Squash in Wales
A brief history of squash in Wales
Damian Burgess - Chief Content Officer at Orange Squash. My love for squash began around the age of seven, stepping onto court for the first time at Caerphilly Leisure Centre. Since then, I’ve played the junior circuit, represented Wales internationally, coached professionally, and served as Press Officer and Marketing Manager at Squash Wales. I’ve experienced this sport from all angles, on court and off, and my passion for squash, and for helping it grow, has only deepened over the years.
This timeline is my attempt to document the history of squash in Wales, as thoroughly and accurately as possible. If you have stories, photographs, memorabilia, or information about squash in Wales, I’d love to hear from you; also if I have made any errors please let me know. Together, we can preserve the legacy of this brilliant game in our amazing Wales.
Early 20th Century Origins (1900s–1930s)
1900s–1920s: Squash originates at English schools and spreads internationally, but the game has little presence in Wales until the 1930s. Early mentions of squash in Wales are scarce, as no dedicated courts existed in the country prior to the 1930s.
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1937: Some of the first courts are built and the first squash club in Wales is established – the Cardiff Squash Rackets Club opens as a private club founded by multi-sport athlete Maurice Turnbull. Initially the club has two courts, and Turnbull himself becomes the first Wales Open squash champion (the forerunner to a national open tournament). This marks the introduction of organized squash activity in Wales.
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1938: The inaugural Welsh Open tournament is held, making it one of the earliest national squash opens in the world. Maurice Turnbull wins the title, cementing his legacy as Wales’s first squash champion. (Notably, the Welsh Open began in 1938, just 18 years after the first British Open in 1920.) Squash is still in its infancy in Wales at this time, with very few courts and players, but the groundwork is laid for future growth.
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1939: Maurice won the first Welsh Amateur Squash Championships in March 1939, weeks later Maurice would lose in the challenge match for the Welsh Open against Haydn Davies, the countries only resident squash pro and professional cricketer.
Post-War Development (1940s–1960s)
1947: The Welsh Squash Rackets Association is founded as the governing body for squash in Wales. This organization – today known as Squash Wales – becomes responsible for all aspects of the sport nationwide, including overseeing clubs, regional leagues, coaching, and national teams. Squash Wales’s establishment in 1947 provides structure for the sport’s development in the post-war era.
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Late 1940s: Welsh players begin to appear in major UK competitions. Audrey Glenys Bates emerges as a pioneering figure in Welsh women’s squash. Starting in 1949, Bates (along with fellow Welshwomen like Rachel Byrne) competes in the British Open Championships and attains a seeding as high as No. 4 – a remarkable achievement for a Welsh player of that era. This period sees Wales fielding players in top British tournaments for the first time.
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1950: Wales participates in the world’s first women’s international squash match. Audrey Bates is selected for the British team in the Wolfe-Noel Cup (a series against the USA) – the first intercontinental women’s squash competition. In the 1950s, Bates leads Wales to notable victories over American opponents, highlighting the growing calibre of Welsh squash in women’s team play. By the mid-1950s, Bates is regarded as a top British player and later goes on to serve as President of the Welsh Governing Body of Squash.
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1960s: Squash starts to gain a broader foothold in Wales. New clubs and courts appear beyond Cardiff. For example, the Swansea Lawn Tennis and Squash Club opens in 1964 (integrating squash courts into a traditional tennis club). Interest in the game accelerates toward the late 1960s – in 1966 members of Rhiwbina Recreation Club in Cardiff propose adding squash courts, noting squash as an “up-and-coming game” with revenue potential. At this time, squash is still a minority sport in Wales, but the stage is set for a boom in the coming decade.
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1967: The International Squash Rackets Federation (now World Squash Federation) is formed, and Wales affiliates as one of the member nations. This connects Welsh squash to the global governance structure. (Squash will later become an event in multi-sport games like the Commonwealth Games, but not until 1998.)
Post-War Development (1940s–1960s)
1971: The first squash court at Rhiwbina Recreation Club (Cardiff) is opened in May 1971. The single court, built for £7,000, proves immediately popular – the club caps membership at 100 and hits that limit within months. This success leads to rapid expansion: by 1973, Rhiwbina adds a second courtrhiwbinasquashclub.co.uk. Similar expansion is happening across Wales, as existing sports clubs and new leisure centers rush to build squash courts to meet surging demand.
