Squash: Lights go out for club's fundraising tournament

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Word association game. A Shot in the Dark. One of the comic legend Peter Sellers' Pink Panther films, right?

Yes, but also the tag for a fortnight of squash sans lights, to be staged at the Whangarei Squash Club from next Friday.

Actually there will be light, of the dark variety, with yellow balls, coloured glow-in-the-dark racquets and ultraviolet line markings on the courts.

The Festival of Light idea came from a brainstorming chat a couple of years ago by a group of club members, including president Alan Bee.

"We were trying to think of a novelty way of playing squash," Bee said.

Last February, Warwick University in Coventry ran a festival of black light event, "and when we saw that we said 'we can do this'."

Funds were raised, including through grants and sponsors, and the four club courts are decked out in pink, yellow, orange and green, with racquets painted accordingly.

Essentially the club are looking at raising funds for their six teams who will contest national championships around the country this year.

It's doubling as a bid to raise the sport's profile in the year it tries once more to get a place on the Olympic Games programme for 2020.

This year Squash New Zealand is promoting youth in squash and Bee hopes the event will help that too.

Players must wear white or fluorescent clothing.

A doubles tournament will start the fortnight's activities and it will end with the B-grade national super champs, in natural light. In between there are corporate and exhibition nights. Entries for the tournament close on Monday. Safety could be an issue but Bee said players are encouraged to be smart.

"You have those concerns with any sport," he said. "We're highlighting the fact it's a non-competitive event and players have to be more aware and a little bit more conscious of what they're doing."

Protective eyewear is recommended.

The idea is to make it an annual event, with a singles tournament proposed for next year.