Marc meant for the 3^rd time in the weekend it was 2-2 in matches with Tim last on court. This time however he was able to get the win. With this the Civil Service won this match 3-2 and secured 3^rd place in the overall standings.

This year's men's event involved some very talented players, including ex-world ranked players Joe Green (Police, ex no. 105) and Sam Miller (UKAS, ex no. 70). In the face of such tough opposition the team still managed to improve on last years performance by coming 3^rd overall. All the matches were close with just 4 points separating the teams in 2^nd to 4^th. The Police Force won the event having only just beating the Civil Service team 3-2. 

Match scores and overall positions:

1. Police Force (50)

2. Fire Service (30)

3. Civil Service (29)

4. UKAS (27)

The eagerly awaited annual CSSC National Graded Squash Singles took place at the Nottingham Squash Club on 22nd/23rd November 2019. As in previous years there was a high level of entry and the friendly Nottingham club provided excellent facilities.

There was a wide variety of squash players from all over the country and, as a graded event, there was a range of competitions for all levels. The top grade was a very high standard, while the lower grades enjoyed a friendly yet equally competitive two days of squash. 24 men and 10 ladies entered and again it was good to see several newcomers. The popular event T-shirts were provided to give a swathe of yellow this year on court.

The number of lady entries dropped slightly as two new players had to drop out through injury. However the quality of the squash and level of enthusiasm was excellent. The Ladies Competition was split into 2 grades, A/B and C/D, both being held as Round-Robin events. Unfortunately, in both the groups one of the players suffered a slight injury in their first match and had to withdraw. The remaining players carried on in slightly smaller groups. In the top group no-one could match the skill and experience of the current holder, Becky Campbell and she was able to retain the title for the 5^th time. Regrettably for us, Becky is going on an overseas posting for a few years, so we won’t see her next year to defend the title.

The Ladies C/D event was also held as a Round-Robin and after some hard fought matches Carol Whittington emerged as a first time winner beating Debs Atkinson into 2^nd place.

The standard of entries for the top grade of the men’s event matched previous years with a full 16-man draw for A and B grade players combined. This was run as a knock-out competition with several Plate competitions held to keep all players on court after each round. With past Champion, James Hodson, still recovering from injury could CSSC men’s captain, Tim Burrell, regain the trophy?. Tim reached the final after losing just one game to each of Neil Miles and Chris Mason-Thom to face Frazer Richards. Frazer’s route to the final included a hard-fought tight match against previous Champion Marc Aldridge, who had knocked Frazer out of the event last year. The final was a tough match with Tim using his superior shot-making and controlled squash to ensure Frazer was doing the majority of the work. Frazer, running down every ball, slowly managed to dominate and attack a little more in the 4th game, enabling him to close out the match 3games to 1. Congratulations to Frazer who becomes a new name on the 88 year old trophy.

The A grade Plate was run as a knock out with John Perry emerging the winner over Neil Miles, after having been pushed earlier to 4 games by both Joel Gould and Neil.

The B grade event was an 8 player knock out for losers of the first round of the A/B event. Dave Nethercott came through the top half of the draw losing just one game to Paul Lane, while newcomer Shaun Goodman came through the bottom half to the final without loss. A hard fought final ensued with Dave managing to hold off the challenge from Shaun with a 3-1 win.

The B grade Plate was played as a Round Robin of 3 players with Paul Lane emerging the winner, though not until he had fought off a strong challenge from John Cooper. John came back from 2-0 down to equal the match but Paul came back to take the 5^th.

Six players initially entered the C/D event, reduced to five by the start of the competition, so a Round Robin format was used. The level of energy shown by this group was outstanding with players competitive and well matched staying on court for long periods!. Notable was the battle for the C Grade title between Rob Frame (last years C Grade runner up) and Ben Young (CSSC Games runner up). Rob took the first 2 games by the closest of margins, whereupon Ben took the 3^rd by an equally close margin. The 4^th game was a hard tussle which went to the wire with Rob just managing to seal it and the win. Congratulations, Rob – better luck next time, Ben.

The D grade competition was contained within the C/D Round Robin and saw some equally energetic matches played. Trevor Laley (CSSC Games Handicap winner) emerged the winner of this Grade after a deciding match against CSSRA Treasurer Jim Fay. Newcomer Tom Dodd put up a strong challenge against all the other players in this C/D group taking a game off both Grade winners, Rob and Trevor. Hopefully we will see Tom back next year.

