Squash Coach Profile – Jenny Denyer

We’re delighted to have Jenny Denyer on our coaching team at the Club,  here’s a spotlight on why she’s such a credit to us.

Coaching Qualification:

Level 3 England Squash Coach

Playing Career Highlights (Jenny Tranfield):

• British Open U16 & U19 Champion
• World University Champion (1998)
• Sunday Times Student Sportswoman of the Year (1999)
• World Ranking: High of #8 (2005)
• Tour Titles: 11
• England Caps: Europeans (2003) & World Games (2005)

That is quite a playing CV! If you had to pick out a couple of highlights what would they be?

Eventually getting picked for England in 2003. The journey from British Junior Open Champion in 1993 to getting into the England team was a long, hard road and took some doing! The Europeans that year were hosted in Nottingham, which was the icing on the cake because we had lots of home support. My friends and family were all there to see us win. Our team line up was incredible; it was a privilege to play in that team.

Winning in Las Vegas was also a highlight. I was seeing the ball like a football and couldn’t do much wrong. It was as though all those years of training and playing professionally finally came together….

Who was the toughest player you faced on the tour?

There were so many…. I’d have to pick out Sarah Fitzgerald who was exceptional. No wonder she won 5 World Opens – it was the pace and the accuracy of her hitting combined with her athleticism. Incredibly tough to play against her, especially on a glass court when she was on a mission to win a title!

You stopped playing when your career ended but are back on court now. How are you finding it, and will we see you turn out for one of the teams next year?

I love it at Club Towers. It’s like being back in the 1980’s – everyone plays squash! There are so many keen players who are enjoying the game and want to improve. I feel very fortunate to be able to bring my kids into this environment and play a part in building and supporting it. In terms of my own game, I’m really enjoying being back on court and having some good hits with various people. Team matches…who knows??

How are you enjoying the coaching at the Club? The prosecco seems to be going down well?

I am so excited about the Ladies Squash & Prosecco. We have got a great group of ladies who are keen to learn more about the game, who want to have a hard workout and who enjoy being competitive. The Prosecco afterwards is really important to create social time to build a Ladies Squash Community. Eventually we want to develop a Ladies Team to be able to compete against other clubs….

Tell us a bit about what you do now?

I design and deliver Leadership and Team Development programmes for organisations. I coach Elite Performers in sport and Executives in business. I am an Associate Consultant at Lane4 and Cranfield School of Management and am currently working with the R&A to deliver their inaugural ‘Women in Golf Leadership Development Programme’.

To hear some great tips on the mental side of the game from Jenny (assisted wonderfully by her two daughters) check out her video she’s made for us here.