Saturday Junior Coaching 28th March

This Saturday we will be running three coaching sessions. The first session is from 9.00 to 10.00 for beginners and the second is from 10.30 to 11.30 for more advanced players. And the final advanced session is from 11.30 to 1.00pm.

Remember that eye-protection must be worn for all junior sessions.

Many of our juniors will be away at Histon Road competing in the County End-of-Season competions - good luck to all of them.


9.00 - 10.00 session. Coaches: Keith Maloney and Ashok Babbar
10.30 - 11.30 session. Coaches: Mike Macnamee and Andy Thorne, and Rory Symmons
11.30 - 13.00 session. Coaches: Mike Macnamee and Rory Symmons

Out to lunge.

Look at any top quality squash player and you will not see much running around the court. Instead they gallop and bounce and lunge. The disadvantage of running is that it is too upright, too straight-line, and involves too many steps. So instead of running around the court try to move in powerful side-steps and bounces. Don't sprint in a straight line for the ball - try to bounce up and down the middle section of the court and finish with a low lunge with your body down and your racquet stretched out across to the ball.

Have a look at some of the videos of professional players on youtube and see how they move around the court. How about this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C884Y5MUwaU

Saturday Junior Coaching 21st March 2009

This Saturday we will be running three coaching sessions. The first session is from 9.00 to 10.00 for beginners and the second is from 10.30 to 11.30 for more advanced players. And the final advanced session is from 11.30 to 1.00pm.

Remember that eye-protection must be worn for all junior sessions.

This is your last chance to sign up for the Club Junior Tournaments so make sure and put your name down on the sign-up sheets for the ones you want to enter.

9.00 - 10.00 session. Coaches: Ray Scrivens and Steve Swanton
10.30 - 11.30 session. Coaches: Mike Macnamee, Ashok Babbar, and Martyn Symmons
11.30 - 13.00 session. Coaches: Martyn Symmons and Mike Macnamee

Determined performances from two more Comberton debutants

The season’s final fixture for Comberton’s Junior Fourth Team in the Cambs Leagues on March 15th gave debuts to David Snelling and Jamie Sandford, with Will McArdle as the “old hand” playing at #1 in his second fixture for the team.

Jamie got us off to a great start with an emphatic 3-0 win over his Fenland opponent, while David had a tremendous battle, levelling the match from a 2-1 deficit only to lose 10-12 in the fifth after a mighty struggle. Will found it difficult against his opponent, improving in the third game despite feeling unwell and ending up losing 3-0.

In our second matches we were up against a much stronger and more experienced St Ivo team. Will was unable to play his second match because of illness, but David and Jamie both battled bravely in the face of daunting opposition and need not feel ashamed of losing their matches.

Our Fourth Team this season has featured a different squad on almost every occasion – we haven’t won the division, but I’m pretty sure more players from Comberton than from any of the other clubs have taken part in the Cambs Leagues for the first time, and I’m sure the experience will have benefitted them all.

Saturday Junior Coaching 14th March 2009

This Saturday we will be running three coaching sessions. The first session is from 9.00 to 10.00 for beginners and the second is from 10.30 to 11.30 for more advanced players. And the final advanced session is from 11.30 to 1.00pm.

Remember that eye-protection must be worn for all junior sessions.

Soon we will be planning the Club Junior Tournaments. This year there will be a sign-up sheet so make sure that your sign up to the ones you want to enter.

9.00 - 10.00 session. Coaches: Ollie Thorne and Ray Scrivens
10.30 - 11.30 session. Coaches: Mike Macnamee, Andy Thorne, and Ray Scrivens
11.30 - 13.00 session. Coaches: Martyn Symmons and Mike Macnamee

Saturday Junior Coaching 7th March 2009

This Saturday we will be running three coaching sessions. The first session is from 9.00 to 10.00 for beginners and the second is from 10.30 to 11.30 for more advanced players. And the final advanced session is from 11.30 to 1.00pm.

Remember that eye-protection must be worn for all junior sessions.

Soon we will be planning the Club Junior Tournaments. This year there will be a sign-up sheet so make sure that your sign up to the ones you want to enter.

9.00 - 10.00 session. Coaches: Keith Maloney and Ray Scrivens
10.30 - 11.30 session. Coaches: Mike Macnamee, Nick Dickens, and Ray Scrivens
11.30 - 13.00 session. Coaches: Martyn Symmons and Mike Macnamee

A rousing finale from the Third Team!

The final fixture in Cambs Junior League’s Division Two took place at Comberton on March 1st. Although we aren’t in the running for the silverware this year our team turned in very encouraging performances throughout the afternoon.

All the team had challenging matches against Crown Lodge. Alex Gooding at #3 won the first game fairly comfortably, lost the second, but delivered one of his trademark comebacks to win the next two for a 3-1 victory. Jeremy Harris, playing a girl four years his senior, had an even tougher battle, eventually losing 11-8 in the fifth, with two of the games going to 12-10. Sam Bradshaw took the first two games against an opponent almost twice his height, then lost his way a bit in the next two before fighting back to take the fifth game 13-11, giving Comberton an 11-6 win overall.

Our other opponents, Hunts County, had been unable to find a number three player, so Comberton’s Will Thorne kindly agreed at short notice to make up their numbers in an unofficial capacity (we got a walkover for that match), and played Alex in a county ladder challenge match, which Alex won. Jeremy had a comfortable 3-0 win, as did Sam, so we ended up with a 12-0 whitewash!

An afternoon of gutsy Comberton performances was rounded off by Will Thorne, whose friendly match against the St Ivo #3 turned into another cliffhanger, which Will ended up losing 3-2.

Well done everyone – a heartening end to our Division Two campaign!


Ray Scrivens
Team Manager