Squash is courting success in the town

Published on 10th January 2008 in Sport

Good news on the squash front for the start of 2008, with the new iniatives that were started in 2007 really taking off in a positive way.

The introduction of a new team with five new players starting team squash in the Hull and East Riding leagues, and the start of junior players at the Leisure Centre - a first ever for Goole.

Firstly, the team news at the halfway point at Christmas: the first team are going strongly in third place, having lost only two matches so far against the first and second-placed teams from Barrow and Haltemprice.

Both teams narrowly won and only by two tie-break points. The team, consisting of Derek Norris, Jason Nalton, John Gillyon, Paul Burton and Martin Walker all playing probably the best start to any season.

Walker, recovering from a knee operation last year, is picking up his game gradually, missing more matches than he would want, but the rest of the team is working well to keep the wins to a maximum.

Another team doing well is the 'B' team, playing for the first time in league squash. They play in Division Five, and are in a great position in second place. The five-man squad put together by Derek Norris consists of Chris Tate (captain), Steve Clamp, Ged Carter, Paul Hughes and Leon Sheldon.

There are new places to play throughout the county; new people to play is always a good incentive to go out and play on a cold winter's night.

They are looking forward to the next half of the season with their number one Steve Clamp yet to drop a game. The improvement of Tate, Hughes, Carter and Sheldon is there to see: they will be looking at promotion and taking the top spot even at half-way point in the season.

The 'C' team consists of number one Dave Earle, Alison Ross, Pat Stansfield, Sheena Spence and Tina Beedham and are holding well in the middle of Division Five.

Injuries and illness have stopped a full-strength squad out at vital times, causing a draw or even a loss when a win would have probably been Goole's for the taking with a full squad.

Hopefully, their injury and illness worries will be over in the next half of the season and the results will turn into more points.

Junior Squash

Since the start of 2007, youngsters from the age of nine have been working with coach Derek Norris at Goole Leisure Centre, all of the children picking up the game very well.

Ashley Norris, aged 12, Oliver Walker, aged 10 and Georgia Whitney were chosen for trials in the Humber Academy, and are all showed good results to the elite coaches Adam Toes and George Marshall in Hull recently.

Results for their coach were sent back to enable the pupils to progress and maybe invited back for full squash training with the Academy.

Ashley Norris was invited back into the under 15 squad at number four string in a field of fifteen players. This means Ashley has passed by his age group of Under 13s and progressed into the under 15s - quite an achievement already.

The results back from Oliver and Georgia were very positive and, now the Christmas break is over, work has to start for further improvement.

The other children in Derek's classes are making the same improvement and could also in the near future be chosen for the trip to Hull.

It is 25 years since Derek first played team squash in the first team ever to be played at the Leisure Centre. For him it's as much of a buzz now, with levels of squash rising around the centre, from the new players wanting to play team squash, to the delight of seeing his juniors also making progress for the future.

The juniors are part of a programme at the Leisure Centre that anyone can take part in at any time. Contact Derek 01405 762154, Leisure Centre 01405 769005, Club Valda Thornton 01430 410262.