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1973: Formal league competition takes off. Rhiwbina enters two teams into the South Wales Squash League in 1973, indicating that organised inter-club leagues are now in place. Regional leagues (East Wales, West Wales, etc.) are formed, and a high caliber of play develops at the club level. Squash Wales also begins organising national tournaments like the Welsh Inter-County Challenge Shield around this time to structure competitive play.
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1973: Wales is a founding participant in the inaugural European Team Championships. In the first men’s event (Edinburgh 1973), Wales finishes a creditable fourth, signaling that despite a smaller player base, Welsh squash can punch above its weight. The team remains competitive in the 1970s; for example, Wales again takes fourth in 1974. These early results instill confidence and attract government support for facility development and coaching.
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Mid-1970s: Squash participation in Wales explodes. The sport enjoys a boom in the 1970s and early 1980s when “local authorities couldn’t build squash courts fast enough” to satisfy demand. Municipal sports centers across Wales install squash courts (often in sets of 2–4 courts), and private clubs also expand facilities. A new squash club in Meliden, for example, opens four courts (with later upgrades to glass-backed courts) to cope with the huge enthusiasm. By the late ’70s, nearly every town in Wales has access to courts, either at a club or public leisure centre.
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1978: Cardiff Squash Club (the country’s oldest squash club) adds a state-of-the-art fourth court with a glass back wall and spectator gallery. This reflects the modernization of facilities during the boom. By 1978, Cardiff’s club has expanded from its original 2 courts to 4 courts to accommodate demand. Similarly, Rhiwbina Club opens a third court in 1978 with support from the Sports Council for Wales, as its squash membership had ballooned to 256 (with a long waiting list) less than a decade after opening. Squash is now the largest section of many sports clubs, often outpacing tennis and other sports in membershiprhiwbinasquashclub.co.uk.
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Early 1980s: The popularity of squash in Wales peaks. Courts are fully booked; it becomes common to have to reserve a court exactly 6 days in advance, with fierce competition for prime 40-minute slots. At public sports centers, players line up or devise strategies (like early-morning phone calls or in-person bookings) just to secure court time. By this time Wales has hundreds of squash courts across the country. (One report in the 1990s noted a stock of 425 courts in Wales, much of that built during the 1970s–80s boom.) Squash is the fad sport of the era – enjoyed by thousands of recreational players, with internal club leagues and ladders thriving.
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1980s: A generation of Welsh players emerges on the professional scene. Notably, Adrian Davies from Llanelli rises in the rankings – by 1991 he would reach world No. 10, at that time the highest ranking ever achieved by a Welshman. Davies, a charismatic shot-maker, dominates Welsh squash in the ’80s and early ’90s, winning multiple Welsh titles and entertaining crowds with his flair. The Welsh men’s national team steadily improves, regularly qualifying for the World Team Championship (Wales’ first appearance was 1983). Though often in England’s shadow, Wales establishes itself as a solid presence in international play. Toward the late ’80s, junior programs produce talents who will carry Welsh squash to new heights in the 1990s.
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1980s: The squash boom continues through the early ’80s, although by the late ’80s the growth tapers off. At its height, Wales likely had well over 100 clubs or venues offering squash. Many top Welsh juniors emerge during this time, feeding into a more competitive national scene. However, towards the end of the decade there are signs of saturation – some clubs begin to see waiting lists shorten as the initial craze cools. Squash Wales focuses on development programs and junior coaching in the ’80s to sustain participation.
International Breakthroughs (1990s)
1990–1993: Wales hosts a major professional tournament, the Leekes Welsh Classic, which brings some of the world’s best players to Cardiff. In February 1992, for example, the Leekes Welsh Classic (a PSA Super Series Silver event with $85k prize money) is held in Cardiff. Players like Jahangir Khan and Susan Devoy (dominant champions of the ’80s) participate in these Welsh events. In 1993, Australia’s Liz Irving wins the Leekes Welsh Classic, underscoring the tournament’s high profile. These events demonstrate that Wales can attract top-tier professional squash, riding on the strong interest from the 1980s boom.
