A Tribute To Neill

IMG_3539 (1)

 

Neill O’Neill was a valued and extremely popular member of Westport Squash Club for many  years. Every September he unpacked his game and set about doing better than he did the season before and every season he did do better. He was an enthusiastic and sporting player and when the bounce of the ball did not go his way there were no complaints. Neill just put the head down and tried harder. He was a better player than he let on to be and as a club member made valued contributions to the more effective running of the club.  To those of us who also knew Neill outside of the squash club he was a friendly and pleasant man with a great sense of humour allied with a firm commitment to his town and his community.  His instincts were to help and his nature was to be kind. His loss to our club is nothing compared to the loss suffered by his partner Emma, his parents Colam and Mary and the rest of his family.  Our sympathies and thoughts are with them at this time.

Love all Neill, serving from the right.

Coaching sessions now starting again!

Coaching is now available again at Westport Squash Club, with sessions available for Beginners, Improvers and Advanced players, and open to Adults, Juniors and Students.

Sessions for Juniors will begin on Sunday, the 25th of September, and for Adults on Monday, the 26th of September. All session are held by qualified coaches, accredited by Irish Squash.

A registration evening will be held at Westport Sports Complex from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, the 21st of September – alternatively, contact Gerry at 086 833 1470 or Colin at 087 115 3188.

1st Annual “Women Who Squash” Open Championship 2016

The inaugural “Women Who Squash” Open Championship 2016 will be held in Sutton LTC, Dublin on Friday, the 30th of September, and Saturday, the 1st of October. Categories include Women’s “A”, Women’s “B”, Women’s “C”, Women’s Master and Girl’s U/15 & U/17. Entry fee €20, and at least 3 matches guaranteed for all participants.

A prize giving dinner and dance will be held on Saturday evening, with lunch for players on Saturday and a tournament T-shirt also being provided.

Forms available on Facebook – Women Who Squash.

Women who squash Poster

Helm Competition 2016

Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 Helm Team Competition! Matches took place throughout April, culminating in Finals Night on the 22nd of April.

Pictured below are members of the winning team, from left to right: Fiona Curran, Tony McCabe , Gerry Galvin (Captain), Shane Keogh (representing our sponsor, The Helm Bar & Restaurant), Adrian Guiry and Marcos Aguilar.

Helm competition 2016

 

 

David Noone: coaching here every 2nd Tuesday from this evening

We are delighted to welcome David Noone to the club this evening, where he will be providing coaching to various members. He will be here every second Tuesday over the Winter/Spring 2016; his next visit will be the 2nd of February, so if you would like to receive some coaching from him, please let Gerry Galvin know at 086 833 1470, or add your name to the sheet on the noticeboard.

David is the current Connacht Champion and is a member of the Senior National Squad.

In recent years he has gained extensive knowledge and experience coaching players of all ages and levels. Starting as an assistant coach in GLTC in 2009, he moved to Canada in 2010 where he held the position of assistant coach in both Bentall Athletic Club and Jericho Tennis Club, Vancouver.

From 2012 to 2014 David was Head Pro at Devonport Squash Club, Auckland, New Zealand where he coached many successful juniors ranging from club level to national level players. He also ran many regional and national camps alongside squash Auckland and Squash New Zealand.

Leinster Junior Open

Another busy weekend of Squash at Mount Pleasant LTC!

The Leinster Junior Open kicked off early on Saturday morning, 9 January at MPLTC. Our Connaught juniors were represented by Donal O’Se, Niall Brennan, and Eoghan Roe from Galway, and by Travis Harrison, Dylan Galvin and Conor Galvin from Westport. They all played 3 games on day 1 and some played 2 on Sunday. They were up against the cream of Ireland and UK.

Thanks to David Noone who travelled up to support and advise the Connaught lads . Also big thanks to Andrew Gillespie and his crew who staged an excellent competition at MPLTC, and not forgetting all the parents who travelled up and stayed over.

These competitions are stepping stone to our emerging junior talent from Connaught; the time given by the likes of David Noone and Brian Byrne  coaching these guys has reflected on their performances this weekend. We will do it all again soon!

November 18th – Coaching Registration Night

A registration night for a new coaching programme will be held between 7pm and 9pm at Westport Sports Complex. The coaching is available to both adults and juniors.

Both beginners and improvers will be catered for, and the courses will be given by two qualified Level 2 Irish Squash coaches. All necessary equipment will be supplied.
For further details, please contact Gerry Galvin at 086 833 1470.

1 2