Sunday, September 8, 2024

Features

‘Racketball has saved our club over the last five years’

While the aftershock of the pandemic continues to ravage squash, one Somerset Club has found racketball a welcome source of rejuvenation and new life. Facing...

Life of a touring squash pro: ‘You have to stay strong, keep focus and that isn’t easy’

The loneliness of the long distance squash player can be a gnawing and draining experience, one that makes the athlete question just why they...

County scene: Meet the award-winning Kent squash club – with a waiting list

This may be the year in which Biddenden Squash Club was recognised as club of the year -- yet it is the reasons behind...

Simon Parke on nose bleeds and dealing with pressures as top junior seed

Simon Parke believes that experience can be the key for Jonah Bryant as he attempts to become only the fourth Englishman to win the...

Amanda Sobhy on junior squash cauldron: ‘Just enjoy the experience’

With the 2023 WSF World Junior Championships looming, US star Amanda Sobhy has revealed just how important her 2010 coronation was to launching her...

Court Watch: Meet the founder behind ‘Wikipedia of squash’ app

In today’s modern climate, one where sports are striving for eyeballs, there must be hundreds of squash courts cast into the shadows and hidden...

Dutchman Rowan Damming on Asperger’s Syndrome and world squash hopes

It is hard enough trying to negotiate the perilous rite of passage from the junior to the senior ranks at world class level in...

Belgium squash star Nele Gilis inspired by Nicol David drive

A "very clever man" is how rankings climber Nele Gilis describes her British coach Rob Owen. Now, the Belgian is aiming to make further...

‘Raising the bar’: How French entrepreneur built squash super club Annecy

The standard at the recent French League play-offs was the highest for almost 20 years in both men's and women's draws. For the second...

How Karim Gawad watched SquashTV all over the house after ‘squash starvation’

The great and the good of the men’s game may have gathered in Cairo for the CIB PSA World Tour Finals last week, but...

‘Older he got, better he became’: Masters pay tribute to Mark Cowley

The squash world has paid tribute to distinguished player and Masters advocate Mark Cowley who died recently after a long battle with Covid and...

Inside the mind of PSA pro: ‘Ranking points and form are key at Tour Finals’

INTERVIEW: Former world champion Greg Gaultier on PSA ranking points, power play thoughts and World Tour Final memories Greg Gaultier believes that the ramifications of...

‘Was I down? Not one bit’ – Declan James charts comeback trail

It is the injury that every squash player fears -- and last November it happened to Declan James. The rupturing of an Achilles during a...

Nele Gilis closes in on Egyptian speed in season of career highs

She has admitted to playing and coming out the wrong side of a fair share of “3-0 choppings” against Egypt's best, but if ever...

Meet England’s rising siblings spurred on by squash heroes

After a summer starring in the 5 Nations and European Championships, England’s next family of exceptional squash talents is already turning their attention towards...

How Open Squash is igniting New Yorkers’ passion for the sport

The key to turning a non-squash player into a passionate participant is to treat every potential new member of your club as “both a...

County Scene: ‘Squash needs to encourage and support its proactive coaches’

The modern climate in squash calls for proactive, energetic and selfless coaches. Down in Lewes, East Sussex, one club has just the cohort. And...

Coach’s view: How Ali Farag has cemented all-round game to land big prizes

Squash Mad speaks to Karim Darwish, Ali Farag's coach, on tactical changes, career longevity and comparisons with game's greats Ali Farag may have just returned...

Key to Egypt squash success? The generational high standard of competition

He is one of the most respected coaches in squash but one who very rarely shares his thoughts in public. Omar Abdel Aziz is the...

How Masters circuit provides beating heart for squash stalwarts

With the Masters Home International season concluding in Cardiff earlier this month and England Squash Masters claiming 13 wins out of 14 age groups, honourable...

Top of the podium after five years of hell: Peter Knox’s extraordinary squash story

As Peter Knox from Exeter had the World Transplant Games squash gold medal hung around his neck last month in Perth, Australia, he could...

Lichfield’s resurgence offers hope to ailing grassroots squash clubs

Lichfield Squash Club in Staffordshire, based at King Edward VI High School's two glass back courts, is celebrating a remarkable resurgence following the challenges...

‘How can squash survive? Courts need to be new and shiny, not old and cold’

“All the time I come across a number of people who have discovered squash late in life and they all say they wish they...

County Scene: Delving deep inside the future of squash

We all know there remains a growing uncertainty on the future of squash. While the elite game forges a seemingly upward trajectory, grass roots...

Forward-thinking club safeguards future after £1 purchase

It is perhaps the most astute bit of business ever done by a squash club. For just £1, Scotland’s Lockerbie Squash Club secured its...

How Amr Shabana became Egypt’s first world squash champion

Twenty years after he lifted the world title, Amr Shabana recalls his run to the final and how he struggled to adapt in the...

Why Squash Mad needs to be at heart of covering our sport

Coverage of squash has changed drastically. UK newspapers have led the way in the game over the years but the last decade has seen...

Edwin Clain: I had to explain rules of squash to my parents

Frenchman Edwin Clain was one of 12 players who grabbed a ticket for the 2023 PSA World Squash Championships. The biggest achievement of his...

World Squash 2023: ‘Nouran Gohar will be firing after British Open’

Rod Martin has dismissed any suggestion that World No.1 Nouran Gohar will suffer from a British Open hangover when she treads the board at...

Young Scot Rory Richmond out to make the grade on court

The process of making the transition from the junior game to the senior ranks can often be a painful one, but for one of...

‘Yes, Peru could!’: How world reacted to Diego Elias reaching squash World No.1

When English No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy was beaten in a five-game thriller at the British Open on Tuesday, the news was confirmed that Diego Elias...

British Open Squash 2023: Mohamed Elshorbagy aims for mentor to tread Birmingham stage

Mohamed Elshorbagy has admitted that this year’s British Open has a special resonance for him. It was in June last year that the best kept...

Lack of Olympic razzmatazz for LA 2028 shows squash is in tune with IOC

Squash’s latest date with Olympic destiny is potentially just six months away – and it seems our sport’s highest authorities are changing their approach...

5 things with Mathieu Castagnet: We have to bring squash to schools

Squash Mad asks recently-retired Mathieu Castagnet his influences and his current views on the sport Playing for the French national team was a very important...

Marine drive: Hot streak Charlie Lee hits form after trophy success

After the best three weeks of his squash career, Englishman Charlie Lee is reflecting on an ongoing season which has ushered in a change...

Squash talent proves ‘life-changing’ for girl from Nairobi slums

Dedication to squash has given 14-year-old Faith Shirwatzo a precious education and spared her from life as a peasant farmer in rural Kenya. Faith lives...

Shopping bag packing and race nights, Scotland crowdfund to world squash juniors

By any account, 2023 has been a stunning year for rising squash star Robyn McAlpine. The girl from Scotstoun, Glasgow created Scottish history when she...

How Baptiste Masotti prescribed squash as his career calling

LONDON -- Every so often, the answer to where players first started out in the sport yields an unexpected answer. Baptiste Masotti, who played...

‘Squash just has this fabulous combination of skills I love’

BBC News presenter Ross Atkins, a self-confessed squash lover, has been following Fares Dessouky for years and loves the Egyptian’s flexibility and power  I was...

‘Wars at the Wintergarden’: Top 3 Canary Wharf Squash Classic matches

Sunday marks the 20th anniversary edition of the Canary Wharf Classic, sponsored by GillenMarkets. And to mark the moment we are delving through the...