HASSRA “Top and Tail” all the Opposition at the 2018 Squash Team Championships

The late withdrawal of two teams from this year’s Squash Team National Open Championships left four strong teams to contest the prestigious CSSC Trophy. HASSRA had again arrived in numbers bringing two teams to defend the trophy they had deservedly won in 2017. Strong opposition was however to be provided to HASSRA’s quest by both DSTL and North West teams. All teams consisting of both men and ladies would play each other in a “Round Robin” format over two days starting on Friday the 26th January 2018 and finishing on the Saturday.

The first Round saw the two HASSRA teams square up against each other with the “A” Team firmly showing their class with a convincing five love result. Jackie Codman however playing for the “B” Team at Number Five put up a strong fight against Ruth Sleigh before finally conceding in their fourth game. HASSRA B’s disappointment was made worse by the injury to their Number Two player Sanjay Kain who suffered an ankle injury and was unable to continue in the Event. The other match between DSTL and North West however was a much closer encounter. The DSTL Team already one player down due to the late injury withdrawal of their Number Four player Helen Midgely had to now win three of the remaining matches to keep their Team in the hunt. The early matches were all very close with North West’s  Shena Ferrie defeating Carol Stone in their fifth game. The next match again went to five games but this time DSTL’s David Nethercott was the victor with a fine win over Dan Willets. With North West’s Jim Fay having been pegged back from a two games lead, DSTL were now optimistic of another win. Somehow however the North West player found the extra yard in the final game and just managed to cross the line ahead of his opponent Paul Armstrong. This left Paul Lane from North West the task of cementing his team’s overall victory by playing the experienced DSTL Number Two player, Stuart Scourfield. Stuart however had other ideas and with an impressive display of squash dispatched his opponent three games to love.

A close encounter, the Tie just going North West’s way three matches to two.

The Second Round matches saw the holders HASSRA A and DSTL teams face each other.   HASSRA’s Number Four player Keeley Grindle got her Team off to a good start with a win over Carol Stone, quickly followed by her Team mate Chris Beldon dispatching the valiant Paul Armstrong. DSTL’s Number One David Nethercott could not stop this trend and bravely went down three games to love to the talented Marc Thomas. The match between the Number Two players Adam Ward (HASSRA) and Stuart Scourfield (DSTL) was a quality affair and keenly contested. Stuart however could not find the answer to his opponent’s speed and fitness, losing a close encounter in the fourth. HASSRA A were looking good! The earlier loss to injury of HASSRA B’s Sanjay Kain meant they would start their match by giving North West’s Jim Fay a “walkover”. The HASSRA ladies soon came to the rescue however with Team Captain Sian Hughes just beating Shena Ferrie by three games to two and Jackie Codman beating Deb Atkinson three games to one. HASSRA’s Number Two Kevin Mulligan could not replicate his team’s success losing to Paul Lane three games to love. HASSRA’s Number One player Imran Bashir however got his Team over the line by defeating his opponent Dan Willets in straight games.

With the scores now so finely balanced, Saturday’s play would decide the overall results and which teams would triumph. The first tie saw HASSRA B play DSTL and with both teams being short of a player in different Team positions the outcome would be decided on the three remaining matches being played. HASSRA’s Sian Hughes again got her Team off to a flying start by defeating Carol Stone. Imran Bashir however was unable to repeat this success against DSTL’s David Nethercott who put his side on level pegging by winning in straight games.

This left DSTL’s Stuart Scourfield and HASSRA’s Kevin Mulligan to decide the outcome. The experienced HASSRA player however could not quite match the skillful DSTL man, losing a close match three games to one to concede the overall Tie. The other Tie between HASSRA A and North West would now decide the winner of the Championship – North West would however need to inflict a heavy defeat on their opponents to take the Trophy away from the holders. The first two matches soon put the writing on the wall when both Ruth Sleigh and Chris Beldon chalked up wins for HASSRA by defeating Deb Atkinson and Jim Fay. Things didn’t get any better for North West when their number two players Sheena Ferrie and Paul Lane both lost to their opponents Keeley Grindle and Adam Ward. The final match between the Number One players Marc Thomas (HASSRA) and Dan Willets (North West) was all about pride and in a long and hard fought battle, the tired Marc Thomas finally conceded victory to his determined opponent. It mattered not – HASSRA had retained their winners Title. Other placings, with three teams each level on one Tie each, were not quite so obvious and needed to be assessed on “count-back” scores. It was North West who became runners up by winning one more match than their opponents and the Plate winners were DSTL who had won by only three games from the defending Plate Champions, HASSRA B Team.

