·        Team: Glenn Ward, Gary Candlish, Ken Landsbury, Tony Bisset, Alan Coates.

The squash world is still reeling from the news that over the weekend of 28^th /29^th January in Leicester, a cobbled up O-45 team from Northumbria finished 2^nd in the Div. 2 promotion group and so have gained promotion to Division One.  Men wept, women fainted, clocks which had been stopped for years started working again. Such was the nature of this shock. Please stay awake as we guide you  through the match details in full digitally enhanced 1D.

Match No.1 vs Leicestershire. Won 3-2.

Late  substitute at No. 5 Alan Coates appeared to be a little overawed at just playing in the same team as the legendary Ken Landsbury, and didn’t settle well, losing 3-0 to  a very capable opponent. If he’d had 2 legs he would have been even better. At No. 3 however, Ken had no such worries, and launched straight into a 3-0 victory against a shellshocked opponent; he’d never seen squash played that slowly before. Playing at No.1, which is where he should be, Glenn couldn’t match his opponents guile, craft or anything really and quickly lost 3-0.  But, in his mind, he won  -and that’s what counts. Newcomer No. 4 Tony Bisset firstly eased himself through the narrow court door, and then via a combination of poor fitness, wood shots and total misses,  blitzed his opponent 3-0. And so with the match poised at 2-2, our No. 2 The Gary Candlish entered the arena to bring the tie home, winning 3-0 with a great display of shotmaking and knee bandages.  A win 3-2 for the hapless Geordies. What happened there?   

Match No.2 vs Northants. Won 3-2. We know, It doesn’t make sense, really.

We think that Alan’s twin brother Alan had sneaked in as it was a totally different Alan Coates playing here. He quickly got into his stride, playing at a high tempo mixed up with  great drops, running out a 3-0 victory.  Ken then went on and didn’t play as well as he did in the 1^st match and lost 3-0 vs a clever opponent. Well he said he had some  ‘O’ levels anyway.   Glenn then went on and raced into a 2-0, 7-2 up in the 3^rd lead….. and proceeded to lose 3-2.  Ah yes No Lungs Ward.  Tony then stepped on court and soon notched up his 2^nd win of his O-45 career with a 3-1 win over a good opponent. Not as good as Tony will tell you he was, but canny good.  Not even a small blip in the 2^nd game which he lost 10-8 could stop the Bisset jugganaut rolling on. And it was a big jugganaut.  And so with once again the match poised at 2-2, it was left to The Gary Candlish to win it for us. And he did it in style again, with a 3-0 win which took hIs county O-45 career record to P4, W4, L0. And boy did we hear that quite a bit over the next 24 hours. Another win 3-2 for Geordies. Oh dear  we  might get promoted . Then it’ll be too hard.    

Match No.3 vs Cumbria. Lost 4-1.  Coates stars again as Northumbria’s wheels fall off. Luckily, it didn’t matter.   

And so to that horrible Sunday morning match. People hung over, aching bones, and ugly. And that was just Tony. Alan picked up where he left off yesterday, and again won 3-0, reading his opponents game well and keeping the pressure on him till he cried like a baby. Well, he was only 7.   Ken also continued where he left off yesterday and lost 3-0 – but had his chances; he could have went off after the 1^st game but he didn’t.  Not to be left out, Glenn also wanted to do what he did yesterday …..so went into a 2-0, lead and lost 3-2.  Think there’s a message there – stop the kebabs . Tony had tweaked his hamstring or something at the back of his big leg yesterday, and couldn’t really move. Yes-  less than usual. He did try and just play winning shots from the T, but quickly realised he didn’t  actually have any, bravely losing 3-0.   With the match lost but with a few important points on the board, The Gary Candlish appeared.  But not for long –as  halfway through the  1^st game he also tweaked something at the back of his equally big leg and had to retire injured; his record now moving to P5, W4, ‘Somethings Gone Lads’ 1.

Sad news, Steve Lindsay passed away on Saturday 28th of January after losing his battle with cancer.

Steve was well known by many Squash players in Northumbria and further a field. His enthusiasm for the game was second to none.

Steve represented the county as a player and coached many adults and juniors over his many years as a coach at Gateshead and laterly at The Northumberland Club.

Our thoughts go out to his family.