The customary social evening was held at the club on the Friday evening to relax everyone after a hard day’s squash. The club provided supper and organiser Linda ran a light hearted quiz. This, as always, has found to be a great way to relax and bring people together after some strenuous exercise. It was mentioned by many of the players as a highlight which together with the friendly atmosphere, and the chance to meet and play new players and old friends contributed to their enjoyment of the event. The sports massage therapist available on the Saturday to attend to tired bodies and muscles was again much appreciated by the players.

Presentations were made after the excellent men’s final by CSSRA President, Marian Holmes, who had played in the tournament herself. She thanked the Squash Club for their hospitality and Linda and Ian Lockey for their effective organisation. Finally, she thanked all the players for their excellent attitude that helped to make this such a friendly but competitive occasion.

The CSSRA held its AGM on the Saturday, which enabled players to comment and discuss relevant issues around CSSC squash events and ideas for improvements. One issue raised was the use of Squash Levels and whether CSSC squash tournament results should be fed into the Squash Levels system. As always, new volunteers were invited to join the organisers and/or committee.

TROPHIES / PRIZES

Eight players entered the Squash event on 13^th September at the 2019 CSSC Games on the Loughborough University Campus. Unfortunately, one of these was taken ill on the morning of the event resulting in 7 players to contest for the medals. Good to see were four returning players plus two who were new to CSSRA squash events. Despite the small number and range of standard a vigorous competition was played, enjoyed by all. For context the Mens and Ladies Civil Service National Teams were paying matches in Nottingham on the sae day so were unable to pla

The 6 men and 1 lady were initially separated into two groups, one of 4 players and the other of 3 players. A round robin format was then used whereby each player in a group played all the others using a timed format with organiser Ian Lockey ably using his whistle to define the start and end. All points were counted to produce a 1 to 4 (or 3) ranking.

The top 2 players from each group then played a knockout (semis and final) to find the overall winner and runner up. The remaining 3 players played a Handicap Plate event again in a round robin format with a handicap based on the earlier matches. Both these competitions were played as one game to 21 points.

This Plate Handicap produced some very close matches, all resulting in a 21-16 score line. Newcomer Trevor Laley emerged the winner over Graham Cole (a regular at CSSC Squash events) who took the runner up medal.

The final in the main event was between Micky Gallacher and Ben Young, both of whom had played in the CSSRA singles in Nottingham last November. The match looked like being a close contest which was indeed what it turned out to be. Ben got off to a good start leading Micky by a small margin all the way up to 19-16. Micky then took the next 2 points to shorten the gap to 18-19, but Ben won the next to give himself match ball at 20-18. The spectators were tense in anticipation as Micky levelled the score at 20 all. The scoring required 2 clear points for a win, so Ben had more work to do if he was to secure the match. With Micky now having the serve he maintained the advantage and his nerve, playing percentage squash to win the next 2 points and take the match 22-20 and the winners medal. An exciting match which both had deserved to win.

The medals were presented by the CSSRA organiser Linda Parsley who thanked all the players for their sportsmanship. Several of the players were new to CSSC squash but the friendly (though competitive) atmosphere created by the regulars and the organisers ensured an enjoyable day for everyone. This combined with all the other sports being played at the Games, involving many competitors and volunteers, and the excellent social scene of the CSSC Games resulted in a fantastic event for all.

Squash Medal winners

The prestigious Nottingham Squash Club was once again the venue for the 2019 CSSC Squash Masters Singles Championships and the CSSC Squash 57 (Racketball) Championships. A favoured venue for many CSSC squash events, the club and its staff as ever gave a warm and friendly welcome to the players and guests.

Entrant numbers were down on last year, but we were pleased to welcome 3 new players to the squash tournament. There were a number of our regulars who were unavailable due to injury as at this time of year, most players are at the end of a hard season of squash. All have stated that they will be back next year.

 The O35 and O45s played each other in a round robin. The O55s had sufficient entrants to warrant a round robin with each other and O65s and ladies joined each other in another round robin. Each competition was hard fought and played in the usual sporting and fun-like manner.  The format for both competitions was the same as last year with a best of 3, point a rally first to 11 arrangement ensuring that all entrants played plenty of short matches over the two days

Squash

Mens O35

This year saw Jonathan Simpson a clear winner. Jonathan is new to the event and an A grade player. He did not drop any games during the competition. We are grateful to Jonathan for supporting the event and appreciate him taking time out of his busy playing schedule. The runner up trophy went to Dan Willets. Dan also won all his games except for his match with Jonathan. We look forward to seeing these 2 do battle again in the future, if not at this event, at one of the others in the CSSC calendar.

