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‘He was a genius at work and a pleasure to play with’ says Nick Matthew By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor Ramy Ashour’s retirement provoked a massive response from the global squash community, mixing sadness at his departure from the professional tour with enormous gratitude at the way his astonishing skills and smiling demeanour [...]

  Your brain has to master four dimensions before you can master squash By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Columnist Why is squash so addictive if you are that way inclined? This is a question that has puzzled me ever since I started playing around 10 years ago. Why, because having never played a racket sport [...]

It’s all far too confusing – even for the pros!  By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Columnist Now, I know this may be controversial. But I am just going to come straight out with it. The rules on strokes and lets are just too confusing. The rules are opaque and difficult to apply. Judging by [...]

Virtual sports are big business By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor When pondering why squash has been overlooked yet again for the Olympics, understanding the impact of fun activities like breakdancing and skateboarding is one thing. Accepting why eSports (computer games) are also likely to be miles ahead of squash is another. The IOC [...]

Youth Olympics likely to be next target for squash By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor The World Squash Federation (WSF) and the Professional Squash Association (PSA) have demanded answers from the IOC following the sport’s latest Olympic setback. Squash’s latest Olympic bid was stopped in its tracks within a few days of being launched [...]

‘Squash needs advocates and ambassadors more in touch with popular culture’ By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Correspondent Squash may have lost its way down the generations. From the dizzy heights of millions of players battling to book courts in the boom years of the 1980s, the game has struggled to halt a steady slide [...]

We need to break through these barriers to our sport or new players will go elsewhere By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Correspondent The failure to once again get into the Olympics feels like a hammer blow to our sport. It is not. The future of our sport is in our hands. But, let’s face [...]

We need leadership, teamwork and a clear vision to grow the game   By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Correspondent (Grove Park Squash Club) So, where now for the real, beautiful game of squash? Clearly, the news about squash being excluded from the Paris 2024 Olympics is very disappointing. Particularly for all the talented youngsters out [...]

Squash and TV is a lingering issue for these amazing athletes By HECTOR CAPPELLETTI – Squash Mad Guest Columnist Squash Mad is delighted to welcome guest columnist Hector Cappelletti. Hector normally writes about cricket, but we are pleased to reproduce his column on his visit to St George’s Hill to watch the Channel VAS Championship. [...]

Bitter-sweet memories planning World Squash Day and a club reunion By ALAN THATCHER, Squash Mad Editor On top of organising World Squash Day, and pestering clubs and federations all over the planet to pull their fingers out to promote the sport, I have also been involved in planning a big squash reunion in November. Both [...]

‘We need a more positive image to grow squash again’ By BARRY WATKINS – Squash Mad Columnist There has been a lot of negative posting about squash on social media during the past few weeks and months over clubs closing down, squash not being in the Olympics and the current issue of David Lloyd Clubs [...]

CEO: ‘We will look at saving the courts at Gidea Park’ Club manager: ‘They close on September 10th’ By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor Campaigning squash players appear to have lost the fight to persuade David Lloyd Clubs to halt plans to close most of their squash courts across the UK. David Lloyd Clubs [...]

‘Lying to players on Twitter is very disappointing for a company of your standing’ By ALAN THATCHER, Squash Mad Editor I am not sure if Glenn Earlam, the chief executive of David Loyd Clubs knows, or cares, that Laura Massaro, one of his members at the David Lloyd club in Chorley, has won the British [...]

Hips, knees and woes all part of the marvellous Masters experience By AUBREY WADDY – Squash Mad Special Correspondent Serena Williams received huge praise for her achievements in June at Wimbledon. Serena not only competed at the 2018 Championships, within twelve months of delivering her first child, but actually reached the final. The biennial 2018 [...]

Fury at ‘dishonest’ media response from David Lloyd Clubs By ALAN THATCHER, Squash Mad Editor Squash players all over the UK are up in arms at plans by David Lloyd Clubs to close the majority of their squash courts to make way for a new fitness circuit called Blaze. The gym and rackets-sports chain were [...]