The junior section of a squash club, whose total membership has tripled in just two years, has thrown away the hand-me-down kits they have been wearing when representing the club in competition.

The junior section of a squash club, whose total membership has tripled in just two years, has thrown away the hand-me-down kits they have been wearing when representing the club in competition.

This is thanks to a local sponsor who has supplied the club with new shirts.

Fakenham Squash Club has a current membership of over 150, and their 40 juniors now turn out in identical blue shirts whenever they represent the club.

“I gave them the kit mainly because I think it is a great sport for youngsters. It keeps them fit and it is a good social thing. It is a brilliant sport,” said donor Kevin Doy of Fakenham company Ace Electricals, himself a squash enthusiast.

Club chairman and coach Bruce Bushell said the strip gave their youngsters a greater sense of belonging to a club whose total membership was around only 50 two years ago. “Now they will all be smartly turned out when they represent the club. I'm grateful to Kevin for what he has done for us,” said Bushell.

Youngsters compete in the Norfolk Junior League and the county's monthly junior Grand Prix events. Recent results indicate that with an upsurge in membership has come greater competitive strength, as the club strives to build on its expanding foundations.

Last year the club bought a Squash Cannonball machine, developed in Canada and one of only two in the country - the other belongs to Wimbledon Squash Club. this enables a player to practise every shot in the coaching manual, and can be adjusted to benefit players of all standards from raw beginners to those of international standard.

The two courts at Fakenham Sports Centre are to be renovated and redecorated.