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Hampshire Athletes achieve bronze in Netball World Youth Cup

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Weston Park Blades players, Jayda Pechova and Sophie Kelly won bronze in Gibraltar after they represented England in the recent Netball World Youth Cup.

After narrowly missing out on the chance for a gold medal, being defeated by New Zealand in the semi final 51-49, they had the opportunity to win a medal in the bronze medal match against South Africa, which they won 55-35.

Weston Park Blades, based in Winchester currently sit top of their league after winning their first five games to start their league campaign, despite the absence of Sophie and Jayda.

Sophie, goal-attack and Jayda, goal-defence, both currently for teams in the Netball Super League, with Sophie playing for Surrey Storm and Jayda for Nottingham Forest.

When speaking to their Blades Coach Jan Crabtree, she spoke of when she first met both of them, saying: “Jayda was very raw, she was a gymnast but grew too much, a friend brought her along when she was 13.

“Soph was a determined person, she was a defender but turned into a shooter, she joined the club when she was 11 or 12.”

She went on to say the lengths the girls would go to to get their practice in.

“Sophie would always take her goal posts down to Devon on holiday to practice.

“They were rewarded with success after success and that kept them going.”

Both will hope to contribute to both their Super League teams and Weston Park Blades over the coming season and will certainly hope to go one better than Gibraltar with the England Roses in the future.

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Meira Ashby seals dramatic comeback for Wycombe Wanderers

Rebecca Perez Taylor

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Wycombe Wanderers made a dramatic comeback with two goals from Meira Ashby, the second of which put her side ahead in the 63rd minute.

Winchester’s Chelsie Hay opened the scoring in the 16th minute and doubled the lead shortly after, giving the flayers a comfortable 2-0 lead and the hope of being able to equal in points with the opponents in the league table. 

HT: Winchester City Flyers 2 – 0 Wycombe Wanderers 

A first goal for the visiting team came in the 57th minute through Kayla Potter, giving the Wanderers a renewed belief in being able to win the game. Just minutes later, Meira Ashby struck twice, in the 61st and 63rd minutes, completing the turnaround and securing the comebackthat keeps the Wanderers comfortably at the top of the table. 

FT: Winchester City Flyers 2 – 3 Wycombe Wanderers 

The Winchester Flyers take the loss and remain behind Wycombe Wanderers in the league standings, meanwhilethe wanderers stay in first place for yet another week. The result adds pressure on Winchester to keep pace, while it further strengthens Wycombe’s position as title contenders.

Next up for Winchester is another home fixture, this time against Southampton Women’s FC 

Waycombe Wanderers will face Abingdon United FC in their next match.

Both teams head into their upcoming fixtures with very different momentum.  Winchester will be looking to regroup and be able to keep their first-half performance into the full 90 minutes, while Wycombe will aim to keep building on what they have been doing and maintain their place at the top of the table

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Beyond the punches: The real basics of boxing for beginners

Rebecca Perez Taylor

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Boxing might look aggressive from the outside, making it easy to overlook the discipline, technique, and community that actually define the sport. 

Walking into a boxing gym for the first time can feel intimidating, but most beginners are surprised by how structured and supportive the environment is.

At Winchester Boxing Club, head coach Filip Duda says the fundamental key of boxing for beginners is footwork, “get that right”, he explains, “then everything else comes quite naturally”. This is a reminder that the sport isn’t just about throwing punches, but about learning how to move, balance and stay in control.

For beginners, that means starting with the basics: understanding your stance, keeping your guard up, and building confidence through repetition. 

Another coach at the club emphasised the importance of mastering the fundamentals not only physically but also mentally. “Understanding that you are not always going to win and that you most likely will lose your first fight”, she says, is just as important as the physical part of the sport. 

Boxing is also often viewed as a male-dominated sport. Some of the women training in Winchester admitted that it is challenging at times to be in such a male-dominated sport; however, she said it has been amazing and empowering to join this sport.

While every boxer’s journey starts differently, the message across the club is the same: anyone is welcome to give the sport a try. 

From building fitness to gaining confidence, boxing offers something valuable to everyone who walks through the door. 

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Squash finally secures its Olympic debut at LA 2028

Rebecca Perez Taylor

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The Olympics are the biggest sporting stage in the world, the place every athlete dreams of reaching one day.

For squash players, however, that dream has been out of reach.

That will finally change at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where Squash is set to make its long awaited Olympic debut as one of five sports added to this edition of the Games.

Squash was invented in England during the 19th century, and since then it has grown into a global sport, played in more than 180 countries. 

Squash is a fast-paced racket sport played indoors in a four-walled court. Players rally a small rubber ball against the walls, using speed, precision and placement to make it as difficult as possible for their opponent to return the shot.

Despite its worldwide reach and its presence in other major multi-sport events such as the  Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the World Games, squash has never been part of the Olympic Games program. The closest it has been to appearing in the games before was at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, where it appeared as a demonstration sport.

Over the years, the sport has made several bids for inclusion; London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, but each attempt was unsuccessful. After decades of campaigning, the sport has finally earned a spot in the competition.

A key factor in squash’s inclusion can be attributed to the evolution of its facilities. The modern glass courts allow spectators to see the action of the game from every angle, making the sport more accessible for fans and broadcasters. These innovations have made squash a more television-friendly event, and this is one of the factors that helped it secure its spot on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

This Olympic recognition is expected to boost the popularity of the sport worldwide, increasing participation, investment in the sport and visibility, helping squash grow and establish itself as a major sport.  

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