The Squash Club of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) is beefing up its squad for the 2022 season and beyond. Recently recruited players have commenced training for the upcoming games under the tutelage of coach Mike Bester. Any squash talented UJ student can join the club.

The Squash Club has won a number of University Sport South Africa (USSA) championships. However, the club was unable to defend their 2019 USSA title due to the December 2021 competition cancellation given the high number of COVID-19 infections at the time.

“We want to defend the USSA title. The pandemic has affected us badly in the past two years. We are now glad that we have resumed training and our recruitment drive can continue without delay because all sports have been given the green light to take place,” says Joel Kgokong, UJ Squash Club Manager.

Some of the newly recruited players include Amber Jacoby (Bachelor of Optometry student), Phumudzo Mukondeleli (BSc Mechanical Science student), Cameron O’Grady (Management Science student), and Tyla-Mae Roux (Psychology student).

“Settling in has been very easy as everyone because the players and leaders of the club are kind and helpful. The experience is good, the training is intense so we are hoping for a better start when competitions start,” says Cameron O’Grady.

O’Grady has played with some of the UJ players. This, he says, has influenced his decision to join the UJ Squash club.

“I wanted to have an extracurricular activity and make my experience fun during my stay as a student at the University. I love squash and I am motivated to grow in the sport, improve my game and play as a professional player in the national teams in the future,” says Mukondeleli.

UJ students who are interested in joining the Squash team can contact Mr Joel Kgokong at joelk@uj.ac.za.