The pursuit of the coveted Golden Balls trophy commenced on Wednesday 26 July, as the Annual Squash Interclub event kicked off at the Royal Sydney Golf Club. Three clubs, namely Royal Sydney Golf Club, Tattersalls Club, and Killara Golf Club, brought forth four enthusiastic players of mixed abilities each. The format involved playing two 20-minute matches in a handicap system: one match against the opponent from each of the other two teams. The player with the most points at the end of the 20 minutes, post handicap adjustment, would claim victory.

Tattersalls Squash Captain George, acting as the Handicapper, finally seemed to have hit the mark after many previous attempts at determining the handicaps. Most matches concluded with only a 5-point margin or less, suggesting that the handicapper’s efforts had yielded promising results.

Tattersalls took pride in Aleks Krajcer, who secured victories in both his matches against higher-ranked opponents, even without the aid of the handicap. Additionally, Ben Griffiths and William Yeo showcased their continuous improvement and triumphed in their respective matches, possibly owing to Michelle Martin’s coaching.

However, the night’s low point was the performance of Skipper George. He failed to control the generous handicap starts given to his opponents, possibly due to overestimating his own squash abilities or the effects of his recent leisure time at Munich beer gardens.

The final results for the night were as follows:

Royal Sydney: 7 wins / 1 loss
Tattersalls: 4 wins / 4 losses
Killara: 1 win / 7 losses

As always, the post-squash celebrations were the highlight of the evening. Royal Sydney players graciously hosted the gathering and presented a delightful spread. The celebrations reminded everyone of the famous squash quote, “the best part of squash is the hot shower and cold beer after the match,” which rang especially true at Royal Sydney. The enthusiasm for Interclub was so infectious that there were talks of having two teams from each club next year, though the idea might be reconsidered once mid-season injuries begin to accumulate.

The next round of interclub action is scheduled for Tuesday, October 24, at the University & School’s Club, where defending champions Uni & Schools will play host to Tattersalls and Royal Sydney.

If you would like to be part of the Squash Team, please email athletic@tattersallsclub.org