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Early 1990s – Welsh Wizards in the Super League: Around the same time, Wales fields a powerhouse club team in the UK National Squash League (often dubbed the “Super League”). The Leekes Welsh Wizards, based in Cardiff, become a legendary team. In 1990, the Wizards sit “proudly at the top of Division One” and soon capture the league title, making Wales home to the top club side in Britain. The Wizards, sponsored by Leeke, feature marquee players (including past world champions) and bring professional squash into Welsh sports headlines. Their success inspires other Welsh clubs to aim high.
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1992: Tegwen Malik bursts onto the scene in women’s squash. At just 17, Malik wins the Welsh Ladies’ Closed Championship, becoming the youngest-ever Welsh women’s champion. Born in London but raised in Swansea, Malik chooses to represent Wales and quickly rises up the world rankings. She becomes Welsh No. 1 and a trailblazer for Welsh women in the sport, known for her athleticism and fearless play against top international opponents. Malik’s early ’90s success raises the profile of women’s squash in Wales, encouraging more girls to take up the game.
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1994: The national governing body establishes a new high-performance direction by hiring Chris Robertson as Head Coach. Robertson – a former world No.4 from Australia – brings professional training methods and remains in post for the next 16 years. Under his guidance, Wales develops a truly golden generation. His tenure sees improved results at European and World championships and nurtures multiple top professionals. (Robertson’s impact is such that England Squash later recruits him as their national coach in 2011.) This period also sees Squash Wales launch development programs like Elite Cymru, supporting talented juniors and pros (Malik was among its beneficiaries).
1995–1997: In a huge milestone, Cardiff hosts the British Open (the sport’s oldest and most prestigious tournament) for three consecutive years. The 1995 and 1996 British Open are held at Cardiff International Arena, and 1997 at the Wales National Ice Rink in Cardiff. This era sees legends like Jansher Khan playing in Wales – Jansher won the British Open titles in Cardiff in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Hosting the British Open puts Wales firmly on the world squash map and exposes local fans to world-class squash. (Prior to this, major pro events in the UK were mostly in England.) The success of these events in Wales is a point of pride and demonstrates Squash Wales’s ability to run top-level competitions.
1997: A Welsh player achieves an unprecedented feat in the professional game. Alex Gough, born in Newport, reaches the semi-finals of the PSA World Open (individual World Championship) in 1997, earning a bronze-medal finish (joint 3rd) in Petaling Jaya. Gough’s run – beating several top international players – is the best-ever result by a Welsh player in a world championship, at the start of the event Gough was seeded 14th. Around the same time, Gough and team Wales also begin to make their mark in European team events. (Wales would later count a streak of 14 European team medals across various age groups starting from 1997, reflecting consistent performance.)
1998: Squash debuts as a Commonwealth Games sport (in Kuala Lumpur 1998), and Wales wins a medal in this inaugural outing. Alex Gough claims a bronze medal in men’s squash at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. (He was a losing semi-finalist in men’s singles, as both semi-final losers received bronze medals in 1998.) This bronze by Gough is Wales’ first-ever Commonwealth Games squash medal and comes alongside his career-high world ranking of #5 achieved in July 1998. Gough’s success signals Wales’ ability to produce world-class talent despite the sport’s decline in casual participation in the late ’90s.
1999: The Welsh men’s national team reaches the pinnacle of world competition. Team Wales wins the silver medal at the 1999 Men’s World Team Championship in Cairo. This astonishing run (finishing as runners-up in the world) includes upsetting several traditional squash powerhouses. The Welsh squad – featuring players like David Evans, Alex Gough, and teammates – falls just short in the final, but their achievement stands as Wales’s best-ever team result on the world stage. That same year, Wales also continues to collect European Team Championship medals; by 1999, Wales is regularly finishing in the top 3 in Europe in either men’s or junior categories. The late ’90s represent a golden period for Welsh squash in elite competition.
