Press Coverage
TimeOut  magazine March 29 2006 notes that  Lambs,  the  Wimbledon  of  Squash,  is  under  threat  from  a  wealthy Scottish baron  read article here

The Times   October 20, 2006
The Insider - By Kevin Eason

MIKE CORBY can probably forget any thoughts of picking up a gong in the New Year’s Honours List as a reward for his long tenure as “England’s Mr Squash”. He faces an avalanche of bad feeling after selling off the famous Lambs Squash Club in North London to developers for £4 million, prompting the 1,100 members to pledge their implacable opposition to any moves to nominate Corby for an honour.
They are astonished that Corby could ditch the club — where the British Open was held only last month — when he is the serving president of England Squash. He can expect a rocky ride at the annual meeting of the governing body in November.
Yet the Lambs case has an extra dimension: despite the government mantra that it wants more sports facilities, not fewer, Richard Caborn, the Minister for Sport, has not stood in the way of the developers’ wrecking ball as they prepare to demolish Lambs — known as “the Wimbledon of squash” — to build flats.
Nor has anyone made a fuss of the seeming conflict of interest in Corby being both a leading squash official and the man who will profit most from the demolition of a leading sporting asset.
So Corby picks up his cheque, North London loses a key facility and hundreds of sportsmen and women are left seeking somewhere else to play.

The Times     July 10, 2006
The Insider - By Kevin Eason

THE 2006 All England Championships over, builders swarm into the hallowed headquarters of tennis this morning to begin work on Wimbledon’s future — but the wrecking ball hangs over the place described as “the Wimbledon of squash”. The 1,300 members of the famous Lambs Squash Club in North London are fighting plans to demolish a site on which some of the world’s greatest players have appeared, to replace it with a nine-storey block of flats and offices.
The irony is that the fight was triggered by Mike Corby, a former England squash captain, president of England Squash and once voted the nation’s best amateur sportsman. Corby sold the site for £4 million to Clan Real Estate, part of the portfolio of the Duke of Buccleuch, one of Scotland’s wealthiest landlords. Members knew nothing of the sale until a planning application landed with Islington council.
Ken Pottinger, a leading campaigner, has said that members have been hurt because Corby had spent his life promoting the sport yet he does not seem to be interested in selling Lambs back to the members, so safeguarding its nine courts. We turn to the England Squash website for a possible answer. Alas, there is none and the plight of the nation’s premier club appears to be missing from its columns.

Islington GAZETTE
06 September 2006
Squash fans plead with council to save courts

CAMPAIGNERS are calling on Islington Council chief James Kempton to support getting a compulsory purchase order on the building known around the globe as the " Home of Squash" .
The Lamb's Squash Club in Lamb's Passage, Finsbury, has been a venue for world squash championships for a quarter of a century. But the site has been sold to a developer which wants to demolish it and replace it with flats and offices.
Ken Pottinger, who was expelled from the club after launching a campaign to keep it running, said: " The loss of these nine squash courts would be a disaster for national and international squash and the revitalised development of the game as one of the UK's top sports."
He added: " We are asking Islington Council to consider acquiring this facility under compulsory purchase orders to ensure that the built facility - unique in offering nine squash courts in a central London venue - is not lost to Islington."
The Lamb's Action Team, which represents the club's 1,300 members, has created a business plan which it claims demonstrates how it can make a viable profit from keeping the club open seven days a week.
Mr Pottinger said: " The current operator has a short-term lease on the building which has been bought by a developer for an entirely pedestrian block of flats and offices."
The campaign is supported by various schools across the borough, including Prior Weston School in Bunhill Row, Finsbury.
Islington Council leader, Councillor James Kempton (Liberal Democrat), said: " We had not considered a CPO for the club because there are already good squash facilities in the local area and elsewhere in the borough.

12 Sep 2006 - Fitness First acquires Fitness Exchange

Fitness First, the world’s largest health club operator, has acquired the privately owned UK-based Fitness Exchange chain for an undisclosed sum. The Fitness Exchange portfolio consists of 10 clubs, nine of which are in Central London, which brings the total number of Fitness First clubs in the UK to 177.
Colin Waggett, chief operating officer of Fitness First, said: “We are delighted to welcome the members of Fitness Exchange to Fitness First. A programme of significantly enhancing the facilities at their clubs will begin soon and we will be introducing market leading fitness programmes that are already enjoyed by 1.3 million members in 15 countries around the world.”
All 10 of the Fitness Exchange clubs will be rebranded and benefit from more than £4m of investment, which will go towards improving both the facilities and equipment. Details: www.fitnessfirst.co.uk

Islington
Gazette
Big shots try to save threatened squash centre

nlnews@archant.co.uk
16 November 2005

THE BATTLE to save one of the UK's leading squash centres has received a massive boost from Sport England.
The organisation - responsible for developing sporting facilities in the UK - has lodged a six-page objection to controversial proposals to knock down the Lamb's Squash Club, Lamb's Passage, Finsbury, and build a block of flats there.
Clan Real Estates - which bought the club from ex-squash star Mike Corby for £4million - has submitted a revised planning application after the first was rejected back in May.
But the developers face strong opposition from more than 600 objectors, including the powerful voice of Sport England.
Sport England senior planning manager Peter Durrans said: " The loss of the nine-court Lambs Club would be thoroughly detrimental to Islington's sporting infrastructure and to the Government's aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle.
" Its closure, which could happen as early as February, would threaten London's reputation as the world capital of squash and a hub for the international squash scene."
And in another twist, calls have been made for Mike Corby to stand down from his role as president of England Squash.
Lamb's Action Team spokesman Ken Pottinger, who put the motion forward at England Squash's general meeting two weeks ago, said: " There is a real conflict of interest which needs to be recognised.
" On the one hand he is responsible for promoting squash and fighting to get squash recognised but on the other hand he has sold off one of the best facilities in the country to allow developers to turn it into flats."
But Mr Corby said that his decision was not motivated by personal financial gain but the need to pay off his debts.
" I would have loved to have not had to sell Lamb's but it was no longer financially viable.
" I have devoted my whole life to forwarding the cause of squash but I was forced to sell if I wanted to keep my other clubs going.
" The sale of Lamb's is one of the great shames of my life but I feel extremely hurt and angered by this vindictive campaign against me."
No comment was available from Clan Real Estates as the Gazette went to press

SquashTalk
Cacaphony of the Lambs

By Martin Bronstein in London, Nov 17 2005
Squashtalk Independent News © 2005 SquashTalk LLS
Martin Bronstein keeps up with fight over Britain’s best known squash club.

