Squash Tennis is one of the few racquet and ball indoor sports that can
be termed honestly and strictly "American" in origin, whereas Squash
Racquets has its roots in England going as far back as the 1850s. The
game spread to America in the 1880s and the first real organized Squash
Racquets play was in 1882 at St. Paul's Prep School, in Concord, New
Hampshire.
Eventually some of the boys there experimented with a Lawn Tennis ball
and liked the fast rallies and liveliness of the action. Consequently an
exciting offspring was born, Squash Tennis.
Toward the turn of the century, Stephan J. Feron, of New York became
fascinated with the possibility of the speeded up version of Squash and
has been given the credit for creating the lighter Squash Tennis racquet
and the famous (or infamous) inflated ball with the knitted webbing
surrounding the regular cover.
The last decade of the 1800s saw, therefore, two Squash games being
played. Very quickly, however, Squash Tennis became more popular and
widely played than Squash Racquets because of the more exciting pace and
action of the play. Private courts were built on estates owned by such
millionaires as William C. Whitney and J. P. Morgan. The famous Tuxedo
Club, Tuxedo Park, New York, installed the first formal Club court in
1898. By 1905, the Racquet and Tennis Club, Harvard, Princeton, and
Columbia Clubs in Manhattan had courts, as did Brooklyn's Crescent A. C.
and the Heights Casino.
In 1911 the National Squash Tennis Association was founded and organized
by the banker, John W. Prentiss, Harvard Club of New York. The following
year inter-club league competition was started in New York City--56 years
ago! The sport also gained popularity and some limited play in other
cities such as Buffalo, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, but the real
nucleus of activity was pretty much confined to "The Big City."
The halcyon days of Squash Tennis were the 1920s and 1930s. Such names
as Fillmore Van S. Hyde, Rowland B. Haines, Thomas R. Coward, William
Rand, Jr., and R. Earl Fink dominated the amateur ranks during the Golden
Twenties. New York Athletic Club's Harry F. Wolf reigned alone and
supreme as the amateur champion during the ensuing decade.
The professionals, however, "owned" the best of the amateurs. Walter
Kinsella, Robert L. Cahill, Tommy Iannicelli, Johnny Jacobs, Frank
Lafforgue, Rowland Dufton, were the outstanding "play for pay"
performers. And, the unquestioned king of the Squash Tennis courts was
the legendary Frank Ward, who never lost a match in tournament
competition.
Because of the desire by the expert Squash Tennis players for more and
more speed and a higher pressurized ball, a novice quickly became
discouraged with his initial efforts at playing the game. For many
crucial years, therefore, the game was not adopted by new players and
there was no broad base of tyros. Plainly and simply the avid duffers,
which every sport must have if it is to survive and retain its
popularity, took up a less frustrating, easier to master sport for their
exercise.
World War II saw the demise of this lightning fast webbed ball because of
the shortage of rubber and the game all but died. Simultaneously Squash
Racquets thrived during the War. Organized play and competition were
established at service bases, colleges, schools and YMCAs. A new breed
of young, active Americans became enamored with Squash Racquets and the
pendulum swung away from Squash Tennis. After all, what is a racquet
game without an appropriate ball? The now aging professionals saw the
wave of interest in Squash Racquets and climbed aboard.
After the war Frank Lafforgue, of the Yale Club, attempted to renew
interest in Squash Tennis by utilizing a standard Lawn Tennis ball.
While it was a far easier game for the novice to learn and a marvelous
form of indoor exercise for the otherwise sedentary businessman, the "old
timers," remembering the Golden Age of the 1920s and 1930s, became
completely disenchanted with the slow, heavy, "make shift" orb. They
left their love and were contented to talk wistfully about the "good old
days."
Competition, though comparatively limited, continued. Some of the
outstanding players who competed right after the War in a dwindling
number of tourneys were eight times national champion H. Robert Reeve,
Barry Ryan, Frank Hanson, Joseph Sullivan, Howard Rose, (still very
active in his sixties) J. Lennox Porter, and John Powers.
