About Our Club
The club has over 40 members and caters for all levels of player from the seasoned professional to those who are just picking up a racket for the first time! We have community players integrated in the club in conjunction with the Oraim Squash Club.
The squash club has been running successfully at Heriot-Watt for many years. In that time, we have a lot of success in University and East of Scotland Competition. The club continues to grow its coaching and training structure, with the help of the Sports Union. The social side of the club is thriving too with regular club nights and socials open to all members.
Each year we enter a men’s team into Scottish Student Sport (SSS). In the past our men’s and women’s SSS teams have both been crowned SSS champions. We have also had men’s and women’s SSS individual champions.
In the East of Scotland Squash Leagues, we field three open teams each year. This gives club members the chance to represent the club on a weekly basis. Our 1st team is in the first division our 2nd teams is in Division 5 and the third team is in Division 6 this season. We also enter a team into the Scottish National League to compete with clubs around the country.
Our Club Charter
We aim to provide the following service to all our members:
- To provide an opportunity for any member to gain coaching on a weekly basis throughout the academic year.
- To provide a range of competitive opportunities to allow members to compete individually or as a member of a team representing the club.
- To provide an opportunity for members to gain a worthwhile social experience through the sport.
Coaching
The club is very fortunate to have two fantastic coaches. We have Donna Lobban, a former Australian Professional Squash player with the highest world ranking of 13 in 2011 and competed in world championship tournaments and medalled in Commonwealth Games, who is the Squash Club Head Coach and coaches our Scholar program.
We are also delighted to have Peter Macari who coaches beginner and intermediate sessions on Monday nights; these sessions are excellent social aspect of the club too as both the students and community players train together.
Group Coaching
These sessions are for anyone interested in improving their squash! Players who are involved in the club’s competitive ladder and are interested in representing the University in either the East of Scotland Leagues or the SSS competition are encouraged to come to the development coaching session. If you are just starting out with squash, please join us for our beginners coaching and fitness sessions.
Attendance to the team and development coaching is by invitation only based on a player’s performance at the ‘Trials’ tournament at the beginning of semester 1.
There is the possibility of joining these sessions later, but this will be at the discretion of the club coach and club coordinator. For more details, please contact the club
Email: squash@hw.ac.uk
Social Events
Club nights
There is a club night once a week during semester time. These nights consist of fun matches that allows players to play against other members regardless of their standard and meet new people. We have a committee member at each session that run the club night sessions, and each week we run a different type of tournament.
Competitions
BUCS Team Competition
In 25/26 the club will have two men’s teams competing in BUCS and one women’s team. The 1st team is in the National Premiership Division as well as the womens team who are also in National Premiership Division and the new 2nd team will be playing in the Scottish 2nd Division. Teams consist of five players for men and four for women, all of whom must be current students at the university, and the competition is played over a series of weekends throughout the year. Success in this tournament is required for entry into the BUCS Championship/Trophy in Semester 2. We aim to enter at least two men’s team into BCUS each year and one women team. Teams are selected by the club captain and coordinator using the competitive ladder as a starting point.
BUCS Championship
These are team events which Heriot-Watt can qualify for through the SSS team competition. Again, teams are made up of five players, all of whom must be current students at the University. Teams are entered into a knockout tournament and play against other universities from around Britain. This event normally starts around the beginning of Semester 2 and matches are played on a weekly basis on Wednesday afternoons. Teams are selected by the club captain and coordinator using the competitive ladder as a starting point.
BUCS Individual Competition
The BUCS Individual Championship is open to players from across Britain and the 2025 edition will take place in Nottingham from 29 November to 1 December. This is always a great event which we try to take a squad of players down to.
Entry into these competitions is up to everyone if they are of a good enough standard. Contact the Club Coordinator on squash@hw.ac.uk for more details.
East of Scotland League
This is another team event which runs throughout the year from late September until March and is usually the club’s focus. Teams play at various venues around Edinburgh and local areas each week. The league is both competitive and social with the home team providing food and drinks for the away team. Due to this there is an extra cost of around £6 a week for taking part. We aim to enter three open teams into the league and maybe four in the future based on numbers. Teams are selected from the club’s competitive ladder. This offers a great chance to play more experienced players from local squash clubs and offers fantastic networking opportunities.
Scottish National League
Heriot-Watt enter a men’s team into the Scottish National League. This is played between clubs around the country and features some of the country’s top players. This makes it great to both play in and watch. Matches are usually played on Tuesday evenings so feel free to come along and get behind the team!
Trials Tournament
All players who would like to get involved in competitive squash at the University should attend the trials tournament at the start of semester 1. During the trial’s tournament, players will play some games against other club players so we can assess their ability, and they can be entered into the correct position in the ladder and mini-leagues. It also allows all players to be placed in appropriate coaching sessions. Anyone is welcome to attend this initial tournament, whether they are a member of the club or not.
Heriot-Watt Open
This is set to be an annual tournament which restarted this year in 2025. It consisted of a Men’s and Women’s PSA tournament which are a $1,000 satellite events, with a Graded tournament of all abilities running alongside this. This event sees worldwide representation in the PSA tournament and countrywide representation in the Graded tournament.
SportyHQ competitive ladder
This is an ongoing ladder which is run through the internet via https://www.sportyhq.com/. Players are ranked in order of ability but can challenge players above them whenever they like. The ladder gives players the chance to see where they are compared to other club members. The ladder is used to select teams for competition and for seeding the club championships.
Mini-leagues
The mini-leagues offer members a chance to play competitive games outside of team competitions in the East of Scotland. Players are in a group of five people and are given five weeks to play their matches. Players are given contact details of other players and arrange themselves to play the games. It is a great way to put coaching points into practice and meet new people within the club. This season, the mini-leagues will also be run online through https://www.sportyhq.com/.
Racketball
The club has a range of racketball equipment that is free to hire for any member.