Congratulations go to HASSRA A for retaining their Championship Title and to the Runners-Up North West, their best ever placing and also to DSTL for winning the Plate Competition.

Prizes were presented by the Civil Service Squash Rackets Association Chairman Sian Hughes. A social evening and quiz was held on the Friday for players to relax and enjoy. The quiz was organised and hosted by Linda Parsley and was won by Team North West. Thanks were extended to all the participating players and to Nottingham Squash Rackets Club for the use of their fine facilities.

CSSC Masters Championships

The prestigious Nottingham Squash Club was once again the venue for the 2018 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 once again gave a warm and friendly welcome to the players and guests.

Entrant numbers were the highest since 2013, with the inclusion of 4 new players to the squash tournament and 3 to the Racketball tournament on the Saturday. There were a number who sent apologies saying they would join us next year which bodes well for the future of both tournaments.

The O35 and O45s played each other, over the 2 days, in a round robin with the O55 and O65s in another round robin. The ladies competition was also a round robin played over one day.

Each competition was hard fought and played in a sporting but friendly manner.  

The format for both competitions was slightly different this 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.

Both the racketball and the squash events included some inexperienced players who competed with the same level of commitment as the experienced ones. The helpful inclusive atmosphere and camaraderie made everyone feel welcome and provided them with some valuable experience and confidence to take forward to future competitions. We hope to see them again next year.

Squash

Mens O35

This year saw Neil Miles defend his trophy, in a series of keenly fought matches, dropping only 3 games in a round robin containing 10 players in the combined O35 and O45 categories. The runner up trophy went to a Masters newcomer, David Nethercott David won all his games except for the one with Neil which was a  great game to watch. We look forward to seeing these two doing battle again in the future. Our 2016 O35 winner, Craig Blurton,  had to retire injured after turning his ankle in a keenly fought match with David Nethercott. Our esteemed Treasurer Jim Fay was one of the few players who took a game from Neil Miles. 

Mens O45

This year we have a new winner of the O45s. John Frankland was surprised to find himself in with a chance of winning the trophy towards the end of the tournament and everything hinged upon his last match with newcomer Dave Bott. This proved a real battle with both players presenting a good standard of squash and fitness to a packed gallery. The match was won by John two games to one. The runner up in this group was Paul Armstrong.

Ladies O50   

The ladies O50s trophy was won after some real battles along the way for our CSSRA Chairperson Siân Hughes. Siân really had to dig in and kept her opponents on court for longer than anyone else in the tournament. At one stage she appeared to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory but retained her focus and came through a worthy winner! All the ladies enjoyed a round robin format with Shena Ferrie, last year's winner taking the runner up trophy.

Mens O55

Peter Windram, a previous winner had a fantastic tournament and didn't drop any games in his run up to the winner's trophy. The runner up was Kevin Mulligan who we know from previous tournaments, but a welcome newcomer to the Masters.

Mens O65

This year's winner was Richard Kendrick, a familiar face we haven't seen in the Masters for a couple of years. Richard is a first time winner and was playing in a round robin with the O55s and managed to take games from players in the lower age category. It was also good to see Les House back on court after being unable to attend the tournament last year. His nemesis Rob Shepherd was runner -up in the O65's - who must by now have a large display cabinet full of CSSC glassware. Well done Rob.

Racketball                           

The Racketball tournament produced a new champion in Keith Mabey who overcame a spirited display by runner up Collis Sheik (last year's winner in the squash O55s event). Keith and Collis played the final round robin match both undefeated in the group. It was an excellent finale to a packed audience. Hats off to Jan Green, Micky Gallacher, Fred Sanders and Neil Mudie for contributing to the event and making it a challenging, enjoyable day's sport for everyone.

Social

Everyone was kept busy for the two days and in addition to the battles on court, the now infamous and very enjoyable Linda Parsley general knowledge quiz was enjoyed by all together with a chicken supper in the club on the Friday evening. Feedback from the group indicated that everyone had a busy and enjoyable experience. Lunch on Friday and Saturday was also provided and received good feedback.