The Mens entries were led by defending chamion Dave Barnett and Samantha Ward was the ladies defending champion and top seed. There were also ‘B’ and ‘C’ events.

There were no surprises in the Mens event with the top 4 seeds smoothly making it to the semi-finals. Dave Barnett played against Sunderland born Jon Tate in his semi-final. Tate had travelled up from Birmingham where he is head coach at the university. Barnett started strongly taking the first 11-6 but it got tougher from then on, Tate had a 10-7 lead in the second before letting it slip 12-10 and the 3rd was also very tight but Barnett won through 3-0, 11-9 in the 3rd.

The number 2 seed was Westoe’s Paul Lord who played Northern’s top player Liam Gutcher in the other semi-final. Lord seemed never to be rushed playing very accurate squash and comfortably beat Gutcher in three games to set up the expected Barnett – Lord final.

Lord started the final where he left off from his semi-final in total control. Barnett did fight to make the first game close Lord took it 14-12. Lord was clinical in the second taking it 11-4 and was in firm control. Lord also started the 3rd and 4th games very well taking early leads but Barnett fought back in each one as his opponent seemed to tire. The fifth was nip and tuck most of the way until Barnett eventually took the win 11-7 in the fifth to seal his 9th County Title.

The ladies again went to seedings but number 2 seed Lucy Beecroft was pushed in her semi-final by Sarah Oswald before closing out a 3-1 win to take her place in the final against Samantha Ward. The final was a very close all the way, the first 2 games were shared before a very long and gruelling 3rd game was won by Ward 12-10 which looked to set her up for the win but Beecroft fought back very impressively taking the fourth 11-1! Like in the mens the fifth was extremely close and reached 8 all and became very tense. It was Ward who held strong and took the next 2 points to get 2 match balls, she took it on the 2nd one to defend the title.

The ‘B’ event was dominated by the junior entrants with Jamie Todd from Tynemouth and Simon Graham from Hexham making the final. Todd has been in great form all season and despite some strong resistance from Graham Todd won  3-0.

The ‘C’ had a father/son semi-final battle. Dad Dave North beat son Dan in a tense 5 games to make it through to the final against Tynemouth’s Steve Cubbins. Cubbins never looked under threat on his way to the final and that continued in the final with a comprehensive 3-0 win.

for full completed draws click here

In previous years the county has had only 2-3 representatives as entries are limited and only the higher ranked players can get in, this time around Northumbria had 8 entrants competing against the very best the world has to offer.

The tournament was dominated by Egyptians as it has been for the last few years they took 7 of the 8 titles on offer.

Lucy Beecroft had  a great run in the u17 age group beating American 5/8 seed in the last 16 before finishing in 6th place and top English player.

Sam Ward finished in 11th position after coming up against number 1 seed and eventual winner Nour el Sherbini in the last 16.

Jamie Todd exceeded his seeding to breakthrough into the top 16 in the under 15′s. He lost out to Europes number 1 before battling to 12th position and best placed English player.

Other players making the journey to compete were Laura Neill – 22nd, Chris Wiggins- 35th, Georgia Webster – 39th, Maria Bainbridge – 39th and Adam Bainbridge – 53rd.

Mid-Season Report 2011/12

Squash in the north-east continues to flourish with 67 men’s and 16 women’s teams competing in this season’s regional leagues. Each team consists of 5 players seeded from 1 to 5 in order of ability, playing against opponents usually on a weekday night or over the weekend. Matches are usually played on 2 courts and can take up to 3 hours to complete all five “rubbers”. This is followed by light refreshments, a great way to keep fit and socialise.

In the men’s premier division none of the teams has remained unbeaten at the half-way stage and it would be difficult to predict who the champions will be. Northumberland 1 hold a narrow lead over the chasing pack of Tynemouth 1, Westoe 1, Sunderland 1 and Northumbria Blues. Perhaps the team who can turn out their strongest 5 players consistently will eventually triumph. As expected, Northumberland’s Dave Barnett heads the divisional rankings, although he has lost one game this season.

