Squash Elite Head For Glasgow 2014 by Howard Harding 21 July 2014
- The eyes of the Squash world will be sharply focussed on Glasgow over
the next two weeks when the sport's elite challenge for medals in the
2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
Players from 31
nations - led by 'giants' England, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and
India, but also including 'minnows' like Norfolk Islands, Mauritius and
Papua New Guinea - will compete in five disciplines, including men's
and women's singles, and men's, women's and mixed doubles.
Squash, a core
Commonwealth Games sport, is celebrating its fifth appearance in the
Games after making its debut in Malaysia in 1998.
England are expected
to head the medals table for the second time in a row - with world No2
Nick Matthew, the three-time world champion from Sheffield, seeded to
retain both his men's singles and men's doubles gold medals, thereby
emulating the four-gold-medal record of legendary compatriot Peter
Nicol.
Nicol David, the
30-year-old from Penang celebrating a record-equalling fifth successive
appearance in the Games, is firm favourite to retain the women's
singles gold medal for Malaysia. But the world No1 since August 2006
will face determined opposition from England's world No2 Laura Massaro,
the reigning world champion from Preston.
Massaro is seeded to
win her first gold medal in the women's doubles, where she is partnered
by former world No2 Jenny Duncalf, from Yorkshire - the silver medal
pairing in Delhi in 2010.
Australia, who topped
the medals table in 1998 and 2006, have lured David Palmer out of
retirement to make a fifth successive appearance in the Games. The
38-year-old former world No1 and world champion partners world No20
Cameron Pilley in the men's doubles - bidding for a record seventh
medal, but a first gold.
Pilley and Kasey Brown
are seeded to provide Australia's sole gold medal in the mixed doubles,
retaining the title the pair won in Delhi.
New Zealand, top of
the 2002 medals table in Manchester after winning women's and mixed
doubles gold, will be hoping for repeat double-medal success in Delhi
for Joelle King. The 25-year-old world No4 is seeded to retain silver
with Martin Knight in the mixed doubles, and earn a first singles medal
with women's bronze.
India has its best
chance to break into the Commonwealth Games medal table for the first
time. World No16 Saurav Ghosal, the country's highest-ranked player of
all-time, is fourth seed in the men's singles - where he will hope to
deny England a medal clean sweep for the second time in a row - while
he and Dipika Pallikal are seeded five in the mixed doubles.
Scotland will be
looking to doubles specialists Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch to help
the hosts make the medals table for the first time since 1998. Clyne
& Leitch lost the bronze medal play-off in 2010 - and are seeded
fourth this time around.
The sport's oldest
competitor at Glasgow 2014 will be Ridvan Prosper, a 46-year-old from
the Seychelles making his debut in the men's singles - while Malta
provides the youngest player, 15-year-old women's singles and doubles
entrant Kimberley Borg-Cauchi.
Glasgow 2014 squash
action takes place at the Scotstoun Sports Campus - with Singles from
24-28 July, followed by Doubles from 29 July to 3 August.
Men's Singles: Round 64 draw [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Xavier Koenig (MRI) Christopher Binnie (JAM) v Ntholeng Lechesa (LES) [9] Alan Clyne (SCO) v Kevin Hannaway (SVG) Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) v Michael Craig (NIR) [7] Chris Simpson (GGY) v Julian Jervis (CAY) Colin Ramasra (TTO) v Ravindu Laksiri (SRI) [11] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v Kenneth Maina (KEN) Shawn Delierre (CAN) v Moreaina Wei (PNG) [3] Peter Barker (ENG) v Manda Chilambwe (ZAM) Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) v Hardeep Reel (KEN) [10] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) v Robert Maycock (BER) Peter Creed (WAL) v Ian Rukunya (UGA) [5] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Kale Wilson (TTO) Sunil Seth (GUY) v Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) [16] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Bruce Burrowes (JAM) Nick Taylor (JEY) v Winner of Mark Tewkesbury (GIB) v Othneil Bailey (SVG) Micah Franklin (BER) v Winner of Michael Kawooya (UGA) v Schubert Maketu (PNG) [12] Campbell Grayson (NZL) v Winner of Daniel Murphy (CAY) v Hartaj Bains (KEN) Joe Chapman (IVB) v James Fayia (SLE) [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) Joel Makin (WAL) v Alexander Arjoon (GUY) [14] Steven Finitsis (AUS) v Mwinga Lengwe (ZAM) Paul Coll (NZL) v Issa Kamara (SLE) [4] Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Jules Snagg (SVG) Bradley Hindle (MLT) v Scott Fitzgerald (WAL) [15] Ivan Yuen (MAS) v Ridvan Prosper (SEY) Cameron Stafford (CAY) v Christian Navas (GIB) [6] Alister Walker (BOT) v Dilshan Gunawardena (SRI) Kevin Moran (SCO) v Scott Gautier (JEY) [13] Martin Knight (NZL) v Gihan Suwaris (SRI) Anthony Brindle (GIB) v Madako Junior Suari (PNG) [2] James Willstrop (ENG) v Nicholas Kyme (BER)
