Respected South African Edwin Lennox Named Lead Official For PST
from Tour Media
March 16, 2012 - PST announced today that South Africa's Edwin Lennox will officiate the American Open and PST Championship tournaments. These are the two largest events on the calendar and will feature the tour's top players.
LiveTechnology is hosting the American Open at their corporate headquarters in Tuxedo Park, NY on April 26-29. The Detroit Athletic Club will host the tour Championship from May 4-6.
"We have confidence in all of our referees," says PST Commissioner Joe McManus. "Each of them would do a solid job at these tournaments. But Edwin is our choice for these two capstone events."
Lennox competed at the professional level in South Africa before moving to the U.S. He competed in several PST tournaments last season before becoming a referee this year.
The referee is a central figure in professional squash matches. While the two players compete on court, the referee sits among the fans and presides over match play. PST's Point Every Rally Rules, often refered to as 'no let' squash, place additional pressure on the referee.
"It's an exceptionally difficult job," said McManus. "Players value consistency and decisiveness."
Squash is also unique in that the referee, in most cases, does not stop play when a violation of the rules is committed.
"In most sports, referees whistle or signal play to stop when a rule has been broken," said McManus. "In squash, players stop play themselves and ask the referee to confirm that they were correct. The referee will then confirm or deny the appeal."
PST added a player challenge system this season, which has been widely praised by the tour's players. The players on court may challenge the referee's call. But a player is only allotted three unsuccsseful challenges per match. If a player challenges the referee's call and the decision is overturned, the player keeps his remaining challenges.
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