In division 1, Ashington 1 are ahead with Northern 2 and Westoe 2 not far behind. Ashington’s Adam Oliver is looking mean andlean this season and with an unbeaten run so far, he is well ahead in the rankings for this division. Sunderland 2 are hoping to gain promotion from division 2 and bounce straight back up after being relegated last season due to a technicality. They are being chased all the way by Northumberland 3, Consett 1 and Hexham 1. Northumberland’s Stephen Twaddle has been most consistent to date in this division and is ahead in the rankings. In division 3 Northern Juniors 1 hold a comfortable lead at the half-way stage although Boldon 1 have a match in hand and could close the gap. Benwell’s Dave Gardner is unbeaten with seven wins out of seven and leads the division 3 rankings.

Consett’s Matthew Youngman continues his season on season improvement and he heads the rankings in division 4. Northumbria University have a strong squad this year and they lead this table with Ashington 2 and Consett 2 in the chasing pack for league honours. Northern 5 are at the top of the table in division 5 and look good with a match in hand over their opponents, their main rivals at this stage looking to be Northern juniors 2 and Sunderland 3. John Simpson of Tynemouth Social heads the rankings by a narrow margin.

The tightest league is division 6 with only 11 points separating the top four – Temple Park, Gateshead Springs, Eldon Square 2, and Ashington 3. Eldon’s Josh Gebhard and Hexham’s Lee Robinson are both unbeaten and lead the rankings. In a reduced numbers division 7, Eldon Square 3 and Northumberland 8 remain unbeaten with Northumberland’s Adam Bainbridge leading the rankings.

The Ladies’ Leagues are trying out a new system this year with two divisions for the first half of the season, and then depending on finishing positions, there will be three divisions with teams of compatible abilities competing in each grouping. So far in the Ladies higher divisions, Northern 1 have remained unbeaten and should be joined by teams from Northumberland, Tynemouth and Chester-le-Street to fight for league honours in the second half of the season. Several players remain unbeaten with Northumberland’s Laura Setterfield and Tynemouth’s Lucy Beecroft doing well in the rankings.

For an up to date look at the league tables, rankings and player results, check out the website www.northumbriasquash.co.uk and follow the links to northumbria leagues and then results zone.

The Mens Open entries were topped by Joel Hinds (world ranked 84) and Shaun Le Roux (world ranked 90). The final was to be between these top 2 seeds although Hinds was pushed hard both in the quarter-final by local Paul Lord winning 3-1 and in the semi-final by Lewis Walters sneaking through 3-2, Walters had previously beaten Northumbria number 1 Dave Barnett in the quarter-final. Le Roux’s path to the final was smoother only dropping one game against Yorkshire’s Neil Cordell in the semi-final.

The big crowd was treated to a high paced final with Hinds volleying at every opportunity but Le Roux matched that and was able to take the lead in every game with more accurate shot placement and impressive short game. Every game took a similar pattern with Le Roux taking control early on and never letting go winning 11/9 11/8 11/7.

The Ladies event didn’t go to seeding with Sarah-Jane Perry upsetting number one seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter 3-2 in the semi-final, Lloyd-Walter had beaten Northumbria champion Sam ward in the quarter-final. In the other half number 2 seed and world ranked 58 Amanda Landers-Murphy from New Zealand fought off Yorkshire’s Carrie Ramsey 3-1 to make the final.

In the final Perry used her superior racket skills to control the early exchanges in each game but Landers-Murphy fought back each time to create a very fast, feisty final but in the end Perry just edged each game of this closely fought contest taking it 11/9, 11/6, 12/10.

There were ‘B’ and ‘C’ graded events running alongside the main events with entries from many clubs in the county and from further a field.

The ‘B’ event was won by Northumberland Club player Nick Hale, he beat Nick Pugsley from Cleveland 3-2 in a tough final 9/11 11/2 6/11 11/4 11/1.

The ‘C’ event final was an all junior final with Consett’s Matthew Youngman edging out Hexhams Simon Graham also 3 games to 2, 9/11, 11/8, 11/6, 9/11, 11/9.

PLATE RESULTS- Mens – Matt Sampson beat Liam Gutcher 3-2, Ladies – Helen Dowson beat Maria Bainbridge 3-2, B event – James Thompson beat Dave Jackson 3-0, C event – Freddy Bolton beat John Laidler.

The event was made possible thanks to many local companies making up the £2000 prize fund. The sponsors were THE NORTHUMBERLAND CLUB, THE CHERRY TREE, THE RIP, GOSFORTH PARK MOTOR COMPANY, ROSEBERRY GROUP, STR ENTERPRISES, HARROW SPORTS and NORTHUMBRIA SQUASH.

