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For any aspiring amateur who has scrambled around a squash court, watching the PSA Masters this week will have been a chastening experience.

It’s been billed as ‘adrenaline in a box’ and there is no question that squash is one of the most physically intense contests in any sporting arena.

It's literally non-stop for anywhere between 30 minutes and a couple of hours.

But it's not just about fitness. The skill levels on display at the Bermuda High School this week were impressive to behold.

A knowledgeable crowd, many of them members of Bermuda Squash Racquets Club, packed into the makeshift stadium on Monday to watch Nick Kyme take on world number three David Palmer.

The Bermudian's clash with Palmer and the later match-up between Ong Beng Hee and Wael El Hindi were punctuated with gasps of amazement at some of the returns.

Shots that looked like winners were comfortably sent down the line while rallies of 30 or 40 shots were not uncommon.

Players could be digging the ball out the back corner one second, stretching for a drop-shot at the front, the next.

Yet they seemed to stroll around the court apparently with all the time in the world to play their strokes.

The only inkling we got that this was a physical challenge for these guys was from the teams of young volunteers had to come on to the court in between games to mop up the sweat.

As someone who has yet to scale the dizzy heights of the top 20 leagues at the Bermuda squash club I can't claim to be a master of the sport.

But the standard on display last night was a lesson in just how far short I am of even being mediocre.

Sports minister Dale Butler, a fellow amateur, was equally impressed.

“I saw the squash in Melbourne and it was awesome and last night I realized that I am not really playing squash at all but just chasing a ball.

“I don't like lessons because I play mainly for exercise and friendship but it is obvious that when the game is played professionally there are skills on display that are awesome.

“Impressive, well executed and talented are some of the words that come to mind when you see the shots and concentration.”

Squash is not a familiar spectator sport. And those that don't play the game may have been slightly baffled by the apparently endless rallies, the succession of let calls and the players continually bumping into each other.

But for those of us that do chase the ball around from time to time, this week has already been a humbling example of what we can never hope to achieve.[[In-content Ad]]

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