When Mike Corby  sold Lambs Club to a developer for £4million ($7million) earlier this year he angered a lot of his members  and brought a load of traditionalists out of the closet. Corby, who owns a chain of fitness clubs, said he had to sell in order to keep the business afloat and planned to close it for good next February “after a huge party”.
The members organized themselves, put up objections to the planned development of a block of apartments and successfully had the planning permission denied. The developers have now  come up with a new proposal which is yet will be heard by the Islington Borough Council.
Now Sport England, a government agency charged with developing sport and sportsmen in England, has got involved, putting their official voice, naturally, on the side of the 600-strong objectors.
Sport England senior planning manager Peter Durrans said:
" The loss of the nine-court Lambs Club would be thoroughly detrimental to Islington's sporting infrastructure and to the Government's aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle.
" Its closure, which could happen as early as February, would threaten London's reputation as the world capital of squash and a hub for the international squash scene."
This is, of course, utter rubbish – which, I suppose, is not surprising coming from a government agency.  London has not been the world capital of squash  for many, many years. Fifty years ago when the Squash Rackets Association was seen as the governing body of world squash with their offices in London, this might have been so. There was also a time, 30 years ago when the men’s professional body, - then known as ISPA – also had their offices in London.  London also housed some very prestigious clubs in those far-off years. And one could make a case for London being central for that golden decade when the British Open was played at the Wembley Conference Centre and Hi-Tec  money made it the most important tournament on the calendar.
But all that is ancient history. Today London houses the offices of   just one governing body: WISPA.  The World Squash Federation (WSF) is in Hastings, a shabby seaside town on the south coast of England.  The PSA  is in Wales and the SRA (now England Squash) has moved to Manchester.
London does not boast one venue with a permanent four wall glass court.  It has just one doubles court, that owned by the RAC in Pall Mall. (And that is created by a moveable wall).  London does not host one WISPA or PSA ranking tournament  and the last world championship was almost thirty years ago.
This year the British Open was due to return to London after its peripatetic wanderings around Britain.  No sponsor could be found  to underwrite an event in “the world capital of squash and a hub for the international squash scene."
Toronto makes a better claim  as world capital of squash with its  many fine clubs, and mixture of international, American and doubles courts. If you really want to find the top venue, then New England    with its Ivy League  universities and prep schools simply cannot be beaten. It’s hard to travel twenty miles without coming upon a brand new state-of-the-art squash center.
In England we have the National Squash Centre in Manchester, which, while it cannot compete with Harvard, Yale or Princeton, is good enough to attract a few major tournaments and national championships.
No, Mr Durrans, you know not of what you speak. You have either been fed wrong information by the objectors, or you failed to do your homework.
Furthermore Mike Corby is getting a rough deal. Had  Corby not used his corporate bank roll, Lambs would not have become the important venue  that it was. To rub salt into the wound,   calls have been made for Corby to stand down from his role as president of England Squash.
Lamb's Action Team spokesman Ken Pottinger, who put the motion forward at England Squash's general meeting two weeks ago, said: " There is a real conflict of interest which needs to be recognised.  On the one hand he is responsible for promoting squash and fighting to get squash recognised but on the other hand he has sold off one of the best facilities in the country to allow developers to turn it into flats."
Where was Mr. Pottinger when John Treherne was the chairman of  the SRA? He was also in the club business and he would buy squash clubs, close half the courts and put in swimming pools.
“If I didn’t do that the clubs would close,” he told me.
Mr Corby said that his decision was not motivated by personal financial gain but the need to pay off his debts.
" I would have loved to have not had to sell Lamb's but it was no longer financially viable.
" I have devoted my whole life to forwarding the cause of squash but I was forced to sell if I wanted to keep my other clubs going.
" The sale of Lamb's is one of the great shames of my life but I feel extremely hurt and angered by this vindictive campaign against me."
And  Mike Corby has every right to be angry. But in the words of a very great man: “NO good deed goes unpunished.”And Mike, you did too many good deeds.

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.....that is fighting to save the club from demolition. Information on: www.save-lambs-squash-club.co.uk.

24/03/2005
Death of Lambs Imminent

Lambs Squash Club in the City of London is to close

Lambs Squash Club in the City of London is to close in a move that will shock the squash community. The club has come to fulfil a central role in the sport providing the main squash exhibition venue in London, the main centre for sport in the City and a London centre for professional players to train, met and play at.

The centre is owned by Mike Corby who is president of the English governing body of the sport, England Squash. It is believed that the club will be pulled down early next year to make way for a nine story apartment building.

Corby’s decision to sell is reportedly due to a turn down in business that has affected the whole fitness industry. He has said it is not feasible to keep the club open and has sold it to the Native Land company.

The club has nine squash courts but more importantly a 200 seat exhibition court with two adjacent glass back courts with additional seating for 50 each making it a popular venue for events in the world capital of squash.

There is much consternation at the announcement and members of the club are organising a protest. However the problem transcends members’ interests. There is not an alternative club in London with a large number of courts with purpose built exhibition facilities. The reverberations of this club death can be expected to be felt internationally. London, will struggle to hold onto its position as the sport’s world capital without a central London venue and without that the sport will be poorer.

