Gold Medal Star David Recovers In Doubles Debut In Glasgow by Howard Harding July 29, 2014
- After Monday's exhilarating climax to the Commonwealth Games Squash
singles action in Glasgow, players from 25 nations switched to doubles
squash at the Scotstoun Sports Campus in Scotland's largest city.
Overnight, the venue's
squash courts, including the spectacular all-glass showcourt, were
converted to 25 ft wide doubles courts (four feet wider than for
singles) - incorporating, for the first time at the Games, a lower,
13-inch, 'tin'.
Both singles gold
medallists were in action: Men's winner Nick Matthew, the 34-year-old
world No2 from England, successfully began the defence of his Men's
Doubles gold medal with partner Adrian Grant, comfortably winning both
Pool matches.
But Nicol David - the
Malaysian who, like Matthew, successful retained the singles title she
won in 2010 in Delhi - suffered a scare in the Women's Doubles when a
game behind and 5-0 down in the second against unseeded underdogs Megan
Craig & Kylie Lindsay, of New Zealand.
At 10-all - game-ball
for the fourth seeds but match-ball for the Kiwis - David's partner Low
Wee Wern struck a ball which died in the back wall nick to win the game.
The Penang pair went on to clinch the match 7-11, 11-10, 11-6 in 42 minutes.
"The shot came at the right time," said Wee Wern. "I've been trying that all match and it worked.
"They'd had a bit more practice over the last two days - when Nicol was a bit busy!"
When asked to sum up
the match, David said: "It was close! We've got a good partnership -
and we'd played them before so we knew what they were like.
"I had a quiet celebration last night - I had to get ready for this.
"Doubles is a bit
different from singles - and you could see that in the first game - but
it's a nice feeling playing doubles. It's all about putting tactics
together."
Matthew and Grant's
pre-event preparation was also hampered by the Yorkshireman's knee
surgery: "We've not had a lot of practice because of my injury - and I
need to give a big shout to England team-mate Tom (Richards) who
stepped in and really helped Adrian get the competition he needed,"
said Matthew. "It was really strange watching them practise while I was
recovering.
"It felt like I had a
hangover when I woke up this morning - which I didn't - and I'm now
feeding off Adrian's energy. He's so keen.
"Anything can happen
in doubles, for sure. In Melbourne, we thought our singles strength
would carry us through, but it didn't, and we learnt from that."
Matthew had earlier
described the previous day as 'the best sporting day of my life': "It
was pretty emotional, there's not been much time for it to sink it as
it was straight back to doubles.
"I think I will really digest it next week. I've got to have the mentality that the job is not done, it's only half way done."
Grant added: "What Nick achieved was fantastic - both for him and for the sport."
Squash legend David
Palmer finally made his Glasgow 2014 debut - lured out of retirement to
make a fifth successive appearance in the Games for Australia. The
38-year-old former world No1 and world champion opened his campaign in
the men's doubles, partnering world No20 Cameron Pilley and bidding for
a record seventh medal, but a first gold.
He and Pilley won both
their matches, then with Rachael Grinham in the Mixed Doubles recovered
from game down to down Marlene West & Cameron Stafford from the
Cayman Islands 8-11, 11-3, 11-2.
"It feels special being here," said Palmer. "After watching all the matches all week, it's great to get onto the court.
"I wanted to play with
Cameron - I think we match each other well. His style is perfect for us
and he's done really well here this week in the singles.
"I'm here trying to
win medals for Australia - I've got three matches today, but I've
prepared for it. I'm missing that gold medal - I came close in Delhi."
In commenting on the
new doubles format, Pilley added: "I think the new format is good -
before, it wasn't exciting but now it's good for the crowd. It's now
really exciting and more attacking. I think it's here to stay."
England pair Daryl
Selby and Sarah Kippax also made their 2014 Games' debuts after
supporting their team-mates through the singles. The duo despatched
Trinidad & Tobago's Kerrie Sample & Colin Ramasra 11-1, 11-4.
"Sarah and I came
together quite late as a pair, but we know each other well and have
forged a good partnership," said Selby. "We're seeded six, so not
expected to medal, so if we do it will be a massive bonus."
On comparing the two
disciplines, Selby continued: "I've always enjoyed playing doubles but
we just don't play it enough for it to be something that I am 100%
confident in my ability in.
"With singles, I go on
court and I know what I've got to do - the tactics are sorted
beforehand and it's automatic. It's like driving a car, you don't think
about it.
"But in doubles, it's
still squash - but it's like driving a lorry instead of a car! You
don't do it very often, and you are manoeuvring something that you are
not 100% comfortable with."
The only significant
upset of the day came in the men's doubles where Welshmen Peter Creed
& David Evans, the No10 seeds, beat Indian pairing Saurav Ghosal
& Harinder Pal Sandhu, seeded seven, 11-8, 11-3.
