Squash at the Northern
We are passionate about squash at The Northern and want to encourage more people, young and old, to play this fantastic sport.
We offer some of the best – and best-maintained – facilities in the region, with six courts, including an exhibition area of two glassback courts with tiered seating. The remaining four hardback courts are linked by a spacious balcony viewing area.
With a busy drop-in Club Night, senior and junior box leagues, thriving league teams and a full coaching programme for both juniors and adults, from beginner to performance levels, the Northern is the ideal place to enjoy and develop your squash.
Performance
The Club fields 11 senior teams across all divisions of the Cheshire Ladies’ League and North West Counties (Men’s) League, with match nights on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Our Ladies’ 1st team, led by our Head Professional Julianne Courtice – ranked 40 in the World in January 2019 – have won the Cheshire Ladies’ League title every season since 2015/16. Three of the men’s teams are heading for promotion in the current season.
An 8th men’s league team was launched as a junior development team for the 2018/19 season and several of the players – some as young as 11 – have scored wins against senior opposition.
The England Squash Professional Performance Squads train at the Northern and Manchester University’s teams also train and play their matches on our courts.
Coaching
Juniors: The Northern’s Next Generation Squash coaching programme takes youngsters from beginner level and steers them through to the development and performance squads held on weekday evenings.
The programme follows the England Squash ‘Off the Wall’ progress awards scheme, which monitors development.
Junior camps, for players of all standards, are held during the school holidays.
Seniors: Our Wednesday evening Adult Beginners sessions, launched in 2016/17, have grown to include a follow-on Adult Intermediate programme.
Ladies’ sessions are held on Sunday and Friday mornings – the Friday session includes court fitness training and is held on closed courts for those ladies who prefer privacy.
Schools: The Northern coaching team has received an enthusiastic response to squash from local schools and now works actively with nine of them, providing sessions both on-site and on the Club courts. Two of the schools have requested after-school clubs, one of which is now fully subscribed, with a waiting list.
Squash Coaching Team
Julianne Courtice
Level 2 coach
Anna Vaughan Hawkins
Level 3 coach
Annette Pilling
Level 4 coach
Tournaments
The Northern hosts regular international, national and regional tournaments throughout the year, including Masters and inter-county events.
The Northern Open, held each year in March, is a Professional Squash Association international tour women’s event and the only PSA women’s Challenger event to be held in the UK North or Midlands.
The Northern Men’s Cup, a PSA Satellite event, has been launched in 2019 to run alongside the Open.
The Northern partners with the National Squash Centre to co-host the Manchester Junior Open, an England Squash Silver Event, in September each year as well as running its own Copper events, one-day entry-level tournaments.
Junior and senior Closed tournaments are 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.
Every Day’s a Squash Day at the Northern!
Monday: 10.30 Tots’ Squash – 4.50 Junior Development Squad – 7.10 Ladies’ League
Tuesday: 3.30 After School Club – 6.10 Club Night – 7.30 Men’s 1st Division.
Wednesday: 2.10 University matches – 5.30 Junior Performance Squash – 7.10 Adult Beginner Pay & Play – 8.30 Adult Intermediate Pay & Play
Thursday: 10.30 Racketball Mix – 5.30 Junior Squad – 7.10 Men’s League
Friday: 10.30 Ladies’ squash & fitness – 5.30 Junior Club Night
Saturday: 9.10 Junior Pay & Play
Sunday: 10.30 Little Belters/ Ladies’ squash/ Family matchplay.
keep in touch
Social Squash
The Tuesday night drop-in Club Night 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, Club Night players like to finish their own games, grab a drink from the Lawn Room bar and head round to the glassbacks area to cheer on the Northern team.
1st team home matches are streamed live on YouTube
The Senior and Junior internal box leagues are an ideal way to find playing partners at your level. They run on a more-or-less monthly cycle, just sign up on the Squash noticeboard to be included in the next league.