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Squash in Sydney occupies a special place. Squash is an indoor sport which originated around 1830 in Harrow School, London. It is a modification of the game of rackets or racquets. While the potentially dangerous Rackets is played with a hard ball, squash uses a soft hollow rubber ball. Squash officially became a sport with the construction of four courts in Harrow School in1864. Till the 20th century the game remained confined to schools and universities. Later it gained popularity in the clubs before entering the international sporting circuit. United States of America was the first to introduce an association dedicated to squash followed by Britain. Today the World Squash Federation administers the game. While Professional Squash Association (PSA) manages the men’s professional game, the women’s professional game is managed by the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA). The popularity of the game escalated in the 1950s with the construction of public courts by commercial operators. Today squash is very popular in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. In its early days squash had spread to places where British forces were stationed. One such country to be introduced to the game of squash in this process was Australia. The first squash court in New South Wales was constructed just after the First World War. Squash in Sydney is wide spread and is one of the dominant sports in Sydney. The administrative body responsible for the development of squash in New South Wales is NSW Squash Ltd. It represents squash clubs, centers and players. Some of the most talented squash players in Australia are from NSW. The most renowned among them are David Palmer (current PSA World Ranking 2) and Anthony Ricketts (current PSA World Ranking 10). They are also the top ranked squash players in Australia. The most important Sydney squash club is the Hawkesbury Squash Club located at 324 Windsor Street, Richmond 2753. There are many courts for playing squash in Sydney like the Baulkham Hills Squash, the Bondi-Waverly Squash Club Ltd., the Concord Squash Courts, the Granville Squash Courts, the Minto Squash Centre, and the Rooty Hill Tennis & Squash Centre. The crowd of youngsters forever thronging the squash courts in Sydney will help you gauge the popularity of squash in Sydney. Sydney has played host to a number of squash tournaments over the years. One of the most important among them was the 1990 Women’s Championship was hosted in Sydney where the home team was runners-up. Sydney will host the Hi-Tec Willoughby Open 2007 and most importantly Sydney will be hosting the 2009 World Masters Games. These tournaments will bring the top ranked players from all over the world, thereby giving squash in Sydney a major boost.
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