RESULTS: Commonwealth Games Squash, Glasgow, Scotland
Men's Doubles, 1st qualifying round: Pool A [16] Alexander Arjoon & Sunil Seth (GUY) bt Schubert Maketu & Moreaina Wei (PNG) 11-4, 11-9 (14m) [1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Bradley Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) 11-5, 11-6 (24m) [1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [16] Alexander Arjoon & Sunil Seth (GUY) 11-5, 11-5 (15m) Bradley Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) bt Schubert Maketu & Moreaina Wei (PNG) 11-6, 11-2 (9m) Pool B [2] David Palmer & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Scott Gautier & Nick Taylor (JEY) 11-2, 11-4 (15m) [2] David Palmer & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [15] Christopher Binnie & Bruce Burrowes (JAM) 11-2, 11-8 (17m) Pool C [14] Mwinga Lengwe & Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) bt Jason Doyle & Jules Snagg (SVG) 11-3, 11-8 (14m) [3] Daryl Selby & James Willstrop (ENG) bt Anthony Brindle & Christian Navas (GIB) 11-1, 11-4 (21m) [3] Daryl Selby & James Willstrop (ENG) bt [14] Mwinga Lengwe & Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) 11-3, 11-6 (21m) Jason Doyle & Jules Snagg (SVG) bt Anthony Brindle & Christian Navas (GIB) 11-9, 8-11, 11-10 (39m) Pool D [4] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) bt Colin Ramasra & Kale Wilson (TRI) 11-3, 11-4 (13m) [4] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) bt [13] Scott Fitzgerald & David Haley (WAL) 11-3, 11-3 (24m) Pool E [5] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) bt James Fayia & Issa Kamara (SLE) w/o [5] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) bt [12] Micah Franklin & Nicholas Kyme (BER) 11-5, 11-3 (27m) Pool F [6] Ryan Cuskelly & Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt Dilshan Gunawardena (SRI) & Gihan Suwaris (SRI) 11-3, 11-4 (12m) [11] Lance Beddoes & Paul Coll (NZL) bt Mitchell Graham & Duncan Gray (NFI) 11-3, 11-1 (12m) [6] Ryan Cuskelly & Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt [11] Lance Beddoes & Paul Coll (NZL) 11-5, 11-8 (27m) Dilshan Gunawardena & Gihan Suwaris (SRI) bt Mitchell Graham & Duncan Gray (NFI) 10-11, 11-10, 11-3 (31m) Pool G [10] Peter Creed & David Evans (WAL) bt Paul Kadoma & Michael Kawooya (UGA) 11-1, 11-1 (12m) [7] Saurav Ghosal & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt Malton Blair & Julian Jervis (CAY) 9-11, 11-3, 11-2 (29m) [10] Peter Creed & David Evans (WAL) bt [7] Saurav Ghosal & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 11-8, 11-3 (30m) Malton Blair & Julian Jervis (CAY) bt Paul Kadoma & Michael Kawooya (UGA) 11-8, 11-10 (25m) Pool H [8] Stuart Crawford & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt James Bentick & Kevin Hannaway (SVG) 11-2, 11-1 (11m) [9] Valentino Bon Jovi Bong & Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Madako Junior Suari & Kerry Walsh (PNG) 11-1, 11-1 (12m) [8] Stuart Crawford & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [9] Valentino Bon Jovi Bong & Ivan Yuen (MAS) 9-11, 11-5, 11-9 (42m) James Bentick & Kevin Hannaway (SVG) bt Madako Junior Suari & Kerry Walsh (PNG) 11-9, 11-7 (16m)
Women's Doubles, 1st qualifying round: Pool A [1] Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Lynette Vai & Eli Webb (PNG) 11-4, 11-5 (12m) [8] Tesni Evans & Deon Saffery (WAL) bt Charlotte Knaggs & Kerrie Sample (TRI) 11-6, 11-9 (18m) Pool B [2] Kasey Brown & Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Delia Arnold & Vanessa Raj (MAS) 11-5, 11-7 (23m) [7] Lisa Camilleri & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Kimberley Borg-Cauchi & Colette Sultana (MLT) 11-3, 11-4 (9m) Pool C [6] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt Dorothy Boyce & Sheila Morove (PNG) 11-3, 11-3 (8m) [3] Emma Beddoes & Alison Waters (ENG) bt Alex Clark & Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO) 11-8, 11-10 (32m) Pool D [4] Nicol David & Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Megan Craig & Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 7-11, 11-10, 11-6 (42m) [5] Joshana Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Mihiliya Methsarani & Nadindhi Udangawa (SRI) 11-3, 11-4 (10m)
Mixed Doubles, 1st qualifying round: Pool A [1] Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Nicolette Fernandes & Alexander Arjoon (GUY) 11-5, 11-5 (23m) Pool B [2] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL) bt Sarah Taylor & Nick Taylor (JEY) w/o Pool C [3] Rachael Grinham & David Palmer (AUS) bt Marlene West & Cameron Stafford (CAY) 8-11, 11-3, 11-2 (25m) [14] Madeline Perry & Michael Craig (NIR) bt Sharon Chimfwembe & Manda Chilambwe (ZAM) 9-11, 11-6, 11-6 (29m) Pool D [13] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed (WAL) bt Colette Sultana & Bradley Hindle (MLT) 11-2, 11-7 (15m) [4] Alison Waters & Peter Barker (ENG) bt Charlotte Knaggs & Kale Wilson (TRI) 11-0, 11-2 (10m) Pool E [5] Dipika Pallikal & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Naduni Gunawardane & Ravindu Laksiri (SRI) 11-3, 11-4 (12m) Pool F [6] Sarah Kippax & Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Kerrie Sample & Colin Ramasra (TRI) 11-1, 11-4 (14m) [11] Deon Saffery & David Evans (WAL) bt Vanessa Florens & Xavier Koenig (MRI) 11-3, 11-0 (10m) Pool G [7] Amanda Landers-Murphy & Paul Coll (NZL) bt Eli Webb & Schubert Maketu (PNG) 11-2, 11-4 (7m) Pool H [8] Delia Arnold & Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Eilidh Bridgeman & Daniel Murphy (CAY) 11-5, 11-3 (13m) [9] Frania Gillen-Buchert & Alan Clyne (SCO) bt Lynette Vai & Madako Junior Suari (PNG) 11-0, 11-6 (13m)
