Msian - yeah, only good can come out of trying new ideas. For a long time I have thought any methods which give the game more public appeal and particularly TV sponsorships, etc would boost the profile of squash. Without this appeal, unfortunately, our players are not going to reap the rewards they deserve for all their hard training. So much that squash needs does come back to dollars and cents.

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Hmmm some interesting comments. The idea of video replays for referees is one which is in line with most other televised sports. Sometimes I would love to have the opportunity to watch re-plays in slow-mo to get a greater feel for just how hard the players are having to move around the court. BUT the idea of the video re-play system is not really for me as the spectator - its to try and improve the refereeing. Well. I know there are some pretty amazing referee calls out there that we all disagree on but when it comes down to it, a video re-play still won't help the Ref that much - the squash game is such that the interference rules can often be interpreted slightly differently from person to person depending on where the person places their emphasis in "minor interference" etc. And the outcome of a game ultimately is determined by the better squash player - keeping a cool head under difficult refereeing or not. Also, squash is not like tennis where players have to walk back their respective 10 metres to serve, receive and pick a ball from the ball-boy, analyse wind conditions and finally play. It is a game which does not allow excessive delays etc.
Allowing video re-plays would certainly change the nature of the professional game WRT delays as the Ref reviews the video, meaning yes the game will be longer for the players and may require even greater mental and physical endurance...I'm not totally opposed to this change but I think maye they should trial it with a few of the worlds top players at a single tournament (maybe in Super Series) and conduct a survey of players, spectators and referees for their honest feelings on the video re-play advantages.

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Hello, Billy B, I am waiting for the answer for my riddle:
I did serve from the right service box. The serve was backhabd lob. It bounced on the fron wall very high, then on the side wall above the service box on the and finally it bounced in the middle of the glass wall. My opponent had a plenty of time to reply. And needles to say, I saw what i am doing so i stayed on the service box, I did not move to the T. And the opponent missed the hit and asked for "let". Now you tell me what the referee said, ok?

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Hey BillyB, calm down, it is not absurd statement at all. :Squash is one of the few sports where the players, in general, do not know the rules" is very VERY true. Are you THAT perfect, man? Do you know all the RULES and REGULATIONS by heart? You know the difference of stroke vs. let??? Then I am sorry, you are Thierry Lincou, aren't you LOL. Listen, yesterday I played at tournament. I did serve from the right service box. The serve was backhabd lob. It bounced on the fron wall very high, then on the side wall above the service box on the and finally it bounced in the middle of the glass wall. My opponent had a plenty of time to reply. And needles to say, I saw what i am doing so i stayed on the service box, I did not move to the T. And the opponent missed the hit and asked for "let". Now you tell me what the referee said, ok? I will reply later

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dear billyb
"how can you say that squash players don't know the rules?"
re your rhetorical question. being involved as i was in coach accreditation, i had the opportunity to give a number of the top players (wr top ten)who wanted to coach, a simple rules exam as part of the process. invariably, i would warn them to "read the rules" to ensure they got the required 80% pass.

despite this, while some were good, some of the results were abysmal, one being as low as 45%. because squash is a very technical game and rules change, some players simply don't get the decision making process for referees. it is not necessarily a matter of intelligence.

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Hi Billy,
The Ref is off the court, and his decision is final. Yes. When on the court players are "one-eyed" - funny about that; and, if the match is lost, it is the Ref's fault ('cos players don't make mistakes), of course. So go kick the cat! Palmer did better than that if he "beat up a chair" ouch!

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Video replay for referees could be very helpful IF it is extremely fast and play is not delayed.
rpaulos, how can you say that squash players don't know the rules? This is probably the most absurd statement that I have ever heard and is such an insult to a pro player's intelligence. On and off the court is a totally different view.

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Rita,
Believe me, I cannot wait for Canarian tournament... thanks god I can enjoy the Kuwait open being shown at PSAlive.tv

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Hello from squashgame -
We look forward to the Canary Wharf report.