Squash is one of the favourite sports of the City of London, the world’s financial and commodity trading hub. This is where the sport interfaces with the international financial business community. This month the ISS Canary Wharf Classic was held in the City, in May the Brit Insurance Super Series Finals will be held at the Broadgate Arena – a tube stop or two away from Lambs and it is possible the British Open will return to London. Lambs could be excepted to have some role in all of these events. The interaction through Lambs which allowed for players, promoters and sponsors to met and in some cases to do business will no longer exist.

Squash through its traditions in the public schools, gentlemen’s clubs and through traditional London based competitions has maintained a strong following with City gentleman – it provides an ideal break from the pressures of the working day with the a quick game at lunch time or after work before going home and perhaps a brief business meeting.

The problem with the demise of the club is that the state of the game in London and England does not provide an alternative.

Members at Lambs club are up in arms at its planned closure and a campaign to save the club has been launched. They may be able to raise some pressure as the sport’s bid for Olympic recognition and the London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics cannot be assisted by such a high profile closure. The decision though looks as if it will be Corby’s alone.

A dedicated web site has been set up to co-ordinate the protest. Save Lambs Squash Club

TIMES ONLINE
Sport, May 05, 2005
Protest launched against closure of Lambs Club
By John Goodbody

THE premier facility for tournaments in southern England is threatened with closure after the president of the sport’s national governing body said that he was forced to sell it for more than £4 million to property developers.
Members of Lambs Club, in London, are campaigning to stop the site being used for housing. They also say that the timing of the sale is unfortunate because squash is shortlisted for inclusion in the 2012 Olympic Games, for which London is bidding.
The last significant event at the nine-court centre is likely to be the early rounds of the Open Championships in October, before the club’s feared closure next February. Two of these championships and a further 50 tournaments at Lambs have been sponsored in the past by Mike Corby, the owner of the club and the president of Squash England.
“I was forced to sell Lambs last October to clear my debts,” Corby, the chairman of Fitness Exchange, a health club group, said yesterday. “I did it for no personal gain, but we needed to be financially secure again.”
Lambs is on a three-year leaseback arrangement while planning permission is sought for a proposed joint redevelopment venture by Buccleuch Estate and Native Land. This comprises 80,000 square feet of flats, but no squash facility.
The plan is opposed by many of the 1,200 members of the club. They have set up a website and want to buy back the premises so that it can continue as a squash and fitness club.
Ken Pottinger, a spokesman for the club members, said: “We do feel that it would have been simpler if Mike had asked us first. We acknowledge that Mike has put a lot of time and money into squash, but (the club) was sold without us knowing what was happening. The developer has now told us that he sis not prepared to meet us, although we believe that this is just a negotiating position.
“We do feel that it is odd that the club has been sold just as London is bidding for the Games and squash may come into the Games.”
However, Corby said: “There are misguided attempts to link this with the Olympic bid. It is an absolute red herring. I love the Olympics and love squash, but there is little or no chance that squash will get into the Games for 2012.”
Corby, a vice-president of the World Squash Federation, has spent ten years trying to persuade the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the sport should be admitted to the Games when it votes in Singapore in July. He said that he was desolate at having to sell Lambs, which he founded.
“For 25 years it has been part of my life,” he said. “But there comes a time when you cannot carry on. There are a huge number of financial difficulties in running a squash club here.”
Corby said that you would have to have a monthly membership of about £200 to make squash viable, because most of his members only use the gym. Speaking of club members who are opposing the redevelopment plans, he added: “They are creating problems unnecessarily.”

From Forbes magazine
Your Health
Ten Healthiest Sports
Neal Santelmann

	Click here for the slide show

It is ironic that in an imperfect world few things are more flawed with inefficiencies, inconsistencies and injury risks than the pursuit of fitness.

Old manners of getting in shape seem to us today as antiquated and inefficient as using Indian clubs and medicine balls. While racking up several miles on the nearby track or jogging trail may be great for cardiorespiratory health, it does nothing for the upper body and can wreak havoc upon joints. Weight training may promote muscular strength, but it has a limited effect on the most important muscle of all, the heart. And while swimming seems to be everyone's ideal activity for the total-body workout, it won't melt many calories without hard-won and proper technique, and is worthless for anyone who lacks ready access to a pool.

Given such hassles, is it any wonder that, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported, some 70% of Americans don't engage in regular exercise? Well, frankly, yes, especially when one considers the benefits of even blatantly moderate physical pursuits such as walking or gardening, which have been found to alleviate depression, decrease weight, strengthen bones and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer and premature death.

While that's all well and good for recovering couch potatoes, what about those gym rats who seem to spend endless hours doing sit-ups and step-classes? Alas, in some ways they're wasting their time, because besides getting one ripped there's little difference between the long-term health benefits of moderate and intense physical activity. " A lot of the argument for intense exercise is about cosmetics," notes Carl Foster, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. " If you're trying to lose weight, mild exercise is not as good as vigorous. That's fine if you want to look better, but from a long-term health and longevity standpoint it's unimportant."

Fair enough. But as anyone who has ever glanced around the departure lounge at a Midwestern airport knows, " health" and " fitness" are two different things. The former has to do with reducing the risk of disease, while the latter is about maximizing the four basic physiological components of fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility.

Of course, one can be healthy without being fit, and vice versa. But while the out-of-shape middle managers you see huffing and puffing toward the departure gate may be able to reach their life expectancy, they're going to be a helluva lot less comfortable getting there than those who strive to maintain peak physical condition along the way.

For anyone who would prefer to be among of the latter, we've compiled a list of the Ten Healthiest Sports--a bit of a misnomer, perhaps, but you get the idea. Best pursued with calculated abandon to reduce their risk of injury, as well as in cross-training combinations to cover all of the basic physiological components, each of these sporting activities is a great way to get you fit--and keep you there.

Rating Methodology

Ratings are based upon consultations with fitness experts--coaches, personal trainers, competitors and exercise physiologists--as well as a dash of personal experience. The four basic physiological components of fitness are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being " excellent," 4 being " darn good," 3 being " good," 2 being " not bad" and 1 being " nothing special."

