🎙️ Episode 365 is live! He’s coached world #1s, world champions, and some of the biggest title winners in the game — Haitham Effat is arguably the most successful coach on the pro squash tour. In this wide-ranging conversation, Haitham shares his coaching journey and what it’s been like working with some of the sport’s biggest stars over the past decade. He dives into his relationships with such greats like Nouran Gohar, Tarek Momen, Nour El Tayeb, and Raneem El Welily — and what it takes to gu...
Jul 12, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Three-time British National Champion, 2014 World Team Champion with England, and a former World No. 5 — Sarah-Jane Perry’s squash résumé speaks for itself. In this episode, Sarah reflects on her incredible PSA journey as she officially bows out from the pro tour. Her swan song came fittingly at the 2025 British Open, held close to home in Birmingham — the perfect time and place for a memorable send-off. We talk about career-defining moments, her player/coach dynamic with Rob Owen, what made this...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Squash Canada CEO Jamie Nicholls makes his debut on the pod—and he does not disappoint. We dive into Jamie’s squash backstory, relive the glory years of Canadian squash, and trace his evolution from athlete to executive. He shares candid insights into his leadership approach, the vision driving Squash Canada forward (including the Road to the Podium fundraiser), and what it will take for our athletes to thrive on the road to LA28.
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 3 min
3 time British Open champion and former world #1 Nick Matthew breaks down the 2025 British Open which saw Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias emerge victorious. He also gives heartwarming tributes to the recently retired Ali Farag and Hall of Fame inductee Jonah Barrington. We also take a trip down his personal British Open memory lane. Great chat with The Wolf!!
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Squash Player Magazine Editor in Chief Nathan Clarke jumps back onto the pod to recap the World Championships and set the stage for the iconic British Open which kicks off in a few days time. We also talk about the new Squash Player Magazine podcast which was launched just a few weeks back. Great chat.
May 27, 2025•53 min
For 26 years, Steve Lawton held down the fort as the head squash professional at the Vancouver Racquet Club. With over 30 years of experience playing at the highest level in Canada during an era where we had several players in the top 30 in the world, Steve brought to Canada a style of squash that had rarely been seen on Canadian courts, both in terms of squash flare and banter with the officials and his opposition. A true legend of the game, he’s recorded big wins against top tour players at th...
May 17, 2025•51 min
Here's Johnny!! Back just in time to recap the season just ahead of the World Championships in a few weeks' time. Johnny's got thoughts on how it's going to play for both the men and women.
Apr 30, 2025•47 min
At the age of 21 Mostafa Asal reached world number one for the first time, and he made it to the promised land once again a few months ago, recently retaining that top spot in a winner take all type final at El Ghuna earlier this April. In the aftermath of that win though, a youtube video titled "Mostafa Asal Cheating Analysis" was released highlighting 4 or 5 areas in Asal's game that they allege prove he is cheating. The video could have been an objective piece that identifies and discusses th...
Apr 28, 2025•46 min
University of Pennsylvania men's team won its first ever Potter Cup in 2024, and proved they weren't a one hit wonder by winning it again in 2025. Head coach Gilly Lane talks about this year's win, winning two in a row, this year's team, the 7 seniors who will be moving on, College Squash individual champion Salman Khalil, and what it's going to take to make it a three-peat.
Apr 14, 2025•54 min
Parlaying a playing career which saw him reach world #1 in 2004 into an incredibly successful coaching career is not something you see very often, and the more of John White we see, the better it is for squash. John White ranks up there with the most exciting players in the history of our sport, and now he's developed a highly successful College Squash program at Drexel University from the ground up. John talks about Drexel's 2024/25 season which saw both men's and women's teams finish in the to...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Jamie Maddox is one of the most prolific content creators in squash today. For over a decade, Squash Stories has been the go-to online squash community, bringing players and fans together to discuss everything from the pro game and officiating to squash history, lore, and even the occasional laugh—all with squash as the backdrop. In this episode, Jamie and I discuss the evolution of Squash Stories, Mostafa Asal’s return to world #1, the state of the pro game, the progress in officiating, and muc...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 22 min
Squash Egypt has its first ever female President, Amna Eltarabolsy; former world junior runner up and world junior teams champion. She's been a member of Squash Egypt's board for several years, and now she's ready to take Egypt to yet another level. Amna lays out her vision, Squash Egypt's success at growing the game, its unparalleled junior program, LA 28, and much more.
