A new podcast promising to take a “deep analytical dive” into the world of pro squash has launched.
Squash Data outfit Cross Court Analytics has teamed up with former Scottish National Champion Stuart Crawford to launch the ‘Cross Court’ podcast.
It will cover everything from volley percentages, drop shot tactics and unforced error rates to the battle for world number one.
Founded during lockdown by three squash enthusiasts from York, Cross Court Analytics collects between 6,000 and 10,000 data points for every squash match it analyses. It aims to bring the kind of data insights seen regularly in sports such as football and cricket to the world of squash (see its break down of Tarek Momen’s back-to-front squash below).
Talking to Squash IQ, Cross Court Analytics’ Jamie Harlington said the idea behind the podcast is to bring the trio’s analysis to a “more digestible medium”.
Harlington had previously talked us through how the entire men’s 2021-22 season could be boiled down to three infographics.
He is joined on the podcast by former PSA professional Crawford, a former Scottish national champion and national coach, who is now coach at University of Pennsylvania.
Diego Elias’ purple patch unpacked
The first episode takes a deep dive into new world number one Diego Elias’ game to analyse what he’s doing differently compared with previous seasons.
The pair examine the distance the Peruvian covered in his recent semi-final victory against Paul Coll at the recent British Open, compared with previous meetings, as they attempt to explain his improved form.
“We’re keen to bring match analysis to life and provide the facts and figures which help explain our sport,” Harlington (pictured middle, below) said.
“We can’t wait to spread this new project to the squash community and continue the analysis we’ve been doing in writing into a new and more digestible medium.”
