Deeside Squash and Racquetball Club

Electricity/Finances

2012-01-11T02:16:00.000-08:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

The latest quarterly bill for electricity up to Xmas has been received from Findrack Estate:

As usual, their arithmetic is slightly suspect as is the lack of consistency of the rate charged, but it's only buttons and it's in our favour again, so I'm just going to pay it.

The mount consumed in the last quarter was 10% lower than the same time last year, and the overall cost is just over £1 per day, which is certainly the cheapest squash we have ever had, or likely to have - by a long way!

Once I've paid this, I will have funds in hand of £203 and, if we're lucky and no other costs are incurred, this will last us up until about June this year, after which I'll need to make another cash call if we are to continue to use the facility.

With user numbers diminishing, the chances are that we will only have about 8 contributing to our costs going forward, and with electricity costs likely to be rising to about £500 p.a., this will mean about £60 per head. This would, however, be the first cash call for 2 years - effectively this season has been a free one.

Councillor's letter

2011-12-09T01:20:00.001-08:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

This week's Piper contains a letter from local Councillor, Jill Webster, in defence of her decision to support the application to approve the development at Inchmarlo. It's worth reading - and she obviously believes that all the peripheral ventures - including squash courts - will go ahead as planned.

Time will tell, of course, but if it does happen, here's hoping it won't take anywhere near as long as the planned multi-sports complex at Hill of Banchory, which, after 15 years or so of waiting, still shows no signs of coming to fruition. The older members of the squash club (i.e. all of us!) will recall that it was Jamie Burnett's approach to our then captain, Ian Dring, in the mid-1990's about the possibility of us moving to H.o.B., and the lack of action that then followed, that led to RS-M eventually resorting to litigation to get us out so that she could get the plans to build flats on our courts moving.

Behind the scenes there have been a few developments recently. Richard Simcox has been in regular contact with Colin Wilson concerning the squash courts at Inchmarlo and they seem keen to go ahead now that planning permission has been granted. In parallel, there has been a little movement in the KGV project - Ken Black attended a recent update meeting and they are now apparently making progress - although it has to be remembered that the original title of this project was KGV 2000! Our strategy is to try to encourage both of them and hope that, sooner or later, we will get courts to play on in Banchory again.

Here's Jill Webster's letter to the Piper:

(Click on to enlarge)

Inchmarlo decision

2011-11-26T08:47:00.001-08:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2531716

Outline permission given for the development.

Inchmarlo again

2011-09-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

From yesterday's P & J:

2011-09-08T03:20:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

From yesterday's P & J - might be worth watching at ASRC on 23-25 September?

Peter Nicol 38?!!!!!

Inchmarlo again

2011-09-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

From yesterday's P & J:

(Click on image to enlarge).

Inchmarlo - the next attempt

2011-07-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

From yesterday's P & J:

(Click on image to enlarge)

Full details of their application can be viewed at http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/apps/detail.asp?ref_no=APP/2011/2402. The expiry date for public comment is 18th August.

The application does refer to the inclusion of "Squash/Tennis courts" in the "New Improved Community Leisure Facilities".

Findrack electricity

2011-06-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Just received the latest electricity bill for the last quarter:

I'll pay this and that will leave £439 in the kitty, which should just about cover the electricity through to next March - always assuming no other unexpected costs arise.

Alan Fish

2011-05-11T01:01:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Another former BSRC member was the front page feature (and inside pages) in yesterday's Home supplement with the P & J:

Good luck, Alan! Long time no see!

Robert Strang-Steel

2011-04-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of Robert Strang-Steel:

http://familyannouncements.ajl.co.uk/home/view/309028/strang

Robert had been in poor health and wheelchair-bound for some time after suffering a severe stroke a few years ago. He was a stalwart of both Banchory Squash Club and ASRC and was the main driver to popularise doubles at BSRC, donating the fine trophy which bears his name, and which has prolonged the squash playing life of many of us who can no longer manage to play singles. He will be sadly missed.

The funeral is next Wednesday (27th) and is a private affair, but there follows a service of thanksgiving at Sluie at 3:30 pm and Rob Sutherland has spoken to Caroline who mentioned to him that it would be nice if some of his old squash buddies could be present. Rob will be there, but, unfortunately, it doesn't look I will be able to make it due to prior commitments, so Rob would appreciate some company if any others were available?

