Sports Minister On the Ball as She Tries Squash by Alan Thatcher
photos courtesy Bryan Lintott
Janaury 28, 2014 - Sports Minister Helen Grant looked on the ball as she got on court during her visit to The Mote Squash Club’s Open Day.
The Maidstone and
Weald MP showed plenty of skill as she enjoyed a fun game with Mote’s
England junior international James Evans after borrowing a racket.
When faced the choice of a blue or red one, she diplomatically stated: “I’d better choose the blue one.”
She was impressed by
the club’s ambitious development plans, which include a possible
all-glass show-court where events like the world-ranking Kent Open,
hosted by the club for the past five years, can accommodate more
spectators.
The Minister said: “I
was delighted to be able to visit Mote Squash Club and meet with some
of their members. They really are a great group of people, and having a
club like this in Maidstone can only be of substantial benefit for the
local community.
“Squash is a wonderful
sport and a great way to keep active, and I would heartily recommend
that anyone interested should come down to the club and give it a go.”
Mrs Grant revealed she
had played squash at school as she chatted to chairman Dave Verga and
several of the club’s junior members.
Mr Verga said he hoped
that Mrs Grant’s visit to the club (especially in her role as Minister
of Sport) would raise interest in squash, which does not receive the
same amount of attention as other high-profile sports.
He added: “The junior
members of the club were especially delighted to meet her. She had
obviously played squash before and we would be delighted to see her
back at the club in the future, especially during the Kent Open.”
The Open Day offered
free squash and racketball coaching all day, plus on-court fitness
sessions such as Squashercise, and attracted several new members.
