Lancashire lass Laura Massaro is Britain’s new women’s squash supremo after lifting the title at the National Squash Championships in Sportcity, Manchester, for the first time earlier this month.
“It’s been an amazing couple of weeks,” Laura said shortly after defeating compatriot Jenny Duncalf, the tournament’s top seed, in a five-set marathon.
The ninth ranked world player is stunned to have beaten the England number one and world number two – a feat matched by club stablemate Daryl Selby in the men’s tournament - but puts her success down to a growing confidence in her own ability.
“I’m believing more in myself and my game. I knew that I could do it,” says the 27-year-old, who, like Daryl, plays for Premier Squash League leaders TWP St George’s Hill. “I’d been in lots of semis but not many finals. To win was fabulous.”
Although the National Championships did not attract ranking points, Laura hopes that other recent results will propel her up the top ten rankings to fifth spot by season-end in April.
“My results in a recent tournament in Cleveland carried plenty of ranking points and the new list will be out on 1 March so I’m interested to see where it will take me up to,” she explains.
Fitness may well have played a part in her five-set victory, believes Laura, who trains both near her home in Chorley and at her ‘home’ club St George’s Hill Squash Club in Surrey.
“Certainly my fitness has certainly improved and at this level of squash it can make a big difference to the outcome of a match.”
Home from home
When she can, Laura travels South to her ‘home’ club, St George’s Hill Squash Club in leafy Weybridge, Surrey, where she can practice and compete on the all-glass court, which opened last autumn.
The court includes an electronically moveable sidewall that quickly allows it to stage doubles play, an aspect of the sport proving increasingly popular with older players.
“It’s brilliant. There are so few places in the UK that have one. St George’s Hill and Sportcity are the only permanent ones, I believe,” she says.
TWP St George’s Hill has become arguably the South’s squash hub – its squash academy is nurturing a team of world-beaters and champions in the making.
A little adjustment in her method of play comes into force when she competes on the all-glass court, she reveals: “It’s a bit different and I do have to alter my game slightly. Playing with a white ball [the colour chosen because it offers optimum visibility for players] does have disadvantages at first and the shots stay long or short when intended. Once you get used to that, your game improves and the more you practice, the better you become.”
The all-glass court offers improved visibility, particularly for Internet and TV broadcasts, while the wooden floor stained red helps absorb sweat, a critical factor in ensuring continuity of play.
More to come
Laura first picked up a squash racket when she was just seven and started playing professionally at 18. “I still have more to give and am positive that I haven’t reached my peak yet,” she insists.
Surely the jetsetting lifestyle of top-flight sportspeople can become gruelling – competing in one tournament after another in far-flung corners of the world? Not a bit of it. “Being a professional squash player is one of the best jobs around,” Laura enthuses. “I’m earning a living from my hobby, which is fantastic. I get to travel the world and stay in wonderful places and hotels while competing – something I thrive on.
“At the beginning, when I turned professional, it was extremely hard,” she confesses. “I went from training five times a week to twice a day, six days a week. My training changed dramatically and for the first few months it was really tough and I grew extremely tired.
“However, when my body finally became accustomed to the harder work, I started to enjoy it far more. My tournaments moved up in size, as my ranking did, and I started to compete against better players.”
Time to chill
She currently trains about five times a week with two-hour daily sessions, some with aerobic workouts, then speed sessions followed by ball sessions. It’s a rigorous pace but she finds time to chill out by watching movies and DVDs. “I enjoy lighthearted soaps such as Desperate Housewives and The Sopranos.”
Danny, her husband since 2007 - himself a squash coach and a lecturer at Preston University, is a great support, she reveals. Laura met him when she was just 19. Did he coach her? “We did try once for a short time but it really didn’t work out well,” Laura responds quickly.
“Unlike other top athletes, squash players can be tall or short and really vary in size and shape,” says Laura. “I do try and watch my diet a little but keeping to it can be difficult when travelling around. The strict training programme keeps me in shape.”
National women’s champion she may be but Laura is just one of a clutch of top talent resident at St George’s Hill Squash Club – new men’s national champion Daryl Selby of course, and emerging players like Tom Richards, a semi-finalist at the Manchester tournament, who began playing at the club when he was seven, and has now been called up to play for England, and Dominique Lloyd-Walter, also a semi-finalist.
The culture of squash runs deep at St George’s Hill but Laura pays tribute to the part played by her coach and family, who have proved to be a tower of strength over the years, she says. “I am very grateful to all my supporters and hope I can get to the top of the game to repay all the trust and support placed in me.”
So what are national champion Laura’s secrets of success? “Work hard, my motto is ‘you get out of life what you put in’.
“Make sure you always take one day’s rest a week, not only for your body but for your mind.
“Don’t train when ill or injured even if you feel guilty. It will nearly always make you worse.
“Do plenty of practice, it’s the only way to learn new things.”
And finally? “Enjoy yourself.”
Greg Rhodes, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
