SQUASH is traditionally a winter game but like many others it has now become an all-year round sport.
For Pontefract's professionals and even for the junior players there is little respite.
Indian champion Saurav Ghosal and Indian international Harinder Paul Sandhu have both returned to Chennai to prepare for the World Games in Chinese Tai Pei at
the end of July. Ghosal is already selected, but Pal Sandhu is involved in play-offs for the fourth place in his country's team.
James Willstrop, currently in Colorado training at altitude after his ankle operation, will return to action in the World Games and go straight from those to Malaysia for that country's Open, which will mark his return to PSA action.
Lauren Siddall has hardly had a break in her playing schedule and she is in Port Marly, France, for the des Pyramides WISPA event.
Several of the club's promising juniors, Jack Cooper, Jessica Beachill, Emma Campion, Ellen Cooper, Eliot Ridge, Lewis Southward, Sam Todd and Brad Gallivan all played last weekend in the Nottingham Open, which was part of the European Junior tour.
Cooper finished fifth in the under 13 division and several of the others performed well, notably six-year-old Sam Todd, who continues to show outstanding promise.
Erin Roberts, the club's visiting Canadian, also played in the under 19s girls championships.
Kirsty McPhee and Sam Wileman, both of who are employed by England Squash as development coaches, have passed a course run by the national body, which qualifies them to tutor potential coaches.
The club held a talent night for entertainers last Saturday with performers from 14 to 83 years of age taking part and the winner being singer Jamie Lee Ward. Willis Rushton and Peter Hopkins were the organisers, Roundhill Junior School. Ferrybridge, provided the staging and Kate Smith, of the Leydon Smith School of Dance, and Darren Wakefield acted as judges.