As ever, the event provided an opportunity for players to combine fitness and fun and to catch up with friends made at previous competitions and to make new ones. Competitors and organisers were pleased to see Marian Holmes our CSSRA President had entered the event despite ongoing injuries and was able to present the winners trophies. We were especially pleased to see her present the Ladies O50s squash trophy to our Chairperson, Siân Hughes.

In September 2017, the Civil Service Ladies and Mens Teams competed in the Civil Service Quadrangular, and annual event between the Civil Service, the Combined Armed Forces, the Police Service and the Fire and Rescue Services

Ladies Team:

Unfortunately this year both Nicola Beachill and Ruth Sleigh were unavailable So Shena Ferrie and our CSSC captain Sian Hughes stepped up to the mark.

Our first game was against the police who last year claimed the title so we were a little apprehensive to say the least! However the Police were only able to field a team of 4. Sian had a reprieve and wasn’t required to play (I have to say she seemed more than happy at this prospect). Next up was Shena who was feeling very nervous however managed to win the match 3-0 with her opponent Sara only managing to score 5 points in every game. Shena played amazing getting the team off to a flying start. Keeley was next on court with an old rival Alicia. Keeley and Alicia have met in previous years with the games being very close. This year Keeley managed a 3-0 victory at ease putting the team at a win – No pressure then Beckie or Helen?????? Beckie was on court next with what I have to say was the match of the day, an epic battle. The first game Beckie managed to steal, getting to 10-10 and fighting to take it 12-10. The second game went much the same way with another 10-10 this time Beckie narrowly missed out losing 12-10. The third game another 10-10 but Beckie just couldn’t manage to win with another 12-10 lose. The 4^th game and all to play for. Beckie had fire in her belly managed to take this game 11-7. 2 games all and no one with any finger nails left! Beckie tried really hard but I think fitness was telling in this game the final result for the game was 6-11 with a match score of 2-3. I can honestly say Beckie gave it her all and played some amazing squash. There was nothing left in the tank. Last but not least was Helen. On first look at Helen it would seem she was feeling the effects of the previous night however she managed to put her heart and soul into the game. Helens opponent Debbie was just too strong taking the game 3-0. Amazing games and a win for CSSC

After lunch and with full bellies we were up against the UKAF. The UKAF hadn’t dropped a game against the police so we definitely had something to prove!! We were off to a win to start as unfortunately one of their players had to leave, leaving them with a team of 4. Sian again was not required to play (poor Sian but her face again was one of pure delight! – think she may be trying to tell me something) . Shena again was up first- nerves had her in the first game as she lost 4-11 however the second game she managed a win with a score of 12-10 (this is the first game the UKAF had managed to drop – well done Shena) unfortunately her opponent Sian came storming back to take the next two games 11-5 and 11-2 with a match score of 3-1. Next up was Helen looking a little more peaky and ready for action. Helen gave her all again but unfortunately lost 3-0 with games scores 4-11, 5-11 and 3-11. Keeley was up next playing Yvette fantastically close games not reflecting the 3-0 score. Getting to 10-10 in the first game but just not having the stamina to get over the finish line losing the first game 12-10. The second game and nerves had gone, 10 all then 11 all but again just not being able to get the last 2 points losing 11-13. With nothing left in the tank Keeley tried her best but lost the final game 9-11. Next time Keeley will have this!!!!! Last on court was Beckie (she needed a longer rest after her epic first game). Again a well fought match against Rosie! Beckie just missing out on the first game 8-11 but came back in the second to take it 11-9 (another game dropped for the UKAF!) unfortunately the effects of the first match told on Beckies legs losing the third and fourth game 3-11 and 4-11.

We had an amazing day with everyone really trying and only just missing out (Sian it was the best I have seen you play ;) ) A steady 2^nd place again but at least we haven’t gone down. I have said it every year that next year will be ours so this year I am keeping my mouth shut and we will see what happens! Thanks to everyone for playing.

Quadrangle Women's Tournament finishing positions

Mens Team:

The individual standard on show was exceptionally high again with ex world ranked players competing for both the UK Armed Services and Fire Service.

