England coach to offer training as part of squash development programme

Junior squash players in Guernsey will have the opportunity to benefit from the guidance of a current England squash coach and the reigning national racketball champion next month.

 Tim Vail, currently England Squash Coach for the south region, will lead training session for local junior players as part of the Squash in Schools programme, organised by the Guernsey Squash and Racketball Association (GSRA) and sponsored by Deutsche Bank, on 7^th and 8^th May at Beau Sejour. 

Around 30 junior members of the GSRA will take part in the sessions led by Tim, who is also a former British National over 35s Squash Champion and has won the National Racketball Championships seven times now. The first of a series of planned visits to Guernsey this year, he will run two junior sessions to cover a range of abilities, offering guidance and challenging them to work on skills in advance of his next visit. Tim will also  run an adult session and a racketball session whilst in Guernsey.

Part of the Squash Development Programme, the Squash in Schools initiative aims to give primary school age pupils in Guernsey the opportunity to take part in taster squash sessions with suitably qualified coaches. In addition, a number of ‘graded tournaments’ are organised throughout the season, where players are grouped by ability rather than age, and squash festivals are held in conjunction with the Sports Commission.

Martin Watts, Director of GSRA, commented: “We’re excited to have Tim back over to the island this year. Whilst he regularly runs county and regional sessions in the UK, it is clearly difficult for our juniors to get over to the UK frequently. Not only will his visit give our juniors access to a top level coach and varied training, but it also gives Tim a chance to see the development of our players from a county and regional selectors perspective, helping us to provide a clear pathway for our juniors to develop their squash skills.”

Michael McKay, Director and Branch Manager at Deutsche Bank in Guernsey added: “The Squash in Schools initiative continues to go from strength to strength, last year bringing the sport to more than 300 local pupils. Grassroots sport can play a crucial role in the development of young people and I’m delighted that GSRA continues to deliver a fantastic programme for our local junior players, including Tim’s visits this year.”