After a fantastic first year, the Hinckley Racketball Open is back on 19th September, proudly sponsored by Recognition Express, the business of club member Chris Masters.

Last year's inaugural event saw 41 players take part, and this year we're building on that success with bigger draws, a brand-new C Grade, and even more opportunities to get involved.

Whether you're a seasoned racketball player, completely new to the game, or somewhere in between, this tournament is for you. The new C Grade is particularly aimed at players who are relatively new to racketball, haven't been playing for long, or perhaps find themselves in the lower box leagues at the club. And don't worry about getting your grade wrong; if you're unsure where you should enter, get in touch and we'll happily point you in the right direction.

• A Grade - 8 places
• B Grade - 16 places
• C Grade - 16 places
• Over 50s - 8 places
• Over 60s - 8 places
• Ladies - 8 places
• Doubles - 8 pairs

There really is something for everyone, and you don't have to be a Hinckley club member to enter. Bring a friend, challenge a rival, or come along and see what all the big ball fuss is about!

Every player is guaranteed a minimum of three best-of-three matches, so you'll get plenty of time on court and plenty of chances to get involved.

Don't let that put you off. If you're unsure about the rules, scoring, marking or refereeing, just ask. Organiser Tim Solley is more than happy to help beforehand, and there'll be plenty of people around on the day who will be happy to provide marking support and help you get through your matches.

And if you're entering the doubles but don't have a partner, don't worry - Tim is happy to play matchmaker and find you someone to join forces with.

Entry is £20, which includes a free tournament T-shirt or vest. Doubles is an additional £5.

There'll also be prizes for winners and runners-up, including trophies/medals and some Karakal goodies.

So whether you're chasing the title, looking to test yourself against some new opponents, or simply fancy a day of hitting a big bouncy ball around a court with a bunch of like-minded people, get involved.

Places are limited and we're giving club members a one-week head start before we promote this event to other clubs, so get your entry in now and guarantee to be part of the Hinckley Racketball Open!

Not wanting to wish away your summer, but it won't be long before team season starts up again in September. As a result, a few quick notices to run by you in advance:

We will soon affix the club Order Of Merit to the wall. If you can't play in the matches before Christmas please cross your name off the list. If you have not played team squash for HSRC before but would like to then that's great and we'd love to have you on board. Please write your name and contact number on the board downstairs. More details will follow in due course.

If so, we have a couple of spaces on the back of this year's team shirts for associate sponsors. For the low price of £250 your support would ensure your company logo gets seen all over Leicestershire and a bit of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire too on at least 70 team shirts worn by our fine athletes!

If you would like more detail please contact me (Alan) on comms@hinckleysquash.com. We will be finalising the shirt designs in the next few weeks.

Our chance to get together, welcome in the new team admissions, meet this year's captains, and receive your team shirts for the season ahead. Heath will be sharing the very latest information about the Leicestershire Leagues direct from head-office, and as well as the team players *every* club member is encouraged to attend and support our team players.

Team Pre-Season Presentation Night will take place upstairs at the club on Tuesday 8th September at 7.30pm. 

We'll keep it fairly brief. 1.5 hours at the most.