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

• James Hodson
• Tim Burrell
• Ethan Thornton
• Mark Aldridge
• Adam Lavis
• Jon McFarlane

The first match was against last years winners, the Fire Service. First on were Adam Lavis and Ethan Thornton. Adam played well to win 3-1 and record his first with for the National Civil Service Team. Ethan had it tough playing at number 3 and despite working some good positions, especially in the 2^nd game, he could not convert and went down 3-0. Next up were Tim Burrell and Mark Aldridge. Again, the 2 matches followed different paths. With Mark Looking good at 1 game-all and 10-7 up he somehow managed to lose that game and the match 3-1. Tim fared better on the other court and won 3-0. This left the match poised at 2-2 with the last match on – numbers 1’s with James Hodson against National Over 40’s champion Pete O’Hara. Despite a strong showing and winning one game, he couldn’t quite win the match. A close 3-2 loss to start.

Next up were the Police Force. The Police are always string, particularly in depth and unfortunately the Civil Service had little to show for their efforts at strings 2-5. All put up a good fight but Adam the only player to win a game. Lastly James at number 1 managed to put the rest of the players to shame by winning his match 3-0.

Last up were UKAS. Civil Service needed a win to avoid coming last. First up were Ethan and Mark. Ethan had a marathon match, playing exceptionally well to come back from 2-1 down to win his match 3-2. Mark did not have as much success and went down 3-0 despite having some chances. Next up were Tim and Adam. Tim began slowly, losing the first game. By the second he had settled down and managed to win the match 3-1. Despite close games Adam could not overcome his opponent and went down 3-0. So once again it was down to James at number 1. Unfortunately, against another ex-world ranked player, he was unable to get the victory and the team ended with a 3-2 loss.

So, after 3 tough matches the Civil Service ended up losing all 3 matches very closely. The event was excellently hosted and run the Police Force, with the Police Force team also coming out as eventual winners of the event.

QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT September 2017

CSSC NATIONAL SQUASH SINGLES COMPETITION – 2017

The annual CSSC National Graded Squash Singles, which took place on 24/25^th November 2017, was again a highly successful event with many talented squash players from all over the country attracted to the excellent facilities at Nottingham Squash Club together with an impressive field of players in the top half of the draw. Being a graded event there was squash available for all levels and the event saw a friendly yet competitive two days of squash for the 26 men and 3 ladies who entered. It was again good to see several newcomers entering the men’s event. Confusingly some matches were hard to mark when both players turned out in their identical free purple event T-shirts!

The number of lady entries was again disappointing, though the quality of the squash was excellent. The Ladies Competition was held as a round-robin with the current holder, Becky Campbell retaining her title by overcoming Keeley Grindle and CSSC Squash Chairman Sian Hughes.

With a full 16-man draw in the men’s A/B event, this was held as a knock-out competition with 1^st round winners forming the A event and the losers forming the B event.

The A grade event had a strong field. There were a lot of good matches with only CSSC Champion James Hodson and former Champion Tony Webb reaching the semi-finals without dropping a game.  However despite the 3-0 score line in Tony’s quarter final match against James Whelan it was a very tight and hard-fought match. It was a contrast in styles with Tony’s fluid movement, gliding around the court versus James’ more brutal hard hitting. A very determined James chased down every ball as Tony moved him around the court, with Tony just about edging every game to take a 3-0 win. In the semi-final Tony came up against Tim Burrell, someone he has played many times before. The outcome was a 3-0 win for Tim to put him once more into the final.

Possibly the closest match in this group was Marc Aldridge’s quarter final against Adam Lavis, which he won 3-2. Marc led 2-1 before Adam fought back to level at 2-2. Adam looked a likely winner when he took an early lead in the 5th but Marc used all his experience and guile to take the game and match 11-8 in the 5^th. In his semi-final match against James Hodson, Marc started well taking the first game 11-9, but was not able to hold off James from reaching his 6^th successive final with a 3-1 win.

The men’s A final was a repeat of many years with Tim battling against James Hodson for the title. The second game was especially crucial with Tim fighting back from game point at 7-10 to make it 10 all. Unfortunately for Tim, James was able to hold off the challenge and take the game 12-10. James then stormed off at the beginning of the 3^rd game and Tim was not able to prevent him taking his 6^th title before a full crowd who had stayed to watch the final - a fantastic display of squash.

The A grade Plate event was won by James Whelan who certainly earned success with his energetic squash with close matches against both Mark Bangs (3-2) and Adam Lavis (3-1).