Norman F. Torrance, Harvard Club, Secretary of the Association in
1919-1934 and the NSTA's President up until 1954, despite his love for
the game and his efforts to rejuvenate it during the 1950s, was a voice
in the wilderness.
(The following was extracted from an article written by Robert H. Lehman,
Editor of the 1966-7 edition of the NSTA Yearbook.)
"The present starts its story less than two years ago. For many years,
well known, long known figures had tried to revive the game, revamp the
ball, attract new players. Still active in administration and
competition were Willard Rice, Howard Rose, Larry Pratt, Rodney Fiske,
Frank Wadelton, Dave Smith and others.
"Suddenly after protracted doldrums dominated mostly by conversation, a
spark was fired. Back to his old Eastern haunts came volatile,
enthusiastic Dick Squires, a National Junior Davis Cupper while at school
in Bronxville, a nationally ranked Squash Racquets player 10 years ago,
now in mid-thirties and still a 'natural.' Exposed to our game at the
Rye Squash Barn in early 1965, he went whole hog for his new love, roamed
around crying, 'How long has this been going on?' Mr. Torrance must have
known something when, way back in 1951, he said the game would come back.
"The ebullient red-head lit a fire under everyone. He talked a
'Rejuvenation Committee' into existence, headed it, and started the ball
rocketing. Fund-raising letters to Patrons, membership solicitations to
clubs and individuals, colorful posters broadcasting the game's delights
on squash bulletin boards all over, letters to pros outlining advantages
and opportunities, revision and updating of Official Rules and
Association By-Laws, publicity releases to papers and magazines--all were
dreamed up and implemented by Squires and his now famous 'NSTA-RC,' a
dedicated, hard working bunch.
"One of the most imaginative programs, instigated during the winter of
1965-6, was the running of exhibitions (over 22!), which dramatically
exposed the game to the uninitiated, attracted sizable galleries and
converts. Dick's buddy, Bill Moncrieff, conducted running commentaries,
stopping play to explain fine points, while such as Dick, John Powers,
Gavin Murphy, Dave Smith, Jim Prigoff and Henry Stanton roamed the East
to such spots as Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Washington and Rochester to
spread the word.
"Mindful of the age-old cry, 'What about the ball?' a committee was
formed to pursue all possibilities with determination and with primary
view to drastic reduction of breakage--a long-time bugaboo. If the
action could be improved, so much the better. . . .
"Great strides were made, and recently Norman Forster, after carrying on
lengthy, exploratory discussions with the loyal Spalding outfit (which
had been keeping the game going with the best they had been able to
produce for this specialized and heretofore limited field, developed an
excellent ball--one that can withstand the tremendous beating a Squash
Tennis ball takes as it rebounds about the walls."
In 1966 as evidence that Squash Tennis was, indeed, on the "comeback
trail" the august governing body of the National Squash Tennis
Association elected five-time national champion, Jim Prigoff, as their
new President. They pledged their support both verbally and financially.
The most active season in over 25 years was instigated and many new faces
were seen chasing the fast green covered ball about the court.
Innumerable converts came over from Squash Racquets and new life and
vitality was breathed into the "grand old game."
Momentum continues. A "new look" was adopted in 1967 with the complete
reorganization of the Association. Functioning committees were formed to
create and implement workable plans in the various important areas of
activity as Tournament and Ranking, Exhibitions and Clinics, Promotions
and Publicity, Finance, National Development, Membership, Referees and
Rules, etc. A broad base of energetic lovers of the game, with due
respect for tradition, began to think in the present what could be done
now to enhance the popularity of the sport, and to plan for the future.
The day of the "one man show," the one athlete-dominated sport was over.
Squash Tennis can and should be played and enjoyed by everyone. And we,
of the revitalized National Squash Tennis Association plan to do
everything necessary to provide you, the present or potential player, the
"hacker" or expert, with the kind of organized programs that will
encourage you to play Squash Tennis as long as you physically can. Keep
in mind that the venerable Mr. Torrance won a tournament match at the age
of 82!