Mar 27, 2025•34 min
Karim Darwish was one of the Egyptian greats, along with Ahmad Barada, Amr Shabana, Rami Ashour and Mohammed El Shorbagi, who laid the groundwork for Egypt's complete domination of the pro game. Darwish reached world #1 in 2009 and was part of 2 World Championship winning teams in 2009 and 2011. Karim's post playing career has been nothing less than impressive as well. He's the man behind the Wadi Degla Squash Academy, with 9 branches and counting, and over 2000 juniors across Egypt. Darwish als...
Mar 11, 2025•57 min
Not many can lay claim to being inducted into both the Canadian and US Squash Halls of Fame, but Gary Waite might be the one and only. 4 Time Canadian National Champion, World #1 Hardball singles and doubles, and as high as 12 on the pro softball tour, Gary Waite's eclectic squash accolades are unparalleled. Gary takes us back to the Sarnia wolf pack that laid the groundwork, memories and rivalries throughout the years in Canada, Canada's second place finish at the 1997 World Teams, his hardball...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 14 min
The National Squash League launched in 2024 as a pro squash league unlike anything we've seen before. The brainchild of several young US squash brains including Timmy Brownell and Spencer Lovejoy, have come up with a concept that includes a match with 3 periods and a potential shoot out to determine the winning team. The Philadelphia Lightning are one of several expansion teams to join the NSL, and B.G. Lemmon and the rest of the ownership team in Philadelphia can't wait for the season to commen...
Feb 27, 2025•48 min
Miles Jenkins has been working with Joel Makin for the last 12 years; former college teammates at the University of Birmingham which was the beginning of the supremely successful player/coach partnership that we see today. Miles talks about those early beginnings with Joel, the evolution of Joel's game and the skillset which has him at #5 in the world, what is required to gatecrash Asal, Elias and Farag, and a deep dive into Miles' coaching philosophy. Many thanks to our sponsors Open Squash and...
Feb 19, 2025•40 min
Calgary's Bow Valley Athletic Club will host the Airsprint Private Aviation Canadian Men's Open in week's time and the Bow Valley brain trust, CEO Dean Brown and Darren Thompson, talk about the event, last year's epic final, this year's draw, the growth of BVAC since it reopened during Covid, and much more.
Feb 17, 2025•31 min
It's been an eclectic season for Canadian #2 and Pan Am Championships gold medalist Nicole Bunyan. We talk about her season which is about to get underway again and includes the Pan Am Champs, World Team Champs, PSA and of course Squash TV duties. Speaking of which, Nicole breaks down all of the finals day TOC drama both for the men and the women. And of course, she lays out a few things we ought to consider as regards our own game's as well as we flesh out some of her recent Squashletic content...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 3 min
2 PSA titles, top 10 status, 2nd place in the World Teams, and his third appearance on the pod! It's been a solid season for Marwan ElShorbagy, and he looks to build on this in 2025. We talk about his two wins, how competitive the top 20 is right now, playing for England, thoughts on playing a final in the first round of an event, and much more. Great chat as always.
Jan 28, 2025•57 min
Going undefeated at the World Teams including wins over England's Nathan Lake and a huge win over Ivan Perez to lay the groundwork for Canada's 11th place Playoff win over Spain definitely turned some heads and has some thinking the Canadian men might be back on track. Salah and I talk about the World Teams and Canada's best performance since 2009. We also look back a bit to his backstory which saw his family move from Egypt to Canada during his junior days with some encouragement from Canadian ...
