The History of Squash Rackets
Squash rackets originated in England and soon spread around the world to become a popular game played with a racket and a ball. Squash is most popular in former British colonies and countries with a close association to Great Britain. Squash rackets is a form of the game rackets, which it overtook in popularity after its invention.
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Harrow School
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Harrow School in England is seen as the home of squash rackets. The students at Harrow are seen as the inventors of the game, which is a modified version of a game called hard rackets or rackets that was invented between 1830 and 1850. The game rackets had become popular in Great Britain's prisons before being accepted by private schools as a simple game played by the students. The game was quite popular, and students had to queue to play rackets. Waiting players would often practice in the cramped areas by hitting a punctured rackets ball against a wall. Eventually, the game squash rackets became more popular that rackets. A dedicated indoor squash rackets facility was built at Harrow by 1864.
Street Squash Rackets
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At the time of its invention, squash rackets was known as baby rackets and was originally played in the narrow alleys and courtyards of Harrow School. The name squash became attached to the game because the original rackets ball moved too quickly in a small space for the players to control, so the rubber rackets ball was punctured to slow it down. When the ball was hit against the wall, it squashed against the wall, making it move more slowly than a rackets ball.
USA
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Squash rackets made its way to New Hampshire in 1882 when it began to be played by students at St. Paul's School in Concord. As in England, the game became popular quickly. By 1900, a squash court was added to the Racquets Club in Philadelphia. By 1904, the first professional tournament was sponsored in the United States and in 1916, the National Professional Championship was held in America for a prize of $1,000.
Organization
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The Squash Racquets Association was formed in 1929 in England to create standard rules for the game. The association created rules that were used in the Commonwealth of the former British Empire. Countries such as Pakistan, India, Australia and New Zealand played a version of the game sanctioned by the association that became known as softball. In the United States and Canada, a different version of the game was played called hardball. This game was played to 15 points while softball was played to nine points.
International Squash Rackets Federation
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In 1967, officials from England, Australia, Egypt, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa formed the International Squash Rackets Federation in an attempt to create a final standard form of the game. In 1969, Canada and the United States joined the federation, followed by the Women's International Squash Federation in 1985. In 1992, the ISRF became the World Squash Federation (WSF) which now has 109 member countries and sets the rules for the world's estimated 18 million players.
Equipment
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The first mass-produced rackets used in squash were patented by Major Walter C. Wingfield for use in his own game of lawn tennis. Squash players would merely shorten the handles to make them easier to use. These wooden rackets remained the same for decades until Wilson Sporting Goods patented the metal framed racket in 1969 sparking advances in technology that continue to the present day.
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