LSRC to close temporarily due to the Coronavirus outbreak

Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and having reviewed the medical advice issued by the UK Government, Lilleshall Squash & Racketball Club’s Committee have responded to this unfolding crisis by making the tough decision to temporarily shutdown our Club nights and internal activities until further notice.

The following has been decided as necessary in protecting our members and those that they may come in contact with:

  1. Pitch & Play and Junior coaching will be suspended with immediate effect (Pitch & Play from 18 March and Junior coaching from 21 March).
  2. Final county team matches will still go ahead, as revealed recently by Shropshire Squash, dependant on continued voluntary availability of team members.
  3. Club night booking sheets for Wed 18 March and Thurs 19 March will remain in place. Those members wishing to use their bookings and honour their matches must restrict gathering with other Club members before and after the session and wash their hands immediately before and after their match. Shaking hands after the game is not recommended. All those who decide to play accept their own responsibility for their actions. All other sheets and scheduled matches will remain on the noticeboards but will be VOID from the w/c 23 March.

Thereafter ALL club activities will be suspended and all club reservations with the Sports Centre will be cancelled until further notice – with effect from Friday 20th March 2020.

This decision has not been taken lightly by the Committee, but has been done to follow the letter and spirit of the latest UK Government requirements in combating this national crisis. It’s about not only protecting ourselves, but our families, friends and the wider community, particularly those at high risk of contracting COVID-19, such as the Over 70’s and people with underlying health problems. Other local Squash clubs in the area, such as Shropshire Squash Club in Shrewsbury, have also recently announced they will close down until further notice.

The Club will return and we will keep our members updated by email and through our website.

Stay safe and look after yourselves and your families.

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Sam Clark wins the 2019 Squash Open

Sam Clark was victorious against Linda Prichard in the final of the 2019 Squash Open competition – winning the Club’s most prestigious individual squash title for the first time.

Having previously defeated Joel Reed in his semi-final, Clark managed to seal the title 3-0 in a well-contested final against Linda Pritchard, who was taking part in her first Open final – the first female player in the Club’s history to achieve this feat.

Sam managed to seal the Open title at the second-time of asking, having previously finished runner-up in last year’s final to Anthony Vrahimis.

A huge thank you to all the players who took part in this year’s competition and look out on the Club noticeboard and website for the next round of tournaments which will be launching later in the Spring.

You can view all of our previous Club champions – stretching all the way back to the 1970’s – here.

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Open tournaments launch

The draws for our two most prestigious annual Club tournaments – The Squash and Racketball Open – have now been made.

Both tournaments are played entirely ‘off scratch’ without the use of any handicaps (i.e. both players start at 0-0) and first round losers will automatically be enrolled into the respective plate competitions, which guarantees each entrant a minimum of two matches to play.

The tournaments, which will crown the best Squash and Racketball players in our Club, will be played through until the end of the calendar year.

The best of luck to all players taking part and you can find out more about tournament dates and the draws here.

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Westwood Seals Two Tournament Titles

It was a double celebration for Gary Westwood this season, as he won two of the three available Spring competitions, sealing the Robson Squash (+40) and John Perry (Handicapped) Racketball titles against two strong fields of opponents.

Westwood’s first success came in the final of the Robson Trophy, which is a squash competition played off-scratch (non-handicap) and open to players aged 40+. Gary played Steve McClelland in the tournament final, edging the contest 3-1.

Gary followed this title up with another just days later against Andy Reed in the final of the John Perry Racketball Trophy, which is an open handicapped tournament named in honour of former Club member John Perry, who sadly passed away a few years ago aged 70.

In a well-contested matched, Gary came out the winner against Andy in straight games 3-0 to showcase his ability across the two sports.

Having just missed out in the Robson final, Steve McClelland managed to go a step further and claim the final title on offer this Spring – the Dave Fox Trophy, which is a handicapped squash tournament open to all members.

Steve faced Stuart Moore in the final and came through the match 3-0, despite giving his opponent a +6 handicap advantage. Stuart played very well on the day, but Steve showed exactly why he won three Club titles last year.

The next round of Club Tournaments will begin in September 2019 and all members are welcome to take part, whatever their ability. Look out for the entry sheets on the Club Board nearer the time.

You can view a comprehensive list of all our former Club champions (going all the way back to the 1970’s) here.

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LSRC announce 50th Anniversary Celebration

This year, Lilleshall Squash and Racketball Club will be celebrating their 50th anniversary, following their original establishment in 1969, and we are inviting all past and present club members and their families to a celebration evening on Saturday 22nd June 2019.

The event will be hosted at The Wheatsheaf Inn, Chetwynd Aston, Newport, TF10 9LF, from 7:30pm on Saturday 22nd June 2019 and there will be a free BBQ (provided by the Committee), cooked by Tosh – the Wheatsheaf’s landlord – in addition to live music and plenty of drinks at the well-stocked bar.