2000: A historic individual triumph for Wales – David Evans wins the British Open men’s title, becoming the first (and to date only) Welsh player to lift squash’s “Wimbledon” equivalent. In June 2000 at the Birmingham NIA, Evans defeats Australia’s Paul Price in the final 3–0 to claim the British Open championship. This victory is monumental: the British Open had been dominated by Egyptians, Pakistanis, Australians, and the English, and Evans joins a very short list of British-born champions in the modern era. Following this win, David Evans’ world ranking soars – he reaches a career-high of World No. 3 by February 2001. His British Open success and top-3 ranking mark the peak of professional squash achievement for a Welsh man, inspiring a new generation of Welsh players.
21st Century: Modern Era (2000s–2020s)
2002–2003: Squash Wales revives the Welsh Open as a professional PSA tour event. After decades since the 1930s original tournament, a new Welsh Open is held in June 2002 at St Mellons Country Club in Cardiff, and again in April 2003 in Newport. These PSA events (Challenger-level) draw international players and give local fans a chance to see high-level matches. Though the Welsh Open events do not run every year, they set a precedent for Wales hosting pro tour stops. (Further Welsh Open PSA tournaments would later occur in Cardiff in 2007, 2008, 2009, and then be reintroduced in 2017–2019.)
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2000–2004: Maesteg Era in Club Squash. After the original Welsh Wizards’ success in the ’90s, a new Welsh powerhouse dominates the National League in the early 2000s: Maesteg Squash Club, competing under sponsorship names like Dunraven Windows Maesteg. Managed by Wales squash stalwart Gerwyn Davies, tiny Maesteg in Bridgend county assembles a superstar lineup and inherits the mantle of the Welsh Wizards. Between 2000 and 2003, Maesteg wins the Premier Squash League title three times in four seasons, beating out big English clubs. In successive seasons around the turn of the millennium, Maesteg’s team tops the league, only interrupted in 2002 when Halifax took the title. The Maesteg team featured legendary players: David Palmer of Australia (the reigning World Open champion in 2002) and Scotland’s John White(former world #1) led the squad. Both stars would fly in from overseas to play for Maesteg, embraced by the local community – Palmer famously said he kept returning because “they welcomed me with incredible warmth”. Backed by sponsor Dunraven Windows and passionate club members, Maesteg’s success was “unbelievable… a big effort involving so many people”, as Gerwyn put it. The Maesteg dynasty brought professional squash nights to small-town Wales, sustaining Wales’s prominence in club squash after the original Welsh Wizards faded. Their legacy showed that a local Welsh club, with vision and backing, could be “the best team in world squash” – a claim Welsh clubs held more than once.
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Welsh Professionals in the 2000s: Several Welsh players made their mark internationally during this decade. Gavin Jones fulfilled his early promise – in 2005 he hit a career-best ranking of world No. 37 and became Welsh National Champion in 2005 and 2006. A stalwart of Team Wales, Jones represented his country at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games and was part of the ’99 World silver team. Alex Gough, Wales’s top player from the ’90s, continued to excel into the 2000s, winning PSA titles and anchoring the national team until his retirement. On the women’s side, Tegwen Malik staged a remarkable comeback. After a mysterious viral illness in the late ’90s sidelined her for nearly three years, Malik returned to the pro tour with a vengeance. She won the 2002 Washington Open in her first tournament back – as a qualifier – and eventually clawed her ranking back to world No. 16, matching her pre-illness peak. Malik collected multiple tour titles (Finnish Open, Welsh Open, etc.) and represented Wales at the 2006 Commonwealth Games (both singles and doubles). Her perseverance earned widespread admiration and showed the strength of Welsh female squash on the world stage.
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2006–2009: Players like Rob Sutherland contributed during this period – born in 1985 and hailing from Newport, Sutherland became a fixture in the Wales squad. He reached a world ranking of #67 in 2009 and competed in the 2009 World Team Championships for Wales. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Peter Creed from Caerphilly was beginning to make his mark as a dynamic, hard-running player on tour. As a junior, Creed had won the European U19 title, and in 2009 he won his first Welsh senior national championship – a title he would dominate in years to come.
