Squash will be contested for the first ever time at the island
games this July, and, after gaining success in inter-county tournaments,
Orkney players are getting ready to make their mark in Shetland.
With the squash season taking place during winter months, Orkney’s
squad have had to extend their commitments to ensure they’re
as fit and focused as possible before taking to the Lerwick courts.
This has included playing Shetland later in the year and bringing
top coaches from south to the county to assist in preparations.
Team manager Mike Stout said that the players have been more than
prepared to make the extra commitment.
Mike said: “We have extended the season, instead of playing
Shetland in February or March like normal, we played them in April.
We have continued training since the end of the season and at the
moment we are practising three-times per week which is a big commitment
for the players — one they’re responding to. They have
reacted really well and their determination is impressive.
“We have had a long season and it is now that players are
going to have to be committed to putting the work in.
“We have been doing a mixture of squash practice and circuit
training, this is really helpful as physical fitness is crucial
in sport.”
The team’s commitment has become a noticeable feature in this
squad’s preparations. Like manager Mike, team captain, Mick
Swanney, is impressed by the effort that has been made.
Mick said: “I have to take my hat off to everyone who is in
the squad — we’re all doing the best we can. Training
three times a week is such a great commitment but everyone seems
to be totally into it and we are making a collective and united
effort to do the best we can in Shetland.
“Squash may not be included in the island games for a long
time, we are totally aware of this and that is why we want to get
out there and do the best we can.”
The team’s ambitions have been demonstrated clearly in the
coaches who have come to Orkney to assist in the preparations. Notably,
Pat Nicol, from Aberdeen, father and coach of former world number
one, Peter Nicol, came to Orkney in February to offer some pointers.
It may be financially absorbing to bring coaches up from south,
but according to Mike, grant schemes have enabled the squad to benefit
from this expert tuition.
Mike said: “So far we have had two coaches come up from south,
Pat Nicol has been as well as Robin Hamill, from Inverness, who
came up to Orkney twice. Unfortunately it costs a lot to bring coaches
up but thankfully we have benefited from grants.
“NatWest, the games’‚ sponsors provided us with
a grant which allowed us to bring Pat Nicol to Orkney. The coaching
we have received has made a big difference so it is good that such
financial benefits are available.
“Local sponsors have also been great. Sutherland’s the
pharmacy generously sponsored our team strips, which are really
good, and very much appreciated.”
It’s on the court that matters though, and more encouragingly
Orkney have racked up some top performances so far. Victorious displays
at inter-county level have boosted the squad who are now raring
to go.
A convincing 11-5 victory against Caithness earlier in the season
was followed up by a win over Shetland last month. The 7-2 victory
over Shetland, which was proof of the team’s spirit, was excellent
preparation for the squad.
Mike acknowledged his side’s encouraging performance saying
it has helped to build team morale.
“We did really well in the inter-county competitions, beating
Caithness and then Shetland later on. We are in fairly good shape
but the island games competition will be a much harder tournament.”
Orkney will, however, need to be at their best, and a whole lot
more, to compete with the cream of the island games talent. Squash
may be a bit of an unknown quantity in the island games, but Mike
is under no illusions and is well aware of the challenges that lie
ahead in Lerwick.
He said: “There will be some really top players at the island
games. We understand that the likes of Guernsey and Jersey have
great players, we haven’t been to an island games before so
obviously it is difficult to know what we will be up against. We
are, however, well aware that there will be some quality players
to compete against.
“There are a lot of islands roughly the same size as us so
we will need to see how things unfold. It is far too difficult to
say if we have any medal opportunities or not, all I can say is
that everyone is up for it and working really hard to do as well
as we can for Orkney.”
Equally, Mick didn’t want to predict any medal success, but,
rather said it would be a joy to represent Orkney.
He said: “It is impossible to talk about medals and so forth
because we realistically have no idea what we are up against. Going
back to the effort that everyone has made, it is brilliant, that’s
all we can ask for.
“We’re going to represent Orkney, which is a massive
privilege, that is what’ll spur us on.”
Only three women were available to represent Orkney at the island
games. The selection process for the men, however, was not as straightforward.
After play-off matches, Shawn Tait secured the fifth and final place.
Orkney have quality singles players who have been proving themselves
on the inter-county stage, with youngster Adam Bews also doing the
business at national level.
As well as the singles and team tournament, Orkney will subsequently
contest the doubles event.
Poor facilities in the county, however, mean that the Orkney players
are practising on courts that don’t meet regulation size.
Mick said: “In Orkney we don’t actually have the facilities
to play doubles matches. At the moment, we haven’t been able
to play double matches on proper sized courts because Orkney doesn’t
have any.
“Basically, it will be a bit of a new experience when we get
to the Clickimin Centre and try to play our double matches. It would,
of course, be nice if we had facilities that would compete with
other island members, but we don’t, so it is just a case of
doing what we can.”
Good morale seems to empower this squad, however, and Mike is hopeful
that the lack of facilities won’t prove too costly in Shetland.
“All I can say is that each and every one of us is up for
it and hoping to do the best we can. We feel that we are in good
shape, we will continue our preparations and see how we do when
we’re up there.”
The main squash event at the island games will take place on the
Clickimin Leisure Complex’s three courts with additional matches
maybe being played in Aith and Brae.
The team event is scheduled to take place on the Sunday and Monday,
the singles event will be contested from the Tuesday and Wednesday,
with the doubles event taking place on the Thursday and Friday.
- Orkney’s women’s squad travelling to Shetland will
be: Betty Stanger, Barbara Balcombe, Cath Bremner.
- The men’s squad is: Adam Bews, Adam Stanger, Ian Stout,
Mick Swanney and Shawn Tait.
|