If you are able to attend this event, then please contact Roy Fisher, LSRC Club Treasurer, so he can let the caterers know about approx numbers. Roy is available to call on 01952 255885 or alternatively he can be emailed via royafisher@btinternet.com.

Please pass the event details on to anyone you know who might previously have been a member of the club and would like to join us.

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Charity Racketball tournament raises over £800

Lilleshall Squash and Racketball Club hosted an enormously successful Charity Racketball Tournament on Saturday 6 April 2019, raising over £800 for The Lingen Davies Cancer Unit, based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The tournament, which was initiated by Les Bywater, an LSRC Club Member, who recently underwent treatment himself at the Lingen Davies unit and has since gone into remission, was extremely well attended by club members and their friends, families and work colleagues.

A friendly atmosphere welcomed the players and spectators and this was followed by a good spirited and competitive tournament. Many thanks to those who contributed to the refreshments and snacks, the generous donations of raffle prizes and the purchase of raffle tickets.

Les, who was supported on the day by his wife Helen and son Luke, should be very proud of their family’s initiative to raise money for the Prostate Cancer unit over in Shrewsbury and when the money was counted up on the day – we collectively raised over £800, with the total continuing to rise, following the conclusion of the tournament, by £300, to reach a grand total of £1,100.

Les Bywater presents the Lingen Davies unit with a cheque worth £1,100, outside the hospital in Shrewsbury.
Les Bywater presents the Lingen Davies unit with a cheque worth £1,100, outside the hospital in Shrewsbury.

The tournament, which was organised with support from Club Vice-Chairman Andy Reed, was held at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, near Newport, Telford. The tournament featured 20 players, who performed in four teams of five.

The Gold medals went to Team McClelland, Silver to Team Redstone and Bronze to Team Bywater, with Team Westwood receiving the Wooden Spoons. A huge thank you must go to Pete Williams, who very generously supplied the medals and was on-hand to present them to the tournament participants.

The tournament concluded with a lovely departing message from Les, along with the medal ceremony and raffle draw.

A spokeswoman for Lingen Davies said: “Well done to Les and Helen Bywater for organising a charity racketball tournament at their local squash club in Lilleshall. They raised a fantastic £1,100 from participant contributions and a raffle, with some very generous prizes.

“This will help us towards raising our final £68,000, to get to £1.2 million by June 2019.”

You can donate to the Lingen Davies charity fund over at Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/lingendavies

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Lilleshall SRC B Team reach Shropshire Cup final

The Lilleshall SRC B team reached the final of the Squash Division C Cup last weekend and will contest the trophy as part of Shropshire Squash’s Finals Night on Friday 5 Apr 2019 at the Shropshire Squash Club in Shrewsbury.

The Shropshire Squash Club will open their doors this Friday ahead of the grand final matches, which will start promptly at 6:00pm. Teams and their spectators are encouraged to arrive early to avoid any unnecessary delays to the proceedings.

Lilleshall SRC B will face Llanfyllin SC C in their final match, having overcome Shropshire SC E with a 3-2 win in their semi-final match last Saturday evening. That match also took place at the Shropshire Squash Club, which is based near Shrewsbury School in Kingsland.

The Squash Division A and B Cup Finals will also be taking place on the same evening, with some of our county’s best squash players taking part. The A Cup Final will feature Bishops Castle A v Llanfyllin SC A and the B Cup Final will involve Shropshire SC C v Brookside A.

There will be trophies presented after the conclusion of the cup finals to the winning teams and the Squash League championship winning sides will also be presented with their silverware.

The League(s) trophy presentation will also take place as follows:

  • Racketball league: Winner – TBC
  • Squash Division 1: Winner – Llanfyllin A. Runner Up: Wolverhampton A
  • Squash Division 2: Winner – Bridgnorth. Runner Up: Brookside A
  • Squash Division 3: Winner – Unfortunately we are unable to present Division 3 trophies as the League Division 3 does not complete until after the finals night. Division 3 trophies will therefore be presented at the End of Season Review Meeting (ESRM) on the 9th May 2019 at the Shrewsbury SRC (by kind permission).

Supporters are very welcome. Come and support your team. The bar will be open and nibbles have been arranged. You can enter SY3 7AP for your Sat Nav.

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LSRC to stage charity fundraising racketball tournament

Lilleshall Squash and Racketball Club will be hosting a charity racketball tournament on Saturday 6 April to raise funds for ‘The Lingen Davies Cancer Unit’ based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, which provides care and treatment for Prostate cancer patients.

The tournament was initiated by Les Bywater, an LSRC Club Member, who recently underwent treatment himself at the Lingen Davies unit and has since gone into remission. Les was determined to ‘give something back’ to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and as a regular racketball player, he decided to channel his passion for sport and help to raise money for charity.

