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Andrew Shelley

@squashlibrary

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Good few months meeting friends from the sport all over the place! Grateful to have met these like minded people across different times :) Thanks for lunch Tony and Emily !

Good ole Jovi from junior days!

The legendary Andrew Shelley WISPA Chief, WSF Chief, now head librarian at World Squash Library. one of the first guys who gave me my break in this sport 🙌

Friends from home at my event in Spore

More friends from home with the bosses

And again friends from home in Spore

Sharmilaa and Harleein, great supporters of World Squash Day with new friends from home

Boy wonder and girl in Bali 🍾🍾🍾

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1986 Detroit Athletic Club

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Squash, you will forever have my heart, for @scenesportsme

⬇️⬇️

Thirty years ago, a 22-year-old Egyptian wildcard stepped onto the biggest squash stage the sport had ever seen and was beaten in straight games. Forty-two minutes. Three games to none. And somehow, that defeat became the single most consequential result in the history of the sport in his country.

Ask any Egyptian squash player today where it all began, where the dominance that now defines the sport was first ignited, and they will tell you the same thing: it began with Ahmed Barada, in 1996, at the Giza Pyramids.

That May, the Al-Ahram International Open drew the best players in the world to Cairo. Among them was Jansher Khan, the Pakistani world No. 1 who had dominated the sport for the better part of a decade. And then there was Barada - ranked 29th, entered as a wildcard, expected by nobody to trouble the top of the draw.

What followed was almost unthinkable. He tore through a field containing former world champion Rodney Eyles and former world No. 4 Chris Walker, becoming the first wildcard in PSA Super Series history to reach a final. It remains one of the most improbable runs the professional tour has ever seen.

Had he won, the moment might have been filed away as an aberration; a single brilliant night, brilliant and then gone. Instead, he lost. And an entire country fell in love with the sport regardless.

Which begs the question: how does defeat become the foundation of a sporting empire?

🖊️ Mee

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@SceneSportsME: Thirty years ago, a 22-year-old Egyptian wildcard stepped onto the biggest squash stage the sport had ever seen and was beaten in straight games. Forty-two minutes. Three games to none. And somehow, that defeat became the single most consequential result in the history of the sport in his country.

Ask any Egyptian squash player today where it all began, where the dominance that now defines the sport was first ignited, and they will tell you the same thing: it began with Ahmed Barada, in 1996, at the Giza Pyramids.

That May, the Al-Ahram International Open drew the best players in the world to Cairo. Among them was Jansher Khan, the Pakistani world No. 1 who had dominated the sport for the better part of a decade. And then there was Barada - ranked 29th, entered as a wildcard, expected by nobody.

What followed was almost unthinkable. He tore through a field containing former world champion Rodney Eyles and former world No. 4 Chris Walker, becoming the first wildcard in PSA Super Series history to reach a final. It remains one of the most improbable runs the professional tour has ever seen.

Had he won, the moment might have been filed away as an aberration; a single brilliant night, brilliant and then gone. Instead, he lost. And an entire country fell in love with the sport regardless.

Which begs the question: how does defeat become the foundation of a sporting empire?

For the full feature head to www.scenesportsme.com

🖊️ Salma Abdelsalam

اسأل أي لاعب اسكواش مصري اليوم عن نقطة البداية، وعن الشرارة التي أشعلت هيمنة مصر الحالية على هذه الرياضة، وسيأتيك الرد ذاته: بدأت الحكاية مع أحمد برادة عام 1996، أمام أهرامات الجيزة.

الحكاية حدثت في مايو من ذلك العام، حينها جذبت بطولة "الأهرام الدولية" أفضل لاعبي العالم إلى القاهرة. وكان بينهم الباكستاني جانشير خان، المصنف الأول عالمياً الذي هيمن على الاسكواش لأكثر من عقد. وفي المقابل، كان هناك أحمد برادة، المصنف 29 عالمياً، الذي دخل البطولة ببطاقة دعوة لينجح في الوصول إلى النهائي أمام 30 ألف متفرج تحت سفح الأهرامات، وآلاف أو ربما ملايين عبر الشاشات. من هنا انطلق الاسكواش المصري!

القصة كاملة بالعربية والإنجليزية عبر موقعنا Scenesportsme.com

🖊 أحمد شيحا

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A different era of squash 🏆

🎞️ Archives courtesy of World Squash Library

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Heather McKay was the first ever Women’s World Champion - but what did it take to get there?

For decades, squash has documented its champions - but not the lives behind the titles.

Andrew Shelley of @squashlibrary has launched a new podcast - My Journey - to tell the story of all squash’s world champions.

Hear it from the champions themselves. Search for My Journey on Spotify

✍️ - @george__marsden

#squash
#squashplayer
#squashplayermag
#squashplayermagazine

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England Squash Hall of Fame 🏅

Commemorating our stars past and present, our Hall of Fame is now on our website.

You’ll find players who have represented our country and the record appearance holders for both men and women.

Share your fondest memories of players past and present 👇

🔗 Hit the link in the bio to see the full lists.

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19 Years. Zero Defeats. One Icon.

Heather McKay didn’t just dominate squash — she redefined it.

With the final of the 2025 women’s world championship taking place tomorrow, we’re looking back to the first ever women’s world champion - the legendary McKay.

👟 Started squash at 18.
🏆 Undefeated for 19 years.
🥇 16 straight British Open titles.
🫢 Lost only two games in her entire Open career.

From a late start in a small Aussie town to becoming the most invincible champion sport has ever seen, McKay’s story is nothing short of legendary. She didn’t just beat her opponents — she erased them.

💬 “My biggest asset? I just made them do more work.”

👉 Read the full story of squash’s greatest icon online now — link in bio.

✍️ - @whatnathansaw

#squash
#squashplayer
#squashplayermag
#squashplayermagazine

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‘𝙎𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙤𝙬: 𝘼 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣’ is a visually stunning history of squash authored by Squash Library founder Andrew Shelley and Bas van Hoorn.

ESF have negotiated a discount 💶💷 for all ESID members.

ℹ️ https://europeansquash.com/squash-then-and-now-a-celebration/

#EuroSquash

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Carpool Interview Part 2️⃣ or 2️⃣ the JK 555 debate..
@maelshorbagy ramps ⬆️ the dialogue on how the myth of the 555 number, might have been created.. 😂🤪😂
**anyone who thinks they know what Marwan said in the BLEEP section, leave your comments PLEASE 😉😁✅👍🏻

Some great chats & banter with Marwan on the drive Zurich-Lausanne, during the Exhibition WKD he did w/ @miguelsquash
In other minisodes we discuss;
- Marwan’s builds his ultimate coach
- Rising stars ✨ in the PSA Men
- Best lobs in the PSA business
- Generations old vs new
… more to follow, watch this space..😎👍🏻✅

#squash #carpoolsquash #squasholympics2028

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SVG Squash tribute to our founding father, Sir Arthur Cecil Cyrus

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