Neil Macklin has played squash for 35 years and wants to keep going. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Neil Macklin has been nominated for the Club Person of the Year category at Griffith Council’s Australia Day award ceremony for his long-time dedication to the sport he loves.
The 65-year-old communications small business owner is also president of Griffith League’s Club Squash. He has organised weekly competitions at the venue, social events and managed his committee for more than a decade.
We caught up with him to get the lowdown on his presidency, the squash scene in Griffith and how people can join the fun.
What’s it like being a president?
My job isn’t that hard; as president I can delegate tasks to the others on the committee. A lot of people don’t want to be on committees, so we’ve had the same group for a long time and they do a great job running the comps.
Do they respect you as they would President Trump?
I get a bit more respect than him.
How does squash operate in Griffith?
We have competitions all year round that are played on the three courts we have at the Griffith League’s Club.
It costs $60 per competition, which goes for 12 weeks, with a grand final in the 13th week. That’s pretty good value compared to the cost of other sports.
We start a new comp straight after one finishes; we don’t play during school holidays, so we have three comps per year.
Our comps cater to all levels and are for men and women. We play Monday night C-grade, Tuesday night for B-grade, Wednesday night A-grade and Thursday for D-grade.
We have about 100 players in total each season.
Are the comps serious or social?
A bit of both. C-grade is pretty social, the higher grades are more serious; the players really want to win. It’s a social environment; people have a beer at the club after their games and go up and watch others play.
We get a lot of beginners, people who have come from overseas and who have never played before.
What’s the age range of players?
You have to be at least 12 years old to play, that’s the club rules. I’m probably the oldest at age 65.
We had a lady, Gloria Moore, who played until age 74; she was very good. She didn’t run a lot but she knew how to place the ball and make her opponents run.
We had a very good player, Robyn Polkinghorne (Belford), who was a world champion.
Robyn Polkinghorne was one of the world’s best squash players in the 1990s. Photo: Supplied.
Is there much sledging?
Always. A lot of people know each other very well, so they stir up their friends when they’re playing. It’s never aggressive though, but squash is a mental game.
People have smashed their racquets too; I’ve threatened to give them a red card.
How does squash differ from tennis?
There is less running; it’s also more about strategy, hitting on the side walls, whereas tennis is more about getting it over the net. Beginners tend to just hit back to the other players; I try and teach them to keep it away from your opponent.
Can you also hire courts privately?
Yep, you can ring the club or come down and see the staff to book them. It cost $8 an hour to play; the lights are operated by coins.
These are the only courts in town. There used to be some in the Indoor Sports Centre but not anymore.
How does your club raise money and fund repairs and upgrades?
Just through our competition fees. We use that to fund our Christmas Party and other events. We’re very grateful to the Griffith Leagues Club, which pays to upgrade and repair our courts. We had the walls redone a few years ago but the club took care of that. It cost $20,000 – we wouldn’t have been able to afford that.
How long have you been playing the sport?
I started playing when I was 30, so I’ve been playing for 35 years. I played footy and cricket at school, but got into squash later; it’s enjoyable and social.
I’d say I’m average to good. A lot of younger players are coming through who are overtaking me.
What can we do if we want to play in one of the squash comps?
Our next comp starts on 2 February. Email me at [email protected] or phone 0417 417 921.
