PST Statement on Rules of Play
PST Commissioner Joe McManus
Framingham, MA (April 17, 2012) - PST Commissioner Joe McManus today addressed recent discussion on the PST Rules of Play.
“PST eliminated the traditional let, or do-over call, two years ago in an attempt to curtail the blocking and fishing for lets that has characterized men’s professional squash over the past many years. PST does allow its referees to replay rallies during the course of a match because of equipment failure or to protect the safety of our players,” said McManus.
“In PST matches, players should hit shots that they can clear and allow their opponents a direct path to the ball,” he continued. “Making every effort to clear a shot is not sufficient, and players must accept the consequences of a poor shot.”
Below is the number of replays called during each match in the final three rounds of last week’s Albany Open. The referee called for an average of 1.1 rallies to be replayed during each match. Four matches did not have a single rally replayed. One match replayed five rallies. In the championship match, two rallies were replayed.
| Match | Players | # of Replays |
|---|---|---|
| Finals | John White v. Bradley Ball | 2 |
| Semi-finals | John White v. Andres Vargas | 0 |
| Semi-finals | Bradley Ball v. Mohamed El Sherbini | 0 |
| Quarter finals | Andres Vargas v. Supreet Singh | 5 |
| Quarter finals | Bradley Ball v. Adrian Leanza | 0 |
| Quarter finals | Mohamed El Sherbini v. Randy Lim | 1 |
| Quarter finals | John White v. TG Raubenheimer | 0 |
Total Replays |
8 |
|
Total Matches |
7 |
|
Avg. / Match |
1.1 |
As was reported last week by Daily Squash Report, PST is currently going through its annual review of its rules of play with players and referees and one of the discussion points is to see if there are additional situations where a replay is appropriate.
“Sports leagues and tours ought to review their rules annually to ensure that they are keeping up with the increased athleticism of players and improvements in equipment,” continued McManus. “PST is doing so again this year. Further, we knew that it was always going to be easier to loosen the reins, if necessary, than to tighten them.”
More than 150 years old and played by over 20 million people in 185 countries, squash has shown sustained growth in the U.S. in recent years. The Pro Squash Tour was founded in 2009 and coordinates a tour that begins in August and runs through May.
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