History of Squash

Squash has its origins in the older game of rackets, which was played in London's prisons in the 19th century. Later, around 1830, boys at Harrow School noticed that a punctured ball, which "squashed" on impact with the wall, offered more variety to the game. The game spread to other schools. The first courts built at Harrow were dangerous because they were near water pipes, buttresses, chimneys, and ledges. Natural rubber was the preferred material for the ball. Students modified their rackets to have a smaller reach and improve their ability to play in these cramped conditions. In 1864, the school built four outside courts.

In the 20th century the game increased in popularity with various schools, clubs and private individuals building squash courts, but with no set dimensions. The earliest national association of squash in the world, the United States Squash Racquets Association, now known as U.S. Squash, was formed. In April 1907, the Tennis, Rackets & Fives Association of Queens, New York, which regulated those three sports, established a subcommittee to set standards for squash. In 1912, the association published rules for squash.

In 1912, the RMS Titanic had a squash court in first class, available for 50 cents ($15.36 in todays money). Passengers could use the court for one hour unless others were waiting. In 1923, the Royal Automobile Club hosted a meeting to further discuss the rules and regulations. Five years later, the Squash Rackets Association, now known as England Squash, was formed to set standards for the game in Great Britain and internationally. The rackets were made from one piece English ash, with a suede leather grip and natural gut string.

The 1980s witnessed a period of restructuring and consolidation. The Cambridge rackets factory was forced to close in face of the move to graphite rackets, and production was moved to the Far East. Customization of squash rackets has grown over the years as well. There are custom variations on racket head shape, racket balance, and racket weight. The most common racket variation for international singles squash is a teardrop head shape, even balance, and racket weight of 130g. 

Jansher Khan is widely regarded as one of the greatest squash players of all time. During his career, he won the World Open a record eight times, and the British Open six times.  Ranked number 1 in the world from January 1988 till January 1998, his retirement in 2001 brought an end to nearly 50 years of domination by Pakistan in the sport of squash. At present the sport is dominated by the Egyptians with many players in the world top ten of both the Men's, and Women's game. Great Britain also traditionally provide members to this elite group.

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