Mens O45

This  year, the trophy went to Paul Armstrong, last year's runner up. Paul played in the round robin with the O35s but also managed to fit in a match with last year's winner of this event who is now in the O55s.

Ladies O50

Our CSSRA Chairperson Sian Hughes had another great tournament and successfully defended her trophy from last year. The ladies played a round robin format with the men's O65s. Everything depended upon Sian's last match with our Association President, Marian Holmes. Sian emerged with one game up on Marian who is this year's runner up.

Mens O55

The O55s were well represented this year.Kevin Hugh a previous winner of the O35s moved into this category and emerges an outright winner. Although he didn't drop any games in the tournament, he provided all his opponents with a competitive and enjoyable match.The runner up this year was Nigel Williams who we are pleased was able to join us again after taking a break last year. Nigel only dropped games to the winner Kevin and so came quite close this year.

Mens O65

Once again, this year's winner was Richard Kendrick defending his trophy from last year in a round robin with the O65s and ladies O50s. Richard was the outright winner of the group. Rob Shepherd was again runner-up in the O65's - another whisky glass to add to the extensive collection. Well done Rob.

Can nobody split these two up?

Squash 57 (Racketball)                      

Keith Mabey retained his Squash57 title with victories over Micky Gallacher, Fred Sanders & organiser Phill Crane. All the matches were played in a competitive but friendly manner, with Keith coming through undefeated. Runner-up Micky and third placed Fred also picked up victories. Phill picked up the wooden spoon.

Social

Everyone was kept busy for the two days and in addition to the battles on court, a chicken supper and the now infamous Linda Parsley general knowledge quiz accompanied by the requisite amount of friendly banter was enjoyed by all. Feedback from the group indicated that most competitors had a busy and enjoyable experience. endorsing as ever, the equally important social element of this event. Lunch on Friday and Saturday was provided in the form of a cold buffet to allow players to watch the matches whilst eating if they wished.

As ever, the event provided an opportunity for players to combine fitness and fun and to catch up with friends and make new ones. Competitors and organisers were pleased to see Marian Holmes our CSSRA President had entered the event again and introduced a new lady player, Janice Moller to our competition. We were especially pleased to see her once again present the Ladies O50s squash trophy to our Chairperson, Sian Hughes. As usual players made good use of our regular Sports Massage therapist, Graham, to keep everyone fit for their next match.

 Special thanks to regulars Fred Sanders (Racketball) and Richard Kendrick who both played the tournament on their birthday! The players took the opportunity to sing Happy Birthday to the pair at the awards presentation.

Jonathan Simpson	Dan Willets	Paul Armstrong
Sian Hughes	Linda Parsley	Kevin Hugh
Nigel Williams	Richard Kendrick	Rob Shephard
Keith Mabey

Six teams of three men and two ladies made their way this February to Nottingham’s prestigious Squash Club located in “The Park”. HSSRA’s “A” Team had arrived as defending champions and were hoping to make it a “three in a row” storyline - they had also arrived in force with, for the first time, a total of three teams. They would however face stern opposition from last year’s Runners-Up Team “North West”, last year’s Plate Winners DSTL and a newly formed composite team “Allsorts” Captained by Marian Holmes the CSSRA President. All teams would line up on the Friday into two groups of three teams, playing in a Round Robin format. Winners and Runners-Up from each Group would progress into a knockout Semi-Final format on the Saturday whilst third placed teams would compete with each other in the Plate Event Final.

In the first Tie of Group 1 DSTL would play the newcomers “Allsorts”. The Allsorts’ Captain Marian Holmes nearly got their campaign off to a flying start when playing DSTL’s experienced Carol Stone but finally had to capitulate in a long hard fought five game battle. Allsorts Number One player Frazer Richards however was soon to show his class against DSTL’s very able Number One player David Nethercott with Richards winning a fine match 3-1. That was as good as it got for Allsorts with DSTL eventually running out four one winners. The next Tie saw Allsorts returning to court against HASSRA A’s formidable line up. Allsorts Number One player Frazer Richards however was once again in a determined mood and in a fine game of squash defeated HASSRA’s Number One player Jonathan Simpson without dropping a game. The final result however went convincingly to HASSRA four matches to one. The final Tie between HASSRA A and DSTL was hard fought, but eventually brought the defending Champions a winning result however not before DSTL’s number five player Deb Atkinson produced one of her best ever performances by defeating HASSRA’s Captain Sian Hughes in a long hard fought five game battle! Both HASSRA A and DSTL would progress into the semi final whilst Allsorts would compete in the Plate Final.