All first round losers in the initial AB grade draw went into the B grade competition in an 8 man knock out. Here Imran Bashir came through to the final, after a strong challenge in the semi-final from Dan Willets. With games see-sawing between them the outcome was undecided up to 7all in the 5^th game when Imran managed to secure the match. In the other half of the draw Chris Thom and Dave Netherton both had tough first round matches against Paul Lane and James Hewitt respectively. In the final Chris was able to overcome the challenge from Imran with a 3-1 win.

In the B grade Plate James Powell emerged successful after a hard fought match against Craig Blurton, when he came back from 0-2 down to win 3-2 followed by a 3-1 win in the final over Paul Lane.

Initially 10 players were entered into the CD event so a first round knock out was held. With one entrant failing to arrive and one player obviously in the wrong grade (and moved up to the AB event), this, after some hard fought first round matches left 4 winners to play in the C grade event and 4 losers to play in the D grade event. These were held as Round Robin competitions with all playing all.

The C grade produced some close matches with the eventual winner being Micky Gallacher over Matt Thomas in 2^nd place. The tightest matches, in fact were between Micky and John Frankland and Matt and Fred Sanders – all in all a very tight group.

The D grade competition was equally hard fought with Paul Armstrong emerging the worthy winner over CSSC Squash Treasurer Jim Fay in 2^nd place.

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 provided a light hearted quiz. Fortunately the winners took this light-heartedly as Linda managed to miscalculate the scores and awarded the wrong team 1^st prize.!

The CSSRA held its AGM on the Saturday, which enabled players to comment and discuss relevant issues. Ideas for improvement, alternative venues and a social team match were discussed.

CSSRA President, Marian Holmes, who had been in attendance throughout the tournament (though not playing this year as a result of injury), presented the prizes and thanked the Squash Club for their hospitality and Linda and Ian Lockey for their effective organisation of the event. Finally, she thanked all the players for their excellent attitude that helped to make this such a friendly but competitive occasion.

Report Written by Linda Parsley

                                                        TROPHIES / PRIZES

Civil Service Squash Player! 

The deadline for entering the Civil Service Squash Championship on 24th and 25th of November is approaching! Entries are already in, but if you hope to play, make sure you enter before November 9th. 

This is a great event, held up in at the Nottingham Squash and Rackets Club over 2 days. All players play 4 matches. The best get to challenge James Hodson, the current Civil Service Champion and try to end his current 5 year unbeaten run! There will be a free T-shirt for all entrants and a quiz, drinks and food is available on the Friday night. 

It's a great opportunity to get to know more of the Civil Service Squash players from around the country in a competitive but social environment. 

Funding for transport and accomodation can be applied for from your region. (From personal experience, this has covered nearly all my costs over the last few years).  

More details and the entry form can be downloaded here: https://www.cssc.co.uk/CSSC/index.cfm/things-to-do/event-search/event-detail/?oid=3838

Civil Service Squash Committee

CSSC - Squash Masters 19/20 May 2017

The Squash Masters Singles and Racketball events were held once again at Nottingham Squash Club on 19/20th May, 2017. We welcomed back many of our regulars, and we were encouraged to see several new faces this year.

The Nottingham club made everyone feel very welcome, and most players and some partners attended what has become the traditional Friday evening meal provided at the club. Linda Parsley hosted her usual fun quiz to battle everyone's wits, and this year, their knowledge of 1980s popular culture. With team 'Jim Fay' emerging the winners, everyone could only think that this man doesn't drink enough beer to get his brain fuddled.

The new entrants proved very successful, resulting in four new names needing to be inscribed on the trophies. These were in the categories of Ladies O40's, Mens O35's, Mens O45's and Mens O55's.

The squash competition format was played in three leagues by combining the Mens O35 & 45's in one group, the O55 & 65's age groups in the other and the Ladies Over 40 & 50s in their own round robin group. For competitors the aim would be to finish top in your specific age group and thus be declared the CSSC Masters Champion in the age group you had entered. All matches were of equal importance, in order to put yourself in a position to win your age group.

There were some very close and competitive matches with all being played in a great spirit, a fine example being the opening O55's match between Geoff Watson and Nigel Williams which ended up being a five set thriller, eventually closed out 3/2 by Nigel.

In the O35/O45 group Kevin Hugh emerged undefeated over the two days and 5 matches. He is not only the O45 Champion but also the winner of that particular combined age group league. Both he and Neil Miles played a thrilling and close match, befitting of any final with Kevin taking the last game 15/13 narrowly edging Neil (the O35s winner) out by 2 games to 1.

