Squash Committee

The remit of the Squash Committee is to pursue the interests of the club and members and ensue a healthy and thriving squash section at the club. The committee meets on a regular basis to plan upcoming events, review the ongoing management of the squash section, and plan future improvements to the club.

Squash Committee Members

The members of the committee are from a wide range of disciplines in the club. New committee members are accepted by agreement from the existing committee members.

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  Allan Curry

  Chairman of Squash / Safeguarding Officer / Member of Northern FC Executive Committee & Finance Committee

  As Chairman and in conjunction with the Squash committee our challenge is to maintain Northern as a premier squash club. Ensuring our squash facility is of the highest standard and our membership enjoys the squash experience.

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  Roger Tames

  Vice Chairman

  Continues to talk a much better game than he can play, Roger has now been enjoying the game for more than forty years, despite the desperately obvious disadvantage of having never received a single coaching lesson.

  He has drawn on a career as an experienced sports journalist and broadcaster to improve communication within the club, establishing the regular newsletter Northern Volleys in which he tries to reproduce the same hard hitting style he shows with his serves.

  Recent success in the Over 55s Handicap competition took his individual trophy collection over five decades to a highly impressive two.

• 

  Andrew Smith

  NFC Management Support

  I tried to play squash at the age of seven and I'm still trying!! In my committee role I am able to bring my professional background to assist with in depth technical issues that on occasions affect our squash facility.

• 

  Bob Aynsley

  Adult Lead Coach

  Bob's passion and enthusiasm for squash fundamentally drives his coaching approach, enabling him to effectively engage and motivate his students.

  He believes in understanding how each individual learns most effectively, adapting his methods accordingly and working collaboratively towards agreed, achievable objectives. Despite having played at a high level for many years and accumulating extensive knowledge, Bob remains committed to his own continuous development as a coach. He actively seeks advice to ensure he provides the most effective coaching possible, asking only for maximum effort and a willingness to learn, change and improve in return.

  Bob fosters an honest, open environment that encourages discussion and questions, helping players recognise their own technical issues and make positive changes. He occasionally employs video analysis to scrutinise technique, strategies and movement patterns.

  His coaching sessions are carefully planned and tailored to individual needs and expectations. While sessions may be physically and mentally challenging at times, Bob ensures players progress in a friendly, encouraging and fun environment.

• 

  Dave North

  Team Fixtures Secretary / County Representative

  Dave has served on the Northern Squash Committee since 2008, having been a member of the club since 2003. He is responsible for coordinating the team fixtures and team nominations.

  He is also on the County Squash Committee and organises the Saturday Adult Club Play sessions and occasional club competitions.

  Dave's squash career started in 1981 in Cheshire before moving to the North-East in 1990. Before joining Northern, Dave played at Ponteland, Kingston Park (rugby club) and Northumberland Club (Jesmond) before joining Northern. He currently plays in the Northern Internal Leagues and Men's teams (captaining the 6th team in recent seasons).

• 

  Keith Linsley

  Health and Safety Officer

  Keith volunteered to be Northern Squash Covid officer when this became a requirement in 2020 for 'squash bubbles' to restart play. As such he became a temporary member of the committee, attempting to utilising any knowledge obtained from the regular Covid risk updates through his work as NHS consultant psychiatrist ('partly retired').

  Despite Covid having moved on, bubbles abandoned and back playing virtually unrestricted squash (at least for now!) he remains happy to be involved with the committee; having now seen the immense work that goes on behind the scenes.

  Like Tim his aim is to achieve the dizzy heights of league 1 but age, knees and previous lack of success likely to determine otherwise.

• 

  Lesley Vitty

  Ladies Squash

  Lesley was introduced to squash in her late teens by her brother and has maintained a passionate connection with the sport ever since. Her competitive journey began at the Dolphin Centre and Darlington Squash Clubs, where she played for the Ladies Teams, as well as representing Durham & Cleveland at county senior level.

  After relocating to Newcastle in 1992, Lesley initially played at Moor Court and Newcastle University before finding her squash home at Northern in 1996. She has been an enthusiastic participant in the Club leagues and a dedicated member of the Ladies squash team for over 25 years.

  In recent years, Lesley has taken on a leadership role in coordinating the ladies squash teams, providing valuable support and guidance to Team Captains. Her playing achievements extend to representing Northumbria County at both Senior and Over-40 levels throughout her career.

  Lesley joined the Northern Squash Committee in 2024, bringing her wealth of experience and passion for developing women's squash at the club.

• 

  Tim Barker

  Junior Committee NFC Executive Rep

  Chairman of junior squash Tim, who also captains the club's 4th team, caught the squash bug when his children showed a real interest in the game having been introduced to it via Richard Vitty's schools outreach programme. He now loves playing team squash, the social side of the squash club and watching his daughters progress within the club's junior structure.

  Originally from Lancashire, Tim's law firm sponsors the club's annual junior event. One of Tim's (as yet unfulfilled) ambitions is to reach league 1 of the internal leagues. Watch this space!

• 

  Wayne Eastaugh

  Internal Leagues Manager / Online Bookings Administrator / Website Administrator

  Wayne assumed responsibility for the internal leagues at Northern following the emigration of previous league secretary, Andy Lee, to Lanzarote. Prior to taking on this role, he collaborated closely with Andy to develop the Wazygoose League Management system that now powers the club's leagues.

  Having taken up squash in his mid-twenties, Wayne continually strives to improve upon his solid mid-table form, with weekly coaching from Derek Collins providing valuable support in this endeavour. His squash journey before joining Northern includes playing in Preston and Manchester, where he represented Springfields Club near Preston in Team Squash and was a regular player at the prestigious National Squash Centre at SportCity in Manchester.