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22
Oct 2023
Harrogate squash captain eyes first title in 25 years
Harrogate-born Declan Christie is ranked among the highest non-professionals in the world at squash — but he still wants to achieve more.
The 31-year-old estimates he plays the sport, which will be added to the Olympic programme in 2028, at least three hours a day.
He pits himself against professional players every week and also has the chance to get into the top eight of the British rankings in padel tennis.
But, as captain of Harrogate’s premier squash team, he has his eyes on more.
Picking up a racquet
The club has not won the league in 25 years. Declan wants to rectify that.
By his own admission, Declan does not come from a sporting family.
His dad would take him to his local tennis club as a child and he became addicted to racquet sports.
But, it was squash which got him hooked in.
Declan playing in a squash match.
Declan entered local tournaments and went on to represent Yorkshire at under-13s.
The intensity of the sport and the glory that comes with it being a single player contest is addictive to Declan
'No other sport like squash'
Despite his commitment to the sport, Declan does not play it professionally.
Instead, he has ran his own business, Luxury Flooring, since he was 17.
Owning his own business was a foundation for him to be able to pursue squash, he says.
Sport took a back seat while Declan was building his company.
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These days, Declan has handed over the reigns of his firm to a management company.
It means he has been able to commit more time to squash and padel tennis and his pursuit of building up his ranking.
He estimates that he plays sport around three hours a day, in particular squash.
Aiming for the title
Declan already has a league championship under his belt from his time at Chapel Allerton in Leeds.
Sat inside Harrogate Sport and Fitness Centre, where Harrogate play their home games, he explains that the club has been without a title for 25 years.
The league will take Declan and his side across the county to Pontefract, Hull and Doncaster, where they will be pitted against professional and high ranked players from across the world.
At Harrogate, Declan has top 100 ranked Stuart MacGregor as his teammate as well as players who play for Yorkshire.
For Declan, he feels this year the team has a good chance to end that period.
He became captain after the club asked him to lead the side going into the season.
Declan counts the Hungarian open, Swiss open and Italian open as among his achievements in squash.
In the future, he also has ambitions to play for his country in the senior team and represent Great Britain at padel tennis.
But, this year, winning the title at Harrogate is the ultimate goal.
If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.
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