Les said: “This time last year I was playing racketball and cycling 30 miles a week. I felt fit and well and was enjoying life. I decided to change GP surgery and was advised to have some blood tests, one of which was a PSA (Prostate -Specific Antigen) test.

“It turned out I had aggressive prostate cancer, which is how I was introduced to the Lingen Davies Cancer Unit based at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. All the staff within Lingen Davies from the reception and admin, to nursing staff and Radiographers and Oncologists are wonderful. They are kind and patient – nothing is too much trouble. I spent seven-and-a-half weeks travelling to Shrewsbury every day for radiotherapy.

“The Lingen Davies Cancer Unit has three Linear Radiotherapy Machines, which were funded by The League of Friends based at The Princess Royal and The Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals. These machines are running all day Monday to Friday, treating approximately 100 patients per day. Eventually these machines will need to be updated and replaced.

“On February 28th 2019, I was given the good news that I have had an excellent response to treatment. So, as I have always loved to play squash and now racketball, I thought it would be the perfect way to give something back to The Lingen Davies Cancer Unit by organising a Racketball Competition.”

The tournament, which is being organised with support from Club Vice-Chairman Andy Reed, will be held on Saturday 6 April 2019, from 10:30am – 1:30pm at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, near Newport, Telford. The tournament will feature 20 players, who will be performing in four teams of five. Les will be taking part in the event, alongside his son Luke and wife Helen.

Each player will be donating a £10 entry fee and refreshments (i.e. sandwiches) and medals will be provided for the competitors. Supporters are more than welcome to attend the event too and they have the option of providing a donation to the charity. You can donate to the Lingen Davies charity fund over at Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/lingendavies

A raffle ticket prize draw is also taking place following the conclusion of the tournament and strips of raffle tickets are available to buy from Andy Reed and Helen Bywater for £5 per strip. Andy and Helen are available to approach about tickets on Wednesday evening club nights.

Local companies and other generous individuals affiliated with the club have contributed prizes for the draw, and these prizes include:

  • £50 online voucher – Just Rackets
  • HEAD Racket Bag – HEAD UK
  • 1 Year’s free Club Membership – LSRC
  • Beauty treatment voucher – Tranquillity, St Georges (via Dave Diss)
  • Sweatshirt – Lilleshall National Sports Centre
  • Meal voucher for the Woodbridge Inn Pub – Woodbridge Inn Pub, Ironbridge
  • (Flowers Hanging) Basket Geni – Jacky Williams
  • Bottle of Bells whiskey – Les Bywater
  • Bottle of wine – Andy Reed
  • Bottle of wine – Paul Evans

In addition, Lilleshall National Sports Centre has kindly agreed to cover the costs of the court lights for the duration of the tournament and Pete Williams has also sponsored the purchase of the medals and trophy for the event.

Confirmed Teams:

(A) Team McClelland (Wearing WHITE)

  1. Steve McClelland
  2. Paul Evans
  3. Joel Reed
  4. David Frost
  5. Hazel Johns

(B) Team Bywater (Wearing BLUE)

  1. Luke Bywater
  2. Dave Johns
  3. Les Bywater
  4. Chris Cooper
  5. Helen Bywater

(C) Team Redstone (Wearing RED)

  1. Kevin Redstone
  2. Stuart Moore
  3. Ian Roberts
  4. David Diss
  5. Elaine Evans

(D) Team Westwood (Wearing BLACK)

  1. Gary Westwood
  2. Pete Langston
  3. Tim Mansell
  4. Andy Napier
  5. Tony Waldron

First Round Match-Ups:

SEMI-FINAL – MATCH ONE
Court 4: 10:30am

Team McClelland vs Team Westwood

Steve McClelland v Gary Westwood
Paul Evans v Pete Langston
Joel Reed v Tim Mansell
David Frost v Andy Napier
Hazel Johns v Tony Waldron

SEMI-FINAL – MATCH TWO
Court 5: 10:30am

Team Bywater vs Team Redstone

Luke Bywater v Kevin Redstone
Dave Johns v Stuart Moore
Les Bywater v Ian Roberts
Chris Cooper v Dave Diss
Helen Bywater v Elaine Evans

BRONZE MEDAL PLAY-OFF MATCH
Court 5: 12:00pm (Approx. Time)

Losing Team of SEMI-FINAL ONE vs Losing Team of SEMI-FINAL TWO

GOLD/SILVER MEDAL MATCH
Court 4: 12:00pm (Approx. Time)

Winning Team of SEMI-FINAL ONE vs Winning Team of SEMI-FINAL TWO

Tournament Rules:

  1. Each racketball team has been seeded from 1-5, with the number one seeds acting as team captains.
  2. The corresponding seeds from each team will contest games against each other, e.g. 5 v 5, 4 v 4 and so on, all the way through to 1 vs 1.
  3. The fifth seeds will always start off each match and the team order will then run through, finishing with 1 v 1.
  4. All team matches are best-of-five games, i.e. you will require three (or more) members of your team to win their respective games to win the match. Possible match scores therefore could be 3-2, 4-1, or 5-0.
  5. Each game will feature a two minute warm-up period on court. This two minutes will start and end on a buzzer operated by the tournament organiser. Players can also warm-up on Courts 1-3 (if available) prior to their games.
  6. Each game will last 15 minutes exactly, with the start and end of the game indicated by a buzzer operated by the tournament organiser.
  7. The normal rules of racketball will apply during game, with PARS (Point-A-Rally-Scoring) in operation.
  8. However, each game will not be played with traditional racketball scoring (e.g. a game up to 11 points), but instead will carry on straight the way through the full 15 minute time allocation, with PARS in operation.
  9. To win a game, you must simply be leading your opponent when the 15 minute buzzer sounds, e.g. 32-20.
  10. Should a game end in a draw, e.g. 24-24 points-all, then the player who reached 24 first would be deemed the winner.
  11. After the conclusion of a game, the next available seeds should be waiting to walk straight on court for their allocated warm-ups. This will ensure we keep on track with timings.
  12. Markers will be on-hand to keep the scores during matches and they will make decisions on let/stroke calls. Markers will be independent, i.e. not part of either team contesting a match. The marker’s decision is always final.

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Registration opens for Shropshire County Championships

Squash and Racketball players from across Shropshire are invited to register for the County (Closed) Championships.

Shrewsbury Squash and Racketball Club, based near the Shrewsbury Rugby Club, will have the honour of hosting the finals weekend this year over the 4-5 May and organisers of the Championships have attempted to boost participation, representation and inclusion, by setting up squash and racketball tournaments in five different age categories including; Open, O35, O45, O55 and O65.

There is also a ‘Beginner’ squash tournament for less experienced female players and an Open ‘Beginner’ tournament for non-team players. An ‘Open Racketball’ tournament is also available.

This is an opportunity to enter and play squash or racketball against people from across the county who you may not have encountered before and those players who are fortunate to make it through to the finals can look forward to a great occasion in Shrewsbury during that early weekend in May. Live music will be provided on the day, along with a trophy presentation ceremony.

If you have any questions about how to enter the tournaments or would like to speak to someone about which categories you should be applying for, then please contact Alex Whitehouse, one of the tournament organisers, by email: alex.whitehouse@aidfueloils.co.uk.

You can sign-up for the Championships online now via SportyHQ. You must be either; born in Shropshire, reside in Shropshire, or play for a club in Shropshire, Llanfyllin, Newtown or Welshpool and have not competed in any other county closed event this year, to be eligible to compete.

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Tournament success for McClelland and Vrahimis

Tournament success for McClelland and Vrahimis

Steve McClelland and Anthony Vrahimis were among the tournament winners as the last club competitions of 2018 were settled at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre.

Steve secured his second tournament title of 2018, following on from his success in the Squash Plate final a few weeks previously against Joel Reed, with a well-earned 3-0 victory over Kevin Redstone in the Racketball Open final.

The Racketball Open competition, organised by Club Chairman Paul Evans, featured 16 of our club’s best racketball players. Kevin Redstone defeated Ian Roberts, Pete Langston and Adrian Smith on his way to the final. Steve overcame the challenges of David Frost, Gary Westwood and Keith Hansell on his journey to meeting Kevin in the final showdown.

Anthony Vrahimis secured his maiden Squash Open title after he was awarded with a walkover victory in the grand final against Sam Clark. Anthony, who is originally from South Africa, had an incredibly tough test in his first round match against Steve McClelland, but came through strongly with a 3-0 win and he then went on to defeat Don Tennant and Tim Collins, a former Open champion, on his way to the final.

Sam Clark defeated Dave Frost, Pete Howells and Adrian Smith on his pathway through the tournament draw, but he unfortunately suffered an ankle injury over the Christmas period which led to him having to concede the Open title to Anthony. This was a great shame, as many club members had looked forward to watching two of the club’s best players battling it out on court for the title.

Meanwhile, the Jordan Trophy, which is awarded to our club’s highest performing individual within our internal squash ladder, measured over a 12 month period (i.e. the player who has been ranked #1 for the most consecutive weeks), was recently awarded to Keith Hansell. Huge congratulations to Keith.

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Contact Us

General Enquires

Paul Evans - Club Chairman
info@lilleshallsquash.co.uk
+44 (01952) 812655

Membership Enquires

Vasan - Club Treasurer
membership@lilleshallsquash.co.uk
+44 (07579 761185)

Our email addresses are for genuine club enquiries.
Any phishing emails will be reported.

Lilleshall National Sports Centre
England Squash
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Lilleshall Squash and Racketball Club