Injury risk is rated on a scale of 1 to 3, with 3 being " low," 2 being " so-so" and 1 being " high." Calorie burn (in parentheses) is based upon the energy expenditure of a 190-pound person over 30 minutes and is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being 450+ calories, 4 being 400-450 calories, 3 being 350-400 calories, 2 being 300-350 calories and 1 being 250-300 calories. Calorie burn rates are from the American College of Sports Medicine whenever possible, we selected the rate for " moderate" or similar intensity.

Scores were tallied to arrive at an individual rating for each sport. Of course, physiological benefits, injury risks and calorie burn can vary widely depending upon the technique, vigor, care and enthusiasm with which you pursue the sport.

The preferred game of Wall Street has convenience on its side, as 30 minutes on the squash court provides an impressive cardiorespiratory workout. Extended rallies and almost constant running builds muscular strength and endurance in the lower body, while lunges, twists and turns increase flexibility in the back and abdomen. " For people just getting into the game, it's almost too much to sustain, but once you get there, squash is tremendous," says Paul Assaiante, head coach of the five-time defending national intercollegiate champion men's squash team at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. Assaiante recommends a regimen of yoga, sprinting and distance running for preparation. Be wary of groin pulls, torn Achilles tendons and your opponent's racquet.

http://www.squashsite.co.uk/lambs_latest.htm

Squash Site's coverage of the latest new about  the second planning application October 05 2005.

Lamb's and Queen's - the same fight

The Sunday Times

Members plan bid for Queen's The London tennis club is up for sale — but members want to save its heritage, reports Matthew Goodman

LAST Wednesday morning Alexander Anton, chairman of the famous Queen’s club in Baron’s Court, west London, walked on court to play a game of racquets against the sport’s former world champion. Queen’s, best known as the home of the Stella Artois tennis tournament, is one of the few places in Britain that has proper facilities not only for racquets, an indoor version of tennis, but also real tennis, lawn tennis and squash. Anton, who has been a member for more than 20 years, plays three times a week. On Tuesday evening he will be back there to face a differnt kind of challenge. Several hundred club members will crowd onto two covered courts to debate how they can best mount a bid for the club. It has been put up for sale by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), its owner since 1953, and could fetch £40m. Founded in 1886, Queen’s is one of the world’s most prestigious sports clubs. Its members include such luminaries as Lord Marshall, former chairman of British Airways, Lord Rothermere, proprietor of the Daily Mail, British Land’s John Ritblat and Sir Colin Chandler, former head of Vickers. But having such high-powered members has done little to stop the LTA’s plans to auction the club to the highest bidder. The association, the sport’s governing body, is moving its headquarters form the club to a new site at Roehampton, on the western edge of London, and wants to sell Queen’s to raise money to fund the development of British tennis. Plans for the disposal have been in hand for a couple of years and, despite what they took to be assurances that club members would be treated preferentially, Anton now has to galvanise members to thwart various rival bidders. These are likely to include fitness-club chains such as Next Generation and Esporta, as well as wealthy individuals looking for trophy assets. It is debatable how seriously any of these bids will be taken, however. A source at one prospective buyer said he believed the auction was more about keeping the members’ bid honest than about serving up genuine competition. Anton admitted the group had to fight the perception that it consisted of “toffs” with too much time and money. Sir Bryan Nicholson, chairman of the Financial Reporting Council and a member at Queen’s, rejected the charge of elitism. “If you compare the cost of Queen’s to the cost of following Manchester United, it is cheaper,” he said. “The elitist argument does not stick.” But Anton wondered who, aside from the members, would have the same non-commercial aim of preserving the club’s ethos and safeguarding its less popular, non-tennis activities. “The club has a heritage second to none. Any commercial operator that buys it is going to be looking for returns of 20% and the only way to achieve that would be to cut back on the loss-making areas and focus on the bits where they can make profits,” he said. The members argue that selling off Queen’s would be akin to the cricketing authorities selling off Lord’s or the Oval and that the members are the only ones who can be trusted with owning the site. On Tuesday evening, they will talk through a business plan they have prepared with Long Acre, a corporate-finance boutique. The document, which has been seen by The Sunday Times, details how the members would finance a bid and what they would do with the club if they won the auction. It sets out details of a £5.5m refurbishment of the site. A swimming pool and spa complex would be added and there would be an upgrade of everything from the changing rooms to the restaurants. Anton, who has been offered funding by a number of leading banks, said financing would be the least of the members’ problems. “We have a very engaged membership,” he said. Under his proposals, each member will be invited to buy shares in the club for £10,000, with those aged under 28 exempt. There would also be some kind of debenture scheme to raise further membership equity, which would cost between £50,000 and £250,000. The balance of the funds needed to buy the club would come from a bank. While funding does not appear to be an issue, Anton must make sure he gets all the members on side. “It’s a bit like asking the family where they want to go on the Christmas holiday — you get a lot of different views.” Last year there was a falling out when a rebel group, including Nicholson, threatened legal action against the LTA in the belief that the association was reneging on an agreement struck with the members when it bought the club. The rebels have been pacified, but Anton barely disguises his disappointment at the LTA’s attitude. “Our intention is not to steal the club from the LTA,” he said. “Our purpose is to put forward the best bid, at a fair price, and the best managed vision for the club’s future.” With the clock ticking — formal expressions of interest must be filed by November 4, Anton must serve up a few more aces if he is to make it game, set and match for the members. Nicholson said: “We’ve been very impressed with the way the banks are falling over themselves to help. But then there’s no better security than a loyal membership.”