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2009: The Welsh men’s team earns a bronze medal at the European Team Championships in Malmö. This senior team bronze is one of many European medals Wales accumulates in the period – by 2009 Wales has won 14 European team medals across different categories (men’s, women’s, juniors) since the late 1990s. The 2009 podium finish highlights that Wales, despite a smaller player base than giants like England, remains competitive in Europe. Also in 2009, Squash Wales moves its headquarters to the Sport Wales National Centre at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, joining other Welsh sports bodies at a central hub. This move from its old St Mellons office reflects a modernisation of the administration.
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2010s: The 2010s saw fresh Welsh talents on the international tour, even as the previous stars transitioned to coaching and retirement. Peter Creed established himself as the stalwart of Welsh men’s squash this decade. Known for his tenacity and quick play, Creed amassed nine Welsh National Championship titles (a record) and won 8 PSA tour titles in his career. He reached a career-high world ranking of No. 50 in 2018. Creed also found success in doubles: he earned a bronze medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2017 World Doubles Championships in Manchester, partnering with Tesni Evans. As the Welsh men’s captain, he was integral in Wales’s deep run at the 2019 World Teams.
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Tesni Evans (from Rhyl) emerged as Wales’s top female player and arguably the nation’s biggest squash star of the 2010s. In a breakthrough achievement at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast), Tesni won the bronze medal in women’s singles, defeating Malaysia’s eight-time world champion Nicol David in the playoff. It was Wales’s first Commonwealth squash medal in 20 years (since Alex Gough in 1998), and the first-ever by a Welsh woman. Earlier that year, Tesni had become British National Champion, signaling her arrival among the elite. She continued to climb the world rankings, reaching the top 10. Alongside teammate Deon Saffery, Tesni also notched a commendable 4th-place finish in women’s doubles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Her success raised the profile of women’s squash in Wales to new heights.
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2012: The governing body undergoes a rebrand – in 2012, Wales Squash Rackets Association officially changes its name to Wales Squash and Racketball Ltd, incorporating the sport of racketball under its umbrella. (Racketball, now also called Squash 57, had been growing in popularity as a more accessible sibling of squash.) This change acknowledges the diversification of squash activities in Wales. Squash Wales begins promoting both squash and racketball in clubs to boost participation. (Note: In 2017, the “Wales Squash and Racketball” name reverted back to Squash Wales, and a new dragon logo was launched.)
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2018: A landmark year for Welsh squash on multiple fronts. Tesni Evans wins a bronze medal in women’s singles at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games – beating Malaysia’s Nicol David (a former 8-time world champion) in the bronze match. This is Wales’s first Commonwealth squash medal in 20 years (since 1998) and the first-ever by a Welsh female player. Tesni’s achievement underscores the emergence of Welsh women on the world stage. Around the same time, Tesni Evans breaks into the world’s top 10 rankings (reaching World No. 9, the highest ranking ever by a Welsh woman). Domestically, she also becomes the first Welsh player to win the British National Championships (in February 2018) and successfully defends that national title in 2019 – a breakthrough in a tournament long dominated by English players. On the men’s side, Welsh number one Joel Makin rises rapidly in the world rankings, entering the top 10 by 2019 as well. The late 2010s thus see Wales producing world-class talents in both genders for the first time.
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2018–2019: Professional team squash returns to Wales with the launch of the Welsh Wizards in the Premier Squash League. After years without a Welsh presence in the UK’s top club league, Squash Wales fields the Welsh Wizards team based in Cardiff for the 2018/19 PSL season. The squad features homegrown stars like Tesni Evans and Peter Creed alongside international players (e.g. Marwan ElShorbagy of Egypt). In October 2019, the Welsh Wizards mark the return of Premier League squash to Wales, drawing fans to regular home fixtures at the Sport Wales National Centre. The team’s participation energizes the Welsh squash community and provides role models for young players. (Historically, Wales had occasionally joined English leagues, but the Wizards formalise a sustained pro team presence.)
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2019: Joel Makin of Pembrokeshire is another standout of this generation. Turning pro in the mid-2010s, Makin’s relentless work ethic saw him break into the world’s top 10 by 2019–2020. By 2021, he became the highest-ranked Welshman since David Evans, peaking at world No. 7. In 2019, Makin recorded wins over several top-5 players and helped Wales challenge the traditional squash nations. (Notably, he reached the British Open semi-finals in 2024 – the first Welshman to do so since Evans’s 2000 victory.) Together, Makin and Tesni Evans put Welsh squash regularly in the headlines during the late 2010s, with TV coverage on S4C and BBC Wales picking up their big matches.
