Court 1
Membership
Full membership £22 a month, off-peak £14, junior £7. One month's notice to leave. Ladder, box leagues and club night are all included.
Full £22 a month, off-peak £14 a month, junior £7 a month.
Port Talbot · Pier Road · since 1974
Hit the wall. It hits back.
A members' squash club in a brick shed by the docks. Four courts, a challenge ladder, box leagues, £3 a court off-peak, and a first game on us.
Top of the ladder
As of today. Who can you challenge?
1Rhodri BowenBeat Tomasz K. 3–1, 4 days ago
2Tomasz KowalLost to Rhodri B. 1–3, 4 days ago
3Ffion HaleBeat Marcus D. 3–2, 9 days ago
Friday, 7am: off-peak, £3 a court for members and £6 for visitors.
The club
Six ways onto the court.
Court 2
Box leagues
Five to a box, four weeks to play everyone. Win your box and you go up, finish last and you go down. Included in membership.
Included in full and off-peak membership.
Court 3
Coaching
One-to-one lessons at £24 for 45 minutes, a beginners' course at £40 for four weeks, and a Thursday improvers' group at £6 a head.
One-to-one £24 for 45 minutes, court included.
Court 4
Racketball
The same court, a bigger racket and a bouncier ball. Longer rallies, far less running. Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10am.
Included in membership at the usual court price.
Court 5
Junior squash
Saturday mornings and Wednesday after school, goggles on, £4 a session or £7 a month for junior members. DBS-checked coaches.
Junior membership £7 a month, which covers the sessions.
Court 6
Court hire
45 minutes on a good court for £9 at peak, £6 off-peak. Ring to book, turn up, and borrow a racket if you have not got one.
Visitors £9 for 45 minutes at peak, £6 off-peak.
The ladder
Sixteen names, one wall, no mercy.
It started as a sheet of hardboard by the kettle and it is still there. You can challenge anyone up to three rungs above you. Win and you take their place; lose and buy the teas. Some people have been climbing it for decades.
- Up to three rungs up, with ten days to play
- Best of five, and you write your own result on the wall
- New members start at the bottom, and that is fine
How it works here
Four things we hold to.
You will get a game
Whatever your standard, the ladder, the boxes and Tuesday night will find you someone to play.
It suits shifts
Courts from 7am to 10:30pm, a fob on the side door, and off-peak all day until 5pm.
Eyes are not optional
Goggles for all juniors and all doubles. We lend them, and we would rather you had your own.
Warm up, then play
Squash is hard work. We say plainly when to start with racketball, and when to see your GP first.
- 4courts, one with a glass back
- 45minutes in a court slot
- 3pounds for an off-peak slot
- 1974the year we started
Prices
Cheaper than you are expecting.
Full member
a month£22
Any court, any time, up to a week ahead. Ladder and box leagues.
Off-peak member
a month£14
Weekdays before 5pm and after 9pm, Saturday afternoons and all of Sunday.
Junior member
a month£7
Under 18. Includes Saturday and Wednesday sessions.
Members
What they say.
I have been on the ladder for eleven years and I have been trying to get above Rhodri for about ten of them. It is the only thing that gets me out at seven in the morning.
Started at 44 on the Monday course, because a mate dared me. Dai told me to stop swinging like I was chopping wood. I now play twice a week, and my legs have forgiven me.
Off the shift at six and on court at seven. You will not find that for three quid anywhere else round here, and nobody looks at you funny for having a shower at quarter to eight in the morning.
Questions before a first game
I have never played. Can I just try it?
Yes. Your first game is free, and we will lend you a racket and goggles. Ring or send a line and we will find someone to knock up with you.
What do I need to bring?
Non-marking indoor shoes. That is the main thing. Everything else can be borrowed.
How fit do I need to be?
Less fit than you think, if you start slowly. Squash is hard on the heart, so warm up, and ask your GP first if you have a condition. Racketball is the gentler way in.
How does the ladder work?
You can challenge anyone up to three places above you. Win and you take their place. The ladder page shows who you can play next.
Is it expensive?
£22 a month for full membership and £3 or £5 for a court. It is one of the cheapest sports you can play indoors.
Are there women and juniors here?
Yes, on the ladder, in the boxes, and every Saturday morning for juniors. Nobody here plays in a separate corner.
First game is on us. Bring shoes that do not mark.
Ring or send a line and someone from the club will give you a game at about your level, lend you a racket and tell you honestly what you are doing wrong.