 

 

Press Coverage

By Ashling O’Connor
The Insider - November 8
SPORT ENGLAND has backed a campaign to stop the closure of one of the UK’s premier squash facilities, which has been a base for Peter Nicol, the former world No 1.
In a six-page planning objection sent last week to Islington Borough Council, Peter Durrans, Sport England’s senior planning manager, said that the loss of the nine-court Lambs Club to make way for housing would be “thoroughly detrimental” to the local sporting infrastructure and to the Government’s aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Its closure, which could happen as early as February, would threaten London’s reputation as the “world capital of squash” and “a hub for the international squash scene”.
Mike Corby, president of England Squash and owner of a chain of fitness clubs, sold the freehold for £4 million to a consortium involving the Buccleuchs, one of Scotland’s oldest and wealthiest families. He said that the move was not motivated by personal financial gain but the need to pay off his debts. A motion brought at England Squash’s annual meeting at the weekend that Corby should step down as president because of a conflict of interest was not carried.
The present planning application is the second to be submitted after the first was rejected in May. The deadline for objections to a revised proposal passed yesterday and the council has heard from 600 people against the development.
A petition started by the Lambs Action Group has been sent to Richard Caborn, the Sports Minister, calling on him to save the club. The group will learn in about six weeks whether or not its campaign has been successful

SquashNow!

The  Global Game Covered By Experts

World Squash Day - 26-Jan-05:
JK joins Beach in Olympic Support

Jahangir Khan once called Lambs Club " the best squash club in the world" .

He returned there this week to join World Open finalist Lee Beachill on court to be filmed and interviewed for a special BBC TV series on the five sports which are bidding for inclusion in the 2012 Olympic Games.

JK, who used to play for Lambs in the National League, is now the World Squash Federation president. He flew over from Germany specially to take part in the programme, with Beachill travelling down from Pontefract overnight and heading off for Nottingham soon after filming had finished to play in a National League match that evening.

Both players were filmed wearing the impressive World Squash Day T-shirts, which feature smart graphics on the front and a giant slogan on the back stating " Squash for the Olympic Games 2012" .

Since being voted in as the WSF president, Jahangir has enthusiastically spearheaded squash's Olympic bid.

The paperwork has been done, and the bid has been lodged with the IOC, but the more headlines squash can capture between now and the all-important vote, the more chance we have of gaining our place at the Olympic table.

Jahangir and Lee both pointed out squash's strong points, that the game is truly international, played in every corner of the globe by millions of enthusiastic players, and is a game of great skill and stamina that provides magnificent entertainment.

While Jahangir was representing the legendary Khan dynasty, Beachill is the current leader of the Pontefract dynasty being shaped by leading coach Malcolm Willstrop.

Alan Thatcher
 
See: Lambs to the Slaughter ... A Lamb's Club Remiscence
by Jack Halford © 2005 Jack Halford & SquashTalk LLC, all rights reserved.  on  Squashtalk

Lambs Appeal

now features full transcript of the
BBC Radio London
Interview with Mike Corby and
Save Lambs representative Joss Hargrave

Background to Lambs acquisition
SUNDAY HERALD (Scotland)
The Buccleuch punt
The decision by one of Scotland’s richest families to set up an investment arm has drawn top-notch talent. By Julia Fields

IT is not easy to reconcile the name Buccleuch with shiny glass office towers, city-slicker penthouses and sprawling shopping plazas. For centuries the word has belonged to the aristocracy, conjuring up images of rolling countryside, pheasant shoots and labrador pups.
However, the Buccleuchs, one of Scotland’s oldest and wealthiest families, are determined to become serious contenders in the high-stakes commercial property game.
Over the past 12 months, the duke and his son the Earl of Dalkeith have hired some of the biggest names in Scottish business to lead their commercial property arm.
And as part of a wider rebranding to modernise the family’s vast business interests, they have shrugged off the traditional image depicting a stately country house, and opted instead for a swish bold blue “B” logo that will be splashed across the signs erected outside all developments.
Already the deals are coming in fast and furious. Buccleuch Property is about to complete the sale of a property portfolio of £30 million to an unnamed buyer. It is also in the process of launching a new company that will build blocks of luxury flats in central London. In partnership with Alasdair Nicholls – who recently spun off Taylor Woodrow Capital Development to form his own company Native Land – Buccleuch Property will develop luxury residential projects worth between £20m and £30m. It is currently on a short list to acquire a mini-regeneration site now occupied by mews housing and a hotel.
Such swift progress has been achieved under the direction of managing director David Peck. Formerly development director for Scottish group Kilmartin Property, Peck was headhunted last year. The 39-year-old has orchestrated some of the biggest commercial deals in Scotland, including securing the acquisition and redevelopment of the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary site with joint venture partners Taylor Woodrow.
Before finishing his nine-year stint at Kilmartin, Peck sold Cameron Toll Shopping Centre to private Irish investor John Walker for £75m – making a £10m profit in just 18 months.
Peck jumped at the chance to take charge of the Buccleuch commercial property business. “It was a one-off opportunity. It’s a great name to be associated with,” he says. “I thought they were creating the right atmosphere and the right level of resources to build a really successful enterprise.”
He describes his aristocratic bosses as extremely “open-minded”. “There’s no pre-conceived boundaries we have to operate to. It’s very much a can-do attitude. If we can justify the risk, they are up for it.”
The 80-year-old duke and his heirs are estimated to own assets worth £450m. He is one of the largest landowners in Europe with 270,000 acres sprawling over Bowhill, Dumfries and Galloway, Langholm near Carlisle, and Boughton in the Midlands, and is responsible for the upkeep of three stately homes, including Dalkeith Palace. He also owns a considerable art collection, which suffered a major loss last year when a painting by Leonardo da Vinci worth £30m was stolen from the duke’s Drumlanrig Castle.
When revenues from some parts of the agricultural businesses began to decline, the family accumulated a £250m portfolio of offices, development land and industrial schemes in Australia, the US and Britain. But the properties have mainly sat idle as long-term investments and fell under the same banner as a myriad of disparate business interests. Over the past year, the family has reorganised their holdings into the Buccleuch Group and appointed a team of senior executives to lead three newly defined divisions: commercial property, rural affairs and a food and drinks company.
Buccleuch Heritage Brands, which produces chutneys, biscuits, beers, whiskies and beef, is in talks with supermarkets to stock a wide range of its products. The rural division hopes to build on its tourism and shooting activities and continue to manage rural properties.
Commercial property, however, could easily become the most significant revenue generator. The Duke of Westminster has built a vast fortune through his inter national property firm Grosvenor, which currently manages a port folio of about £5.4 billion and has interests in 16 countries.
With a dedicated team of 11 professionals, Peck plans to double the Buccleuch portfolio value from £250m to £500m within three to five years. The company recently opened an office in Edinburgh and recruited Richard Pardoe, former head of property at Royal London Asset Management, to establish an office in west London.
Peck is quick to point out that the latest modernising initiative is not just an attempt by the duke to line his pockets. “They are not an extravagant family,” he says. “It’s not them saying, ‘Good, we’ve made this extra money. We can go and buy the next jet’. It’s hugely important to the family that we are able to generate sufficient returns from all aspects of the business to ensure they can continue investing in the countryside.”
Peck has spent the past eight months evaluating the commercial property asset base – of which 20% is situated in Scotland – and selling what didn’t fit into the future strategy. Close to £45m worth of properties have been sold since January, including the latest portfolio deal. Peck is also considering divesting a AUS$30m stake in an office and warehouse scheme, which has recently been completed, next to the airport in Sydney.
“It’s a good time to sell. But it also gives us additional fire power to reinvest right away,” Peck says.  
Buccleuch Property has £100m on hand for new acquisitions either in the UK or overseas, but it also intends to raise more capital from institutional funds and private investors, as well as set up joint ventures on larger redevelopment projects.
The objective is to buy sizeable assets, raise their value by refurbishing or bringing in new tenants and then trade them within a five-year period. Some of that cash will also go towards kick-starting the central London residential company and to develop a strategic land business.
Many housebuilders have recently sold parts of their land banks to cut back on costs and risk and have created what Peck sees as a money-making gap in the market. “We see an opportunity to buy options and secure land for long-term upside that we can deliver to the housebuilding sector.”
Peck has also not ruled out partnering with or buying a local player to develop urban flats in Scotland.  
It seems like a lot of bases to cover and at a time when the property business is entering more challenging times. Some analysts have predicted that house prices in London could fall as much as 30% over the next few years. But Peck begs to differ: “I don’t see a fall of that magnitude. Our residential business is looking at the very top end. It sits in a different market. It’s dependent on the macroeconomics of the world. A lot of the buyers will be foreign investors. We know it can’t continuing growing as it has, but I think there will still be opportunities this year and next.”
As for the other ventures, Peck says the key to achieving such ambitious growth targets will come from finding the best people to work with.  
“Our ability to get to £500m will be dependent on the opportunities out there, how the market is performing and our ability to bring in co-investors,” he says. “It’s about trying to find partners in all of these bits that have the specialist skills.” 18 July 2004.