Findrack

2011-04-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Here's a copy of the latest electricity bill for Findrack for the last quarter:

It amounts to £109 (including VAT) and is fractionally less than the same time last year. After paying this bill there will be £541 left in the club kitty.

The severe winters we’ve had over the last couple of years have led to DSRC’s Grampian League matches having to be moved to alternative locations, and I understand that a few of the team members have now joined Kippie. This initially put a doubt in my mind as to the future viability of Findrack, were a few of the existing members to choose not to play there any more.

The new method of leaving the water heater switch on all the time seems to have worked OK, and the costs of electricity are less than £400 p.a. – albeit there hasn’t been much usage of the court heaters this winter. Fifteen members paid their £50 subs this year, which, it now transpires, almost covers 2 years’ electricity costs, so with the funds remaining, and, as long as we don’t have any other bills to pay, this means there is no pressing need to call for additional funds just now.

Nonetheless, it would be useful to hear the views of those that haven’t used the facility recently as to whether they are likely to play there next season or not? I appreciate that all those who have paid their £50 are entitled to use the court, at least until we run out of funds, but it would be good to plan ahead for a time when it’s only the doubles players that are using the court.

In any event, there is probably a large enough core of doubles players (about 9 or 10) to be able to keep paying the bills for at least another season. Depending on how the costs go next year, there may be a need to ask for, say, £25 per head later on, but I would hope we could stagger through until this time next year. You never know, we might even get some new members!

Inchmarlo

2011-03-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

The full council rejected the application to develop Inchmarlo and build a new hotel and leisure facilities:

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2174036

Squash courts were to be included in this development - see end of article.

Inchmarlo vote

2011-02-17T05:48:00.000-08:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Well, the planning officers were over-ruled again - the Marr area committee voted in favour of the proposals at Inchmarlo and it'll now go to the full council for ratification. Two of our three local Banchory councillors voted against the proposals - Karen Clark (Lib Dem) and Linda Clark (SNP) - sitting side by side in the photo below - but Jill Webster (Con) voted to approve the project.

Inchmarlo

2011-02-15T04:36:00.000-08:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Today's an important day for Deeside tourism - and potentially for squash too. The local Marr area committee are meeting to decide on whether to recommend approval to the main council next month of the plans that have been lodged in respect of Inchmarlo Golf Club for a hotel, houses and leisure project.

The council officers have recommended refusal - but then again, their recommendation for acceptance of the development plans at the Tor-na-Coille was thankfully overturned by the councillors. It'll be interesting to see how this one gets along - there are issues with transport infrastructure etc.

The development represents what is probably the last, lingering hope of new squash courts in Banchory in our lifetimes. Whilst the current plans do not contain specific proposals for squash courts, the nature of the leisure development will facilitate their provision. Richard Simcox has had discussions with Colin Wilson on this matter and Richard feels confident that courts will be included should the proposed development get approved.

For those that missed the front and inside pages of yesterday's P & J, here's the articles (click on to enlarge):

Shona Marshall

2010-10-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Shona was a stalwart of the club for a number of years, but she then moved out to farm near Alford and took up shooting - very succcessfully too - a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games - check http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1958786 - and a column in the P & J.

This old photo of her was shown at our 25th anniversary dinner at Banchory Lodge back in 2004:

Well done, Shona!

Findrack

2010-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

The bodge team of Stewart and Salter tried to put the shower door back on last night after squash. The operation was half successful - the door is on again but we didn't fit it properly - it's not attached to the side, so it needs to be used with care for the time being.

Stewart, Salter and Corbett are playing doubles again tomorrow (Monday) and we're looking for at least one more to join us. We plan to start at 4:00 pm - please let us know if you can make it.

1988 Pentathlon

2010-09-02T03:35:00.001-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Here's the photo from the 1988 Pentathlon, referred to in earlier e-mails from myself and Bill Whyman:

If you view this from the blog (address above) as opposed to the shorter e-mail version, you can click on the photo and enlarge it - and perhaps help identify some of the faces.

P & J re Inchmarlo

2010-08-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

For those that didn't see yesterday's P & J, there were front and inside pages on the planning application for Inchmarlo - no mention of squash courts, however:

Latest news

2010-07-22T04:43:00.001-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

The latest electricity invoice has just been received from Findrack:

No surprises - much as expected, and similar to the same time last year. I know hardly anyone has played in this period, but the cost is only 46p per day, which is a very small price to pay to have open access to the facility.

