Meet Eleanor, Cath and Grace: Three generations enjoying time together on court

Squash runs in Grace Brown’s family.

Her grandma, Eleanor, has been playing the sport for around 65 years after growing up on court with her mum, Fran Marshall, who won the 1961 British Open. She has competed at county level, represented England in Masters tournaments, and continues to get on court four or five times per week.

Her mum, Cath, was introduced to the sport at a similarly young age and although she initially preferred tennis, she hasn’t looked back since switching to squash in her mid-teens.

Teenager Grace represents a fourth generation of female squash players.

They’re hoping to inspire more women and girls to follow their lead by joining England Squash in supporting Time Together, a Women in Sport campaign which encourages mums (and step-mums, grandmas, and aunties) and their teenage daughters to get active together.

In a study by Women in Sport, 48 per cent of the teenage girls they surveyed said their mums supported and encouraged them to be active and for Cath, growing up with a “sporty mum” and being able to get on court together gave her the confidence to participate and embrace her own sporty streak.

“Because my mum was playing, I could play,” Cath said.

“She led the way and ensured there were no barriers for me as a female. Even when I was a child there were parents who didn’t let their girls play sports. I was lucky growing up with a sporty mum. I was encouraged to play a variety of sports just as much as my brothers.”

Over the years, they’ve had countless on-court battles against one another – both Cath and Eleanor describe themselves as “very competitive” – and now they’ve passed their passion for squash onto Grace, who recently joined them in Hinckley Squash Club’s women’s team. However, what Grace particularly enjoys is any opportunity to renew her “rivalry” with Eleanor, who has become an in-demand hitting partner for all of her grandchildren.

Grace said:

“I can’t quite beat my mum yet. She tries to coach me, but I don’t tend to listen, and I find it quite funny being on court with her.

“My brothers are twins and are quite good at squash, so they play together all the time, and I played with Granny. It’s nice to have someone closer to my standard to go on court with.”

Eleanor added: “She’s going to beat me one day – the time is coming very close. And Cath thrashes me now.”

But while Eleanor, Cath, and Grace love nothing more than being competitive on court, they’re keen to stress to other grandmas, mums, and daughters that squash doesn’t have to be this way.

Eleanor said: “Nobody is saying you have to play every night or do tournaments. You can go on court, run around, and play at any level you want. It’s a great sport and because it’s only 40 minutes, you get your exercise in quickly.”

Cath added: “There is a stereotype that squash is sweaty men running around and whacking the ball as hard as they can. And it can be intimidating going into a club environment. But girls and their mums or grans playing together, that’s all you need. You only need two people to play squash

Inspired to hit the court? Locate your nearest court at englandsquash.com/finder