ITL Report Oct 2025
A Mellow Yellow sun shines brightly in the first round of the 2025/26 ITL!
A record number of fifty eight club members participated in the first round of Reigate Squash Club’s Internal Team League 2025/26 season last Friday. Intrigued by a new handicap format, attracted to a delicious curry feast provided by our sponsors Giggling Squid, and tempted by a copious quantity of beer from the bar, the crowds flocked to see how the four teams would fare in the opening skirmishes. Title holders Rhythm & Blues were taking on the fearsome Green Machine, whilst wounded wooden spoons the Rediculous 5 were up against last year’s languishing Mellow Yellows.
New club member Mark Picken was part of the very first match-up of the season, but Blues veteran Sylvia van Oevern showed him the ways of the club with a straight games victory. In the big ball racket ball version, Paul McKay from the Reds defeated Yellow’s Jim May, again in straight games. Andrew Loftus, in his brand new ‘go faster’ Green shirt, defeated ‘father of the Blues’ Chris Lucas, straight games once more. And in the first handicap match of the evening, Yellow’s Freddie Jenkins had to yield two points to Richard Allum, but in a competitive match, still came out a 3-1 victor.
In a battle of the bicycle men, corporate ringer Colin Woods suffered his first ITL defeat since January 2024, as Mike Pinggera the Green elder took him out, with some considerable effort, three games to two. Sylvia, in her second match of the evening, was unable to overcome the handicap dished out by the nasty organiser, in losing to Stephen Lewis 3-2. In an all Yellow match up, tennis converts Sue Denman and Alison Newman re-acquainted themselves with internal rackets, Alison winning this one in straight games. In the ‘Battle of the Richards’, English beat Jackson in a very tight tussle 3-2; that feels like a significant result for both player and the Yellow team.
Andy Catford and Maggie May took advantage of an all Red tie and raised the stakes further with a league match, Andy winning the battle of the ‘sneaky serve and dropsters’ three games to one. Alison teamed up with returning hero ‘Mike of the South’ Parsons to inflict a racketball doubles straight games defeat on Sue and Paul. ITL newbie (yes, there are still a few of you out there, come and join us!) Jonathan Hart had a tough debut against Ruth Lewis, and despite a useful handicap was unable to prevent a straight games defeat at the hands of lady Lewis, but, don’t be fooled, this was a tight game. Tom Jenkins, back in Yellow colours after a season’s free loan to the Reds, initially forgot who he was playing for, as he dropped the first two games to the returning Red Dave Martell. But Tom pulled this one back well, winning in five.
Redhill ‘men in a hurry’ George Stoyle and Warren Glover squared up on court, with slimline Warren enjoying the generous handicap offered him, taking yet another tie for the Yellows 3-1. Another ITL debutant, Kevin Miret, enjoyed donning the Yellow shirt for the first time, as he beat Coleen Cloherty three games to one. Trevor Ladd took on Steve ‘where’s my handicap’ Cobby, winning a close match for the Yellows in five. In one of the closest matches of the evening, Charlotte Fish, welcomed back into the Green’s line up after a long injury layoff, took out a key player in Blue’s engine room, Darren Mackay, three tight games to two.
Yet another ITL debutant, finally drawn into the embrace of this wonderful event, Hywel Hughes, started brightly for the Reds, taking his very first game, but canny Alan Ellerbeck soon sorted him out. Robert Essex, after an eternal ‘all-white’ career, was liberated by his bright yellow colours, taking advantage of a slight handicap to defeat Colin Waite in straight games. Paul Phillips went into battle, quite literally, for his team, as the blood dripped onto his fortuitous red shirt, but even this was not enough, as Mark Peters took yet another tie for the Yellows, three games to one. Mike Parsons overcame a significant handicap in defeating Ed Chapman in straight games. Then we were treated to an epic match on the showcourt, as Callum Carmichael huffed and puffed and perspired, but could not quite overcome the handicap and the timing of Leah Beglan, who pulled this one out of the bag for the Blues 3-1 with some breathtaking driving play. Never mind Callum, back on court tomorrow!
Green team duo John Miles and Roger Crabb took out a Blue/Red combo of Thomas Dalton and Colin Waite in straight games on the racketball court. Peter Knee, despite a very generous handicap, was unable to quite make it over the line against ITL debutant Mike George, the latter rewarding his new Red team with a 3-2 victory in a tight match. Blue’s Jono Smith muscled his way to a rumbustious victory over Stef Loucaides 3-1. And in the quality showcase match of the evening, Alan Taffinder brushed off a not insignificant six point handicap to defeat the dripping Wayne Beglan three games to one.
Mike Parsons returned to the fray one last time, and re-found some squash fluency to take back to the Worthing 2nds by defeating John Miles in three straight handicapped games. Guy Stedman proved the true worth of the handicap ratings by maximising his court time against Simon Fredericks, taking his ‘superior’ opponent down 17-15 in the fifth. Joe Ales showed no mercy to Godfrey Jordan, taking this tie for the Blues in straight games. Gus Garcia returned the favour for the Greens by defeating his old mucker Martin Wallbank 3-1. And it was left to Reading’s finest Ollie Dredge, and Cliff ‘Dawn chorus’ Enslin, to draw this epic squash and racketball evening to a close with a tight match, Cliff securing the fifth game, and the match as a whole, for the Blues.
So Rhythm & Blues have got off to a winning start, defeating the Green Machine 30.5 points to 28. But it’s the Mellow Yellows who take the plaudits from the evening, with a storming victory over Rediculous 5, racking up 38.5 points versus 26. That’s some statement of intent from the perennial ITL under achievers, going into the second round, on Friday 21st November. You won’t want to miss that one!
