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!