U.S. SQUASH to Adopt PAR 11 Scoring System
The U.S. SQUASH Board of Directors recently approved the adoption of the new official World Squash Federation (WSF) scoring system, effective immediately. The decision was in response to the WSF vote during the Annual General Meeting held in Manchester, England mid-October, to change the official rules of the game to make “point-a-rally" (or "PAR") scoring to 11 points the primary scoring system of the softball singles game. The "hand-in/hand-out" (or “international”) scoring to 9 points will become a secondary scoring option for the sport.
While the WSF action is officially effective April 1, 2009, impacting all future World Championships for adults, junior, amateur and professional, many regional and national governing bodies acted in advance of the WSF vote, or have since acted to change to the system currently used by the professionals.
These bodies include the European Squash Federation for all 2008-2009 ESF Championships, senior and junior, all ESF Junior Circuit events including the Scottish Junior and British Junior Opens coming up in a few weeks, England Squash, Squash Canada and in the U.S., the New England Interscholastic Squash Association and now U.S. SQUASH.
Therefore, all U.S. SQUASH sanctioned play is by default scored PAR 11, which requires a player to win 11 points, or if tied at 10-all, to win by two. All U.S. Championships, junior and adult, beginning with the U.S. Junior Open to be held this December 20-23, 2008, will use PAR 11 scoring.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Scoring
Our league uses international scoring to 9, do we need to change mid-season?
No immediate change is needed, both scoring systems are still sanctioned.
Do the results for tournaments and leagues played with international scoring still count towards my rating and ranking?
Yes, the results still count the same.
Does this mean all play needs to be PAR 11?
No, all play does not need to be PAR 11, international scoring to 9 is still an option for tournaments and leagues, however most will likely use the primary PAR 11 scoring.
If the scoring is not stated on the entry form or tournament information, what will be used?
If there is no information to the contrary, effective immediately, you should assume the scoring will be the primary system, PAR 11.
Does the U.S. SQUASH system allow for entering of PAR 11 scoring?
Yes, the new scoring system may be entered for results into the league and tournament systems.