Watching this year’s European Team Squash Championships (ETC) prompted me to find out more about the competition and its global counterparts. Here’s the result.
Europe
The ETC is an annual competition for teams representing countries belonging to the European Squash Federation. Every year, men’s and women’s competitions are held at the same venue at the same time with this year’s event taking place at Edgbaston Priory in Birmingham, England.
Countries enter teams of four or five players to represent them in the women’s and men’s events respectively. In each round of the competition, teams face each other in best-of-four singles matches, points being scored both for rubbers and for individual games won.
This year twenty-two countries entered teams with England beating Spain to win the men’s title and France beating England to take the women’s title.
World
The World Team Squash Championships (WTC) are also held annually although men’s and women’s competitions are biennial, taking place in alternate years and at different venues. This year, it’s the turn of the men to compete at the dramatically-named ‘Squash on Fire’ venue in Washington DC, USA. Last year, Egypt beat England in the final of the women’s competition held in Dalian, China. The 2020 women’s championship will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The WTC is organised for teams representing countries belonging to the World Squash Federation. Countries enter teams of three or four players to represent them in the women’s and men’s events respectively. In each round of the competition, teams face each other in a best-of-three singles matches, points being scored both for rubbers and for individual games won.
Asia
Last, but not least, the Asian Team Squash Championships (ATC) are held every two years, with men’s and women’s competitions being held at the same venue at the same time. In 2018, Hong Kong’s men’s and women’s teams both won their events, beating Pakistan and South Korea respectively. The championships were held in Cheongju, South Korea
The ATC is organised for teams representing countries belonging to the Asia Squash Federation. Countries enter teams of three or four players to represent them in the women’s and men’s events respectively. In each round of the competition, teams face each other in best-of-three singles matches, points being scored both for rubbers and for individual games won.
Sources
Thanks to Wikipedia, England Squash, PSA Squash TV, Facebook and Squash On Fire.