In the O55/ O65 group Collis Sheik was also undefeated over the 2 days, taking the O55's Championship and emerging as the winner of the combined age groups league. Collis was pushed to a close 3/2 win by Peter Fielding in their opening match, but then settled down and only dropped a further 3 games over his other five matches. Steve Bullamore O65 played with great spirit with the younger players in this group but his victory over Rob Shepherd gave him the win that he needed to take the O65 Tony Claydon Trophy.

The ladies competition was dominated by new entrant in the O40 category Krissy Burkin. In the O50s, Previous O40s winner, Shena Ferrie moving into the next category, won the trophy in her first attempt. We were pleased also to welcome Sian Hughes, our new CSSRA Chair to the tournament Unfortunately, the Association's President, Marian Holmes, had sustained an injury and was unable to compete otherwise we would have had a match played by the Chair versus the President! Despite her recent injury, Marian was pleased to attend to present the trophies and help with the record keeping and marking.

The 2017 Champions are

Mens Masters      Champion             Runner-Up

Over 35                Neil Miles            Paul Lane

Over 45                Kevin Hugh          Jim Fay

Over 55                Collis Sheik          Nigel Williams

Over 65                Steve Bullamore   Rob Shepherd

Ladies Masters

Over 40                Kristy Burkin

Over 50                Shena Ferrie          Sian Hughes

We are the Civil Service Squash Rackets Association (CSSRA), part of the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), and our role is to promote and organise squash for CSSC members. The CSSRA organises mainly national events for teams and individual players of all standards and aims to facilitate local events and coaching. This website aims to keep you up-to-date with what's happening in squash within the Civil Service with details of future events, news and results.

Annual Events:

The CSSRA currently run the following annual events:

• http://www.cssc-squash.co.uk//plugins/system/jatypo/jatypo/typo/images/icons-sprites-silk2.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 18px; height: 18px; display: block; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: left top !important;">National Team Championships - Mixed teams of 5 (minimum of 2 ladies) from Departments, Agencies, areas, clubs, offices, etc.
• http://www.cssc-squash.co.uk//plugins/system/jatypo/jatypo/typo/images/icons-sprites-silk2.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 18px; height: 18px; display: block; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: left top !important;">Annual Singles Championships - National graded event (men’s and ladies) catering for all standards with plate events in all categories. Top grade players compete for the CSSC trophies.
• http://www.cssc-squash.co.uk//plugins/system/jatypo/jatypo/typo/images/icons-sprites-silk2.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 18px; height: 18px; display: block; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: left top !important;">Masters Singles Championships – National graded event (men’s and ladies) for different age groups catering for all standards with plate events in all categories. Currently top grade veteran players (men over 45, ladies over 40) and top grade men vintage players (over 55) compete for CSSC trophies. Other age groups are included.
• http://www.cssc-squash.co.uk//plugins/system/jatypo/jatypo/typo/images/icons-sprites-silk2.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 18px; height: 18px; display: block; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: left top !important;">Racketball Tournament – New tournament, to be run alongside the Masters Singles competition.
• http://www.cssc-squash.co.uk//plugins/system/jatypo/jatypo/typo/images/icons-sprites-silk2.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 18px; height: 18px; display: block; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: left top !important;">Representative Matches - Both Men’s and Ladies teams playing opposition from the Services, International and county teams, etc.

The best way for us to reach you with all the latest goings on is to subscribe to our mailing list. We will e-mail you with news on upcoming events and tournaments and you may unsubscribe at any time. We also promise that we will never pass your details on to a 3rd party.

To subscribe please use the form on the left of this page or click here >> SUBSCRIBE <<Check out the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) Website for all upcoming Squash events, in your region and nationally: 

https://www.cssc.co.uk/things-to-do/my-sport/squash/#

Including:

• Crown Services Quadrangular - Representative Matches: 
• Squash at the CSSC Games: 
• National Open Championships: (https://www.cssc.co.uk/events/national-squash-singles-championships) 
•  National Team Championships:  January/February 2024
• National Masters Squash and Squash 57 Tournament: May/June 2024

HASSRA takes all the Silverware at the 2017 Squash Team Championships

The late withdrawal of 3 Teams from this year’s Squash Team National Open Championships meant only 4 teams would contest for this year’s prestigious CSSC Trophy! HASSRA however had prepared well and brought along 2 strong teams to try and repeat their success of 2 years ago when their “A” Team were crowned as Champions. Lining up against this formidable opposition were teams from the “North West” and a “Pick ‘n Mix” select team from various parts of the country and Captained by CSSRA’s President Marian Holmes.