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2019 World Team Championship: Team Wales produces a thrilling run at the 2019 Men’s World Team Championshipin Washington, D.C. – their best result since 1999. The Welsh men (Joel Makin, Peter Creed, and rising youngster Emyr Evans – Tesni’s brother – among them) upset higher seeds Hong Kong and Scotland to reach the semi-finals. In the semis, Wales battled Egypt, the defending champions. Makin gave Wales a shocking early lead by defeating Egypt’s world champion Tarek Momen in a five-game epic, sending Welsh hopes soaring. Although Egypt ultimately won the tie 2–1 (with Creed and Emyr Evans falling to Egyptian opponents), Wales had secured a share of the bronze medal (both losing semi-finalists are podium finishers) – Wales’s first World Teams medal in 20 years. This performance announced that Wales was back among the world’s top four squash nations. It also underscored the impact of the new generation and the continuity of excellence in the national program.
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2022: Welsh Women win silver at the European Team Championships in Eindhoven, topping their group then beating France in the Semi Finals before losing to the strong favourites of the event England 2 - 1. This is the Welsh Womens best ever finish at the European team event and Wales' first silver since the men finished runner up in 1997.
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2022: Yet another Commonwealth Games triumph – Joel Makin wins a silver medal in men’s singles at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Makin storms into the final (defeating the world #2 along the way) and finishes as runner-up, earning Wales’s first-ever silver in Commonwealth squash. This silver, added to the bronzes of Gough (1998) and Tesni Evans (2018), is the highest honor a Welsh squash player has achieved at the Games. It confirms Makin’s status among the world elite (he was ranked World No. 8 in 2022) and continues Wales’s strong presence in international squash. By 2022, Wales also sees a resurgence of hosting events – for instance, Cardiff hosted the Welsh Open European Masters Individual Championship in 2022 (drawing veteran players from across Europe), and the Welsh Junior Open became a regular fixture on the European junior circuit.
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2023 - 2024: Wales compete and the reach the Semi Finals of the European Championship in both the mens and womens event, one of only a few times where the mens and womens team have reached the finals in the same event, displaying strength in depth of the squad. This is the mens best finish since 2010, also the last time the mens team reached semi finals in back to back seasons was 2009 and 2010. The women on the other hand have now reached 5 semi finals in 10 years and look to build on this success over the next decade, inspiring the next generation of players.
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2024: Emerging Talent – Rhys Evans: A promising “next generation” player is Rhys Evans from Aberystwyth (unrelated to Tesni/Emyr Evans). In 2023–24, at just 20–21 years old, Rhys has enjoyed a breakout start to his pro career. In his first year on tour, he claimed four titles on the PSA Satellite/Challenger circuit and rocketed up the rankings from outside the top 800 to world No. 177. The highlight was winning the East Gloucestershire Open in 2024, his first Challenger Tour title, followed by deep runs in higher-level events. His ranking rise and attacking style caught the eye of former world champion Nick Matthew, with whom Rhys trained part-time in Sheffield. Having been a junior champion at every age group, Rhys Evans made his senior Wales debut at the 2023 European Championships and is seen as a future national team anchor. His emergence ensures that Wales’s rich squash legacy will continue into the future.
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2025: Squash in Wales faces modern challenges but remains vibrant. Post-2020 pandemic, clubs have worked to rebuild participation. As of 2025, Squash Wales oversees 121 affiliated clubs and numerous county leagues across Wales. The organization runs development programs for juniors and initiatives in schools to attract new players. Wales continues to punch above its weight internationally and young players like Emyr Evans, Rhys Evans, Elliot Morris and Lowri Roberts are making their mark. The legacy of Welsh squash – from the first courts in the 1930s, through the boom years, to producing world-class champions – is one of resilience and passion for the game. As the sport looks to the future (with ongoing efforts to gain Olympic inclusion), Wales’s rich squash history from 1900 to 2025 provides a strong foundation for the next generation.