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Slavi - Debating is good stuff. We must progress. We must develop new ideas - just my opinion. Of course, for anything new it is not a good idea to go full steam ahead, but give it a trial during the development stages, then during practise matches, and then, after the matches are over go through the contentious points, to really find out how off the mark the Refs are. So my recommendation, firstly for education - secondly, for TV coverage. After that, who knows. Slavi, so often I hear a lot of talk and no action, so I am not holding my breath on this account!

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Hello Rita,
First of all - I do really appreciate your way of discussing things: to the point and really smart points. Especially regarding players not treained the rules :-)
But, let's think over, I know it'd be perfect tool for coiaches, referees and audience, but do not forget the main actors in the spectacle - two (four) players quarelling on the stroke for an hour? I was talking yesterday to PSA guy and he told me they are working on Sensitive tin, and this initiative is simply perfect. Marker and referee are sitting ca. 20 meters from the court, so the tin is about 30 meters from them... Well, perfectly placed drop volley (fast ball) may be simply missed. They call out, players on court saw it was ok. This is what happened on the final match Ricketts-Lincou during TOC in new york. Actually, applause for Lincou who admittesd it was out and gave the ball to Ricketts.
I do not disagree with slow motion replay being shown on the telebim. I simply find it not comfortable for the players on the court being distracted everytime somebody felt mistaken or mislead. This might be really disturbing while they are so focused on the game. What then? The ref is playing the replay on the telebim, explaining to everybody what happened and why he called "just let" in case of "stroke" ... Sometimes he will be mistaken with the decision and what should happen??? Dear Rita, I think that there are too many aspects and niuances to say "YES" to this initiative. But I will be smarter after next few weeks as I am going to watch the Canary tournament.

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Here I go again - Personally I think video replays would be very useful for a few reasons:-
1. Better for TV viewing where great points in a rally could be captured. Why? Because the ball is flying around so quickly, and the players moving so fast, the point is over and I often hear the words "what happened then?"

2. Referee replays would be a great educational tool for Referees and Players. Why? It would be good to have open discussion between the two bodies where there would be no "heat of the moment" decisions hinging on the outcome.

Squash is one of the few sports where the players, in general, do not know the rules. I have always had a problem with that fact, and especially the lack of player bodies being more vocal and insistng players sit for Referee tests.

Unfortunately, players Referee matches as players. What a forward step if players refereed matches as Referees. After all they have the expertise, and that, coupled with a greater understanding of the rules, would be near perfect! Referees could quote the rule that they applied in the particular instance; yes, sometimes their interpretation of what happened is a bit "grey".

Mostly players get the answer right, often for the wrong reason (rule intrepretation). I have a problem with that too.

Let's hope this new initiative actually gets off the ground and takes squash to a new level of viewing, and rule understanding.

When I watched the recent best tennis in the world on TV, and they had linesmen, electronic devices, and Umpire and still mistakes happened, and the players had to cop it sweet - mostly at the most crucial stage in a match too, of course! And, without further adoo or they would cop a hefty fine too boot.

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Morning there,
Well, every coin has two sides. We have heard it million times before. Jon Power being interviewed in his Instuctional DVD gets really emotional when the journalist ask him about the referees. But, do you know how many years FIFA is thinking about the same issue (TV replays for referees), and so far nothing happened. And I can easily see the reason behind. WE may easily loose the beauty of the game, when the players won't be focus on game but on the discussion with the ref, using this time to have a rest. Is ir fair? Is it squash? This is not that difficult game. Even finding the difference of stroke vs. let is not that difficult. The problem I have with the referees is that in at least 50% of casesm they have never played squash as the players, so it is prety hard for them to see the details and niuances of the game. Rules and regulations are solid, true, but interpretation ... Well ... All in all I am against using video replays during the game. It may be really annoying to have the game like 60 minutes, extended for another 15 minutes with quarrels and discussions over stroke or out. You know human beings and how much they love to show off. Jon Power would be the best actor in these replays, I tell you.

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