I'll pay this bill and this will leave £792 in the kitty to cover costs for season 2010-11. This should just about be enough to meet our electricity costs, but, if there are any other costs - repairs etc - there may have to be a separate cash call.

This will be the 3rd season I've been acting as treasurer for the as yet non-existent DSRC. I had originally hoped that, by now, we would have a proper club up and running and there would have been some progress on new courts, but, as everyone knows, plans have been thwarted. I am happy to continue in my unofficial role for the time being, but it would be appropriate for me to again display the revenue and expenditure to date:

Subs - 2008/09 - £790
Subs - 2009/10 - £870
Subs - 2010/11 - £650 (to date) *
Additional one-of collection for Andrew's excess fuel costs - £420
Total revenue collected to date = £2,730

Expenditure so far has been:

Electricity - 2008/09 - £629
Electricity - 2009/10 - £403
Plumber - 2009/10 - £362
One-of contribution for Andrew's prior excess costs - £500
Electricity - 2010/11 - £44
Total expenditure to date = £1,938

* Subs collected to date for the 2010/11 season have come from:

Ken Black
Keith Gray
Malcolm Grigor
Gordon Moir
Hugh Riches
Harry Salter
Ian Stewart
Rob Sutherland
Dick Taylor
Keith Thomson
Bill Whyman
Dave Williamson
Neil Young

Additionally, Richard Simcox will be contributing, but he has been travelling so much recently and I haven't managed to catch up with him yet. I am hopeful too that both Jas Bhagrath, who has now recovered from his hip replacement, and Dan Corbett, who has returned to live in Banchory, will be joining us for regular doubles squash and will make the appropriate contributions in due course.

Lastly, I still have not been up to fix the new parts for the shower door, but I'll get round to it eventually!

Squash courts update

2010-06-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

I haven't been up to Findrack yet to fit the shower parts, but hope to do so some time in the next month. If anyone else is planning to go up there before then, please let me know and I'll pass the parts on to them - it's a fairly simple fix I think. Andrew has put the shower door in the "cottage".

Regarding future plans to try and get new courts back in Banchory, many of the golfers will already know that we approached the Golf Club recently to follow up on the very kind offer we received from the then Captain, Jim Christie, 3 years ago:

(this can be expanded if you go to the blog and click on the image).

We didn't have all the funding then, but Richard resolved that issue a few months ago by very generously offering to fund the entire project, so we went back to the golf club a couple of months ago and were given an opportunity to present our initial case to a very abbreviated golf club committee. Malcolm Grigor and I were there, along with Gary Grant (who, very generously, had given his time free to prepare the drawings to put 2 courts up) and Ken Black, who made our pitch along the following lines:

A bit of history….
- squash has been played in the Banchory area for more than 30 years
- latterly the club had a membership of around 60 with an active Junior section, although in the heyday of squash membership had exceeded 200
- the well-being of the club was adversely affected by the location and the poor relations with the landlord, which ultimately led to eviction of the club from the premises and the demolition of the courts
- in the last 2 years, around 20 players have continued to play using access to private courts in the area

Going forward…- there is a strong desire amongst the current players to rebuild a thriving squash club in the Deeside area and this is the stated aim of our sponsor
- the nearest competing courts are at Milltimber (Kippie Lodge) and Westhill (Peter Nicol Centre)
- we believe there is an appetite for the sport in the Banchory area, provided the facilities are well located and of a good standard
- we are confident of achieving a membership of 100+ players including a strong and resurgent junior section
- we have a sponsor for the capital costs and are looking for an optimal location

Why the golf club….- we were given an invitation to consider the golf club as a location
- squash is a very complimentary sport to golf, being predominantly a winter sport
- there are many sportsmen and women who enjoy both golf and squash
- there are existing car-parking and changing facilities which are under-used during the winter months
- a very central location which would make it easier to attract members
- excellent facilities, car parking, changing and of course the bar area

What benefits are there for the golf club…- expect some membership growth through cross-over sports people
- encourage more youth development with a broader offering
- increase turnover at the bar from squash members and entertaining visiting teams (meals included)
- extra space for summer activities (eg golf pilates, indoor nets…)

What about the costs….- the squash club will cover all of the capital costs and the running costs for the new squash courts
- there will be no additional burden on the golf club

We fully expected to get a second hearing at which time we could go in to more detail and answer some of the more obvious fears that the golf club might have. Unfortunately, we were not given that opportunity and were bombed out at the first hurdle, without even addressing the whole committee. I can't help feeling that we would have fared a little better if Jim Christie had still been Captain and Bill Crighton Secretary.