In Group 2 last year’s Runners-Up, North West faced up to HASSRA’s newly formed “C” Team who unfortunately were one player short owing to a late withdrawal. This was to prove no pushover for North West however and although they took a four nil victory in the end, North West’s Paul Lane and Becky Campbell both had to go to five games before finding victory against Gurjinder Sandhur and Rob Frame. The next Tie saw HASSRA’s B and C Team do battle against each other. Whilst the outcome was a predictable five nil win for the B Team, Micky Gallagher did push Chris Beldon all the way before losing a close battle in their fifth game. The last Tie between North West and HASSRA B was a close encounter and with the match finely balanced at two matches each, the number two players went on court to decide the encounter. At the end of a five set thriller it was North West’s Dan Willets who emerged on top when defeating Chris Beldon. North West and HASSRA B would progress into the Semi Finals and HASSRA C into the Plate Final.

The first Saturday morning Semi Final brought together the HASSRA A and B teams. The B Team’s number four player Ruth Sleigh did start strongly against Keeley Grindle but could not sustain her early form and predictably the A Team was to prove too strong for their valiant opponents winning the Tie five matches to nil. The second Semi Final between North West and DSTL teams was a much closer affair. North West’s Sheena Ferrie got her side off to a good start and played well to defeat her plucky opponent Deb Atkinson three games to one. Things however started to look a little darker for North West when both Paul Lane and Jim Fay both lost tight five game matches to the DSTL players David Nethercott and Carol Stone. With DSTL in the driving seat they wasted no more time when both Stuart Scourfield and Adam Khan both won their matches against Dan Willets and Becky Campbell. HASSRA A and DSTL would progress to the Final and North West and HASSRA B to the third and fourth place Playoff.

The Plate Final appropriately had brought together the two new teams - Allsorts and HASSRA C.

Since HASSRA C had only four players in their Team, Allsorts Captain Marian Holmes had gallantly stepped aside (or was it exhaustion?) to let Janice Muller move up the playing order. Janice did not disappoint and produced a fine game of Squash against her opponent Camella Camm to put her Team one match up. HASSRA’s number three player Rob Frame however soon levelled the Tie by winning a close encounter with Barry Dearlove. The reliable Frazer Richards soon steadied the Allsorts nerves and proved too good for his opponent Gurjinder Sandhur. The outcome of the final match between Allsorts player Sam Farnham and HASSRA’s Micky Gallagher was now crucial to both teams, Sam however held his nerve and came through a tough test with a 3-1 win and so sealed the Plate Trophy for Allsorts.

The third and fourth place play off between HASSRA B and North West was a competitive encounter but which finally saw the HASSRA Team of Adam Ward, Chris Beldon, Kevin Jackson, Ruth Sleigh and Carol Whittington, get over the line with a fine four one win.

The Main Final was a rematch from the Friday Group 1 encounter between HASSRA A and DSTL. The opening match between the number five players Sian Hughes and Deb Atkinson was a chance for the HASSRA Captain to gain revenge for her earlier defeat on Friday. Sian started this quest in strong form by winning the opening game, only to be pegged back when Deb won the second game. Sian however regained control and fought hard to secure victory by winning the next two games. Things continued to go HASSRA’s way with strong performances from Jonathan Simpson, Paul Atkinson and Keeley Grindle. The final match between the number two strings, saw DSTL’s Stuart Scourfield take an early lead, HASSRA’s Ryan Avison however quickly regained control and eventually won 3-1 to secure a five nil match victory for his Team. HASSRA A had retained their third Title in a row!

Congratulations go to HASSRA A for retaining their Championship Title and to the Runners-Up DSTL, their best ever placing. Congratulations also to the new Team Allsorts for winning the Plate Competition. The Squash Team Event this year attracted a total of ten new players. We hope you all enjoyed the experience and that we see you all again next year when our new Organiser Jackie Codman will be in charge.