Lambs to the slaughter

editorial@islingtonexpress.co.uk
13 May 2005

By Rob Bleaney

TWO members of a world-famous Old Street squash club have been booted out for campaigning against its closure.
Lambs Club, in Lamb's Passage, near Old Street, was once described by legendary World Champion Jahangir Khan as the best club he had ever played at.
But it is set to be demolished after owner Mike Corby sold it to property developers for more than £4million.
Campaigners are fighting the plans - and there's fury after ladies captain Tania Loughran and spokesman Ken Pottinger had their memberships terminated for speaking out.
Ms Loughran, 31, said: " This is totally wrong. Mike Corby has done a lot for Lambs and for squash in his role as president of Squash England but now he's being totally unsporting.
" People should be able to speak their minds when something like this happens. This is the only proper squash club in the centre of London and there are more than 800 players, from beginners right up to professionals. Closing it will be a devastating loss to the community and once it's gone it can never be put back."
Ms Loughran and Mr Pottinger are part of the Lambs Action Team (Lat), set up by club members to stop the site being used for housing. She captains three ladies teams in the winter and two during the summer, and only a few months ago was offered a free membership because of the amount of work she does for the club.
Mr Pottinger, 57, has run the campaign to save the club. He said: " This is totally unacceptable. Mr Corby has put a tremendous amount of money and commitment into squash in the last 25 years but he needs to keep cool, not start chopping off the heads of his members.
" As president of Squash England he is responsible for developing the game at grassroots level. It's a little invidious to start chucking out members because they've voiced their opinions in what's supposed to be a democratic country."
Lambs' members are so desperate to save the club they want to buy it back themselves. On Tuesday they won a major battle when the council refused developers Clan Real Estate planning permission for a nine-storey block of flats and offices on the site.
Mr Pottinger said: " There were over 200 letters of objection to the scheme and one of the reasons the council turned it down was because the sports facility would be destroyed. In squash terms this is game one to us but the match is still not won.
" If we bought the site we would preserve the club for its members and do outreach work with all the local Islington schools to bring through the next generation of squash players. We can't allow the club to be destroyed."
Mr Corby, a former England number one squash player, said: " I borrowed the money to build Lambs and have put my heart and soul into it for 25 years. Selling it broke my heart but the banks told us we had to.
" Tania Loughran has had a free membership for the past 18 months because she is meant to be helping us. It was terminated because she said and wrote things that are creating confusion and bewilderment among our staff.
" It's a shame but the campaigners have to accept that squash at Lambs is dead.
" Even if the planning permission is refused again the courts will be turned into a gymnasium."
The Lambs Action Team website is www.save-lambs-squash-club.co.uk.

