First County Squash Title for Kemp as Ladies Squash Shines

The 2026 Bedfordshire Squash County Closed marked a hugely positive milestone for ladies squash in the county, with a record entry of 12 women across two grades. This was particularly encouraging given that no ladies entered the event in 2025, highlighting the fantastic growth and renewed energy around the women’s game in the county. The buzz on court throughout the event was clear to see, with competitive matches, supportive crowds, and an excellent standard of squash on show.

Thanks must go to all of our events sponsors: main sponsor The Dental Centre Bedford, plus Decant Wine and Cheese Bar, EpicTech Media, Ginji, Greenford Quay, JR Builders Ltd, My Next Car, SAMO Squash, and The Bedford Cheese Company.

This is how the action unfolded…..

Ladies A Grade

The Ladies A Grade featured six players, split into two round-robin groups of three, with the top player from each group progressing to the final.

Group 1 comprised Rachael Hamp (Open University), Jolanta Hawryluk (Club Towers) and Elaine Teale (Club Towers), while Group 2 included Sophie Cable (Club Towers), Ashleigh Kemp (Carlton) and Karen Wright (Club Towers).

The top two seeds, Rachael Hamp and Sophie Cable, both started strongly with confident 3–0 victories over Elaine and Karen respectively, underlining their pre-tournament rankings. However, the chasing pack were quick to respond, as Ashleigh Kemp (seeded three) and Jolanta Hawryluk (seeded four) also made emphatic statements with straight-game wins in their opening matches.

This set the stage for two gripping deciders that effectively became semi-finals, as these final group matches determined who would advance. Both encounters delivered high-quality, evenly matched squash and went the full five games, keeping spectators guessing throughout.

Rachael showed tremendous grit and resilience to edge past Jolanta in a thrilling contest, winning 6–11, 11–7, 12–10, 8–11, 12–10, digging deep as fatigue began to set in. In the other match, Ashleigh produced an outstanding performance to upset the higher-seeded Sophie, claiming a hard-fought 11–7, 5–11, 11–8, 8–11, 11–9 victory, with both matches decided by nail-biting fifth games.

The final saw Rachael Hamp and Ashleigh Kemp face off. Ashleigh edged a very tight opening game 12–10, but unfortunately Rachael then suffered a recurrence of a calf injury she had only recently recovered from. Full credit goes to Rachael for pushing herself to the limits to compete, and huge congratulations to Ashleigh Kemp, who showcased excellent squash, maturity beyond her years, and clear improvement over the past 12 months to take the Ladies A Grade title.

You can view the action below:

Ladies B Grade

The Ladies B Grade also featured six players, again split into two round-robin groups of three, with the top player from each group progressing to the final. This grade provided an excellent competitive platform for players newer to squash and those still developing their match experience.

Group 1 included Sarah Ingham (Club Towers), Karen Ford (Bedford Bulls / Club Towers) and Thirtha Karambaya (Club Towers). Group 2 saw Anne Mildon (Luton), Susanne Osborne (Club Towers) and Lindsay Coulson (Bedford Bulls).

A standout early result came from Karen Ford, the fourth seed and a key driving force behind the recent growth of ladies squash at Club Towers. Karen produced a superb performance to defeat top seed Sarah Ingham 3–0. While the scoreline suggests a one-sided affair, the match itself was filled with long rallies and showcased how much both players have improved over the past year. Karen and Sarah both secured wins over Thirtha, allowing Karen to progress to the final.

In Group 2, Anne Mildon demonstrated why she was the number two seed, playing hard, direct squash and repeatedly finding the back corners. Anne recorded two convincing 3–0 wins over Susanne Osborne and Lindsay Coulson to book her place in the final. Susanne and Lindsay also contested a competitive match, with close games throughout despite a 3–0 victory for Susanne.

In the final, Anne Mildon proved too strong on the day. Her consistent high serves and powerful drives to the back of the court put continual pressure on her opponents, and despite Karen’s determined efforts to intercept and take the ball early, Anne’s accuracy and consistency shone through. Anne claimed the Ladies B Grade title with a commanding 15–4, 15–4, 15–4 victory.

Men’s Grades

You can read a full write up of the Squash County Closed men’s events here.

Congratulations to all the ladies who competed in the tournament. It was fantastic to see such a vibrant atmosphere on the courts and to witness ladies squash making such a strong comeback in the county. With participation, enthusiasm, and standards all on the rise, ladies squash is clearly going from strength to strength!

If this inspires you to give this fantastic sport a try, do get in touch with coach Sam Morris via [email protected] and he can tell you about playing opportunities at the Club and introduce you to other members.