Women's Singles: Round 32 draw [1] Nicol David (MAS) v Vanessa Florens (MRI) [16] Megan Craig (NZL) v Safina Madhani (KEN) [8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) [14] Samantha Cornett (CAN) v Sarah Cardwell (AUS) [3] Joelle King (NZL) v Winner of Sarah Taylor (JEY) v Violet Luchendo (KEN) [12] Joshana Chinappa (IND) v Winner of Deon Saffery (WAL) v Kimberley Borg-Cauchi (MLT) [7] Madeline Perry (NIR) v Winner of Dorothy Boyce (PNG) v Sharon Chimfwembe (ZAM) [10] Kasey Brown (AUS) v Winner of Eva Alphonse (SEY) v Nadindhi Udangawa (SRI) [15] Delia Arnold (MAS) v Winner of Khaaliqa Nimji (KEN) v Anaka Alankamony (IND) [6] Dipika Pallikal (IND) v Winner of Charlotte Knaggs (TTO) v Naduni Gunawardane (SRI) [9] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Winner of Mihiliya Methsarani (SRI) v Colette Sultana (MLT) [4] Alison Waters (ENG) v Eli Webb (PNG) [13] Tesni Evans (WAL) v Kerrie Sample (TTO) [5] Low Wee Wern (MAS) v Eilidh Bridgeman (CAY) [11] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) v Namweene Muchaile (ZAM) [2] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Lynette Vai (PNG)
Men's Doubles: POOL 1: [1] Adrian
Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG), [16] Alexander Arjoon & Sunil Seth
(GUY), Bradley Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT), Kerry Walsh
& Moreaina Wei (PNG) POOL 2: [2] David
Palmer & Cameron Pilley (AUS), [15] Christopher Binnie & Bruce
Burrowes (JAM), Scott Gautier & Nick Taylor (JEY) POOL 3: [3] Daryl
Selby & James Willstrop (ENG), [14] Mwinga Lengwe & Kelvin
Ndhlovu (ZAM), Anthony Brindle & Christian Navas (GIB), Othneil
Bailey & Jason Doyle (SVG) POOL 4: [4] Alan Clyne
& Harry Leitch (SCO), [13] Scott Fitzgerald & David Haley
(WAL), Colin Ramasra & Kale Wilson (TTO) POOL 5: [5] Campbell
Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL), [12] Micah Franklin & Nicholas
Kyme (BER), James Fayia & Issa Kamara (SLE) POOL 6: [6] Zac
Alexander & Ryan Cuskelly (AUS), [11] Lance Beddoes & Paul Coll
(NZL), Dilshan Gunawardena & Gihan Suwaris (SRI), Mitchell Graham
& Duncan Gray (NFK) POOL 7: [7] Saurav
Ghosal & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND), [10] Peter Creed & David
Evans (WAL), Malton Blair & Julian Jervis (CAY), Paul Kadoma &
Michael Kawooya (UGA) POOL 8: [8] Stuart
Crawford & Greg Lobban (SCO), [9] Ong Beng Hee & Ivan Yuen
(MAS), James Bentick & Kevin Hannaway (SVG), Schubert Maketu &
Madako Junior Suari (PNG)
Women's Doubles: POOL 1: [1] Jenny
Duncalf & Laura Massaro (ENG), [8] Tesni Evans & Deon Saffery
(WAL), Lynette Vai & Eli Webb (PNG), Charlotte Knaggs & Kerrie
Sample (TTO) POOL 2: [1] Kasey
Brown & Rachael Grinham (AUS), [7] Lisa Camilleri & Donna
Urquhart (AUS), Rachel Arnold & Vanessa Raj (MAS), Kimberley
Borg-Cauchi & Colette Sultana (MLT) POOL 3: [3] Emma
Beddoes & Alison Waters (ENG), [6] Joelle King & Amanda
Landers-Murphy (NZL), Alex Clark & Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO),
Dorothy Boyce & Sheila Morove (PNG) POOL 4: [4] Nicol
David & Low Wee Wern (MAS), [5] Joshana Chinappa & Dipika
Pallikal (IND), Megan Craig & Kylie Lindsay (NZL), Mihiliya
Methsarani & Nadindhi Udangawa (SRI)
Mixed Doubles: POOL 1: [1] Kasey
Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS); [16] Rachel Arnold & Valentino
Bon Jovi Bong (MAS), Nicolette Fernandes & Alexander Arjoon (GUY) POOL 2: [2] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL); [15] Alex Clark & Kevin Moran (SCO), Sarah Taylor & Nick Taylor (JEY) POOL 3: [3] Rachael
Grinham & David Palmer (AUS), [14] Madeline Perry & Michael
Craig (NIR), Marlene West & Cameron Stafford (CAY), Sharon
Chimfwembe & Manda Chilambwe (ZAM) POOL 4: [4] Alison
Waters & Peter Barker (ENG), [13] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed
(WAL), Charlotte Knaggs & Colin Ramasra (TTO), Colette Sultana
& Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) POOL 5: [5] Dipika
Pallikal & Saurav Ghosal (IND), [12] Samantha Cornett & Shawn
Delierre (CAN), Naduni Gunawardane & Ravindu Laksiri (SRI) POOL 6: [6] Sarah
Kippax & Daryl Selby (ENG), [11] Deon Saffery & David Evans
(WAL), Kerrie Sample & Kale Wilson (TTO), Vanessa Florens &
Xavier Koenig (MRI) POOL 7: [7] Amanda
Landers-Murphy & Paul Coll (NZL), [10] Joshana Chinappa &
Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND), Eli Webb & Schubert Maketu (PNG) POOL 8: [8] Delia
Arnold & Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS), [9] Frania Gillen-Buchert
& Alan Clyne (SCO), Eilidh Bridgeman & Daniel Murphy (CAY),
Lynette Vai & Madako Junior Suari (PNG)
