Legends want to encourage players to get back on court
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor
On the day that squash courts reopened across England, international legends Nick Matthew and Daryl Selby announced their Back to Squash exhibition tour in September and early October, supported by sports and fitness equipment specialist Sweatband.com.
The Back To Squash Tour will will be hosted at 10 venues across the country and help to raise the profile of the game at the start of the new season during the countdown to World Squash Day on October 9.
While Matthew, former World No.1 and three-time British Open and World Open champion, is keeping fit running his Academy based at Hallamshire after retiring from the PSA World Tour, former world No.9 and national champion Selby returned to competitive action last week in the AJ Bell Super 8 competition in Manchester.
“I really enjoyed it but the body felty a bit sore at the weekend,” admitted Selby.
Daryl and Nick are good friends, long-time England team-mates and joined forces to create the Bobby and The Wolf podcast broadcast during the early phase of lockdown last year.
They are now looking forward to helping the game get back on its feet after the effects of lockdown. Intimate venues will give spectators the chance to see two of Britain’s most famous players up close and personal, and there is sure to be plenty of banter and interactions with the crowd.
There will be a limited number of tickets available for each leg of the tour, and these can be purchased via the individual clubs.
As well as giving the squash community a chance to see two of Britain’s greats do battle on the court, the Back to Squash Tour aims to get more people involved at all levels of the sport.
Selby said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be involved in the Back to Squash Tour. The last 12 months have been very difficult for everyone and especially us squash lovers.
“So, with the help of the team at sweatband.com – who have made this possible – myself and the legend that is Nick Matthew will be touring around 10 different clubs to help inspire people to pick up their rackets again and get playing our beautiful game. Hope to see you on court again soon.”
Nick Matthew OBE added: “It’s great to be back on court again and buzzing to be doing battle with my great rival Daryl Selby. It’s fantastic that sweatband.com is involved and supporting the Back to Squash Tour and to help us get into as many clubs as possible and get people playing squash again.
“The other key point is the help of sweatband.com in bringing events that connect with the UK squash community and bring clubs back to life after this last year. Really looking forward to the dates in September.”
Maz Darvish, CEO of sports and fitness equipment specialists www.sweatband.com, said: “The Back To Squash tour for us represents an opportunity to support this fantastic sport, connect with the squash community and inspire more people to take up the sport after visiting the clubs, all while working alongside two legends of the game.”
Picture from Squash Mad archive