Anyway, no point in crying about it now - I'm only trying to bring everyone up to speed on this issue.

Since then, Richard has made contact with Colin Wilson, new (part) owner of the Inchmarlo golf complex, where they are preparing a planning application to build a hotel and more houses. We haven't yet had a face to face meeting with him, as both he and Richard have been away a lot, but Richard spoke to him again this week and this was his summary of the conversation:

"Just had a good chat with Colin. He seems to be very busy at the moment. Would like to meet up but realistically it would be the end of the month. I said I’m away then and not back until the end of August. The main Council Planning meeting is in September so we might as well wait until after that when they’ll know if they’re going ahead or not. He’s happy to have a chat with us in the meantime; so call him at the end of the month if you feel so inclined. The Laird is objecting to him putting any other sports facility in at Inchmarlo saying that the lease was for golf only, not squash or tennis. If Colin gets the go-ahead in Sept. it won’t matter though. He’s dead keen to put up a couple of squash courts saying they’ll bring a lot more people up to the centre; he thinks that with golf alone the thing won’t fly. So it’s a great opportunity for revitalizing squash in Banchory, and we won’t have to pay for it ! Realises you can use the courts for racketball too, and the space can be used (esp. during the summer) for yoga, aerobics etc."

Note Laird's comments - what a cheek! After 15 years or more of nothing happening at Hill of Banchory, he's now going to object to the potential competition doing something!

Shower door repair

2010-05-24T06:28:00.001-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Here's the broken parts that Andrew has been trying to source replacements for - and failed:

The only document with a reference number he could find on the shower was:

and his correspondence with them yielded no results:

These images can be enlarged when viewed directly from the blog.

Any assistance appreciated.

Findrack repairs

2010-05-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

I have picked up the broken shower parts from Andrew - all I need is help now on finding replacement parts to save us having to buy a whole new shower door. Any assistance greatly appreciated.

Findrack

2010-05-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

From http://deesidesquashracquetballclub.blogspot.com/

Has anyone used the court yet since it was repaired?

Xmas night out at the Milton

2009-12-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

It may have been a bit snowy, but we all made it safely along to the Milton last night for our Xmas dinner - eventually. Last to arrive was Dick, greeted by a fanfare of hooters from the hungry throng.

There had been some e-mailed correspondence on whether to have party hats and crackers or not, but, in the end I made an executive decision that we should have them. Obviously, the hats weren't tailor made - some heads were too big for them - or was it that Harry just didn't want to wear his? Oh, go on, Harry, enjoy yourself and smile for the camera:

That's better!

Keith was a bit suspicious of his hat, as Jo looked on wondering whether she had to put hers on too:

Eventually, she did:

Are Annette and I wearing matching hats?:

Some of the hats were vaguely oriental looking. Here's Jack auditioning for his part in the Christmas panto as Widow Twanky:

Dan was engaged in earnest conversation with Eileen and Linda:

Gordon was a rebellious non hat wearer, but Doris was happy to pose with hers on:

That's better, Gordon!

Jackie dons her glasses as Hugh and Les are in deep discussion/debate:

Finally, Hugh realised he couldn't ignore his wife for much longer:

Richard and Fiona:

What's Angela saying here?:

Archie looks pleased with his new hip - note crutches on table:

Mary and Gail were celebrating with champagne at the end of the evening:

Thanks to all for coming along - and apologies for those whose photos I didn't manage to get.

Rubble

2009-09-02T01:40:00.000-07:00

The sad site on Wednesday 2nd September:

30 years of memories and good friends made - now just a pile of rubble.

Deeside Piper 10th April, 2009

2009-04-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this week's Piper (http://www.deesidepiper.co.uk/sport/Banchory-clinches-cup.5152365.jp) featuring the following photo and article:

Squash

Banchory clinches the cup

The Banchory squash team lifted the Grampian Squash Division Four Team Knockout trophy by beating league champions Shell in a nail-biting final.

