Irish Squash

Squash History

Squash was invented in Harrow school around 1830, when the pupils discovered that a punctured Rackets ball, which "squashed" on impact with the wall, produced a game with a greater variety of shots and required much more effort on the part of the players, who could not simply wait for the ball to bounce back to them as with Rackets. The variant proved popular and in 1864 the first four Squash courts were constructed at the school and Squash was officially founded as a sport in its own right.

Squash is played in more than 185 countries, on nearly 50,000 courts, and the WSF now has 147 Squash playing National Associations in membership. It is the sole International Federation for the sport, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and maintains responsibility for the Rules of the Game, Court and Equipment Specifications, Refereeing and Coaching. The WSF maintains a World Calendar of events, organises and promotes World Championships for Men, Women, Junior Men, Junior Women and Masters age groups in both singles and doubles Squash; and leads its Member Nations in programmes for the development of the sport.
Squash has been played for over 140 years, grown sensationally in the last forty and is now poised to become one of the largest and best loved of all sports. (Information from WSF website)

Squash is played in an enclosed court which is a rectangular box with four vertical
walls of varying height.

How Do I Play Squash?

The server stands in either of the two service boxes and hits the ball off the front
wall. The ball must hit the front wall between the service line and the out of court
line, it must then rebound and land in the back opposite quarter of the court.
The ball is then 'in play' and the rally continues provided the ball hits the front wall
above the 'tin'' and below the out of court line.
A match is the best of 3 or 5 games.

Each game is played to 11 points. The player who scores 11 points first wins the game except that if the score reaches 10-all, the game continues until one player leads by two points.
Either player may score points (PAR - point-a-rally). The server, on winning a rally, scores a point and retains the service; the receiver, on winning a rally, scores a point and becomes the server.

Squash can be a game for life. Very young players can enjoy mini squash which is
played with a larger bouncier ball and lighter racket. There are competitions and tournaments for every age group from under 12's to veteran and vintage players.
A version of squash becoming popular is doubles squash.
Make Squash 'A Game For Life'

Health and Safety

As with all sports if you have any reason to doubt your health please consult your doctor before playing squash. If you have an injury, think before you play as you may aggravate the injury. Ensure that you stretch properly before playing, this is called the 'warm up' and also stretch after your game, the 'cool down'.
Approved eyeguards are strongly recommended. In tournaments held under the auspices of Irish Squash, it is compulsory for junior players to wear approved eyeguards.

How Much Does a Game Cost?

You generally book a court for 45 minutes and the cost will vary depending on the
location of the squash courts i.e. whether it is in a hotel, private club,
leisure complex etc. Costs usually range from as little as €1 for 45 mins to €10
for 45 minutes.