ESSEX JUNIOR SQUASH has been praised by world champion Laura Massaro for leading the fight to keep teenage girls playing sport in the United Kingdom.
Figures released by Sport England this year showed a dramatic drop in teen participation, particularly among females, with a multitude of reasons being cited, including a lack of events being staged for women and girls only.
Essex Junior Squash were aware of the findings and decided to meet the problem head on. Spearheaded by former WSA tour player Lauren Selby, we are staging one of the country’s first tournaments for girls and ladies only and have received the full backing of world champion Laura as well as her England team-mate Jenny Duncalf, who will both attend our event at Connaught Squash Club on June 14th.
Laura told us this week:” This a fantastic event and I want to see as many girls and ladies down at Connaught as possible. It will be a great day of squash where the girls and ladies get the chance to show how good we all are. Essex is lucky to have someone like Lauren Selby driving the sport. Jenny Duncalf and I can’t wait to meet everyone there.
“There is a problem with some teenage girls drifting away from sport. There are many factors, boyfriends, pressures of study, entering the work place, plus a lack of bespoke events for women and girls. Squash is recognised as one of the best sports for all-round fitness and events like the Connaught Challenge will help show what we have to offer.”
The two superstars of the sport will headline a whole day of squash aimed at promoting the women’s game. As Laura said, Lauren Selby is the driving force behind the event which will kick-off during the day with a tournament for all ages and abilities followed by an exhibition by Laura and Jenny, who will also take on challenges from young Essex players who fancy taking a crack at the England internationals players.
“When we asked Laura and Jenny to help they said ‘yes’ straight away,” revealed Lauren, who played alongside the world’s best on the WSA tour until last year. “All profits from the day will be ploughed straight back into Essex Junior Squash so we are determined to make it a brilliant event. Everyone we have told is incredibly excited by the idea. I know I am.
“We have quite a healthy programme for girls’ squash and we want to build on that. We have been running an exciting schools coaching scheme which has unearthed some amazing young talent. Our event at Connaught will showcase
Entry to the Ladies’/girls’ tournament costs just £20, which includes a ticket for the evening’s exhibition match. But don’t worry if you don’t wish to play, you can purchase a ticket just to watch the action.
Laura, the world number two, was crowned World Champion when she beat Egyptian Nour El Sherbini in the final in Penang, Malaysia. It was a glorious victory which puts English squash at the top of the game. Nick Matthew from Yorkshire is also a World Champion and world number one.
For ticket information and entry forms for the Essex tournament and exhibition, please contact Karen Selby at karenselby@gmx.com or call 07866455594.