"It is with great sadness that I have to announce my retirement at a stage in my career where I felt I still had so much to offer.

"Unfortunately injuries play a part in the careers of all professional athletes and I’m no exception!"

"Lee is one of the most professional and successful players that we have represented, but above everything else he has been a close and loyal friend.

"His injury has undoubtedly robbed him of many future titles, which makes it even more poignant that he has announced his retirement at the British National Championships in Manchester which was where it all started for him. He was the first person to successfully defend the title and it was the way he did it, beating Peter Nicol in the final, which will live forever in my memory as I am sure it will for the hundreds of spectators who witnessed a truly magnificent performance that day.

"The Nationals is a title that I know he treasures alongside all of his other notable achievements. Many doubted that he would ever scale the heights that his talent so richly deserved, but Lee proved many people wrong and it has been a privilege to share the highs and lows of a memorable career and a valued friendship which will continue regardless of which direction his career now takes him."


internationalSPORTgroup

"I have known Lee for about five years having first met him at the Saudi International in 2005 and since then I have had the pleasure of knowing him as a professional athlete and a colleague on the PSA Board.

"As a promoter I can say that Lee has been one of the most professional players on the Men’s World Tour and was always willing to do whatever was asked of him for the benefit of the event and the sport as a whole. His dedication to squash and knowledge of the sport have made him one of the most committed, most hard working members on the PSA Board.

"He will be missed by all his fans, but knowing how dedicated he is to squash, I’m sure that he will take his contributions from inside the court to new areas within the sport. I, and the entire PSA Board, wish Lee the best of luck and thank him for the all that he has contributed to squash, as one of its greatest players."


PSA Chairman

"Lee is the consummate professional. I’ve had the privilege to watch him in an England shirt in European and World Championships, where he always gave his all. As team captain, his understated yet passionate leadership style was crucial whenever the team was under pressure. He has real quality which we’ll miss - and he’s an example to aspiring young players everywhere."


England Squash CEO

"Having been associated with Lee from the age of eight, it is a sad day when he is forced to retire from the PSA World Tour. He has achieved so much, especially in Manchester, so it is appropriate that his career ends at the British National Championships.

"But for the injury there were no signs that he was not as good as ever, so that is the regret.

"He has already given the game so much, and I am sure that whatever role that he finds in the sport he has even more to give. Aspiring young players could do a lot worse than to emulate Lee, both for the way he played the game and the manner in which he conducted himself."

In a professional playing career spanning over thirteen years, the 31-year-old who in October 2004 became the first English born player to be crowned World No.1, won Gold Medals at consecutive Commonwealth Games in Manchester and Melbourne respectively, helped England to win successive Men's World Team Championships in 2005 and 2007, and extended his PSA World Tour haul to nine titles from eighteen final appearances.



Renowned for his impeccable on-court behaviour and for an aesthetically pleasing and classically constructed style, with beautifully accurate drives which created a foundation for one of the soundest games in the world, Beachill has been trying to extend his career with the aid of a brace to support his troublesome knee. However, following an extensive rehabilitation programme he has finally conceded that the symptoms experienced over recent months have resulted in him no longer being able to continue to compete professionally.

The Englishman from Pontefract in Yorkshire who has reached six of the last seven British National finals, winning three of them, believes that the National Squash Centre in Manchester is a fitting venue to announce the end of his playing career and hopes still to be good enough for one more tilt at the coveted title.

The three time National Champion has proved himself to be both determined and resilient in his illustrious career, and remarkably has achieved everything in the sport after a serious road accident in December 1997 in which he broke his back in two places and was told that he would never play squash again.

"I feel over the past thirteen years that I have had to overcome some pretty big hurdles but the knee injury I sustained last summer has proven one too many.

"Despite the best efforts of my physiotherapist Ian Horsley and my surgeon Professor Christor Rolf, this is one that will not allow me to compete at a level I am happy with, and having set myself such high standards it’s difficult to justify falling short after many years of success."