Three generations, one family, one story. And fortunately for those who like a good story it shows absolutely no signs of ending any time soon.

This is a story about a squash dynasty and, more specifically, the Elgood family; a story about notable squash talent and achievement. It is a story that began when Richard Elgood met his future wife Liz (nee Cameron) – appropriately enough at a squash club – in Cheltenham some 50-odd years ago.

“It was at the Cleeveland Club in Pittville just off Evesham Road,” said Liz. “It’s closed now but it was a popular squash place in Cheltenham back then. It was a good privately run squash club.”

But it was at the East Gloucestershire Club just up the road in Old Bath Road that they and then their children – Charlotte, Joanne and Tom – and more recently their grandchildren – Jessica, Isobel and Annabelle – have been making a big impression on the squash world for close on 50 years.

Richard, originally from Birmingham, insists his squash achievements over the years are only “modest” but he is certainly proud of the fact that he played the sport for many years up to the age of 73.

And while his achievements may be modest compared with some other members of the family, he still won the Gloucestershire mixed doubles title with Liz in the early 80s.

He was a decent squash player, of course he was, but he nevertheless insists: “I am a keen supporter of all family members much better than myself.”

One of those family members is undoubtedly Liz, now 69, who was one of the leading lights in the squash world back in the day. She won 30 caps for Scotland – she qualified through her Scottish father – mostly at number one and represented Scotland at various levels for 30 years.

Hers is an interesting story because although born in Wiltshire she moved to Australia with her family when she was two and spent all of her school years in Adelaide.

She also went to university in Australia before coming over to England for a working holiday “carrying a tennis racket and a squash racket”. In those days Liz, a left-hander, was more of a tennis player than a squash player. Indeed she was tennis singles champion at East Glos in 1973 before squash started to take over.

And she’s certainly pleased that it did because she reached number 11 in the home countries’ rankings and was a member of the Gloucestershire team that won the national county championship in 1986, the only time that the county have done so.

That team also included Deanna Murray, the Welsh No1, up and coming players Lucy Soutter and Fiona Geaves, and Linda Sibbald.

Liz was a major player in her adopted county – she still has quite a strong Australian accent – because she was a multiple winner of Gloucestershire county and East Glos club titles.

And it wasn’t just on the playing side that she made a name for herself because she was the first squash coach appointed at East Glos where she introduced racketball, now known as squash 57, in the late 80s.

She also kept her hand in as a player over the years as well because she attended a World Masters over-50s event in Australia and was seeded number one.

These days she doesn’t play squash – a snapped Achilles tendon saw to that – but she has been playing tennis again and is in the Gloucestershire Over-60s team, so she still keeps pretty active despite a recent shoulder operation.

Richard and Liz’s love of all things squash has certainly rubbed off on their children and their oldest daughter Charlotte, 43, played for many years in Gloucestershire’s inter-county team.

She was also a member of the Scottish Universites’ team and won the national over-40 squash 57 title in 2017.

These days she does a lot of coaching. She lives in Cheltenham and is a regular coach of squash and squash 57 at East Glos while also being an organiser of junior squash in the county.

Joanne, meanwhile, who has just turned 40, played in the Sydney League in Australia before her career blossomed when she moved to Sweden, where she now lives with her husband Mathias and their family.

She became the number one women’s squash player in Sweden and these days is active on the European Masters squash circuit and is currently ranked number two in the women’s over-40 division in those events, recently representing her adopted country in the European team championsips in Riga in May.

And like her mum, it’s not just as a player that she has made a name for herself because she has also created from scratch a thriving squash scene in Helsingborg where she coaches.

Tom, 37 and like his sisters educated at St Edward’s School in Cheltenham, has played his squash a little closer to home and is a leading member of top club side Redlands in the Bristol League.

He also played for the Gloucestershire team that won the national inter-county over-35 title in March and he won the individual over-35 Welsh Masters title in Cardiff in 2017.

“He’s very good in his age group,” said his proud mum, who lives in Leckhampton in Cheltenham.

And then there are the grandchildren. Jess and Isobel, Charlotte’s daughters and aged 13 and 11, are both members of the under-13 county team that reached the national finals in Nottingham in January this year.

And Joanne’s daughter Anabelle is also showing great potential.

“At only eight years old there is every sign that she will be just as good, if not better, than all of the rest. Watch this space,” said Liz, who is also grandma to Henry (Charlotte’s son), and Sebastian and Lola, who are Joanne’s children.

Liz, of course, is absolutely delighted that her children and grandchildren enjoy squash as much as she did.

“Yes, I am very proud,” she said. “I always count myself very lucky that they have followed in my footsteps. They could easily have turned away from squash because I spent a lot of time playing for Scotland, practising or playing in tournaments when they were younger.

“I always remember when Tom was very young. I’d go along to East Glos to train on my own and Tom would be in a buggy in the corner of the court while I played!”

And Liz, who still plays a bit of racketball, added: “I think it’s wonderful that we’re all into our squash. It’s great for the family, we all like playing together and we all like practising together.”