New courts would help sport to flourish

By Aaron Scoones

SQUASH are looking to build four new courts at Beau Sejour. The sport faces an uncertain future at its spiritual home in the island, King’s Club, after the owners, King’s Life, announced in December that they were considering closing two of their four courts.

That would leave seven in the island and local squash players were appalled by the news, claiming that it would kill their sport in Guernsey.

Whether it was a direct result of that is unknown as the Guernsey Squash Rackets Association have declined to comment on the current state of its relationship with King’s, but they have submitted plans to the Environment Department to build an extension at Beau Sejour that will house four new glass-back courts over and above the sport centre’s existing five.

The GSRA have also put plans into the department to construct a facility at the Rohais Badminton Hall.

‘It has always been on the GSRA’s wish list to have a third centre available for squash, particularly one where we could have complete autonomy,’ said president Carrie Birch.

‘As a result of the development programme implemented by the GSRA nearly 10 years ago, squash is thriving and this has added to the pressure to find a suitable location. After a considerable amount of work investigating various sites, the GSRA has submitted a double application to Environment, i.e. Beau Sejour Centre and the Badminton Halls, for their consideration.

‘It is hoped that our application will be successful at one or both of these two venues and we can then implement our plan to secure the long-term future of squash.’

Birch declined to comment on how much the Beau Sejour courts would cost but said they would be funded privately.

She did state that King’s had confirmed that squash will keep going at the club for the upcoming season.

The island’s director of squash, Peter Bridgeman, would like to see the new facility constructed and squash continue at King’s.

‘Like any sport, we’ve got to be looking toward the future,’ he said. ‘It’s really to see if we can keep squash alive in the island. It might come to nothing but any sport would like its own facilities.

‘In an ideal world we would like the four new courts, the four courts at King’s and the five at Beau Sejour.

‘It gives more flexibility to hold bigger events.

‘But land is at a premium - it’s difficult.’