We are very pleased to confirm England Squash have now advised all clubs that full play can resume from today. No bubbles and no modified rules are required.  Full best of 5, normal scoring.

Nonetheless, for obvious reasons, hygiene and wayfinding protocols must remain front of mind for everyone, so we can all feel confident that we are playing in a Covid-secure environment and none of us are ‘letting the side down’ by taking liberties.

Here is the detailed guidance from England Squash https://englandsquash.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a958dc3a23ebb480978b509e3&id=8baa0d650e&e=dfdd2208f1

No new protocols are being introduced - it’s a continuation of the ‘hands, face, space’ good practices that we were doing at the club last time around.  But, as it’s been nearly 6 months since most of us played, the following is a reminder of the key points:

Playing protocols

1. Book your court in advance - the touchscreen kiosk booking machine in the clubhouse is unavailable.
2. Wear a face mask on entering and leaving the clubhouse.
3. Sign in when entering the club so that we have a register of who has been to the club.
4. No more than 6 people in the changing room at any one time.
5. Take your squash bag and clothes to the court rather than leave them in the changing room - to leave the changing room clear for others.
6. When the bar is open, the folding screen between the lounge and court 2 will be kept closed - enter and leave the courts through the squash corridor.
7. Bring a water bottle - don’t use the communal water fountain.
8. Use the hand sanitiser provided before and after playing.
9. Use the sanitiser wipes provided on the court door handle before playing.
10. Take a towel onto court - no wiping of hands on the court walls.
11. Use the sanitiser wipes on your ball and racket grip after playing.
12. If you’re staying for a drink in the lounge afterwards, please shower and change - no sweaty people and kit indoors.
13. Payment for food and drink is contactless.
14. Treat the club and each other with the safety measures that we all expect - no weak links.
15. The court booking times are staggered at 10 minute intervals to avoid congestion in the squash corridor and changing rooms.
16. The intermission time between court bookings will remain in place for the time being.  It is frustrating because it prevents use of the fob points in the corridor to add a bit more time to a booking, and it leads to quite a lot of ‘dead time’ for courts either side of block bookings for organised group sessions.  But it remains recommended by England Squash.  It is on our radar for review.

We’re back!  Take it easy to start with!

P.S. don’t forget the Club Open Day on Sunday 6th June.  See if family or friends want to come down and give squash or squash57 (or tennis) a go.

Squash & Squash57 Committee

(John Shaw, Mark Shattock, Adam Fuller, Gill Trimmer, Rob Harbron)