All teams consisting of 3 men and 2 ladies would play each other in a “Round Robin” format over 2 days starting on Friday the 3^rd February 2017 and finishing on the Saturday 4^th February. The first round saw the favourites HASSRA “A” face the “Pick ‘n Mix” squad and mark up an impressive but hard fought 5-0 win. The other match between HASSRA “B” and North West however was a much closer encounter. The HASSRA “B” Team in the end could not repeat the success of their “A” Team and only the “B” number “3” player Phil Reasbeck chalked up a win against North West’s Jim Fay. HASSRA’s number “5” Sian Hughes however put up a superb effort against North West’s Shena Ferrie only losing out in the 5^th game 15-11!

The second round matches saw HASSRA “A” and “B” teams face each other. The “B” Team’s number “1” player Nigel Williams did make a valiant effort to gain victory when he came back from 2 games down to win the 3^rd game against Marc Thomas 15-13 – however he could not sustain this success and lost the next game and his match 15-4. The remaining HASSRA “A” line up of Adam Ward, Chris Beldon, Keeley Grindle and Jackie Codman all followed Marc’s lead and proved too strong for their fellow HASSRA “B” Team opponents. The other match between North West and Pick ‘n Mix whilst yielding a similar 5-0 victory for North West didn’t reflect the efforts of both Micky Gallacher and Marian Holmes from Pick ‘n Mix - both only losing very close games 3 -1.

Saturday’s pairings would see the undefeated teams of HASSRA “A” and North West face each other in a match to decide the Squash Team National Champions for 2017. The other match between HASSRA “B” and Pick ‘n Mix would decide the winners of the Plate Trophy.

In the Main Final Shena Ferrie got her North West Team off to a fine start by taking the first game from the experienced campaigner Jackie Codman 15-8. Jackie however responded well to this pressure and fought back to take the next 3 games and with it her match. North West’s Becky Campbell however was in no mood to capitulate against HASSRA’s Keeley Grindle and fought hard to keep the final alive. This battle between the number “4’s” was to produce the “match of the Tournament” – both players producing superb and exciting squash! Becky eventually edged the 3^rd game 19-17 to take a 2-1 lead and could have felt confident to win her match in the next game! Keeley however had other ideas and in another “cliff-hanger” and saving 1 match point edged the 4^th game 16-14 to take the match to a fifth and final game decider. In this final game Becky couldn’t overcome the momentum which Keeley had created and the HASSRA Team grabbed their 2^nd match and took another step to securing the overall win. Whilst this drama had unfolded HASSRA’s hero from 2 years ago Chris Beldon once again took his Team over the winning line with a fine performance by defeating North West’s Jim Fay 3-0. Pride however was still at stake and both Dan Willets and Paul Lane from the North West Team had points to prove. Both Players pushed their HASSRA opponents Marc Thomas and Adam Ward hard – it was always to be HASSRA’s day however and the plucky North West players both eventually lost their games 3-1.

In the Plate Final HASSRA’s Ruth Sleigh overcame the challenge from the improving Pick ‘n Mix player Deborah Atkinson. This opened the door for HASSRA’s Phil Reasbeck to cement their Team’s lead by defeating Pick ‘n Mix’s experienced Graham Cole 3-0. The stage was set for HASSRA’s Captain Sian Hughes to take her Team to victory by facing her opposite number – Pick ‘n Mix’s Captain, Marian Holmes. Sian was once again soon embroiled in another marathon match. This match proved to be crucial when Sian narrowly won the final game   15-12 and so established an unbeatable 3-0 match score over the Pick ‘n Mix opposition. The importance of Sian’s win was underlined when Pick ‘n Mix’s number 1 and 2 players            Craig Blurton and Micky Gallacher both won their matches against Nigel Williams and          Kevin Mulligan – a close call for HASSRA “B” and bad luck for their opposition!

Congratulations go to HASSRA “A” and HASSRA “B” – a Trophy AND a Plate – very impressive!

