How ‘failing’ Harrogate squash club became a thriving sports centreHarrogate 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.

“I used to play tennis originally, I started playing when I was about seven. I played for about three years.

“I used to get dropped off at the squash and tennis club and I would be there all day. After my tennis lessons had finished, I’d go inside and play squash.

“Squash is a much faster sport and that’s what got me hooked.”

Declan playing in a squash match.

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

“Squash is often described as boxing with rackets. It’s physically demanding.

“It’s between boxing and chess. You’ve got to think a few moves ahead.”

‘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.

“I’m a business owner. There’s not a lot of money in squash, so I chose not to go down that route.”

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.

“I was working like 18 hours a day building that up. I didn’t really have much time for sport.

“I played a little bit here and there, but not like I do now.”

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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.

“I love squash. No other sport that I have played comes close to squash. I have played a lot of tennis and padel.

“But the feeling of winning a squash match when there is just two people on the court, there is no feeling like that.”

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.

“The club asked me and I’m quite ambitious with it. 

“We want to win the league and that’s what I want to do. It’s about putting a team together that can do that.

“I’ve won the league with another club in Chapel Allerton. This club hasn’t won the league in about 25 years, but we feel this year we’ve got a really good chance of winning it.”

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.

“I know what to do to win this league, so I’m pretty confident that we can win it.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate sports club hosts world renowned squash players

Two of the world’s best squash players paid a visit to a Harrogate sports club this week.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Club, which is based at Hookstone Wood Road, played host to James Wilstrop and Mostafa Asal.

Willstrop, who lives in Harrogate, is a former world number one and a Commonwealth gold medalist, while Asal is currently ranked number four in the world and considered to be one of the most exciting players in the sport.

The club said:

“They were at the club practising for some upcoming squash tournaments, but had some spare time to chat with some of the Harrogate junior squash players and pose for a photo with them.”

Willstrop, who grew up in Pontefract but lives locally, won Commonwealth gold in 2018 and at last year’s games in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Egyptian squash player Asal is considered to be one of the most exciting players in the sport due to his playing style and controversial on court behaviour.

Asal, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers, was handed a 12-week ban and £50,000 fine back in August.

The Professional Squash Association gave the 21-year-old the suspension after finding thee separate breaches of the PSA code of conduct, including abuse of racket or equipment and unsportsmanlike conduct in a match against Joel Makin in May this year.

The visit comes as the club’s premier squash team has just started its new season.

The team will pit itself against sides from Sheffield and York in the hope of winning the league championship. Home games are held every other Wednesday and are free entry at the Hookstone Wood Road centre.

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International squash tournament to be held in Harrogate

An international squash tournament featuring many of the world’s top players is set to come to Harrogate.

The Harrogate Squash Open 2022 tournament will be held at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, Hookstone Wood Road, on December 8.

It forms part of the PSA World Tour and Challenge Tour, which sees competitions held across the world.

The tournament will see an array of international squash players come to the town to compete, including top ranked New Zealand brothers Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe.

Local player Josh Rowley will also compete as a wildcard.

The event is free to attend and the final will be held on December 11.

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Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, which had to pay about £5,000 to host the event, is a hub for squash, attracting many top players and coaches, including former world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist James Willstrop.

The club has increased membership from fewer than 300 to more than 1,000 in recent years, helped by the new padel tennis courts.

James Gaston, general manager of the club, said:

“We’ve been growing for the last five or six years and are trying to reach out to people and show we are a hotbed for squash.”

For more information on the tournament, visit the PSA World Tour website here.

Harrogate squash player James Willstrop wins Commonwealth gold

Harrogate squash player James Willstrop has won another Commonwealth Games gold medal — a week before his 39th birthday.

Willstrop, who won gold in the singles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and is a former world number one, won the doubles in Birmingham yesterday with partner Declan James.

He had earlier finished fourth in the singles.

Willstrop told the Stray Ferret the intensity of the last few days had been immense and he was delighted with the outcome.

He said lockdown had enabled him to reset and focus on competing at another Commonwealth Games at a stage in his career when he thought it might not happen again.

The event, he added, was the highest profile squash competition in the world even though the World Championships featured all the leading players.

Willstrop grew up in Pontefract but lives in Harrogate with his partner Vanessa Atkinson, who is a former professional squash player.

He plays at Harlow Hill Squash and Sports Club and Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre.

Willstrop now plans to travel to America for some coaching and training camps before having a holiday and deciding what to do next. He said:

“I’ll see how my body reacts and if it’s in good shape I might play a bit longer on the tour.”

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Harrogate squash club strongly represented at Commonwealth Games

Diver Jack Laugher may be the biggest name in the Harrogate district at the Commonwealth Games but the area will also be strongly represented at another sport.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre at Hookstone Wood Road has played a major role in developing international talent at squash.

James Willstrop, who lives in Harrogate, will be defending the gold medal he won at the last Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018.

