Ref's Rule - September 2026

Thanks Neil Butler!

It’s all in the Timing

We all hear about complaints regarding players being tardy with being on time to start fixtures, taking too long to prepare for a game, taking too long between games; all causing late finishes which is off-putting for some.

The Rules of World Squash are quite specific regarding times and the responsibilities of the referee and players...

The Referee must enforce all the Rules relating to time, announcing “15 seconds”, “Half-time” and “Time”, as appropriate.

Note: It is the players’ responsibility to be close enough to hear these announcements.

The Warm Up

At the start of a match, the players go on court together to warm up the ball for a maximum of 4 minutes. After 2 minutes the players must change sides, unless they have already done so.

A maximum of 1 minute is permitted between the end of the warm-up and the start of play, and 2 minutes between each game.

Players must be ready to resume play at the end of any interval, but play may resume earlier if both agree.

A maximum of 2 minutes is permitted to change damaged equipment. This includes glasses, protective eyewear or a dislodged contact lens. The player must complete the change as quickly as possible, or the Referee must apply Rule 14 (Conduct).  There are also time limits for injuries, but these will be dealt with in a separate article.

Referee Time Calls

• FIFTEEN SECONDS: To advise that 15 seconds of a permitted interval remain.
• HALF-TIME: To advise that 2 minutes of the warm-up period have passed.
• TIME: To indicate that a permitted interval has elapsed.

Competition By-laws Starting Times

For full details, refer to Clause 7 of the Competition By-Laws which are available on the Squash WA website.

Clubs shall start Fixtures and Finals in a Competition at a time which shall be specified in the Competition Management Platform prior to the commencement of each Season.

In any Fixture or Final, both Teams must have all Players present ten minutes prior to the published starting time, unless special permission for late arrival has been granted.

If only one Team has all Players in attendance ten minutes before the published starting time of a Fixture or Final, it shall nominate the order of play for the whole Fixture or Final.

If neither Team has all Players present ten minutes before the advertised starting time, the Team that first has all Players in attendance shall nominate the first and second matches. A four-person Team having only three Players
present, or a three-person Team having only two Players present, at the published starting time, shall Forfeit the bottom position, except as provided under By-Law 7.1.15 and By-Law 20.1.5.

A four-person Team having two or less Players present, or a three-person Team having one Player present, at the published starting time shall be subject to a Forfeit by the opposition Team, except provided under By-Law 7.1.15.

If both Teams have only two Players present (four-person Teams), or if both Teams have only one Player present (three-person Teams), the Fixture or Final shall be declared invalid. 

Generally, it is expected that the players going on after the first or successive matches are completed are ready once one player in the preceding match is leading having one two games so not to delay the interval between matches. Although there is no specific time between matches the accepted time is a maximum of 10 minutes.

If we all comply with these times it will result in an earlier finishing time and leave more time for socialising! 

Rule of the Month - Introduction

Squash is played in a confined space, often at a high speed. Two principles are essential for orderly play:

1. Safety: Players must always place safety first and not take any action that could endanger the opponent.
2. Fair play: Players must respect the Officials and the opponent and play with honesty.

Quote for the Month

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

– George Orwell (1984)