Prizes were presented by the newly elected Civil Service Squash Rackets Association Chairman  Sian Hughes. A social evening and quiz was hosted on the Friday for players to relax and enjoy – the quiz was won by Team “North West”.Thanks were extended to all the participating players and to Nottingham Squash Rackets Club for the use of their fine facilities.

The next Squash Event will be the Squash Masters and Racketball Tournament in Nottingham on 19^th and 20^th May 2017 – further details can be found on the CSSC website and on our website www.cssc-squash.co.uk Players should also note the CSSC Games this year is on 15^th September and will host Team Squash but this time in a new format of 3 players to include at least 1 man and 1 lady – watch out for more details from CSSC and on our website.

This event took place at Nottingham Squash Club on 18/19^th November, 2016.There were 19 men entries and 6 ladies. It was good to see several newcomers entering and some welcome returns, especially long-time absentee Collis Sheik.  

15 men had entered the A/B event and this was held as a straightforward knock-out competition with 1^st round winners forming the A event and the losers the B event.

There were some excellent 1^st round matches. Kevin Hugh and Jason Cunningham both won hard-fought 5 game matches against Dan Willets and Peter Windram respectively. Tim Burrell (no. 2 seed) found newcomer Adam Ward a difficult opponent. Although he won 3-0, two of the games were very tight and only Tim's considerable experience and accuracy permitted him to prevail.

The highlight of the 2^nd round also involved Tim. He overcame former ten times Champion, John McFarlane 3-1. John still gives away very few “cheap” points and Tim's marathon 20-18 win in the 4^th game secured the victory. Meanwhile, at the top end of the draw, no.1 seed and current Champion, James Hodson, was looking very strong and he reached the final without dropping a game. There, he met Tim Burrell and what an excellent final they produced. ( Sorry, lots of Tim in this report but that is how the sequence went). James took the first 2 games fairly comfortably but Tim fought back to take the 3^rd 11-9. A very tight 4^th game ensued with splendid rallies. At 6-all, it seemed the match could go either way, but James eventually managed to pull away and win the title for the 5^th successive year. A memorable Final match.

After his excellent first match display, it was no great surprise that Adam Ward emerged the winner of the B Grade event. It was not all straightforward, however. He did drop a game in the semi-final against Collis Sheik and he just managed to clinch a crucial 3^rd game (17-15) against Dan Willets in the final. Overall, this turned out to be a very good standard event.

Four men competed in the C/D Competition, a much lower number than in previous years. This also proved to be very competitive, with Micky Gallacher finishing top of the round-robin table.

Two Men's Plate competitions were held as round-robins with Jason Cunningham winning the A event and Paul Lane winning the B one.

In the Ladies A/B Competition, held as a round-robin, the current holder, Becky Campbell, retained her title by overcoming Helen Midgley and Keeley Grindle.  The Ladies' C/D event was also held as a round-robin and was won by Shena Ferrie.

The number of lady entries was disappointing. This matter was recognised at the CSSRA AGM held during the course of this event, when potential ways of improving the situation were discussed.

Linda Parsley had initially organised the entries and produced the Tournament draws. Unfortunately, a recent accident had caused a broken shoulder and she was unable to attend. Ian Lockey took over at the event.

In summing up the occasion, Ian said how pleased he was that the Association's President, Marian Holmes, was able to attend. She had entered as a player, but she, too, had sustained an injury and was unable to compete. She was, however, pleased to attend to present the trophies (list below).

There was, however, a minor problem - the trophies had not arrived at the venue. The suppliers were adamant that they had been delivered - but obviously not to Nottingham Squash Club!

{LATER – They eventually arrived back at the Company from an unknown source and had now been individually despatched to the winners}

Ian thanked the Squash Club for their hospitality. He also thanked Linda Parsley, Peter Lee, Susan Gillam, Liz Woods and Jim Fay for their valuable assistance throughout the Tournament. Finally, he thanked all the players for their excellent attitude that helped to make this such a friendly but competitive occasion.

Written by Ian Lockey

Results                                                          

TROPHIES             WINNER                 RUNNER_UP

Ladies A/B             Becky Campbell     Helen Midgley

Ladies C/D            Shena Ferrie           Deborah Atkinson

Mens A                  James Hodson        Tim Burrell

Mens B                  Adam Ward            Dan Willets

Mens C                  Micky Gallacher      John Frankland

Mens A Plate          Jason Cunningham    

Mens B Plate          Paul Lane