Famed Lambs Club to Shut Doors
Mar 22, 2005, by Martin Bronstein
SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2005 all Rights Reserved;

BRITISH OPEN TO RETURN TO LONDON AND MAKE LAST APPEARANCE AT LAMBS
Exclusive to SquashTalk.

One of Britain?s best known squash clubs will close its doors for the last time early next year. Lambs Club in central London, one of the few British clubs with nine courts, will be razed to make way for a nine-story apartment building.

The club, part of the Mike Corby Fitness Club chain, was opened by Corby in October 1979 and quickly became London's premier squash club with its three glass-back courts and six traditional courts. Number one court had seating for around 200 people making it unique in southern England and the instant choice for any major tournament.

Corby ran the early rounds of the British Open at Lambs when that tournament was at its height with final rounds played at the Wembley Conference Centre, still considered to be the best venues for the tournament that was regarded as the Wimbledon of squash. (Jahangir Khan won his ten titles at Wembley).

Corby, who won 150 squash caps playing for England and Great Britain (as well as a similar number for hockey) ran one of the best SuperLeague teams from Lambs with players such as Jahangir Khan and Chris Dittmar leading his team. Matches were always followed by sumptious dinners for players, press, supporters and anybody else that Corby fancied.

Corby's contribution to the sport has been vast: in addition to his string of squash and fitness clubs (there are still 14 in his chain) Corby saved the British Open twice by putting up the money to ensure that they took place rather than being cancelled because of lack of sponsors. He was president of Squash Rackets Association (now England Squash) as well as being vice-president of the World Squash Federation.

Speaking to SquashTalk this morning Corby admitted that he was forced to sell Lambs.

"There has been a huge turn down in the fitness business. This is why so many of the chains are going private again. It was not economically possible to keep Lambs open so last October I sold the freehold to a company called Native Land with a lease-back until February 2006. I shall hold a huge party at the British Open in October and then an even bigger one next year on the day before we close for good," he said.

BRITISH OPEN QUIETLY RETURNS TO LONDON
With the early rounds now being held in the south of England, it is very likely that the British Open will return to London after two years at the Albert Hall in Nottingham. John Beddington and John Nimick, the promoters of the British Open, have been scouring Britain for two years looking for a suitable venue for the Open. They have always favoured London and with the success of the Super Series at the Broadgate Arena, and the Canary Wharf Classic in the East Winter Garden, could well be looking at both of those venues. More tradition homes could be found at the Royal Albert Hall — probably too big — or the Royal Horticultural Exhibition Halls in Westminster.

PROTEST GROUP FORMED
The impending closure of Lambs has a produced a protest group, organized by club member Ken Pottinger, that is fighting to save the club from demolition. Information on: www.save-lambs-squash-club.co.uk.

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