Jill Campion, who lives in Bix and plays squash at the Henley Squash Clubs based in Gillotts Leisure Centre, won her age group at the European Masters Squash Championship held in Wroclaw, Poland last week and retaining the title she won in Hamburg in 2023. This is the third time that Jill has won her age group, having won her first title competing in the over 50s category in Malmo, Sweden, in 2015.

This final was a rematch of the Hamburg final, with Jill once more playing long-standing rival Lynne Davies, from Wales in the final of the over 65s category, both finalists having won all their initial round robin matches. As in Hamburg, Campion did not concede a single game during the tournament and beat Davies in the final 3-0, (11-5, 11-4, 11-6).

Speaking after the final she said, “I am absolutely thrilled to have won this major title for a third time. Lynne has been working on her technique and match strategy and is now playing a more strategic, tactical game. Plus, she is moving a lot better than she was two years ago. I knew that I needed to be fully focused right from the start, keeping the rallies short, and not play my usual hitting and running game. I concentrated on playing tight shots without a lot of pace, forcing Lynne to play a loose ball that gave me the opening I needed to play a winner. This tactic worked well and I was delighted to have won so convincingly, especially as so far 2025 has been a difficult season for me as I took three months off earlier in the year to rebuild the strength around my right knee to prevent further wear and tear on the cartilage.”

Over 600 people from 13 European countries competed in the European Masters Championships, which are held every two years, with age groups starting at over 35 right through to over 80. The tournament was held at Hasta la Vista Club in Wroclaw, Poland, which has 33 courts including 2 glass show courts and is the largest squash club in the world.