Recently I took out the Dunlop Evolution 130 for a hit and I found it to be a very interesting racquet. It features a tear drop design with a small bridge, a dense string pattern (14x18), 130 frame weight, and an even head balance. I played a couple matches with this racquet as I tried to figure out how it played best. A racquet that doesn’t fail to deliver in either control or power and with an even balance, the EVO 130 is great for players who tend to be more patient on court. It also a great feel on contact when hitting the ball as it provides great stability due to its string pattern.

We started carrying doubles squash gear a couple of years ago but have been busy increasing our selection this year. Being located now at Northfield Racquet and Fitness in Waterloo which has a beautiful new doubles court having a good selection of doubles squash gear is important for us. Doubles is an incredibly fun game that the members of the club have come to love and it is an incredible game to watch at the professional level.

Harrow Bancroft Players Special Squash Racquet

From a racquet perspective you might wonder what characteristics make a racquet a good choice for a doubles player. There are a few things to consider and most come back to the type of ball that is used in doubles. The hardball that used in doubles travels at an incredibly fast speed, much faster than the standard ball that is used for single. As it is hard and travelling at an incredibly fast pace the impact on the racquet from the ball is much greater and the racquet needs to be capable of withstanding that. As such one of the primary characteristics of a doubles racquet is that it is stronger and more durable so that the frame of the racquet withstands the stress caused by the impact of the ball. The strings also have to withstand the impact of the ball though. Stringing pattern and the gauge of the string are important when selecting a doubles racquet. Stability on contact with the ball is also important. Off centre hits can lead to the frame itself twisting if the racquet is not strong enough. This can lead to breakage but it is also a performance issue as it definitely impacts the control the racquet can provide.

This is the time of year that we are busy ordering and getting ready for the next squash season.  It is the end of the squash season for most but for us it is an exciting time.  We are busy going over catalogues and order forms trying to figure out what to order for the next squash season.  So what is coming from Dunlop for the next squash season?  All new racquets in the Biomimetic series!

Credit to Pierre Bastien over at squashsource.com for posting that Ramy seems to now beep playing the Dunlop Blackmax Titanium Squash Racquet. Photo credit to Squashsite.

We just received our new shipment of Biomimetic racquets from Dunlop and I was very excited to open it to see the new Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 Squash Racquet.  It is a great looking racquet and I will be giving our demo a try in the next few days.  For now here is a promotional picture from Dunlop and the specifications of it.

Nick Matthew, along with Ramy Ashour are the two best players squash players in the world.  Both use Dunlop squash rackets.  This post focuses on the Dunlop Biomimetic Evolution 130 Squash Racket which Nick Matthew uses.