THE 2015 / 16 squash season is in full swing, and has seen local international squash player 21-year-old Nia Davies of Beulah excelling at the sport.

Having graduated with a degree in sport and exercise sciences as well as gaining a sports massage qualification from the University of Birmingham, Nia is keen to get more people to play squash as well as improving her current world ranking.

Nia, daughter of Geraint and Annette Davies of Maes y Gelli, is part of the Welsh Senior Ladies Squad. She is also a squash coach at Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centre where the Teifi Valley Squash Club is based.

Nia plays in both the Pembrokeshire and South Wales leagues for the club. She finished sixth in Wales last year in the Welsh Championships and has her sights set high again this year.

She has represented her country on several occasions and is currently ranked ?193 in the world. Her squash playing has seen her travel across the UK and Europe, where she plays in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour. At the beginning of the season Nia retained her county championship title in the West Glam Ladies Championships. Following this she competed at the Wimbledon Open, London; as well as a 5K event in Paris in September. She moved quickly up the ranks, and as long as she has financial support she hopes to reach the top of her game.

Currently, her main sponsor is Campbell Reith, an engineering consultants company with offices across the UK and Dubai. This has been a great help already this season and she welcomes any further support available. At the end of November, Nia who has started her own company called NTD – Health Fitness Performance, competed in the London Open – another 5K event on the PSA World Tour.

"It was a bit of a shock as I won my first two matches in the qualifying draw, beating a Swiss girl who was seeded to qualify and then backed up my performance by going on to beat a French girl in the qualifying final. It was so nice to have won a place in a main draw on the tour so early on.

"I had a tough match in the main draw against Tinne Gilis who is number two in Belgium, however it was such a great experience and I’m looking forward to many more!" explained Nia who hopes to work her way up the rankings.

Next year Nia will compete in London in the British Under 23 Open at the beginning of January before competing in the Welsh Championships in Cardiff mid month, and then onto the Edinburgh Open 5K PSA at the end of the month. She has several tournaments in February and March to play before hopefully breaking into the top 150 in the world by the end of the season.

"I train hard every week in order to play at this level, travelling and training across the country in order to gain experience has become the norm," explained the dedicated squash player.

There is Junior Squash coaching at Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centre every Monday and Thursday evenings, further coaching for all ages can be arranged.

The main coaches are Nia and Aled James, who always welcome new players to the successful club with over 30 members.

For any more information, please contact Nia 07875 776929 or Aled 07970 819042 or the Leisure Centre.

Paul Leonard, a Masters player form the club, won his first Welsh Cap for the over 70s this year where he played for Wales in Dublin – what a fantastic award for over 40 years of commitment to Squash! Nia’s mum Annette, well known for her international squash talents, competed at the European Masters in Sweden this year where she finished in 6th position. Annette is also an experienced squash coach and has gained numerous caps for Wales in her career.