My father Malcolm died this year. A few months before he passed, I asked him about squash, his coaching process and how he produced so many great players
This time last year I was finishing a book called Interviews with inspiration. It ended up as a collection of interviews I had accumulated over the years, from Jonny Wilkinson to Jess Ennis-Hill to my physio Alison Rose. It was great fun and I learned so much. Late in the process I thought about sitting down with my dad Malcolm for the book. Not just because he’s my dad, but because he’s been one of the most decorated and respected squash coaches in the world.
He introduced me to the game and undoubtedly set me on my way. His expertise and knowledge helped me at every stage. It’s very hard to not make clichéd statements but I couldn’t possibly have done what I’ve done in squash without his help. The chat I recorded for the book took on solemn emphasis when only six months later he was quite suddenly facing his last days after an invasion of cancer, and then a torrent of suffocation took hold.
