F. D. Amr Bey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abedel Fattah Amr, better known as "F.D. Amr Bey", or simply "Amr Bey", was a squash player from Egypt. He won the British Open men's title six consecutive times from 1933-1938.
Amr is widely considered to be the first truly dominant player in the sport of squash. He was not a professional, but he beat all the top professional players of his time and has been called the first "professional amateur" in squash because his training for the game became the key focus of his life.
The British Open men's title was only recently inaugurated at the time Amr emerged on the scene, but it quickly became the most significant title in the game and came to be viewed by many to be the equivalent to a world championship for the sport. The men's final at the time was played under a "challenge" system, with a challenger taking on the defending champion in a best-of-three-legs match-up, with matches being played at both the two players' respective squash clubs. In 1933, Amr took on Don Butcher, who had won the title in 1931 and 1932. The first match of the tie was played at Butcher's club, the Conservative Club, with Amr winning 9-0, 9-7, 9-1. The second leg was played at Amr's club, the Bath Club, which Amr won 9-5, 6-9, 9-2, 9-1, 9-4 to capture the title.
No challenger emerged to take on Amr in the British Open final in 1934, so he retained the title by default. Butcher challenged Amr again in the 1935 final, with Amr again winning in two matches – 9-4, 8-10, 10-8, 9-0 and 9-6, 6-9, 9-2, 0-9, 9-5.
In 1936-38, Amr faced Jim Dear in three consecutive British Open finals, with Amr winning on all three occasions in two straight matches.
In addition to his six British Open titles, Amr also won the British Amateur Championship six times, as well as numerous other titles.
Amr is widely considered to have raised the level of the sport of squash to a new heights through both his outstanding shot-making ability, and his exceptional speed and fitness.
