Masters squash tournament a first

MILDURA Squash is preparing for its biggest event since the association’s move to the Mildura Sporting Precinct.

Up to 70 players are set to descend on Sunraysia for the Victorian Masters Squash Open tournament, which comes to the region for the first time.

Players from across the state, as well as South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania, are set to take part.

Masters play is available for all players aged 35 and over, and while tournaments are about the action on court, it’s also about the fun and camaraderie outside as well.

Mildura Squash president Kevin Healy, who is a regular on the masters circuit, said he’s excited to host a major event at home.

“This will be our first tournament here so we’ll see how we go, it’s a bit of organising but once we’ve done it once we’ll have a better idea going forward,” he said.

“These kinds of tournaments get moved around country Victoria so if we can get into the loop and maybe host one every two or three years that would be great.

“A lot of people don’t realise how far away Mildura is sometimes, you play on the other side of Melbourne, Bendigo and Ballarat are the close ones. Horsham isn’t too bad, but it’s a nice change to be at home.

“You would be surprised how many people stay here for a whole week and make a real holiday out of it which is fantastic.”

Louis Morsch, president of the Victorian Masters Squash Association, said he’s looking forward to bringing the open to Mildura.

“The association holds about five events per year around the state and we’ve visited several rural communities over the years,” he said.

“Some of our members are from Mildura, which includes Kevin Healy, and when they told us a few years ago that Mildura would be getting a brand-new facility we certainly marked that into our calendar.

“We were advised about two years ago of the new courts and we locked away this date in 2025 to come up for the first time.

“We’ve also been able to get some funding from the local council to help run the event.

“It’s as much about the social aspect of it as well, as we’ll get together for a big dinner dance on Saturday night at Club Da Vinci as well.

“I’ve been president since 2009 and I know squash can be a difficult sport to keep up and running, especially here in Melbourne, so we do our best to try and support the regions who are helping keep the game going.”

Play is set to begin on Friday night, with action running from 8.30am on Saturday and Sunday.