British National Squash Championships

The British National Squash Championships are the national squash championships for players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was also referred to as the National championships (closed), meaning being closed to overseas players. ^[1][2] They are held on an annual basis, with the venue changing for each year.^[3] The championships also involve masters events for British male and female squash players in different age groups ranging from over-35 up to over-75.

The Championships were inaugurated in 1974 and are not to be confused with the much older British Open Squash Championships and the defunct British Amateur Squash Championships. Both events allowed any player from any nation to compete.^[4]

The first championships were held for men in 1974, with the women's tournament added the following year. Initially held in December of each year, the championships were moved to January/February in 1991.

Many leading male players boycotted the 1993 tournament in protest over a range of issues, including the amount of prize money on offer and the Squash Rackets Association's selection criteria for the England team.^[5][6]

In 2004, Cassie Campion (during her final competitive year) surpassed Sue Cogswell's record by winning her sixth title. This remains as the women's record today. The men's Over 70 event was added in 2005 and the men's Over 75 event was added in 2011.

The 2012 men's final was contested between the reigning World Champion and World No.1,^[7]Nick Matthew, and the reigning World No.2, James Willstrop. Matthew won 3–1 to claim his fourth British National title and equal the record set by Phil Kenyon. During the year that Matthew retired (2018) he extended the record to ten titles.

The championships were held at the National Squash Centre at Sportscity in Manchester from 2003 to 2018.^[8]

El torneo femenino comenzó en 1975 y se celebró inicialmente en el Edgbaston Priory Club de Birmingham , antes de trasladarse a Dallington, Northamptonshire (1976-77), Carriages en Hellingly , East Sussex (1978), Chichester , West Sussex (1979) y Wembley Squash Centre (1980-82). A partir de 1983, los campeonatos femeninos y masculinos se celebraron en la misma sede. ^{[ 9 ]}