Is Corby's Fitness Exchange Group in play, read on....
Suitors shape up in Fitness First auction

Press Coverage  
Dumfries and Galloway Standard takes up Lamb's cause in the Duke's own backyard, see  news report
Duke in club fight

Duke's estates make £3.6m loss

JAMES REYNOLDS

BRITAIN'S biggest private landowner, the Duke of Buccleuch, made a £3.6 million loss on the running of his estates last year - despite receiving £790,000 in European and government farm subsidies and grants. He stayed out of the red only by selling off land, leaving an eventual profit of £6.5 million, according to accounts that became available at Companies House at the weekend. In contrast, the estates made a £1.8 million profit in the previous 12 months, largely from traditional rural practices, including cattle and sheep rearing and timber production. The 82-year-old duke, whose wealth was estimated at £65 million in the Sunday Times Rich List, owns 270,000 acres of land, mostly in the Borders, and has a host of stately homes, including Bowhill, near Selkirk Drumlanrig, in Dumfriesshire and Dalkeith Palace, near Edinburgh. He and his wife divide their time between Bowhill, Drumlanrig and Boughton House in Northamptonshire. The scale of the estates' losses shocked experts, who said it highlighted the crisis facing Scotland's rural economy.   James Withers, a spokesman for the National Farmers Union Scotland, said a large part of the losses could be explained by farmers getting too small a return on the shelf prices of foods in supermarkets.  In his introduction to the accounts, the duke admits: " Traditional rural activities continue to struggle to achieve profitability." To counter this, the Buccleuch Estates adopted a strategy of diversification, including free-range egg production, the construction of a new hardwood sawmill, several renewable energy projects and a dog breeding and training facility. An ardent defender of traditional country sports, the duke has been in a wheelchair for more than 20 years after being thrown from his horse while hunting. There are 220 tenant farmers working his lands, and his company as a whole provides employment for 1,000 people. The estates' annual output includes 127,000 sheep, 13,500 cattle, 18 million litres of milk, 20,000 tonnes of cereal and 50,000 tonnes of timber. The report reveals that the Buccleuch Estates company paid £5.8 million to the Buccleuch Heritage Trust, which contributes to the upkeep of his historic houses.   The company also paid out £4.5 million in dividends, which do not go directly to the duke or his family but to a nominee company which is the majority shareholder.    Despite the considerable losses, the duke remained upbeat about the company's prospects, saying: " The year to October 31, 2004, was a successful one in terms of financial performance and stewardship of the natural and built heritage on the estates, with turnover growing by 17 per cent to over £29 million."     In 2003, the estates made a £1.8 million profit on trading activities, but that figure was boosted to £29 million by further property disposals and an exceptional item relating to property revaluation.    Tony Andrews, the chief executive of the Scottish Countryside Alliance, said: " First, the Buccleuch Estates are arguably the best-run rural enterprise in Scotland, being entrepreneurial and well diversified. But if they aren't making it pay, I hate to think of the problems this indicates others might be having. " It is reflective of a deeper malaise in rural businesses and I would argue that, as the Common Agricultural Policy reforms start to bite, the imperative of diversification will become all the stronger.   " We now need to see a far more friendly business environment in rural areas. The absolute key to the whole thing would be the relaxation of the planning regulations, but only with a clear vision for the future of Scotland. I don't see that vision from Holyrood.   " [The countryside] makes a genuine contribution to the wealth of the nation, but we have to think out of the box and integrate our rural policy into the economic policy of the nation as a whole, and that is just not being done."     He went on: " The appalling price of farm produce is another reason this loss has occurred. Prices for timber have plummeted, as have prices for crops."   Although the Duke of Buccleuch put on a brave face concerning the losses, the poor financial performance is the latest in a long line of misfortunes to befall him.  In August 2003, he became the victim of Britain's biggest art heist when two thieves posing as tourists at Drumlanrig made off with the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, The Madonna with the Yarnwinder, in an audacious daylight raid. Valued at between £25 and £50 million, it features the Madonna and infant Jesus with a cross-shaped yarnwinder, symbolic of Christ's crucifixion, and is one of only a dozen known Da Vinci originals.    Painted between 1500 and 1510 for Florimand Robertet, the secretary of state for Louis XII of France, it was bought in Italy in the 18th century by the third Duke of Buccleuch, and was conclusively identified as a work by the Renaissance master only in 1986 after scientific tests.   Despite appeals by the duke and his son, the Earl of Dalkeith, an extensive police hunt and a BBC Crimewatch television reconstruction, the painting has still to be recovered.   Despite the priceless nature of the work, it is believed the duke received an insurance pay-out of just over £3 million because the collection at Drumlanrig was under-insured.    In January this year, the Duchess of Buccleuch, 75, had to stand trial on criminal charges of allegedly leaving the scene of an accident. She was acquitted after a sheriff ruled there was no case to answer. 
The man and the mysterious title
BORN Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott on 28 September 1923, the ninth Duke of Buccleuch succeeded his father in 1973. It was this ascension to the status of duke which cut short his political career - he was the Conservative MP for Edinburgh North from 1960- 1973. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, he married Jane McNeil in 1953, and together they had three sons and a daughter According to the 1931 revised Little Oxford Dictionary, Buccleuch is pronounced " Bukloo"   The origin was an occasion when a " buck" (stag) was killed in a " cleuch" (small ravine) hundreds of years ago, by a man who saved the king's life by seizing the stag by its antlers when it charged.
Last updated: 01-Aug-05 01:06 BST

Lambs Club to be demolished
NEWS: One of the most famous squash clubs in the world is under threat of demolition, and members are campaigning vigorously to save the club

Lambs Appeal
23-Mar-05:
LAMBS CLUB TO BE DEMOLISHED ...

Famously described as " the best squash club in the world" by none other than Jahangir Khan, Lambs Club in the heart of the City of London is under threat of demolition after being taken over by new owners.

Members are fighting back, and have set up a website for squash fans to register their support ... www.save-lambs-squash-club.co.uk

City diary
Edited by Sophie Brodie (Filed: 24/03/2005)
Squash rivals join for game of survival

The City's oldest squash courts are under threat. Lambs, behind the Guildhall School of Music, is owned by Clan Real Estate, which wants to demolish the courts and put up a block of flats.

The racketeers, including Ian Chicken of Icap and Grant Kleiner at rival Prebon, want the City Corporation to step in. Curious to find such deadly rivals on the same side for a change.
© Copyrightof Telegraph Group Limited2005.

