Stingray review by Will Salter
Stingray
For the past few weeks I have been testing out Alpha 2, the latest ball machine prototype from
Stingray Squash. Raoul Antelme, who co-owns Stingray Squash with Jesse Engelbrecht, head coach
at the University of Surrey, found out that I had built a squash court in my barn from my instagram
videos and got in touch with me as they needed some testing. It is a revolutionary device in the
Squash world so I thought I would do a short review of the machine.
Living the Squash Dream
Notable details include its 95mph top speed, a weight of less than 7kgs with dimensions small
enough to fit in your Squash bag, as well as being battery powered! These details are significant as
it’s competitors are heavier as well as larger and are generally mains powered. There is also a
remote control to accompany the automatic fire mode. Both speed and rapidity can be controlled by
a simple push-button display, whilst the height and angle of the machine can be controlled manually
by adjusting the tripod. The machine does not heat the balls up, as this helped to reduce it in size, so
cold balls that bounce the same as a hot double yellows are used instead. This I thought would alter
the feel of striking the ball but I have not noticed any difference from a conventional ball.
The release date and price are yet to be determined, as more testing and confirmation that their pre-covid19 supply chain can still deliver is needed, however this ball machine will be a must have for players of all abilities to work on their skills once it comes out on the market.