Harrogate’s David Pearson is coaching Scotland and Aidan Harrison, who turned professional at the age of 16 while based in Harrogate, is coaching Barbados.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret shortly before today’s opening ceremony in Birmingham, Mr Harrison said the Harrogate club had a worldwide reputation for producing talent thanks largely to Mr Pearson:

“A lot of people here in Birmingham have Harrogate connections.

“Harrogate has had a great reputation as a club since the 1980s and 1990s with many people going there to be around David Pearson and to seek his advice.”

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Mr Harrison, who attended St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate, captained England to the world junior championships in 1990 and broke into the world top 50 as a senior before retiring at the age of 23.

He moved to Dallas in America in 1991 to pursue a career in coaching, which has included a stint as head coach of the American women’s junior team. He was named USA Olympic Squash Coach of the Year in 2002.

Aidan Harrison

Aidan Harrison coaching the Barbados players.

Three months ago he was appointed to help the five-member Barbados team in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, which is the sport’s premier event.

Mr Harrison said New Zealand, England, Australia, India, Wales, Scotland and Malaysia were the top squash countries at the games but Barbados had the chance of a medal in mixed doubles. He said:

“These players that we are coming up against are top 10 in the world and I would love for our players to make a statement and show that they have what it takes to medal at such a major event.”

Mr Harrison’s parents and sister still live in the Harrogate and Knaresborough area.

He last visited in Harrogate in 2019 but has no plans to return full-time. At the end of August he will be moving to New York to start a new coaching role at Westchester Country Club.

Stray Gardener: Cool Cucurbits

The Stray Gardener is written by Rudding Park’s Kitchen Gardener, Fiona Slight.

Fiona has worked in horticulture for more than 30 years in the UK and abroad, and specialises in growing fruit and vegetables for fine dining. 

 

If you have the room, courgettes, pumpkins and squashes are well worth growing, producing tasty fruit with a variety of uses in the kitchen. May is the perfect time to get these plants growing.

Why not grow pumpkins for lanterns at Halloween? Any pumpkin variety will do, with ‘Jack O’ Lantern’ being a good option if you want the authentic orange skin. Squashes are a much better option for cooking as they have a very sweet, full flavour. ‘Crown Prince’, ‘Honey Boat’ and ‘Harrier’ are all varieties that I have tried with great success, even if I do say so myself!

Squash plants can be grown up frames

Pumpkins and squash do need a bit of room to grow, but are fantastic for covering areas of soil to keep down weeds, so if you have an area of ground you struggle to keep under control, this may be the option. However, for smaller areas they are great for growing up trellis or supports, especially a variety called ‘Uchiki Kuri’, a very decorative squash that also tastes fantastic.

Courgettes don’t tend to trail, so can be a good option for a smaller garden or for a container on the patio, producing large amounts of fruit from one plant. Cultivars such as ‘Midnight’, ‘Defender’ and the yellow ‘Gold Rush’ are a good option for containers and the open ground.

Cold frames are useful to harden off plants ready for planting out

Seeds are best sown inside in early May on their sides and singly in pots or large module trays, and planted out in late May/early June. Any earlier and they could be damaged by late frosts and bad weather. It’s advisable to harden them off gradually before planting out. A cold frame or other container that can be covered over at night will do. As long as they are all planted in good, moisture retentive compost or well-rotted manure, and are kept well-watered and fed, you can’t go too far wrong.

It’s a good idea to protect with cloches when first planted to guard against frost and cool weather. They also need to be protected against slugs when first planted.

Recycled factory lampshade used as a cloche for protecting the planted squash

Five more tips and tricks for your garden in May:

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Harrogate fitness centre responds to craze for new sport

A health and fitness centre in Harrogate has had plans approved to build more padel courts and changing facilities due to increased demand for the sport.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre on Hookstone Wood Road offers a range of different facilities including a gym, squash courts, studios and therapy rooms. However, its padel courts are seeing particularly high demand.

The only courts of their kind in the region, they see people travel from Hull, Liverpool and Manchester to play. Padel, a racket sport described as being a mix between squash and tennis, is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.

Since reopening the courts on July 4, the Harrogate centre has seen an increased demand from people wanting to use the facilities. The courts are currently booked from 7am until 10pm, seven days a week, until the end of August.

grass which courts will be built on

Planning approval has been granted for a new glass-enclosed padel court.

Plans to build another glass-enclosed court along with changing rooms and toilets have recently been approved. The addition will be funded by the centre, the Lawn Tennis Association and Sport England.

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James Gaston, general manager at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, told the Stray Ferret that people of all ages come down to exercise:

“The whole point is to try and encourage people to play sports and make exercising cheap for communities. We try and make it so there’s something for everybody here from young people to older people. It’s like a big family.”

outside the sports centre

The sports centre also has a cafe which serves healthy food and drink.

Leo Campagna, a member at the club who is nearly 80 and plays squash most days of the week, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am nearly 80 and people my age have difficulty keeping fit. When you stop exercising you start to stiffen up and so you have to keep going. I am so glad to be able to play squash again. I come nearly every day of the week.”