City diary
Edited by Sophie Brodie (Filed: 02/06/2005)

Lambs squash move creates a racket

Mike Corby, who sold Lambs Squash Club in the City to a developer to pay off debts, has cancelled two memberships and asked another member to stay away after they campaigned to block redevelopment of the courts into flats.

They have consulted other Lamb players, who happen to be lawyers, on whether Corby was allowed to eject them. Their actions could cost Corby, a long-time advocate and sponsor of the game, £1.2m that is due once the development is complete. He says: " Squash at Lambs is dead" . Even if planning permission is blocked again, he will turn it into a gym.

 
Sport in Brief 23 Mar 2005
Lambs' finale
Squash: Lambs Club, the London squash and fitness centre that has been at the heart of the British game for the past quarter of a century, is set to host the early rounds and the age groups of the 2005 British Open in October before it is demolished at the end of the year.


Lambs Club to Close
In a shock move Lambs Squash Club in the City of London is to close. The club has fulfilled a major role in the sport providing a central London exhibiiton venue, financial district contacts and an international meeting place for players.  

Lambs' Members launch protest
" We are launching a campaign to save squash in London. There are no alternatives and this will affect the whole squash community," said a campaigner who did not wish to be named. The campaign has a dedicated website.

Islington
Gazette
'Home of squash' faces demolition

nlnews@inuk.co.uk
30 March 2005

THE " HOME of Squash" is set to be demolished to make way for a nine-storey block of flats.

Lambs Squash Club, in Lamb's Passage, Finsbury, is considered the squash equivalent of Wimbledon.

It has nine courts and around 1,400 members, and ex-world champion Jahangir Khan has described it as the " best club I have ever played at" and the " most famous squash club in the world" .

It was opened in 1979 by former British squash star Mike Corby and is the flagship club in a chain of 14.

But Mr Corby is about to retire and sold the freehold for the site for £4million in September.

Now developers Clan Real Estate have revealed plans to knock down the centre at the end of the year and replace it with a nine-storey block of flats and office units.

Members have launched a campaign to save the club, which will be left homeless if the proposal goes ahead. Objectors have until April 7 to contact Islington Council's planning department.

Lambs Squash Club member Ken Pottinger, 57, who is organising the campaign, said: " We mustn't allow the club to be destroyed. All the world-famous squash players have played there. It is one of the oldest sports clubs in London and home to many world famous players."

The members are calling on Islington Council to turn down Clan Real Estate's planning application. So far 29 official letters of objection have been sent to the planning department.

Club member Tariq Tahir added: " It is the spiritual home of the game. Members are very upset about it."

Councillor Bridget Fox (Liberal Democrat), Islington's executive member for sustainability, said: " I'm aware a planning application has been submitted to the council to develop a building in Lambs Passage. As with all planning applications all residents, businesses and community groups will be able to have their say and if residents feel strongly I would encourage them to take this chance."

" When this comes to committee, councillors will have to decide not only whether the proposals meet planning guidance but also if they are acceptable for the community as a whole.

Estates Gazette
Buccleuch/Native Land jv targets London schemes

Piers Wehner 23/10/2004 10:20

Clan Real Estate's £150m war chest will be spent in the next two years
Britain's largest private landlord, the Buccleuch Estate, has teamed up with Native Land to launch a residential developer. The joint venture - Clan Real Estate-- has bought a site off Chiswell Street, EC1, for just over £4m. A planning application for the site, which can accommodate 80,000 sq ft of flats, will be submitted to Islington by the end of the year.
The London-based jv will start with a war chest of £150m to spend over the next two years and will focus on mixed-use and residential developments of up to 100 flats in the capital.
Alasdair Nicholls, chief executive of Native Land, said: " We intend to develop Clan into a leading player in the London market. We have the fundsand the experience.
Native Land was established 18 months ago by Nicholls - formerly managing director of Taylor Woodrow Capital Developments - as a specialist residential development management company operating in central London.
The company was recently shortlisted alongside Helical Bar as a frontrunner for the redevelopment of the Middlesex Hospital, W1.
Buccleuch Property is the commercial property arm of the Buccleuch Group, the holding company owned by the 80-year-old Duke of Buccleuch, who is better known for his passion for field sports than for his involvement in the world of property.
The duke is descended from James Crofts, who was an illegitimate son of Charles II.
In the past year, the estate, under managing director David Peck, has set up a dedicated property team with offices in Edinburgh and London. Its strategy is to build up the group into a major developer and investor over the next five years, doubling in size to over £500m

Islington
Gazette
Anger after squash club battlers are kicked out

nlnews@archant.co.uk
19 May 2005

TWO protesters fighting against the development of a famous squash club have had their memberships terminated.

Clan Real Estates applied to demolish the popular Lambs Squash Club in Lamb's Passage, Finsbury, and replace it with a nine-storey block of flats.

The club - sold to the developers for £4million by former club owner Mike Corby - is considered by enthusiasts to be the squash equivalent of Wimbledon.

Club member Ken Pottinger set up a campaign to save it, gaining support from former Islington South and Finsbury MP Chris Smith.

And earlier this month Islington Council's assistant director of planning, Graham Loveland, threw out the application after more than 200 objections.

Mr Loveland said: " The existing sports facilities on site contribute to the character and liveliness of the area, and play an important role in the borough and the wider area in the provision of indoor sports facilities."

But the protesters received a blow when Mr Pottinger and ladies' captain Tania Loughran's memberships were terminated.

Mr Pottinger said: " Thanks to the success of the campaign, Mike Corby has thrown us out of the club. This is totally unacceptable. As president of Squash England, he is responsible for developing the game at grassroots level. It's a little invidious to start chucking out members just because they've voiced their opinions."

Mr Corby said: " Tania Loughran has had a free membership for the past 18 months because she is meant to be helping us. It was terminated because she said and wrote things that are creating confusion and bewilderment among our staff.

" It's a shame but the campaigners have to accept that squash at Lambs is dead. Even if the planning permission is refused again the courts will be turned into a gymnasium.

More coming