Prizes were presented by the Civil Service Squash Rackets Association President Marian Holmes. A social evening and Quiz was held on the Friday for players to relax and enjoy. The Quiz was ably organised and hosted by Jim Fay and turned out to be a replica of the following day’s Squash Final this time however being narrowly won by the DSTL Team with HASSRA A in a close second place. Thanks were extended to all the participating players, to our Massage Therapist Graham Spencer and to Nottingham Squash Rackets Club for the use of their fine facilities.

The annual CSSC National Graded Squash Singles took place on 23rd/24th November 2018 at the excellent and always welcoming Nottingham Squash Club. It was again a highly successful event with a wide variety of squash players from all over the country.

As a graded event there were competitions for all levels and all were played in a friendly sportsman-like atmosphere. The top grade was a very high standard, while the lower grades enjoyed a friendly yet equally competitive two days of squash. 28 men and 9 ladies entered – one of our highest entries in recent years. Again it was good to see several newcomers entering the men’s event. Event T-shirts were again provided to give a swathe of purple on court (and possible confusion).

The number of lady entries was higher than in previous years, no completely new players though at least one returning after an absence – and who has been enthused to take up squash again and join a club – keep it up Carol. However the quality of the squash was excellent. The Ladies Competition was split into 2 grades, A/B and C/D, both being held as round-robin events. Unfortunately in the A/B event, Helen Midgley strained a calf muscle during her match with Becky Campbell and Keeley Grindle found herself unable to travel to the club, so this allowed the current holder, Becky Campbell to retain the title with little time on court.

The Ladies C/D event had 6 entries and was held as 2 round-robins followed by knock-out semis and finals. Here CSSC Squash Chairman Siân Hughes, after some close matches, showed her squash skills (and some very precise drop shots, as noted by Shena) to beat Shena Ferrie 3-1 in the final.

This year the entries for the top grade of the men’s event exceeded all past tournaments. Thus it was not possible to combine A and B for the first round. Instead an almost full 16-man draw was created with A’s and “wannabe A’s”. This was run as a knock-out competition with several Plate competitions held to keep all players on court after each round. Unfortunately the current holder of the Men’s trophy, James Hodson, was recovering from injury and not able to play. However CSSC men’s captain, Tim Burrell still had to work hard to take back his crown with a strong challenge from newcomer Tom Metcalf, a match watched and enjoyed by many of the players, which Tim won 3-1 in the final. Worthy of note also are Tony Webb who gave Tom a hard time in the semi-final (Tom won 3-2) and Tim’s semi-final opponent the ever youthful, Marc Aldridge.

A series of Plate events in the A grade were played. These were won by Jonathan Simpson (1st round losers), Frazer Richards (2^nd round losers, Frazer narrowly beating Chris Mason-Thom 3-2) and David Nethercott (1st round Plate losers). In this David paid credit to his opponent Dan Willets for not giving up and making him work for his win, despite Dan struggling with a shoulder injury from the previous day.

There was a separate B grade event with the 6 players playing 2 round-robin groups followed by knock-out semis and finals. Here the final was a tremendous battle between Imran Bashir and James Powell, which James won by 3 games to 1. (James is a “wannabe A” for next year, I believe.) Reported in the match between Imran and Sam Farnham, was one player’s “shot of the tournament” - a cross court kill that ended up lodged in the side wall/floor nick.  In the B grade Plate Sam Farnham emerged successful over newcomer John Cooper.

Eight players were entered into the C/D event so a first round knock out was held. After some hard fought first round matches the 4 winners went into a C grade round robin competition and the 4 losers into a D grade round robin with all playing all.

The C grade produced some close matches. Robert Frame from Wales spent most time on court with 2 tough 5 setters, against Ben Young which Robert won and Chris Smith, which Chris won. The match with Chris deserves a mention as it was one of the marathons of the tournament, going to 5 with only a couple of points separation in each game. Afterwards Robert reported being “gutted not to win that one, but will be back for the challenge next year”. The eventual winner in the C grade was Chris Smith who won all his matches, Robert coming 2^nd.

The D grade competition was also very competitive but suffered from a drop out by one of the players following car trouble on Friday evening. The final winner was Fred Sanders who was taken to 4 games by runner up, CSSRA Treasurer, Jim Fay.

