We are thrilled to introduce you to Miss May – the wonderful Cambridge Squash Club, who are based out of Squashworld Cambridge, 292 Cambridge Street, Wembley!
The Cambridge Open is their major annual event which draws quality players from all over the state. The Club runs a canteen to provide food for players and spectators throughout the tournament, and wrap things up with one of their famously enjoyable after parties.
The annual Club Championships event is open for all members to enter, and some years they have opened it up to regular visitors to the courts as well. Club members from all grades and membership types are encouraged to play.
They also proudly host a Junior teams event each year, at which the Club again runs a canteen to keep all the hungry juniors and their families well-fed.
We first asked the team what makes their Club the best in Western Australia.
“Firstly our great location in the leafy suburb (and top Christmas lights street) of Wembley, and right next door to Albert’s which is a handy watering hole after a tough match with a mate. The Racquet Shop inside caters for squash, tennis, badminton and more. We have a dedicated club room for committee meetings and weekly pennant competition suppers.
Secondly, the great people of our club are gold. They are always smiling, friendly, supportive and all there for the right reasons. We also have the best curry nights for events such as last year’s 60th anniversary celebrations; co-owner Simmo (Adam Simmons) is our go-to curry God!
Lastly, our inclusiveness – not only is everyone welcomed for all in-house and social weekly events, but also when there are tournaments throughout the year where travel is involved; our members band together to coordinate travel and accommodation, and share expenses and experiences. It’s such great fun to go to tournaments as a group, as far as Esperance or Katanning or even the FeNaClNG Squash Tournament hosted by Dampier Squash Club. Inclusivity is the practice of creating great squash opportunities for a broad range of users and their varied squash abilities – which is demonstrated in all aspects of how we invite in and retain our club members.”
..and what does a week in the life of Cambridge Squash Club look like? Well, there are all levels of involvement for Cambridge members, from social hits to pennants to juniors!
“Every Monday and Tuesday we have Cambridge members that play in the Squash WA Pennant competition, with 32 members currently playing this month. Pennant players are issued with the must-have signature blue club shirt. Every Wednesday night and Saturday morning we conduct a social squash hit. This is very inclusive for players of all levels and to whoever shows up, whether a club member or a visitor. There is a popular Thursday night in-house social competition, based on 20 minutes of continuous play. Participants play in teams of four. It’s all not too serious, but we always see good competitive games here. The bonus is to have Dean Williams running this competition! Friday nights is our junior training night which is run by Audrey, James, and Amos. We have usually 25 to 30 children and youths, and are always looking to encourage more to join in on the fun and coaching.”
We asked who the MVPs are at Cambridge Squash Club.
“Our committee includes Life Members Dave (Secretary) and Audrey, as well as Michelle, Sue, Jamie, Barb (Club Captain), James (President) and Mason (Treasurer). Audrey, Dave and James have been nominated for the Squash WA Volunteer of the Year award. Tim Cowell also does a wonderful job running the Friday afternoon junior program, assisted by Audrey, James and Amos Bruce.
But our biggest star member is Dean Williams. Dean was one of the leading players in the game in the late-1970s and 1980s, reaching a career–high world ranking of World No. 3 in 1984. He has been a long standing member of Cambridge Squash Club for more than 20 years. Dean brings his experience, welcoming smile and sense of humour to our Thursday night in-house competition. We feel very honoured to have him at the courts with us each week.”
Finally, we asked the crew what they wanted people to know about their Club.
“Our committee is so awesome! All roles are full, however we could do with some young blood, and so encourage our 20 to 35 year olds to not be shy and put their hand up at our next AGM which is at 12:30pm on Saturday 13 May. We are especially looking for helpers on Friday night afternoons to help out with junior coaching, where there is always room for more mentors to bring our rising stars up the ranks.”
Thanks so much for chatting with us crew, and keep up all the amazing work you do!!
Special shoutout to the sponsors of Cambridge Squash Club, Gow Property (https://gowproperty.com.au/), Mark from Balcatta Glass (https://www.balcattaglass.com.au/), Mason from Hawthorn Civil and Mining (https://hawthorncs.com.au/), Gareth from Egmont Electrical (https://egmontelectrical.com.au/), Charlie from Flinders Financial (https://www.flindersfinancial.com.au/) and Alex from KR Surveys (https://krsurveys.com.au/).
Volunteers are an integral part of any sport and recreation organisations. These workshops aim to support participants to improve their ability to recruit, manage, retain and reward volunteers within their organisation.
“Occasionally in the off-season, we run a mixed doubles competition. Our last doubles competition saw players dress up for the finals.”
Unfortunately, they are facing the prospect of the courts being demolished to make way for a caravan park. While they are fighting hard to keep their club and maintain their unique facilities, any support they can garner from our wider squash community would be very warmly welcomed. So if you love their club, courts and FeNaClNg Tournament as much as we do, please put pen to paper and provide them with a letter of support from your own club to help them with their cause.
When asked who their MVPs are, they simply couldn’t narrow it down and exclaimed, “everyone is awesome!” Awww! 
