World Squash Day was launched by a group of squash friends following the 9/11 attacks in the USA. Many New York squash players were killed in the World Trade Center, including Derek Sword, a former Scottish junior international from Dundee.
World Squash Day was launched in their honour, and the hope was to also do something tangible for the game. Peter Nicol, a former junior international team-mate of Derek Sword, agreed to become President of World Squash Day.
Peter Nicol’s involvement was a poignant one. He was due to compete in the 2001 US Open in Boston but the build-up to the event coincided with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was rearranged for the following January and named the Memorial Open.
After winning the title, Peter flew back through the night with fellow pros John White and Paul Price to compete in the initial World Squash Day event at the famous, and now sadly demolished, Lambs Club in London. The event featured a 15-a-side match between teams from London and New York, competing for the Derek Sword Trophy, alongside an eight-man professional tournament, with White beating Price in an incredibly entertaining final. (A justifiably tired-looking Nicol had kindly dollied up a few volley nicks for White in the semi-final to get off court as quickly as he could!)
In 2003, Peter was competing in the Tournament of Champions inside Grand Central Terminal and went on to win the title, beating Thierry Lincou in the final. I was commentating at courtside with Jean De Lierre’s SquashLive company.
One morning, Peter and Alan visited the New York Athletic Club, on the south side of Central Park, to hand over the Derek Sword Trophy, which was funded by Derek’s colleagues at the Keefe, Bruyette and Woods (KBW) investment bank where he worked.
When the return match was held at NYAC, another former Scottish international, Martin Heath, made a guest appearance, as did fellow professionals Tim Wyant and John Russell, who beat the-then US number one 3-1 in an entertaining battle.
These were emotional, almost spiritual occasions. They showed how sport can bring people together, and help to heal wounds caused by the ills of society. The passion that was ignited for World Squash Day during those events is still evident today.
While many nations are showing encouraging signs of growth, we are fighting a global trend of diminishing numbers of people taking part in sport, largely due to electronic alternatives and lifestyle changes. In some countries, the need to come up with solutions to grow the game is desperately important.
We need action right now, before it is too late.
In 2012, World Squash Day attracted 40,000 players who competed in one single global match to promote the Olympic Bid.
About the Founder of World Squash Day, Alan Thatcher
Alan Thatcher’s involvement in squash covered many areas. He played league squash in Hampshire, Essex, Kent and London, and was chairman and later president of Kent Squash.
As a journalist he launched squash columns in local and regional newspapers, and when he moved to the national arena he quickly launched the American Express Fleet Street League in partnership with England Squash, featuring 16 teams of three players from various media companies in London.
He delivered several whole-page features on squash in the Daily Express, collaborated with former world champion Peter Nicol to produce a weekly column for the Sport First newspaper, and subsequently published his own website called Squash Mad.
Thatcher delivered the first live squash commentary on the internet during the Canadian Open in Toronto, working with Jean Delierre’s Squash Live channel.
His passion for the sport led him to rescue the 1999 British Open, which he took to Aberdeen after securing sponsorship from Sport Scotland.
The following year, when the Open moved to Birmingham, he also commentated live on Sky TV.
Alan’s knowledge of the game led to him becoming a successful coach, helping Kent’s James Evans to win the British Under-15 title in Manchester in 2010.
As a promoter, he launched several professional tournaments in Hampshire including the Fosters Lager Series featuring players from England and Australia.
After rescuing the British Open, he launched the Kent Open, Liverpool Open and was a founding partner of the Canary Wharf Classic with the Eventis Group featuring Nicol, Tim Garner and Angus Kirkland.
With fellow journalist Rod Gilmour, he co-authored the book 555, a tribute to the extraordinary career of 10-times British Open champion Jahangir Khan.
He was the MC for the London Squash Classic for 20 years and his last Canary Wharf event was 2026.
Read more: https://londonsquashclassic.com/its-farewell-to-thatcher
Read the article “Why Alan Thatcher is the most interesting person in Squash” on Squash Mad.