The customary social evening was held at the club on the Friday evening to relax everyone after a hard day’s squash. The club provided supper and organiser Linda ran a light hearted quiz. This, as always, has found to be a great way to relax and bring people together after a hard day’s exercise. It was mentioned by many of the players as a highlight which together with the friendly atmosphere, and the chance to meet and play new players and old friends contributed to their enjoyment of the event. The sports massage therapist available on the Saturday to attend to tired bodies and muscles was again much appreciated by the players.

Presentations were made after the excellent men’s final by CSSRA President, Marian Holmes, who had played in the tournament herself. She thanked the Squash Club for their hospitality and Linda, Ian Lockey and Jackie Codman for their effective organisation. Finally, she thanked all the players for their excellent attitude that helped to make this such a friendly but competitive occasion.

The CSSRA held its AGM on the Saturday, which enabled players to comment and discuss relevant issues around squash events in CSSC. Openings for committee positions were discussed with the current Secretary, Peter Lee, and Treasurer, Jim Fay, suggesting new volunteers or assistants for these positions would be welcome. Ideas for improvements in the events were also discussed.

TROPHIES / PRIZES

Becky Campbell, Ladies Champion	Siân Hughes, Ladies Grade Winner	Shena Ferrie Ladies Grade R-up
Tim Burrell, Mens Champion	James Powell, B grade winner	Imran Bashir, B grade runner-up
with Ladies Champion, Becky Campbell and President, Marian Holmes
	Fred Sanders, D grade winner	Jim Fay, D grade runner-up
Jonathan Simpson, A Plate winner	Frazer Richards, AA Plate winner	David Nethercott, AA2 Plate winner

In September the Ladies and Mens CSSC Teams competed in the annual Quadrangular Tournament against the Fire and Rescue Services, the Combined Armed Forces and the Police Services.

Ladies Team:

This year we were able to field a team of 5 players although one or 2 players were nursing injuries!!! The Ladies team consisted of:

• Rebecca Campbell
• Helen Midgley
• Nicola Beachill
• Keeley Grindle
• Sheena Ferrie

Our first game was against the UK Armed Forces who in past years have been really close games. Helen started be ball rolling with what can only be described as breezes with a 3/0 win against Chrissie Miller. The game score was 11/8, 11/8 and 9/11. Safe to say that Helen was “on fire”!

Next up was Sheena who was feeling very nervous. Sheena had a really close game with Nicola Whitehead which the score line didn’t reflect. First game getting to 10-10, but unfortunately loosing 12/10. The second game was also fought really hard with managing to get 8 points. All to play for in the third, and everyone on the edge of their seats at 10/10, 11/11, 12/12, again unfortunately just missing out on the third game 14/12.

Next up was Keeley, Keeley who is always nervous to start with played Amy Whitehead. These players had never met before. Keeley took the first game 11/8 after a shaky start, and also managed to take the 2^nd game 12/10 after a 10/10 knee shaker!!! Unfortunately the 3^rd game went to Amy who was mounting an enormous come back and had upped her game, but with expert coaching from Helen and Nicola Keeley managed to take the 4^th Game 11/7. A good game to watch.

Whilst Keeley was playing becky was up against Elaine Radcliffe. Again these players had never met before. Becky played really well in the first game but unfortunately just missed out loosing 9/11. Becky dug deep and managed to take the 2^nd game 11/9. The rallies in this game were fantastic and told on Becky in the third game as she lost 2/11. Becky back to fighting fit really tried hard in the 4^th game but wasn’t successful on this occasion. Becky lost the match 3/1.

Only one match left which was Nicola against Annabel Freeman. Nicola had unfortunately missed heard the team score and thought she was playing a “damp squib” thinking we had already lost the match. This was soon put right after the warm up and told that the match rested on this game!!!!! Nicola started slowly as she was playing with “dodgy knees” and hadn’t been on a squash court for 9 months. She lost the first game 9/11 but came off court assuring me that “she felt ok” Nicola came back to true form winning the next 3 games 7/11, 7/11, 2/11. Some amazing shots that showed real talent.

Final result Armed Forces 8 CSSC 15

One match in the bag and all to play for……………………………….if only it hadn’t been the police left to play!!!!!!!!!

This year the police were fielding an amazing team with everyone back from injuries or having babies!! Some of which were very vocal during their parent game! The lady that played at 1 last year was this year playing at 4 which goes to show just how strong their team were.

