Yorkshire squash star Sam Todd finding his way back to the top with home club Pontefract

A key player for the side is Sam Todd who, after a severe ankle injury, is back and already proving why he has been tipped to be a future star.

The 21-year-old has been at one with a squash racket from an early age. He remembers how he would play with the squash ball once his dad had finished playing, but it was not long before Todd was at tournaments.

He said: “I played squash after school and did other sports but it was always squash that I was focused on.”

Todd looked set to fly through the ranks and ascend to the very top of the sport but the pandemic, as it did for so many, stunted his progress.

It was 2023 and Covid was starting to ease when Todd suffered yet another significant setback. A miss-timed landing during a training session saw his ankle give way. It would be 20 months before he overcame it properly.

Though the injury showed no early signs of being an issue, it quickly became apparent that serious damage had been done.

“I carried on with the physio for the next few weeks and then when I was in Philadelphia I tried to play but I realised I was miles off, I couldn’t really lunge on it or anything,” he said.

The whole process was deeply frustrating for Todd and, in hindsight, he wishes he had taken the option of surgery, sooner, despite the longer recovery time.

Instead, he and his team opted for steroid injections but they only offered temporary respite.

It was the os trigonum, or floating bone, which is situated the back of the heel, that took the brunt of the injury and was stabbing into Todd’s nerve when he moved. Eventually, a London-based doctor was able to remove the damaged bone.

Todd added: “The doctor was just unbelievable. He spent about two hours examining my ankle and then he gave me three exercises to do for about six months in post-surgery.”

And Todd is getting back to his best now, but high expectations have always been an aspect of his career in squash.

The late, great Malcolm Willstrop, who coached Todd, believed he could go to the very top of the sport.

As a youngster, Todd was unaffected by these pressures as his love for the sport was strong enough to keep him focused, but turning professional made things harder for him as the jump in quality of opponent was a lot to handle.

Post-injury, Todd has been able to refocus, take a new perspective on what needs to be done to reach the top again, with patience a key ingredient. His enjoyment of the sport is as strong as ever, too.

“At the moment I’m just focusing on getting back match by match and then slowly just try and see my ranking go up,” said Todd, who dropped to the 300s in his injury absence.

“I’m setting little goals along the way because there’s a lot of steps to do before I can try and reach that level.

“It’s good to see loads of different people again from the squash world. I’m just excited now to really crack down and get the ranking and hopefully there’ll be no more injuries along the way.”

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will host squash for the first time but qualifying for Team GB will be tough with the amount of British talent there is.

“The El Shorbagy brothers got their citizenships so now they’re actually playing for England which is good because they’re great players but it’s going to be tough when there’s a lot of players that want to try and get into that spot. It’s only one woman and one man that gets picked,” he said.

Yorkshire boasts one of the best squash leagues in the world, and has global stars playing in many teams.

The Yorkshire squash scene, and Pontefract in particular, is known for its bustling crowds which have been welcomed back with open arms after recent lockdown years.

He explained: “We get such good support from the club when we play league matches, there’s always loads of people watching and supporting.”

But the league is also great for promoting youngsters. The rise in quality within the sport is helping it flourish and evolve into something beneficial for everyone in the league.

“Squash seems to be doing well from the money aspect. People are able to bring in these top quality players and showcase the sport so it’s great,” said Todd.

Youth involvement and promotion in the sport is important to Todd, having grown up in it. However, it easy for anyone to take part.

He said: “For the people considering getting into squash and just exploring the sport further, just make sure you’re enjoying it. l definitely recommend playing league matches, too.”