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Duffield Squash and Racket Club Duffield Squash and Racket Club D Duffield Squash and Racket Club, which is centred in the rural village of Duffield, Derbyshire has come a long way in the 78 years since it was formed in 1937. Starting with a single court plus a wooden pavilion housing a changing room, boiler and a single shower, we now have on offer a large brick built clubhouse with five courts, up-to-date changing rooms for ladies and gents, saunas, and a modern gym. In addition, the clubhouse caters for the important time when players have finished their game and want to relax. Upstairs we have a large lounge and meeting area, which has a well stocked bar and two TVs’ to watch a range of mainstream, or BT Sports channels. Next to the bar is a kitchen for preparing and serving light meals. The club has not survived and thrived for so long by pure chance. It has built up an enviable reputation over the years together with the even older tennis club with which we share the site and clubhouse. We are one of only 13 squash clubs in the country to have been awarded the coveted Gold Standard status by the ESRA. To meet their exacting standards we not only have to have good facilities but also offer coaching programmes to suit all ability levels and a youth development programme plus competitive leagues, both internal and external, which can stretch even the most able of players. On the competitive side we have for many years not only been prominent in the Derbyshire Leagues, with teams competing in both winter and summer Squash Leagues, but we are also one of only a handful of clubs which have competed in the national Premier Squash League (PSL) since it’s inception. This is a league for top professional squash players and we have been lucky enough to attract some of the best players in the world to play for us. Our current team includes Nick Mathews and Laura Massaro, who have been in the top three world rankings for some years. These and other world-class players have helped us win the PSL Trophy on several occasions including this year. One of the other key points in the Clubs success is the administration side. We have no full time staff running the Club, but www.sportip.biz 55