Interference & Lets


Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - 10:15
Jason
Senior Marketing Manager


Playing Squash is awesome, but it can get pretty tight in there and the ball is ALL over the place! As a result, there are some general etiquette and rules in place to ensure interference is limited and dealt with fairly when it does occur. Here is a summary: 

Interference

When it is your turn to hit the ball, you’re entitled to freedom from interference by your opponent. To avoid interference, your opponent must try to provide you with unobstructed direct access to the ball, a fair view of the ball, space to complete a swing at the ball and freedom to play the ball directly to any part of the front wall. A player, finding the opponent interfering with the play, can accept the interference and play on, or stop play. It is preferable to stop play if there is a possibility of colliding with the opponent, or of hitting him or her with the racket or ball.

When play has stopped as a result of interference, the general guidelines are:

  • The player is entitled to a let if he or she could have returned the ball and the opponent has made every effort to avoid the interference.
  • The player is not entitled to a let (i.e. loses the rally) if he or she could not have returned the ball, or accepts the interference and plays on, or the interference was so minimal that the player’s access to and ability to strike at the ball was not affected.
  • The player is entitled to a stroke (i.e. wins the rally) if the opponent did not make every effort to avoid the interference, if the player would have hit a winning return, or if the player would have struck the opponent with the ball going directly to the front wall.

Lets

A let is an undecided rally: the rally does not count and the server serves again from the same box.

In addition to lets allowed as indicated in the paragraphs above, they can also be allowed in other circumstances. For example, a let may be allowed if the ball in play touches any article lying on the floor, or if the striker refrains from hitting the ball owing to a reasonable fear of injuring the opponent.

A let must be allowed if the receiver is not ready and does not attempt to return the service, or if the ball breaks during play.

Have a great time on the court, and always feel free to touch base with the club if you have any questions relating to Squash rules and etiquette!