Players flock to court

STILL HITTING IT... GV Squash Club president, Christian Lecompte, with junior player, Haley Gorringe, 16. The Shepparton Squash Centre has seen a resurgence in player numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Struan Jones.
STILL HITTING IT… GV Squash Club president, Christian Lecompte, with junior player, Haley Gorringe, 16. The Shepparton Squash Centre has seen a resurgence in player numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Struan Jones.

WITH several big-ticket senior sport competitions abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some other, less mainstream sports have seen an uptick in interest.

Golf is one game experiencing a reawakening, and squash, that quirky, noisy game played behind closed doors in high-ceilinged sheds, is another.

President of the Goulburn Valley Squash Club, Christian Lecompte, said the club has attracted more members as a result of the pandemic.

While its winter competition has been pushed back to spring and its annual international tournament cancelled, it hasn’t deterred dozens of members getting on court every week.

“We’ve got more people coming down who can’t play other sports,” Christian said.

Christian, who has been playing squash for 40 years since starting as a teenager, said whenever he’s travelled abroad, he’s taken his squash racquet and found courts to play, from New Guinea to London.

“We now play a lot of racquetball through winter, preferring to play squash in the spring and summer when the conditions are warmer and the rubber ball performs better,” he said.

“It’s a great sport. It’s indoors, so you can play day or night, wet or dry. People have probably had enough of Netflix and are coming down with friends to play.”

The Shepparton Squash Centre, located at 83 Archer Street, is open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday morning, and can be contacted on (03) 5821 5050.