I first met Andrew Knott at the US Open a year ago when he first asked me to come visit him at his squash court. Andrew Knott is a persistent man, he kept after me month after month, politely leaving messages and renewing his invitation.

So in OctoberI made the trip following Andrew's directions, which involved getting off of the interstate highway and heading out through downtown Whitinsville, Massachusetts, and then on to Northbridge, a small town going through a renaissance. Now I have lived in Massachusetts for 27 years, but I will admit that I had never even heard of either Whitinsville or Northbridge. [See map]

The route involved a number of twists and turns, up a steep hill out of downtown Northbridge, into an immediately rural setting, along a high wall, through an opening in the wall and into a wide drive leading to an 1880s-vintage Carriage House.

The Knotts perfectly restored squash court in Northbridge, MA © 2006 Ron Beck

Andy Knott met me at the drive and we walked towards the Carriage House in the late fall twilight. Knott explained to me that this wasn't exactly his court - it belongs to his father, James M. Knott, Sr. who had purchased the property, moved there with his wife, and completely renovated the beautiful vintage squash court, all so that his son, who lived next door at the time, would have a place to play squash . (The nearest squash to Northbridge is some 15-20 miles northward at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.)

Andrew (left) and James Knott inside the court that they restored in Northbridge. Note the expansive skylights above (photo © 2006 Ron Beck)

James Knott, who at 77 is still running a vibrant manufacturing company (Riverdale Mills) and is going a mile-a-minute, had done some historical research in preparation to my visit. The house and carriage house on the property were built around 1880 by members of the Whitin family, after whom the nearby village is named and owners of the Whitin Mills, and who largely created Northbridge and Whitinsville.

DATING THE COURT
In 1922, the property changed hands, and at that time the sale documents on file with the town has language which implies that the squash court had already been constructed. So the date of the court, the Knotts theorized, postdate the coming of the automobile to Massachusetts (and probably early on to the Whitin family) and predated the coming of electricity (with the court fully lighted by ample and interesting skylights.)

As a long time member of Boston's Tennis and Racquet club (built in 1903 in downtown Boston) I found an uncanny resemblance between the skylights, boards, and doors of this court and the venerable courts (now no longer in existence at the downtown T&R), so it is not a difficult stretch to believe that this court was constructed in the very early 1900s at about about the same time as the T&R courts - somewhere around 1910 or 1915 would certainly be believeable, which would make this court one of the oldest remaining courts in the US.

KNOTT GETS THE SQUASH BUG
As it turned out, Andrew Knott, an all around sports guy in his college years, was introduced to squash by the father of a college friend, who invited him out to the Union Boat Club. Roger Bakey, his teacher, was a legendary player in Boston squash annals, who learned his squash from Jack Summers at MIT, and played out of the Union Boat Club for many years winning a wide range of honors in Massachusetts and nationally.

James Knott (left) bought the Northbridge property that the squash court stands to feed the squash enthusiasm of his son Andy. (photo © 2006 Ron Beck)

Bakey launched Knott on a lifelong love of squash. "I was intrigued," said Knott, "how this older guy (Bakey) could just stand there and keep me running and running and running. I was determined to learn this game."

Knott had the bug, but once he moved out to central Massachusetts it was hard to find a court. "One day," Knott recalls, "I was nosing around in the woods and looked in the window of this carriage house that had always intrigued me. I was stunned to find a disused squash court inside. When the property went on sale a few years later, I called my dad right away."

James Knott laughs as Andy tells the story. "I called dad and said, 'Dad, you've got to buy this great house that's for sale next door.' When he asked why, I said, 'Dad it's got a squash court.'

They bought the property, and then embarked on renovating the court. They started out sanding down the entire court by hand and eventually hired John Wheeler, who's worked on the majority of the squash courts in the Boston area, to complete the renovation, including installation of some electric lights to augment the skylight.

The court is now in wonderful condition, complete with an excellent gallery, and is a pleasure to play on, though it is a "hardball" (18' wide) court in an increasingly "softball" world.

And as for Knott's squash, that determination that Roger Bakey put into Knott's head has well and truly stuck. He is an accomplished and skilled player, and suffers only from a dearth of sparring partners in the Blackstone Valley. He told me that had a regular partner for many years, who had been a county player in the UK and taught him the softball game, and has played on and off for several years with Ned Bacon, a former Harvard player.

So if you are reading this story from out in the Blackstone Valley, or are passing by central Massachusetts, get in touch with Andy Knott, he'd love to show you his court (that is, his father's court) and play a few games with you.

The rearwall and gallery.	The skylight (photos © 2006 Ron Beck)