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ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Squash
By Simon Palferman, Master i/c Squash
The Autumn Term’s busy schedule of boys’
fixtures looked like a fairly daunting challenge
for our relatively inexperienced Squash V,
shorn of many of the now departed stalwarts
behind the successes of recent years.
It was to their enormous credit,
therefore, that regulars James Curtis, Giles
Wordsworth, Hamish Smart, Harvey Elvidge
and Joe Courtier, as well as reliable stand-in,
Charlie Watson, battled hard throughout
the term. Impressive victories were secured
against both Rugby and The Oratory. Near
misses against much more experienced
Winchester College and Bromsgrove teams
showed what might have been with a more
ruthless and savvy killer instinct, especially in
those games where the School initially took
the lead, only to relinquish it in epic tussles.
Having mentioned those departed
stalwarts, it should also be noted that it was
wonderful to welcome back three recent
leavers – Edward Beccle, James Moore-
Stanley and James George – for the School
vs. Martyrs match on 10th September. It was
perhaps somewhat galling, however,
to see these erstwhile top three seeds
for the School’s 1st V (in the 2016-17
season) contribute so much as the
School’s opponents!
By way of providing opportunities for
high level competition this term, the School
entered the National Schools Championship,
organised by England Squash. Being drawn
in the same pool as relative regional
powerhouses such as Eton, Wellington,
Abingdon and Bradfield meant that Teddies
inevitably struggled to win more than the
odd game, but these fixtures really added
to the development and experience of our
players. Since a couple of the current 1st V,
who are still in their Fifth Form year, gained
enormously from the challenge and insights
gleaned this term, the prospects for future
years look promising.
This is particularly true in the light of the
gaining popularity of squash as a sporting
option for our Sixth Formers this year. Over
60 seniors, as well as 20 juniors, now elect
to play the sport regularly, and this will no
doubt lead to greater competitiveness in the
long term.
Pleasingly, much of the growth in school
squash has been seen in the number of girls
participating in the sport at Teddies. Securing
willing and suitable opposition for inter-
school girls’ matches has not always been
easy. However, last season our leading six
girls – Danielle Lim, Alexia Drouliscos, Maria
Gorovator, Sophia Majzub, Vania Lay and
Pippa Smith – played friendly fixtures against
both Marlborough College and Cheltenham
College.
Much of the credit for the continuing
development of the sport at Teddies must
go to our wonderful coach, Ross Gore. He
works tirelessly and enthusiastically with the
full range of our pupils, many of whom had
never played the sport prior to arriving at
St Edward’s. Watching some of these boys
and girls blossom into technically correct and
tactically astute squash players is a joy, and a
real testament to his skill and commitment.
Sanders Lau, Marc Chan, Alexia Drouliscos and Danielle Lim