Jan 22, 2025•44 min
The first half of the 2024/25 PSA saw Hannah Craig make a name for herself, winning in Paraguay and moving well inside the world's top 100. 2024 ended with Ireland's long awaited return to the World Team Championships where Ireland placed a respectable 15th and Hannah won 4 of 6 matches. We talk about all of the above, along with her incredible years playing for Mike Way and the Harvard Crimson and most importantly her Canada/Calgary connection. Great fun, great chat!!
Jan 19, 2025•46 min
Canada's 11th place finish at this year's World Team Championship was the country's best since 2009, and Graeme Schnell's performance in the playoff v. Spain for that 11th place finish gave Canada the win. Graeme and I talk about Canada's performance at the World's, why things could bode well for Canada going forward, how he's managed to play his best squash in his mid to late 30s, the Calgary squash hotbed, and much more.
Jan 13, 2025•58 min
Finals day at the World Team Championships saw one of the most dramatic yet unexpected matches to kick off the men's final when Curtis Malik was only a few points away from giving England a 1-0 lead. Mazen Hesham's arsenal proved to be a bit too lethal in the end, but Malik put forth an incredible battle for 5 tremendous games. Curtis and I talk about his tremendous results at the World Teams which saw him go unbeaten until the final, the match v. Mazen, coach Crawford's decision to have lead of...
Dec 22, 2024•36 min
At 35 years old, Nicolas Mueller is still playing top 20 squash, and has proven so this season with some very strong results, including a quarter final appearance in Qatar in October. Nicolas and I talk about Switzerland's 3rd place finish at the World Team Championships in Hong Kong last week, the promise that the team shows going forward, his passion for the game and dream to represent Switzerland in the LA 28 Olympics, and much more.
Dec 19, 2024•35 min
The short film Crack Shot tells the story of a troubled young squash player who finds himself entangled in a confrontation with the determined parent of another up and coming junior. The short film hit the streets about a year ago now, but it recently came to my attention and perhaps the larger squash community following a great Squash Player Magazine piece on the film. Alex Cohen is the young film maker behind Crack Shot, and he has a vision for growing this highly entertaining, thoughtful and ...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Squash Player Magazine Editor in Chief Nathan Clarke breaks down several topics, but primarily all things Hong Kong in terms of the World Teams and last week's Hong Kong Open. Great chat.
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 26 min
20 plus years as England Squash National Team Head Coach, David Campion has been an instrumental part of contemporary England's National Team success and player development. In January, he stepped down from this role and today we talk about what led to this decision and what's on his plate going forward, including his new role working with Italian National Team Head Coach Marcus Berrett. We also talk at great length about elite performance and elite mindset. Great chat.
Dec 07, 2024•1 hr 13 min
The youngest ever world junior champion, the youngest male winner on the PSA tour, and now into the world's top 30 at the age of 17, Mohamad Zakaria is most certainly following in the footsteps of all the Egyptian greats before him, and then some. Mohamad and I talk about his achievements to date, becoming the youngest ever world junior winner, his success on the PSA tour and what he's learned from playing the very best in the game. We also talk about his relationship with coach Ahmed Shohayeb.
Nov 29, 2024•33 min
Ranks right up there with the best conversations on the pod to date. Bill Buckingham and I talk about the joys of retirement, the evolution of Squash Radio, his years working for US Squash and the recent hiring of Nick Taylor as the US National Team Head Coach, LA 28 and beyond, the National Squash League, the PSA and Squash TV, and of course Barry Gibbs.
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Recently appointed Irish National Team Head Coach Arthur Gaskin returns to the pod after a 4 year hiatus, the fault of which lays entirely on the shoulders of In Squash Pod host Gerry Gibson. Arthur talks about how the National Team position came about, the team itself, expectations and his vision. We also discuss where LA 28 figures in the plan ahead. We also look back at his time as a player with the National Team and coaches from previous teams, and his fond memories of working with two coach...
Nov 11, 2024•57 min
