Abergavenny Squash Club play an annual match against Wellington based in Somerset, writes MIKE LOGAN.

Abergavenny have held onto the AberWelly trophy since 2019 thanks to Covid and in the heat of summer 2023, three players from Wellington drove up the M5 to try to regain the trophy.

Sadly, the Wellington captain broke his hand in a climbing injury the day before and Aber lent a star player, Gareth Hughes Jones.

Aber player Dan Weare then had to withdraw injured after one game against Dave Thorne. Mark Nicholls stepping in to finish Dan’s match, but losing 3-0 to Dave’s blistering unorthodox shot play.

Aber’s Jiwan Gahunia, went 2-1 up against Peter Shaw, but the latter won the last two games to give Wellington a 2-0 lead.

Mike Logan then took on Gareth and won 3-1. The final outcome hinged on Aber chairman and former Welliungton player Gary Hortop v Simon Buttars.

Gary took the first game, but then lost the next two before taking the fourth, only for Simon to clinch the final game for a Wellington 3-1 win.

Abergavenny’s next pre-season match is against Whitecross in Hereford. The club is also a host site for Squash Wales’s Summer of Squash aimed at Junior players who want to try the sport over the school summer holidays.