With boys and girls events from under 11 to under 17 there were 8 titles up for grabs.

The winner of the boys under 11 event was unseeded yorkshire player Harry Anderson. Anderson beat top seeded local player Max Forster in the semi-final before beating Lewis Follin in the final. In the girls under 11 event the top seed could not be derailed with Erin Vitty beating Lowri Waugh 3-0 in the final.

The under 13 events were both won by top seeded local players Laura Neill and Michael Mattimore. Neill beat fellow Northumbrian Josie Barker and Mattimore backed up his win on the previous week in Sheffield with a convincing 3-0 win over Yorkshires Lewis Southward.

The boys under 15 final was one to remember not only was it excitingly close but also played at the highest level. The final was between Jamie Todd and Chris Wiggins both recently finished in the top 10 at the British Closed served up a treat with the match going to 5 games with Wiggins clinching it 11-9 to take the win. The under 15 event was a round robin format and won by Yorkshires Charlotte Fish with Georgia Webster finisheing in second.

The oldest age group was under 17 , the girls again was a round-robin with Maria Bainbridge topping the group with Jayne Oswald as runner-up. The boys event was full of close long matches but the final was a reasonably quick 3-0 win for Durhams Alex MacFarlane against Elliott Carr.

Mattimore is ranked in Englands top 20 at under 13 level but has until now only threatened to break through amongst the very best and he did so emphatically. On his way to victory Mattimore beat number 1 seed Oliver Walls (number 5 in England) then Michael Andrews (number 10 in England) and in the final Tom Walsh (number 8 in England) and he beat them all 3-0.

Congratulations Michael and hope this is the first of many succesful weekend.

 On this occasion we were able to involve 9 players who had previously supported the team on various trips over the past 5 years. First match was an encounter with Cumbria which resulted in a 3-2 win with comfortable 3-0 wins for John Thompson, Jim Douglas and Steve Atkinson. Derek Collins at no 1 played England International Ronnie Bell who proved too strong losing 3-0 and Steve Blake at no 3 lost a close 5 setter.

For the 2nd match against Lancashire, 3 new players were brought in namely Colin McNestrie, John Smith and Mike Cherryman. Unfortunately Mike went down 3-0 at 5, John just lost 3-2 at 4 and John Thompson at 2 lost 3-0. Relatively easy wins for Colin and Derek Collins mean’t we lost the match 3-2 overall.

The final match against Yorkshire 2 was therefore critical and with a 3-2 win, it put us in the promotion group for the 2nd Half. It didn’t look possible after 2 initial losses from Jim 1-3 and Stan Brown 2-3 but 2 wins from Derek Collins 3-1 and Steve Atkinson 3-0 levelled the scores. Steve Blake going down 2-0 didn’t look good but after a massive effort, he finally won the match 3-2.

Overall positions were; 1) Lancashire 49 points 2) Northumbria 41 points 3) Cumbria 26 points 4) Yorkshire 21 points

O55 Squad 1) Derek Collins Northern 2) John Thompson Tynemouth 3) Steve Blake Hexham 4) Jim Douglas Northumberland Club 5) Colin McNestrie Tynemouth 6) Steve Atkinson Northumberland Club 7) John Smith Newbiggin Stan Brown Ashington 9) Mike Cherryman Consett

In the recent past we have had National champions with Lucy Beecroft last year and Kimberley  Hay not too long ago but the performance this year from many of our juniors shows us that Northumbria have players competing at a national level across the board.

The highest placed player was Lucy Beecroft backing up her win at u15’s last season she was 3^rd in the u17 age group.

Sam Ward fresh from England team selection in the summer finished in 5^th position in the u19 age group.

Jamie Todd finished 8^th in the u15’s having been unseeded and beating the ¾ seed Ben Windle and 9/16 seed Laurence Green to make the quarter-finals.

Laura Neill also finished 8^th in the girls u13’s and at only 11 she will be back again next year.

Chris Wiggins had a tournament to remember coming through qualifying on the Thursday made it to the last 16 taking out 9/16 seed Ewan Howard before getting a few more scalps on his way to 10^th position over all.

Georgia Webster having only started playing national events less than a year ago did very well to finish in 10^th position in the girls u13’s.

Also Michael Mattimore finished 11^th at u13 and Charlotte Cooper finished 13^th at u15 age group.