What are the rules for an open-age club or league squash match in England, for adults and juniors alike? Point-a-rally scoring, serving, lets and strokes, the ball hitting a player, eye protection, coaching and conduct.
England Squash follows the rules set by World Squash. Under Rule 2 of the World Squash Singles Rules (2025):
The score is called with the server's score first, and "hand out" is called when the serve changes to the other player.
Under Rules 4 and 7 of the World Squash Singles Rules (2025):
| Period | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Warm-up, both players on court together | 4 minutes, changing sides after 2 minutes |
| From end of warm-up to first serve | 1 minute |
| Between games | 2 minutes |
| Changing damaged equipment (including glasses, eyewear or a dislodged contact lens) | 2 minutes |
Both players must get equal chances to hit the ball in the warm-up; hogging it is an unfair warm-up and a conduct offence. You must be ready to play when an interval ends, but you can restart sooner if both players agree. Either player may hit the ball during an interval.
Under Rule 5.7, a serve is good if:
Any other serve is a fault and the receiver wins the rally. A serve that hits the service line, the short line, the half-court line or any line at the top of the court is a fault.
If you drop or throw the ball but make no attempt to hit it, that is not a serve and you can start again.
Under Rule 5:
A return is good (Rule 6.2) if the ball:
The calls (Appendix 1):
| Call | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Down | Hits the tin or the floor before reaching the front wall, or hits the front wall and then the tin |
| Out | Hits a wall on or above the out-line, any fixture above it, or the top edge of a wall; goes out of the court; or passes through a fixture |
| Not up | Not struck correctly, bounces more than once before being hit, or touches the striker or their clothing |
"Correctly" means hit with the racket held in the hand, not more than once and without prolonged contact. The tin includes the lowest horizontal line, so a ball on the tin line is down, and a ball on the out-line is out.
Under Rule 8.2, if you are the striker and believe your opponent has interfered with you, stop and request a let, preferably by saying "Let, please."
The striker is the player from the moment the opponent's shot rebounds off the front wall until the player's own shot reaches the front wall.
After hitting the ball, each player must make every effort to clear so the opponent has a fair view of the ball, access to it, room for a reasonable swing, and freedom to hit it to any part of the front wall. If they do not, that is interference (Rule 8.1). The general decisions (Rule 8.6) are:
| Situation | Decision |
|---|---|
| No interference and no reasonable fear of injury | No let |
| Interference, but you could not have made a good return anyway | No let |
| You played on past the interference, then asked | No let |
| Minimal interference: it did not stop you seeing and reaching the ball | No let |
| Interference your opponent was making every effort to avoid, and you could have made a good return | Let |
| You could have made a good return, but your opponent was not making every effort to avoid the interference | Stroke to you |
| Interference stopped you making a winning return | Stroke to you |
Some specific cases:
Play stops. Under Rule 9, the outcome depends on where the ball was going and whether the striker had turned.
Ball hits the non-striker on its way to the front wall:
| Situation | Decision |
|---|---|
| The return would not have been good | Non-striker wins the rally |
| Going directly to the front wall, first attempt, striker had not turned | Stroke to the striker |
| Would have hit another wall first, striker had not turned | Let, or a stroke to the striker if it would have been a winning return |
| Striker had not turned but was making a further attempt | Let |
| Striker had turned | Stroke to the non-striker, unless the non-striker deliberately moved to intercept the ball |
Ball hits a player after rebounding off the front wall (before its second bounce):
If a player hits the opponent with the ball, the referee must also consider whether it was deliberate or dangerous.
Under Rule 11:
Juniors: yes, in competition. England Squash requires all junior players (under 19) to wear approved eye protection at all England Squash competitions and activities, including when they play in an adult age group. England Squash also strongly recommends juniors wear it whenever they are on court.
Doubles: yes, at every age. Eye protection is mandatory for players of all ages when playing doubles in competition.
Adults in singles: strongly recommended, not compulsory. England Squash strongly recommends eye protection for all players during training, practice and non-competitive play, and the World Squash Federation recommends all players wear it properly over the eyes at all times, including the warm-up, whether social, league or tournament.
Standard: England Squash points buyers to BS EN ISO 18527-2:2021, the standard for eye protectors for squash. The player is responsible for making sure the eyewear is suitable.
If eyewear is damaged in a match, you get up to 2 minutes to replace it (Rule 7.3).
Only between games. Under the World Squash Singles Rules (Appendix 6), coaching is any communication, advice or instruction given to a player by any means, and during a match it is permitted only in the intervals between games.
Receiving coaching during play is a conduct offence under Rule 14, which the referee can penalise with a warning, stroke, game or match.
The interval between games is up to 2 minutes. Players may resume earlier if both agree.
Under Rule 14 of the World Squash Singles Rules, players must not behave in a way that is unfair, dangerous, abusive, offensive or otherwise detrimental to the sport. Offences include:
Players also may not place any object in the court, or leave the court during a game without the referee's permission.
The referee can give a Conduct Warning, Conduct Stroke, Conduct Game or Conduct Match, depending on how serious the offence is, at any time including the warm-up and after the match. A player penalised with a Conduct Game or Match keeps the points or games already won.