SQUASH

Team Squash

The Club fields 12 senior teams and 4 junior teams across all divisions of the Cheshire Ladies’ League, North West Counties Squash League (NWCSL) and Manchester Junior League,  with match nights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Our Ladies’ 1^st team, led by our Head Professional Julianne Courtice – ranked 53 in the World in June 2022 – have won the Cheshire Ladies’ League title every season since 2015/16.

In the NWCSL mixed leagues, our 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th teams all enjoyed successful promotion campaigns in 2021/2022 season, meaning that for the first time The Northern will feature two teams in the NWCSL Division 1.

Similarly in the Ladies League, our 2nd team won their division and will join the 1st team in the 1st Division for 2022/23.

Our junior teams, The Northern Honeybadgers, are two-time champions of the NWCSL Junior League and the junior teams have provided an excellent pathway for many of our juniors into the senior mixed and ladies teams as well as introductions into competitive tournaments.

Manchester University’s teams also train and play their matches on our courts.

Coaching

Head of Squash: Jules Silvera

Performance Coach: Annette Pilling

Coaching Team: Brian Parfitt (L3); Julianne Courtice (L2); Ruth Swindell (L2); Ian Powell (L2); Garth van der Wath (L2); Will Gregson (L1)

Juniors: The Northern junior squash programme steers youngsters from participation through to performance via our Golden Thread approach.

Starting with our Little Belters programme, there is opportunity for juniors of all levels to develop, thrive, and most importantly enjoy, playing squash at The Northern.

For the more talented juniors, our performance programme is led by world renowned coach Annette Pilling and currently features several nationally ranked juniors who represent the club at the top end of the biggest national junior events.

For more information and to get involved with our junior programme contact headofsquash@thenorthern.co.uk

Seniors: The Northern offers coaching opportunities for senior players of all standards. Our recently launched Squash Xpress course offers new and returning players coaching of all the basic elements of the game. Our adult beginner/intermediate sessions run weekly whilst our monthly team training sessions give team players the opportunity for group training.

For players of any standard who want to take their game to the next level, all of our L2 and L3 coaches are available for 1 to 1 coaching

School Programme: The Northern School Programme works with several local schools both in curriculum and afterschool, feeding directly into the existing junior setup. For more information on getting involved in the schools programme contact headofsquash@thenorthern.co.uk

Rackets Cubed: The Northern are delighted to have partnered with charity organisation Rackets Cubed, offering integrated programmes for Squash, STEM education, and Nutrition for local kids at a  disadvantage.

Working with Cavendish Primary School, our existing programme has received an enthusiastic response from all involved and looks set to expand in 22/23.

Social Squash

The Tuesday night social squash is an ideal opportunity to meet other players and develop your game in a relaxed and not-TOO-competitive atmosphere. The evening is coach-led, to ensure that everyone gets their share of court time and that new members are matched with an appropriate playing partner.

Tuesday night is also match night for the men’s league elite 1st division, so when it’s a home fixture, social squash players can finish their own games, grab a drink from The Lawn Room and head round to the glassbacks area to cheer on the Northern teams.

1st team home matches are also streamed live on YouTube

Box Leagues

The internal box leagues are an ideal way to find playing partners at your level. They run on a more-or-less monthly cycle. Members can sign up via http://www.sportyhq.com/club/box/view/828

Tournaments

The Northern hosts regular international, national and regional tournaments throughout the year, including Masters and inter-county events.

2022 saw the inaugural Northern Graded Open held at the club, with amateur players coming from all over the country to participate in what was a competitive and social weekend. The Northern Graded Open is set to be a yearly event with 72 entrants the target for the next instalment.

The Northern also partners with England Squash as a host venue for the Manchester Junior Open, an England Squash Silver Event, each year as well as running its own ES Bronze events, one-day entry-level tournaments.

The Ian Stewart Memorial Trophy (the club closed championships) together with the Women’s Closed Trophy and the Northern Handicap,is held each season, as well as a fun Christmas event – 2018 saw the launch of the Squyder Cup, a Ryder Cup-style tournament which pits the UK v the Rest of the World in singles and doubles.