Another Fantastic Turnout for Wenty Leagues Squash Club’s Social Night 2.0

Wenty Leagues Squash Club hosted its highly anticipated Social Night 2.0 on Wednesday, 23 April 2025 at Northmead Squash Centre, attracting a strong turnout of 30 players.

The event was our 8^th Social Event overall and 5^th consecutive sell-out, despite the challenges of players away on Easter holidays and school breaks.

Structured Event Format & Handicaps

Players were each assigned a player number and matches were determined by a match grid. Player’s Sporty HQ ratings were used to determine their handicaps to ensure competitive matches across all playing standards. The event featured a "play long" rule adjustment for matches with significant rating gaps, adding a tactical layer to the night.

Each participant played three 15-minute matches and contributed by scoring and umpiring other matches. Match schedules, printed and distributed on arrival, kept everything running on time from the 7:00 PM shotgun start to the final matches and prize presentations.

Match Highlights:

• Rob Cole vs Emily Yates: Emily edged Rob by just 1 point (34–33) and overcame a 4-point handicap.
• Mark Forland vs Chris Olsen: In one of the most even contests of the evening, both players tied at 31–31, a balanced result under the handicap system.
• Bernard Worsley vs Graeme Mitchell: In the battle between “The 2 Secretaries: Current vs Former”, Graeme squeezed past Bernard 31–30 despite a large handicap difference.
• Tony Garofolo vs John Granata: Labelled as “The match of the Dodgy Knees”, Tony overcame a 7-point handicap to win 37-34. Many members in the squash centre reported they could hear the loud cries of pain coming from court 2 during their match.
• Joy Connolly vs Emily Yates: Another incredibly close match where Emily just pipped Joy 32–29, underlining the competitiveness even between players with different styles.
• Ryan Schatz vs Phi Dao: Ryan held off a strong comeback from Phi, overcoming a 13-point handicap, winning narrowly 35–30 in a match that saw both players fight hard until the final minutes.
• Bernard Worsley vs Mark Forland: Another terrific battle between two experienced & hard-hitting players who have met several times in Pennant, with Mark just edging Bernard 36–34 — another close match.
• Linda Cortese vs Tracey-Lee Hall: One of the tightest matches of the night, with Tracey-Lee overcoming the maximum handicap of 15-point plus hitting long, just scraping through 35–34.

Standout Match of Social Night 2.0:

• Kerin Neilands vs Michael Schultz: The standout match of Social Night 2.0 featured a newcomer to our club, Kerin Neilands who has just started playing competition up against one of the club’s veterans, Michael Schultz. Michael was unable to overcome the maximum handicap of 15-point plus he struggled with hitting past the service line and Kerin took full advantage winning the match easily in the end, 42-28. It was a devastating blow to Michael who is now considering his future in the sport!

Results and Prize Presentations:

• First Place: Anne Bennett (Differential +66) – $50 Wenty Leagues Club Gift Card
• Second Place: Gurpreet Singh (Differential +51) – $20 Wenty Leagues Club Gift Card

Anne Bennett’s performance stood out from the outset, dominating her three matches with consistent shot-making and a calm approach under pressure, finishing with an impressive +66 points differential (For 144 Against 78) to take out 1^st place by a big margin of 15 points.

Gurpreet Singh, who was invited by club newcomer Abihshek Dubay, played in his first WLSC event. He adapted brilliantly to the handicapped format, using smart court coverage and patient rallies to secure 2^nd place with a differential of +51 (For 132 Against 81).

Graeme Mitchell (least points conceded on the night, 71) and Paul Gergis produced solid performances across the matches, both finishing strongly in the top four with clever use of angles and smart shot selection under the strict timed competition pressure.

Lucky Door Prizes:

• Tony Garofolo – $20 WLC Gift Card
• Joy Connolly – Spring 2024 Pennant Runner-Up Towel
• Irene Gilbert – Spring 2024 Pennant Winner’s Towel

The final player rankings  as well as all the score sheets (Court 2, Court 3, Court 4, Court 5 & Court 6) have been published for members to view and download.

Key moments throughout the Evening

• The setting up of the Media Wall by a frustrated and confused Treasurer Danny Hedges, whose call for emergency assistance was answered by Abihshek Dubay.
• The group photo with all players proudly wearing their WLSC playing shirts.
• The lively post-match supper, including pizzas, snacks, and refreshments.
• The spontaneous photo sessions capturing players in action.
• A warm welcome to our 5 first-time social event players: Abhishek Dubey, James Kelly, Kerin Neilands, Lynette Day, and Tracey-Lee Hall.

Acknowledgements and Thanks

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the night's success:

• Wendy Fox – Event coordination and supper & drinks organization
• Danny Hedges – Setup of media wall and pizza collection
• All players – For wearing their club playing shirts, being punctual, playing in the right spirit, and supporting new players through umpiring and scoring.

It was especially pleasing to see new friendships formed and lots of positive energy throughout the event.

Photos and Memories Now Available

Photos from the night, capturing matches, supper, group moments and the prize presentation, are now available under the Gallery section on the WLSC website. Members are encouraged to view, download, and share their favourite moments from a memorable night.

Looking Ahead – Upcoming Events

WLSC’s busy calendar continues with:

• Squash NSW Stakeholder Forum – Sunday 27 April 2025
• Club Jacket Pre-orders – Closing Monday 5 May 2025
• Interclub Challenge vs TLC Titans – Saturday 17 May 2025 at Toongabbie
• WLSC Annual General Meeting – Monday 2 June 2025 at Wenty Leagues Club
• NEW Mid-Year Handicap Tournament – Throughout July 2025
• Social Night 3.0 – Wednesday 23 July 2025

Once again, thank you to everyone for making Social Night 2.0 another outstanding success and we look forward to seeing you at Social Night 3.0 on Wednesday 23 July.

🎾John Musumeci, WLSC President