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Colets Health and Fitness Squash
 No,
I didn’t defect… I just needed a swimming-pool…. You know that for a few
years, I was a happy member of Wimbledon Fitness and Racquet Club. But
when I kindly asked them to drown two of the Badminton courts to transform
them into a swimming pool, the only sporting activity my knee allows me to
perform, they simply refused… Imagine that…
Sadly, I had to find another club. As I had been several times to Colets
while following the Surrey Cup, I immediately thought about that beautiful
club to get fit again… And it worked beautifully thank you. Thanks to Joe
Shaw’s mental tips and support, and Colets' gym, classes and gorgeous
swimming-pool, I have now lost a stone, and still working hard to lose
another…
The staff is smiling, efficient and extremely professional. Need I say
anything on Jordan, more passionate about squash will be hard to
find, and Dave Peck, who lives, breathes, “nightmares”, smiles
squash…
And I’m not the only one who enjoys the place… Martin Bronstein,
who needs no introduction, has been a member for years… Need I say
more?????
Framboise
Colets thirst for squash
is unquenchable ...
The club regularly produces 5
men's winter league teams, 3 ladies teams, 3 vets teams, 1 vintage team, 2
junior teams, 4 men's summer league and 3 ladies summer league teams. On
top of that the club has 35 internal leagues with many hundreds of players
playing regularly on six well maintained courts.
 There are squash mornings
twice a week with over twenty attending as the norm, and if you add the
regular club nights, 60 regular juniors at squash coaching sessions,
internal tournaments and over 40 plus adult coaching sessions PER WEEK,
you can see why Colets feels investing £60,000 on court refurbishment in
the last two years was money well spent.
World Class Squash at Colets
In world squash there can be very few clubs to match Colets consistent
achievements. Colets was formed 28 years ago, but it is in the last ten
seasons, and under the guidance of Squash Director David Peck, that Colets
has reached and maintained an incredibly high standard - and all on a
tight budget too! Excellent organization and team spirit has forged Colets
outstanding domestic and international reputation. The fact that Michelle
Martin used Colets as her UK base during her all conquering years often
training with David, is a testimony to that.
National Success Story
 In that time Colets has been
seven times
champion club of
Surrey - a very
strong squash county - twice runners-up and third once. In the English
National Knockout - the premier knockout competition for English squash
clubs, Colets have been finalists on no less than eleven occasions -
winning six coveted national squash club knockout champions titles and
finishing runners up five times in the process.
Colets has also harvested
trophies at over 35's National championships and at Junior level it has Charles Sharpes, the number one English ranked player at under 13's - who
has been playing at the club since he was five and who is an outstanding
prospect for the future, amongst a talented group of boys and girls at
under ten level already playing well at County level.
European Glory
 The
European club championships honours are similarly impressive with six
participations ( the national knockout winners get automatic qualification
to the euro championships) and Colets have managed to reach the final four
times, winning once in 1998 and runners up thrice with two quarter final
placings. During this period Colets has set a phenomenal record of only
ever having lost one game in the entire tournament during over 40
competitive matches against the champions of France, Austria, Switzerland,
Finland, Germany, Denmark, Scotland, Sweden and so on.
For the
statisticians out there it was in Helsinki in 1995 and since then the
worst result Colets has experienced is to draw 2-2 in what is a four man,
four rubbers tournament format. And if you are still wondering how it is
that Colets has not won all these European tournaments with such a record
- well it is down to the miracles of the dreaded games / points
"COUNTBACK".
Colet’s men’s team qualified to represent England in the 17th European
Club Championships in Linz, Austria, by virtue of our victory in the English National
Knockout earlier this season.
Colets were harshly seeded at four due to
the idiosyncrasies of the rating system and although Paderborner, the
German Champions and current title holders were considered favourites and
first seeds, experienced commentators felt we would be making a strong bid
for the title ... Full story |
 The team composition has varied throughout the years but mainstays of the
team have been players such as Mark Cairns(ex WR top 10), Scott
Handley(English top 15), Danny Meddings( ex WR top 10) , Lee Drew(WR 52),
Chris Clare (ex WR top 40), Clive Ewins ( ex WR top 80), Alan Thomson( ex
Captain of Scotland, Greg Pearman( England international over 35),
Dave
Clarke (ex services no.1) and Peter Gunter(Surrey over 35 no.1).
Notable
alumni of the squad over the years include Paul Gregory(ex WR top 10),
Thierry Lincou(WR 3), Ben Ford (ex WR top 50) and of course
David Peck
himself, with new signings for the coming season including Alex Gough(WR
23) and Paul Davis (WR 120) .
Join the Club
The club has always been a social one with players and supporters alike
always keen to make friends wherever we are, so if you know Colets are
around - make a point of dropping in and having some fun with us!
Giordano Orsini
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“The club has always been a social one with players and supporters alike
always keen to make friends wherever we are, so if you know Colets are
around - make a point of dropping in and having some fun with us! ”
Giordano Orsini
General Manager |
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Dave Peck
Squash
Director |
Tuesday Morning Rabble!
Tuesday morning squash club – regular attendees, Don Tate, George
Matthews, Chas Hart, Howard Wright, and Helen Faulkes. All joined Colets
over 14 years ago when their old Club, West Surrey closed down.
Average
age? 60 – but only 53 if you take George out of the equation quips Howard!
Keen Club supporter they follow the first team all over Europe, and enter
whole-heartedly into the sprit of the traditional themed Christmas party.
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Hannah Bowker
Membership Services Team
I was introduced to squash when I was about eight-
via Thames Ditton junior school which ran a squash afternoon on a sunday
for a couple of hours at
Colets- The sessions changed to a saturday after a year or two after and
various people ran the coaching until David Peck became our squash
director.
I continued to play on the squash morning where I was
introduced to playing for colets junior team which lead to playing for
Surrey. I played for Surrey during my early teens, but finished after a
couple of years as I found the atmosphere unfriendly espically when
playing matches away - the focus was on the children who were exceptional
at the sport and I was average for my age.
Squash was no longer
enjoyable - however I still continued to have private lessons with David
Peck- and still have them today.
At 16 I was asked if i would coach the
junoirs on a saturday morning and of course I accepted! I continued to
work at Colets in the childrens department with the kids camp we run
during school holidays.
At 18 I started to work in the bar and continued the saturday squash-
later that year I went off to university in Cheltenham where I studied
Leisure and Marketing Management- during my course I had to complete one
year placement in a job relative to my study.
I asked Colets if they had
anything for me and they created a role in the membership team. I
continued to play in the squash leagues that we have at the club and do
the saturday juniors.
I went back to uni and finished my final year
which ended in June this year. Back to reality again! and back to Colets-
I am currently working in the membership services team- dealing with new
and existing members.
When I'm not at work I can be found in the gym, or on the court- I'm still
having lessons with Dave, teaching on saturdays and playing in the
leagues. Although I really don't seem to be improving!!!!!
Hannah Bowker |
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