By Geoff Mann
Photos by Mel Pocknall
November and December 2021 are months Sophie Simpson will never forget. She became the first female player from the Dubbo Squash Club to claim a NSW CHS title.
Sophie showed her mettle in a furious five-set final, coming from two sets down to win.
Sophie was one of only two squash players nationally to be awarded a Commonwealth Games Scholarship which will help offset some of the travel costs and purchase of equipment.
The young athlete from Geurie inherited her love of the small racquet game and the little rubber ball from her parents and has spent many years on the courts or in the vicinity.
The Dubbo College Year 10 student was also the number one seed in the girls Western CHS Squash team that won the NSW Combined High School championships in Coffs Harbour.
Sophie was runner up in the individual event and was rewarded with selection in the NSW CHS team. Her only loss during the tournament was against Australia’s top ranked Under-17 player Maggie Goodman.
Squash in Dubbo does not attract the same numbers as the 1960s to ‘90s when there were more than 20 courts and nightly comps, but with Sophie’s success and the Senior College achievement there is real hopes of a revival.
Sadly our players only have two courts at the RSL on which to train and play these days. Junior and Senior Championships are held in the much smaller towns of Narromine and Parkes which both boast multiple courts.
Sophie’s state title has old “squashies” recalling young champions of the past like Perry Daly, Paul Bushell and Tracey Ibbotson.
To cap off a tremendous year, Sophie was awarded the Jeff Murray Memorial Trophy by the Dubbo Squash Club.
Congratulations Sophie, a champion in every sense.
