Herts Championships Jan '08
Results pictures & full
draws
HERE
Isobel Smith (4th win) and Adrian Waller are the new County Champions.
And more pictures - Gary, Len & Isobel
Sports
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from Herts Squash
Squash Coachingby Derek Thorpe
www.squash-coach.co.uk
The History of Squash. "First
there was Real tennis...then fives. The combination of racquets and fives
sparked the creation of squash at the Harrow School outside London.
Harrow boys were addicted to rackets. The chief place to play at Harrow
was in the schoolyard that surrounded Old Schools, the main school
building. One special nook of the schoolyard was called "The Corner." It
had two good side walls and a front wall with a buttress which dropped the
ball straight down and a waterpipe that might send it anywhere"....James
Zug
Squash History
(Herts Squash acknowledges
WikipediA for this information)
The (British) Squash Rackets Association conducted its first
British Open championship for men in December 1930, using a
'challenge' system:
Charles Read was designated champion, but was beaten in home and away
matches by
Don
Butcher, who was then recorded as the champion for 1931. The
championship continues to this day, but has been conducted with a
'knockout' format since 1947.
Heather McKay, with her lengthy and
absolute dominance of the game (she remained undefeated in her 18 year
career during the 1960s and 1970s), is undoubtedly the greatest woman
player of all time. Amongst the men, most modern commentators consider
Jahangir Khan (1980s) or (the distantly related) Jansher Khan (1990s) to
be the greatest male players. Other worthy contenders are Jonah
Barrington, Geoff Hunt and Hashim Khan.
Because of its traditions, the British
Open has been considered by many to be more prestigious than the
World
Open, which began in the mid-1970s. However, some have shown concern
about the ability of the former to sustain its prominence, citing its
failure in 2005 to attract top players, probably due in part to the
disparity in prize money. In 2005 the combined men's and women's prize
money for the British Open came to $71,000, compared with the 2005 World
Open's prize money, estimated to be about $270,000.
Hashim Khan
was the first of a line of great
Pakistani
squash champions, including
Jahangir Khan and
Jansher Khan. Jahangir, now president of the
World Squash Federation, won the British Open ten times and the World
Open eight times. Jansher took over his mantle in 1989 with his first of
World Open titles.
Former world number one hundred Alby King
of Dunedin, New Zealand has stated that he believes squash has a "very
realistic chance" of being added to the list of
Olympic
sports for the 2016 games.[4].
History Of England
Squash (Herts Squash acknowledges England
Squash for this information)
The Squash Rackets Association,
re-launched as "England Squash" in 2001, was founded in 1928
to take over the administration of the game in Britain from the Tennis
and Rackets Association. It was the recognised world authority for
squash until the formation in 1967 of the International Squash Rackets
Federation (now called the World Squash Federation). In 1928 the
SRA had a membership of just 25 clubs which compares with over 2,500
today and an individual membership of over 5,000.
The formation of The Women's Squash Rackets Association in 1934, brought
into being the two bodies that represented the game in Britain until
1980, when the responsibility for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
was devolved to autonomous national associations. In 1989, after
pressure from the English Sports Council, the men's and women's
associations were amalgamated into one body under the title of the
Squash Rackets Association and this body currently serves the interests
of all men and women squash enthusiasts in England.
Structure Of The Sport
The World Squash Federation (WSF), is the central authority for
the game throughout the world and is responsible for the rules of the
game, the promotion and growth of the game and the promotion and
organization of the World Championships which are held BI-annually.
The European Squash Federation (ESF), is the regional body to
which England Squash affiliates and which has a similar brief as the WSF.
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) and Women's
International Squash Players Association (WISPA) represent and
promote the interests of the professional tournament players.
The British Squash Players Association (BSPA) is the body that
represents and promotes the interests of British professional players.
Notable Achievements And
Landmarks
1883 the first known purpose-built court was constructed by Vernon
Harcourt in Oxford
1886 the first set of rules were laid down.
1911 Standard measurements of the court were laid down.
1922 the first Major Championships for men and women was held in
England.
1923 the first Major Championships for men were held in England.
1928 The Squash Rackets Association (SRA), was founded.
1930 The British Open Championships were first held.
1934 The Women's Squash Rackets Association (WSRA), was founded.
1950 Janet Morgan (Shardlow), wins the first of her ten 'Open'
titles.
1950 Hashim Khan wins his first 'Open' Championships and the Khan
family dominate the tournament until 1963.
1952 His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh becomes Patron of
the SRA.
1962 Heather Blundell (McKay), wins the first of her sixteen
'Open' titles.
1966 The first glass backwall is unveiled at the Birkenhead Squash
Rackets Club.
1966 Jonah Barrington wins the first of his six 'Open' titles.
1967 Geoff Hunt wins the first ISRF World Individual Championship.
1969 Geoff Hunt of Australia wins the first of his eight 'Open'
titles.
1973 Edinburgh hosts the first European men's team championship.
England wins.
1974 Geoff Hunt wins the first World Open Championships for men.
1976 Heather McKay wins the first World Open Championships for
women.
1976 Great Britain win the men's World Amateur Team title for the
first time.
1978 Amsterdam hosts the first European women's team
championships. England wins.
1979 the distinction between Amateurs and Professionals is
abolished.
1982 Jahangir Khan wins the first of his ten 'Open' titles.
1985 England wins the Women's World Team Championship for the
first time.
1989 The WSRA and the SRA merge to become the SRA.
1995 England win the World Men's Team Championship for the first
time
The WSF announce the standardisation of a doubles court which is 4ft
wider.
1998 Squash is included in the Commonwealth Games for the first
time.
1998 England wins 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 4 Bronze medals at the
Commonwealth Games.
1998 The British Racketball Association merges with the SRA.
1999 Cassie Campion wins the Women's World Championships.
1999 Sport England announce the building of a National Squash
Centre in Manchester, in readiness for the Commonwealth Games.
1999 The SRA moves its Head Office to Manchester.
2000 England retain bi-annual the World Junior Team Championship
for the 3rd consecutive time, joining Australia as the only nation
to achieve this.
2001 The SRA re-launches as "England Squash"
2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester - England wins 1 Gold,
2 Silver and 4 Bronze
2003 European Team Championships held in Nottingham - men's and
women's titles are retained
