WJC Profile | Daniel Marsh

With his coordinated playing apparel becoming a hallmark of his squash identity, Daniel Marsh is a young man assured of what he wants his squash career to look like.

Following in the footsteps of Oscar Curtis, the three-time national junior champion, Marsh is the next West Australian male player coming through to the top of the junior ranks.

Selected for his first World Junior Championships next month in Houston, Marsh has showed solid form in 2024 while hitting some competitive draws along the way. In the Australian Junior Open he ran into the top seed in the quarter-finals, before being eliminated in the quarters of the Oceania Junior Championships by WJC teammate and AJO champion Thomas Scott.

Going into Houston, Marsh believes the opportunity to play at that level is something he’ll relish.

“Representing your country is everything,” said Marsh, “and it puts a new meaning to playing the sport. Some crumble at the new added pressure or others take the challenge.

“Representing Australia brings a new feeling, as all of a sudden it means more, and you have to put everything into your matches.

“It brings much excitement and a new experience to me going to WJC.”

While it is easy to say now that he has made it to the biggest junior tournament in the world, Marsh was likely destined to always pick up a racquet, with a deep family association with the game that has passed through the generations.

“I got into squash through my Grandma who ran the junior program at Mannington Gosnells Squash Club before it was shut down two years ago,” said Marsh. “On Fridays she would take care of my brother and myself, and take us down to the club.

“I have been playing for about ten years now. 

“My home club now is Belmont Saints Squash Club which is now the State Centre for Squash WA.

“My coach is Wayne Krahner and he has been my coach since 2022, but my Dad has been my coach for my whole time playing squash. He has travelled to nearly every event with me to support me and been like my main coach when I am away from home.”

A three-time Australian representative including at this year’s successful Trans Tasman Test series against New Zealand, Marsh cites his Australian and Oceania Championships in 2022 as his biggest individual accomplishment and has clear aspirations for what he hope to achieve in Houston and beyond:

“To make it through the first few rounds at WJC, and to win a PSA event in Australia,” said Marsh.