It has been 100 years since women have been able to vote, in a Squash context, it has been 96 years since the first-ever women’s championship.
Throughout the history of women’s squash, there have been some great moments far greater than the men’s games, which have inspired young women to take squash and inspire an entire country to take up the sport.
As part of International Women’s Month, we look at the greatest moments in the female side of Squash:
First British Open’s women in 1922
The first British Open women’s tournament was held at the Queen’s Club, Kensington in London. The final was won by Joyce Cave of England, defeating her older sister Nancy Cave.
Ladies Squash goes from amateur to professional in 1974
Following over 40 years of an acknowledgment as an amateur sport, by 1974 women’s squash was given its professional recognition.
This meant women’s squash was now on the level as men and could compete for major prize money – plus help generate more interest for young women of all backgrounds to take the sport.
First Ladies World Squash Champion and consecutive winner of British Open
The history books of ladies squash show that the first ever female squash world champion was Australia’s Heather McKay, who won the inaugural World Open Championship at Stafford Courts in Brisbane in Australia in 1976 and went on to win the title again in 1979.
Ironically, Heather McKay went on and is the first and the only woman squash player to win the British Open championship a record 16 consecutive times from 1962 to 1977 – this a feat that has not been matched even in the men’s category of the tournament.
Australian Heather McKay (Photo Credit: PSA World Tour)
HEATHER MCKAY: SPORT’S GREATEST, MYSTERIOUS RECORD
1983: The Women’s International Squash Players Association is established
WSA World Tour
Following on from the professional recognition in 1974, nine years later the WISPA was established as the governing body of the women’s professional squash circuit; with over 200 players registered with the WISPA. The key goals of the governing body were to:
- Enable more female players to consider a career in professional squash economically viable through the development of a world tour
- Increase exposure for the sport and its players
- Raise the administrative standards at events
- Increase the level of support and advice offered to promoters
- Improve communication and relationships with other squash organizations and the press.
By 2011, WISPA became and is now governed now by the Women’s Squash Association (WSA); the current chairperson is former US Squash professional Latasha Khan.
First Ladies Squash tournament in Saudi Arabia
In 2018, Saudi Arabia hosted the first-ever women’s squash tournament in Riyadh; the tournament came about the reforms led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that include a lifting of restrictions on women. For the women of Saudi Arabia, the squash tournament follows the lifting of the ban, allowing women to drive in the country.
Photo credit: Professional Squash Association
As part of the tournament, there were no qualifying rounds, meaning that the 32 players taking part go straight into the draw, including the Saudi wild card, Nada Abo Al Naja; battling out to win the lucrative prize fund of US$165,000 (Dh605, 962). The winner was Nour El Sherbini of Egypt.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, Ladies Squash has come along with most ladies sporting achievements. It will not be long now (finger crossed) when women’s squash history will be rewritten with more historical feats.
With so many countries taking up Squash, it won’t be long before you see a woman from one of the emerging countries become a world champion in squash and make sporting histories like Heather Mckay and Nicol David.
Come there 2022, it will be a major milestone in the history of women’s Squash and hopefully, there will be more stories written to inspire young women of all cultures to take the sport.