The team currently has no home court after losing access to the courts they previously used at Tor-na-Coille Hotel last year.However a handful of Banchory squash players persevered to maintain a presence in the Grampian Squash Leagues and found an alternative squash court for their home matches.The season drew to a close last Friday (April 3) with the team knockout trophy with Banchory edging past Garioch in the quarter-finals before recording a convincing win over ASRC Raeburn in the semi-finals to earn a place against Shell in the final.

An early lead built by number five Mark Everard was worn away in a tough fourth string match between Michael Boyne and Shell's Andrew Forbes.At third, Banchory's Gary Small was up against Robbie Patterson, the division's individual champion. A stalwart performance by Gary prevented Shell running away with the match as he pulled the score back against Robbie's substantial lead so that Banchory were only five points behind going into the second string match.Neil Young faced Shell's Graham Cowie next having lost to the Shell player in both of their previous league encounters. However, a determined effort by Neil allowed him to control the match and take an unexpected 26-13 win, giving Banchory an eight-point margin going into the final tie.

At number one, Keith Thomson faced Shell's Glenn Western, whom he had lost to in their previous league meeting. Glenn did manage to take a threatening lead but a typically strong performance from Keith allowed him to prevail and win by one point to give Banchory an overall 96-87 victory.In addition to the cup, Banchory have enjoyed a successful season in the league.

After a shaky start the team found themselves in fifth place at the midway point but settled down in the second half to pick up a few strong wins to finish third overall.Neil Young said: "The squash team would like to express their special thanks to Andrew Salvesen for the use of his Findrack court. By letting the squash team invade his home every other week for league matches, he has allowed competitive squash to survive and flourish in the area."The team would also like to say thank you to Jamie Burnett for the use of his Crathes court for practice and training. Hopefully, in the longer term, the Banchory squash team will establish a more permanent home in the proposed Hill of Banchory sports centre that is currently under discussion."

Any squash players interested in playing competitively should contact Neil Young on (01330) 824350.

Roxanne's latest rant

2009-03-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

The Piper not only featured Roxanne's latest rant against the local councillors - her revenge, it seems, for getting her planning permission turned down - on page one, but also page 2 - and they printed her letter in full in the letters page as well:

RS-M obviously still has friends at the Piper.

Hell hath no fury etc.......

Snowed in at Findrack

2009-02-08T04:50:00.000-08:00

The weather didn't deter Richard, Keith, Malcolm and I yesterday and we fought our way through the deep snow to Findrack to play doubles. I was driving Jo's car and couldn't get it all the way up the hill so had to walk the last 100 yards. It snowed again when we were playing and this was Keith's car when we came out:

and Malcolm's:

I had to be rescued by the others as the car wouldn't move but a combination of Malcolm's shovel and a push from Richard and Keith got me going again.

Who says the enthusiasm for squash is diminishing?

Findrack doubles video

2008-09-29T00:49:00.000-07:00

Some "action" from Saturday's doubles:

More doubles action - 27 Sep

2008-09-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

Two new faces played at Findrack on Saturday - the return of Dave W and Dan C's first appearance on court for a number of years:

Findrack videos

2008-09-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here's the tour of the facilities:

;

and some "live" doubles action

Findrack

2008-09-12T01:25:00.000-07:00

Up the long driveway at Findrack, take the driveway that leads directly behind the white house and head up to the cottage/stable block. This is what you should then see:

The entrance to the courts is through the door that is open above - not through the porch on the left, which takes you in to one of the cottage bedrooms, currently occupied by one of his (foreign) estate workers.

You enter at viewing gallery level. The WC, showers (2) and (very) small changing room are on the right of the corridor as you go in, and the hot water switch is on the left opposite the showers - please remember to switch off after use.

Up a mini-ramp towards the viewing gallery and the 4 switches for the court heaters are on your right. Because there were 5 of us playing, Malcolm and Rob (Sutherland - remember him?) chose to change on the viewing gallery:

The view of the court from the gallery:

and the view up towards the gallery from the court, with Harry and Malcolm looking down on Rob below:

Richard warms up with Harry:

Richard and Harry play Rob and Malcolm:

Video to follow.