FURIOUS members of a Wokingham squash club threatened with losing their only venue have told council bosses: “Don’t take us for fools”.
They fear the Borough has already decided to close St. Crispin’s Leisure Centre and discussions over its future are more of a con than a consultation.
Fifty members of the club play at the two squash courts at the Norreys based centre – which are also open to the public – seven days a week as part of a league system.
Club member Nick Dyer warned if the centre closes it would leave members with nowhere to play across Wokingham.
“This is our last chance to keep squash as an active sport in the whole borough,” he said.
“When the three courts at Loddon Valley were closed a few years ago, we were assured those at St Crispin’s would be kept. Now those are under threat and we are not optimistic about their future. We suspect the council has already decided to close the centre despite instigating a consultation period.
“That would mean the end of our club and the end of squash as a sport across Wokingham, which so many people love and are active in. There is nowhere else for us to go that is viable.”
Formal discussions involving all stakeholders of St Crispin’s begin next week and will run until September. In a statement, Cllr Ian Shenton, Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Leisure said he was “aware” of concerns over the courts but insisted “nothing is decided yet”.
Last week, the Borough Council claimed a decline in the usage of the leisure centre after the covid pandemic meant it was considering alternative uses for the site. These included maintaining the centre, transferring it to the neighbouring St Crispin’s School or demolition with the land being sold to a developer.
It claimed there were alternative squash sites at Bracknell Leisure Centre, Reading University, Berkshire County Sports Club and the private Wellington Healthy and Fitness Club (see Executive reports on page 14).
But another club member, Dhowal Dalal, claimed these were “not viable alternatives.
“There is a waiting list at Bracknell, Reading is not accessible for many members while Wellington is expensive,” he said.
“I fear the council is deliberately letting St Crispin’s run down so it can turn around and say it will be too costly to repair. It’s like they are closing it by stealth.
“Our club is not just about the game, but community. I have been a member for eight years and have made many friends and we have social nights. We hear a lot about men in particular being lonely which is why a club like ours is so important.
“Squash is a very popular game among ethnic groups. They will also lose out if the club is forced to close.
“My preference is for the centre to be kept as it is or, at least, turned over to the school. It would be catastrophic if it was closed then demolished because an area like Norreys, which is deprived of so much, really needs it.”
Mr Dyer said the club had not yet been contacted about meeting Borough members but promised to fight any decision to close the leisure centre.
“If they say there is no money to keep it open, then I’d like to know how they found money for the Carnival Pool and Loddon Valley and a new centre at Arborfield?” he said.
“We pay council tax so why should we be forced to sponge off another council to play the game we love? I understand the final decision may be taken by the executive committee which means our own councillors will not have a vote.”
Cllr Shenton said: “We are aware of the concerns about squash courts and will be talking directly with players during the consultation – in fact we are inviting them to a dedicated session to discuss.
“Nothing is decided yet but we will use the consultation period to seek alternative options for squash players and other users if that proves necessary.”
