Earls Colne Squash Club

What Is Squash?

Squash is a racquet sport. The game is played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. There is a continuous line around the top of the four walls; the ball is "out of court" if it hits any of the walls above (or on) this line. Another out of court is known as "the tin”, which is an area on the front wall from the floor up to about half a metre on the wall. If the ball hits this area, it will be called out of court and a point or serve awarded to the opponent.

The players usually spin a racquet to decide who commences serving at the start of the match. This player starts the first rally by electing to serve from either the left or right service box and if points are scored, the server must alternate sides. For a legal serve, one of the server's feet must be in that box (while neither foot may lie beyond the line across the middle of the court) and, after being struck by the racquet, the ball must strike the front wall above the service line and below the out line and land in the opposite quarter court, unless volleyed by the receiver.

The players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall (referred to as "rallying"). The ball may also be struck against any of the other three walls before reaching the front wall. The ball must hit the front wall after being hit by the player regardless of which walls were hit first. To be considered good, the ball must reach the front wall below the "out" line and above the tin, before touching the floor. A ball landing on either the out line or the line above the tin, unlike for instance in tennis, is out.

The rally continues until a player is unable to return his or her opponent's shot , or when a "let" or "stroke" is awarded by the marker for interference. The ball can only bounce once on the floor after each shot for the rally to continue. The squash ball can bounce off any wall in the court but must stay within bounds, i.e. above the tin and below the “out of court” line.

The scoring is based on a serving system, in which one must first gain the serve before being able to  obtain a point.

Games are usually played to 9 points (alternatively, the receiver may opt to call "set two" and play to 10 when the score first reaches 8-8). Competition matches are usually played to "best-of-five" (i.e., the first player to win 3 games).

It sounds complicated, but in practice squash is a very simple game to play at a modest standard. However, playing to a high standard is far from easy, with accomplished players taking years to learn their craft and master the skills and acquire the fitness necessary to succeed.

A high standard of conduct is expected of the players.

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