Squash

Squash is definitely no stranger to us Malaysians
especially with World No.1 Nicol David
taking this sport by storm.
So here just a brief history of the squash game.

History of squash game

Squash and its parent sport spread toAmerica in the 1880s with the nations firts courts built at St. Paul’s Prep School, in Concord, New Hampshire. Due to a delay in shipping the proper racquets’s equipment, the boys used balls and racquets for the game of lawn tennis that had also been recently introduced to the country. Even after the proper equipment arrived, some still continued to use tennis equipment on both kinds of courts.

In the 1890s both squash racquets and tennis racquets had spread to adults in Boston and play started to become more formalized. In 1898, after the construction of a court at the Tuxedo Club in Texedo Park, New York, squash tennis became popular among members of New York society. Private courts were built on estates owned by such millonaires as William C.Whitney, J.P.Morgan and George Lauder Carnegie. By 1905, the Racquets and Tennis Club, Harvard,Princeton and Columbia Clubs in Manhattan had courts as did Brooklyn’s Crescent A.C and the Heights Casino.

In 1911 the National Squash Tennis Association was founded and organized by the banker, John W. Prentiss, Harvard Club of New York. Rules, equipment, and court dimensions became formalized.

Briefly the sport gained popularity and some limited play in other cities such as Buffalo, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, but soon squash racquets overshadowed squash tennis. But in New York City, the game maintained a strong following during 1920s and 1930s. A decision to introduce a highly pressurized ball hastened the decline of the sport. A faster ball was preferred by advanced players, but it discouraged novices. In an effort to make the game more accessible, tournament play was authorized on squash racquets courts. But for many years the sport attracted few new players. During World War II the special ball was no longer manufactured, so advanced players started to lose interest.

Two outstanding champions of the fifties were Robert Reeve and Trudy Porter. League play and tournaments continued with energy supplied by Norman F. Torrance in the 1950s. The sixties saw a revival as younger players took up the game and Jim Prigoff became National Champion and later President of the Squash Tennis Association and Richard C. "Dick" Squires became active when a special ball was once again available to players. Prigoff dominated the Nationals in the 1960's beating both Squires and Bacallao until he retired from the game in 1969. But competition by the new game of racquet ball prevented these later attempts from making any headway with the public. The annual nationals became the only formal tournament, but became the virtual private property of two men, Pedro A. Bacallao (1969-1980, 1986) and Gary Squires (1982-1983, 1985, 1987-2000) son of Dick Squires.

Manner of Play

Squash tennis is played by two players. An illustrated playing guide with rules was published by the NSTA in 1968.

At the beginning of the first game, a spin of the racquet is used to decide who serves first. In subsequent games of a match, the player who won the previous game serves first.

The server stands behind the floor service line, either to the left or right of the center line. Tossing the ball in the air, he strikes it with the racquet before the ball hits the ground. The service is good if the ball:

• first hits the front wall above the service line and below the out line (touching the lines is prohibited),
• without hitting the back wall, lands in front of the service line on the opposite side of the court, left or right (depending on the side the server).

This is the major difference between squash tennis and squash racquets. In the latter sport the ball must go beyond the floor service line into the receiver's box. But it is similar to lawn tennis, as the ball is served diagonally and lands in front of the service line. In squash racquets the server also stands in toward the side wall, rather than in the center of the court.

At the beginning, the server can chose which side he starts, left or right. One fault is allowed if the ball does not go out (i.e. does not hit or go above the out lines, strikes the telltale, nor hits the floor before hitting the front wall). If the server wins the point he must then switch to the opposite side of the court (left or right) before serving again, alternating each serve.

The standard serve is a gently hit ball that strikes just below the front wall out line, comes back in a high arc, then bounces just in front of the floor service line where it meets the side wall. Slight cut will help the ball hug the wall. A high bounce along the wall is more difficult to return. The receiver cannot strike the ball before it bounces on the floor.

PLAYING EQUIPMENT

A racquet or racket is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched. It is used for catching or striking a ball in squash, lawn tennis, racquetball, and similar games—collectively known as racquet sports.

The frame was traditionally made of wood, and the strings out catgut. Wood is still used for real tennis, racquets, and xare. Otherwise most racquets are now made of synthetic ceramics or alloys. Catgut has been replaced by synthetic strings.