Charles Read, British professional champion for many years, was designated the first open title holder.

Read subsequently played the first final as the 'defending champion' against challenger Don Butcher in December 1930, but lost in home and away legs.

A crowd of 1,600 witnessed an astonishing final at Aberdeen Exhibition Centre, where local hero Peter Nicol collapsed at courtside with the score one game all against his great rival Jonathon Power and was rushed to hospital suffering from food poisoning.

[5] A deal with Sky Sports was signed in 2000 to cover the event saw record prize money of £110,000 but by the following year it had moved again to Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

[5] Long term deals were agreed, but subsequently terminated early casting doubts over the staging of the event.

[5] In May 2012, the competition returned with England Squash holding the British Open at The O2 with a new sponsor secured[6] Note: 1) From 1931 to 1947, the men's championship was decided by a best-of-three-matches contest between the defending champion and a single challenger (the third match was never required, as the ultimate champion won the first two matches on each of the occasions in which the final was played with this format).