Nether the less in true CSSC style we all got “stuck in”. Helen again was up first against Chrissie McMullan. These 2 have met on numerous occasions and have very good games unfortunately the score line has always been the same. Helen played well but lost 2/11, 5/11/ 10/12. Helen really tried hard to seal the third game but Chrissies strength shone through.

Next up was Becky playing against Elin Harlow. Elin plays for Wales and is currently ranked 92 on the world circuit! Safe to say that poor Becky had her work cut out! Becky still tried her best but the score line was as expected 3/11, 6/11, 4/11.

Keeley was up next playing Gemma Barber (who was last year playing at one for the Police) again the score line was as expected 2/11, 2/11, 7/11 again Keeley did try her best but unfortunately Gemma was just too strong.

Nicola who was still managing to walk (thankfully) played Rachel Cooper. Again another player who plays for Wales returning from maternity leave. This was a brilliant game to watch, Rachel taking the first game although very hard fought 11/8. Nicola came back with some amazing drop shots to win the second game 11/8. The third game saw Rachel’s biggest and loudest supporter making an impact on the game (her 9 month old daughter) encouraging Rachel to a 11/6 win. Still all to play for in the fourth but unfortunately Rachel’s fitness made an appearance leading her across the finish line with a 11/9 victory

Last game to play (and the closest in this match) was Sheena up against Joyce. Both similar players utilising the “lob and drop” . Sheena fought hard narrowly missing out on the first game 9/11. Sheen displayed true determination taking the second game 12/10. The third game not so close with Joyce using the boast to trick Sheena, Sheena lost that one 3/11. Sheena came back to life to take the fourth game 13/11. All square with the last game to play. Both Sheen and Joyce fighting for their lives. No one wanted to win at 10/10/ 11/11 12/12. Both teams watching this match were intrigued with Joyce just stealing the win at 14/12. Again another fabulous match to watch with both players showing true spirit.

Final result Police 20 CSSC 3

We all had an amazing day with everyone really trying. 2^nd place again but at least we haven’t gone down. The one thing about the CSSC ladies team where we win hands down every year is the “social award” it was lovely that all our team members were able to stay and socialise with other team members on the Friday evening. No other team had all their players out with the Police only having Gemma representing them (don’t worry we took her under our wings and looked after her)

Thanks to everyone for playing.

2018 Ladies Quadrangular Tournament

Mens Team: 

Once again the individual standard on show at this event was exceptionally high and the Civil Service team did well to compete at this level. It was good that the team could welcome a new face to the team as well include some of those that have long played in the Civil Service events and are well known from the playing over the years.

This year the Civil Service had put together a strong consisting of:

• Tim Burrell
• James Whelan
• Tom Metcalf
• Mark Aldridge
• Adam Curry
• Adam Lavis
• Dan Willets

The first match was against last years winners, the Police Force. First on were Adam Lavis and Mark Aldridge. Both players put up strong performances. Mark was finely poised at 1-1 but could not quite get over the line while Adam didn’t quite get the game his performance deserved. Next up were Tim and Tom, with Tom making his first performance for the team having recently joined the Civil Service. With Tim on one court going 2-0 up, on the other court Tom was taking a slightly different path going 2-0 down. At this point both matches swung, with Tim’s opponent coming back into the match to level at 2-2. At the same time Tom was doing the same – he also dug in to level at 2 games each. With a couple of civil service wins it would put the match at 2-2. Alas it was not to be and unfortunately the Police managed to come out on top in both fixtures. Last up were James and Dan. Both fought gamely but were unable to trouble the scorers, with James going down 3-0 and Dan 3-1. So a tough match to start and the overall score line not quite reflecting how close some of the individual matches were.

Next up were the UKAS, always a very tough proposition, and so it proved again this year. The UKAS are always strong and with Tim unable everyone had to move up one place. That said, the team put up some excellent performances and almost managed to score a victory. Mark in particular playing well to score a 3-1 victory and Tom winning a brutal match 3-1 in which every game was decided by only 2 points. Overall a 3-2 loss but a performance to be proud of.

By the last game everybody was finding their form. Adam Curry had stepped into the team and almost managed a win against the fire. Similarly, Tom was once again outstanding and unlucky to lose 3-2. Adam Lavis at 5 was able to sneak a 3-0 victory while the morning excursions from James, Mark and Dan took their toll and they could not quite get a victory.

It was a very tough weekend but with a slightly depleted team the Civil Service put on a strong showing.

QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT 7^{th - 8th} September 2018