Hinckley Squash & Racketball Club has a World Champion!
Club coach James Bowden has claimed the biggest Masters title of his career, winning the Men's Over 45 crown at the 2026 World Squash Masters Championships in Perth, Australia.
James travelled halfway around the world as the No.1 seed in the Over 45 draw, joining more than 900 competitors from over 55 nations for eight days of competition across Perth. By the end of an outstanding week of squash, he had achieved what he had travelled to Australia to do – return to Hinckley as a World Champion.
It was also a case of unfinished business.
James reached the final of the World Masters Championships two years ago, only to fall short of the title. Since then he has continued to enjoy considerable success on the Masters circuit, most notably becoming European Masters Over 45 Champion in Poland last summer after an extraordinary five-game comeback in the final.
Perth offered another opportunity to take the one title still missing. And James took it.
The Hinckley coach produced a commanding run through the draw. Among his opponents was Germany's Julian Wollny in the quarter-final, where James delivered an emphatic straight-games victory, winning 11–4, 11–3, 11–5 to move into the last four. Wollny had himself reached the quarter-finals without dropping a game, making the manner of James's victory all the more impressive.
Having successfully negotiated the semi-final, James progressed to Sunday's showpiece final on the spectacular all-glass court at Karrinyup Shopping Centre, where Australia's Jeff Osborne stood between him and the World title.
Osborne had endured a gruelling route into the final, surviving a dramatic five-game semi-final against the Netherlands' Rene Mijs. The Australian eventually edged the deciding game 13–11 after Mijs had fought back from two games down and held a match ball of his own.
Backed by the home crowd, Osborne made the stronger start to the final and raced through the opening game 11–4.
James's response, however, was that of a player determined not to let another World final slip away.
He levelled the match by taking the second 11–7, then moved ahead with an 11–6 victory in the third. The fourth proved considerably tighter, with Osborne fighting to force a deciding game, but James held his nerve at the crucial moment to take it 13–11 and complete a 3–1 victory:
James Bowden beat Jeff Osborne 4–11, 11–7, 11–6, 13–11.
Speaking afterwards, James admitted the achievement was difficult to comprehend:
“To become a world champion is amazing, you can't quite put it into words just how much this means.”
“From coming so close two years ago in the final, where I was beaten comfortably, to this year's event, which I saw as unfinished business. I'm over the moon.”
“I travelled a long way to get the title I really wanted, so to get it, with my son watching, is amazing.”
The victory completes a remarkable twelve months for James. After becoming European Masters Champion in Wrocław in August 2025, he can now add World Masters Champion to an already extensive list of national and international Masters honours.
Those of us at Hinckley are fortunate to see James's abilities on court rather more regularly than most – whether coaching our members, representing the club or somehow continuing to collect an ever-increasing number of trophies of his own.
But becoming a World Champion is something altogether different.
From everyone at Hinckley Squash & Racketball Club, a huge congratulations to James on an extraordinary achievement.
European Champion. World Champion. Our Local Champion!