Robert Graham from “Squash for Good” reports
This Meet A Pro guest is very special to me.
Bryan Patterson coached me “a couple of years ago” in England U10 and U12 national squads, and has been coaching at a sister program to my Santa Barbara School of Squash, CitySquash in New York, for many years now.
I’m thrilled to have just dropped my son off at Bryan’s squash camp in Chichester, England – thanks Tim Vail too – for a week at a camp that has been running for 40 years!
Always Mr Positive with a smile on his face and the most caring heart…thank you, Bryan!
1. What years did you compete professionally and what was your highest ranking?
I turned Pro on the 1st January 1974. I actually wrote to the Squash Rackets Association stating that I was turning Pro!! My highest ranking was #16 in the ISPA (International Squash Professional Association – now the PSA) rankings.
2. Top highlight of your career?
I reached the World Amateur Final in S. Africa where Great Britain finished 2nd to Australia in the Teams. I was a qualifier, and I remember the last qualifying match before the 1st round of the main draw against Selwyn Machet from S.A. It went to the wire 10-9 to me in the 5th. Old scoring if anyone can remember!
Having beaten the S.A no. 1 Roland Watson, then John Easter G.B. no. 1 in the ¼ Finals, Dave Wright Australian no. 2 in the semis, I then lost to Cam Nancarrow 0-3 in the final. This really set me on my Pro career.
As an aside to this result, Everitt Plater, who at the time had just taken on the Patrick Sports Shoe franchise in the U.K. got in touch with me (we both at the time lived in the same town of Walsall, W. Midlands) and ask me to help develop a squash shoe, possibly the first time a shoe manufacturer had done so. We work together and over some months developed the Patrick Squash shoe. I was contracted to Patrick Sports Shoes and with them launched the Bryan Patterson Patrick Squash Shoe – pretty proud as my signature was on the box and they were a best seller! Sadly, I didn’t keep a pair of the shoes or a box with my name on it!!!
3. Favorite Tournaments you played in and why?
The Harp Lager Tournament, really because at the time it was probably the biggest tournament in the World and played over the whole season, in England, so you really had to organise your schedule to be able to accommodate this.
But not only that, you met and played some amazing people passionate about the game, including off court at the finals, Major Millman – a wonderful squash enthusiast and larger-than-life man who had organised the whole event and got Harp involved as the sponsor.
4. Favorite memories from the Tour?
Travelling to Canada, being invited there by Jimmy Mason, just as the game was changing from the hard ball to the international game. So although not really a tour memory it was fascinating and challenging to play softball on the smaller American courts, but also very rewarding to help develop the softball game there. I always took other Pros with me so that we could coach and play exhibition matches at the various Clubs we went to. In particular, I remember Richard Mosley and Brian Pearson tagging along!!
5. Who was the toughest opponent of your career and why?
At the time for me it was Ahmed Safwat – such a tactical player and a smooth mover. Always thought that I could beat him, but although he gave you a sniff, just really never let you in. A real gentleman on and off the court.
6. Where are you from originally?
Berwick on Tweed, last town on the East coast of England before Scotland. A beautiful town on the mouth of the river Tweed, almost a secret town!!
7. Age you first started playing and who got you into it?
Started at 11 years old. Introduced to the game at Barnard Castle School. I was a fanatical sports kid wanting to play everything, especially football, and squash was the perfect game for me. FYI, I did play football for Berwick Rangers in the Scottish 2nd Division, left wing!
8. Where do you live now and what are you doing?
I’m a Bronx lad. Lived there in New York, USA, since 2007. I am the Director of Squash for CitySquash, the best Urban Program in the US! I live a couple of blocks away from the CitySquash new facility. Come visit!
Love coaching the CS kids and giving them all the experiences I can, particularly the bike rides I’ve done with them – 2011 San Francisco to the BX, 2015 Route 66 LA to Chicago, 2017 Seattle to San Diego, and 2019 rode parts of all the Great Lakes finishing in Niagara Falls!
9. Do you still play?
I would love to still be playing but really need a new left knee. Then, as Arnie said – “I’ll be back”!!
10. A former or current player you admire that might surprise people?
Kevin Shawcross, the gentle giant from Aussie, a lefty with deft touch and a wicked hold. But a real fun person with time for everyone.
11. A coach of any era you admire and why?
I never met him but Dardir. Just from the stories that I’ve heard I would have loved to have listened to him coaching and his advice he gave to his pupils. A very influential international coach.
12. Advice to an up-and-coming Pro?
Always believe in achieving, work hard, stick to a schedule, and work on being strong mentally under all conditions.
13. Thoughts on the future of squash and its inclusion in the Olympics?
Brilliant that squash now has the Olympics to look forward to.
It’s a chance that World Associations must grab and move forward. There does seem to be an awakening around the World that we need to work on promoting the game and try to make it more visible, which if this happens then I think squash has a strong future. It’s a wonderful game and at any level a very sociable game.
One of my peeves is that there never seems to be information at PSA events about where you can actually play, which clubs in the region you could possibly go and try the sport. As an example – the ToC tournament in Grand Central Station, New York.
There is never any info about which clubs you might be able to try squash at. I would have thought that some of the commercial clubs might be there giving out leaflets about their Clubs and how to come try squash. Just little things like this might help squash along!
14. Best general squash advice to anyone?
Go get your friends who have never played squash to have a go. If everyone in the world who plays squash got one new person to play – WOW!!!
