A SQUASH club with a 30 year history has been forced to fold as their courts are due to be scrapped to make way for a new dance hall for an expanding Crowthorne secondary school. 

Crowthorne Squash Club played at Edgbarrow Sports Hall for more than three decades but its disappointed members have had to disband due to the demands of the growing Edgbarrow Secondary School.

A letter handed to gym users in November 2015 revealed Bracknell Forest Council intended to give the school exclusive use of both the main and small halls at the centre during the extended school day, and now its two squash courts will be converted into dance space.

Jeremy Squire played in the club's league for more than 20 years and said: "It's been quite some time in which people have not really known what's going on and I think the staff have been quite in the dark.

"Overall we recognise we are a burgeoning area and the school needs the space, but it's quite disappointing because it's quite a tight knit club. People are making their decisions about where to move, it's not as if there aren't any facilities but "I would call the Crowthorne League the friendly league, we always get together for curry nights and things like that."

The school took on the exclusive use of the halls in January this year due to its continuing hike in pupil numbers putting pressure on facilities. 

The club's final night on Thursday, June 9, saw members present a special award to key organiser Nick Broadbent and to Steve Butler who organises the annual squash cup. 

Following the announcement of the sport hall's partial closure, Bracknell Forest Council's director of children, young people and learning said: While we are delighted the school is growing, there is obviously a pressure on space and we have been looking at various options to provide additional classrooms and teaching spaces.

"The new arrangements will allow Edgbarrow School to use the space exclusively during the school day entirely for the benefit of its students.

"Obviously this will mean the community activities and events which currently take place in the small sports hall during the day will have to move elsewhere and we will work with those groups to advise and support them in finding new venues in the borough."