Squash Celebrates Golden Glasgow Games by Howard Harding 6 August 2014
- Packed and exuberant crowds throughout the 11 days of action in the
2014 Commonwealth Games - a significant percentage of whom were
watching Squash action for the first time - characterised an
overwhelming success for the sport at Glasgow 2014.
An estimated 35,000
followed five days of singles action and six days of doubles action on
a spectacular state-of-the-art ASB ShowGlassCourt at the Scotstoun
Sports Campus in Scotland's largest city.
Nick Matthew (England)
and Nicol David (Malaysia) made history by becoming the first champions
to retain their gold medals in the singles events - then India also
claimed a place in squash history by securing the country's first ever
Games medal when Joshana Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal won the Women's
Doubles gold against the odds.
Veteran David Palmer
rounded off the entire Games programme by clinching double gold for
Australia after winning the Men's & Mixed Doubles titles (with
Cameron Pilley and Rachael Grinham, respectively).
Palmer's incredible
success not only took his Games medal tally to a record eight since
2002 - and the 38-year-old's first gold - but also lifted Australia to
the top of the Squash medals table, ahead of second-placed England who
boasted a best-ever nine medals, including a clean sweep of the silvers!
"Squash is proud of
its record of innovation and presentation, and the Commonwealth Games
organisers in Glasgow have continued to raise the bar in this area,"
exclaimed World Squash Federation President N Ramachandran. "Superb
staging, the most wonderful atmosphere from enormous numbers of
spectators and great broadcast.
"We salute and thank
the players, referees, the audience and the organisers - everybody
involved who has made the Games so memorable."
In addition to the
record spectator attendances and worldwide TV output, BBC TV also
revealed that a peak domestic television audience of one million
viewers tuned in to BBC1 to watch Matthew and David claim gold in the
singles finals.
Some 12 hours after
being the Team England flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony - one of
four squash players to perform such a high-profile role - Nick Matthew
had first-hand experience of the sensational Scotstoun crowd.
"It was just so good
to come out to such an amazing response - it's more like a finals crowd
than a first round," said the world No2. "I've had a long career and
played in some amazing venues, but never experienced a first round
crowd like that."
Men's singles silver
medallist James Willstrop added: "The atmosphere here was unbelievable.
It's great for the game and it's wonderful to be involved - I'm trying
to soak up every minute.
"It doesn't come any better than this - it's quite exceptional what Glasgow has been doing."
Doubles was also a
huge success, benefitting from the wider court and lowered tin (down to
33mm / 13") since the last Games in Delhi. Matches were shorter and
more vibrant, with exciting and entertaining encounters on the
Scotstoun new legacy courts and the showcourt.
"I don't think anyone
could have predicted the impact the squash here has had on the general
public, as opposed to the die-hard fans," said BBC TV commentator Sue
Wright, winner of one of England's first Commonwealth Games squash gold
medals in 1998.
"I have been surprised
at how exciting the Doubles has been. The lower tin and extra court
width has helped turn it into an integral part of the squash format."
One enthusiastic
spectator in Glasgow was Prince Albert of Monaco: "Squash is a great
sport - it's made major progress in the last few years. It's much more
spectator-friendly," said the IOC Member. "This has been a great
showcase for the sport, the level of play was outstanding."
Sir Matthew Pinsent,
the four-time Olympic rowing gold medallist who was in Glasgow as a BBC
TV presenter added: "Squash is one of my favourite Commonwealth sports
- I love it. It's a great spectacle.
"It's a unique sport
in that, if you sit behind the front wall, is played at you - and I
can't think of another sport like that. The ball comes to you at such
speed."
Event MC Alan Thatcher
said: "The success of the squash competitions provided an outstanding
and invaluable promotion for the sport. The standard of play in the
men's and women's singles was incredibly high, and the new format for
the doubles is a major breakthrough for squash.
"I would love to see
the national federations working with court manufacturers to encourage
clubs to build doubles courts using these dimensions. The wider court
and the lower tin produced a much more entertaining version of the
sport.
"Nearly every squash
club in the USA has a doubles court and I would love to see a campaign
to achieve the same throughout the UK and beyond."
Australian squash
legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the five-time world champion in Glasgow as
the Australian team coach, said: "Scotland and Glasgow: Thanks for a
wonderful and successful Commonwealth Games. The atmosphere was
awesome, the squash was great, bagpipes terrific and the court looked
fantastic.
"Squash received an
enormous amount of attention from dignitaries, officials and public. As
well as four flag-bearers. Let's hope all this raises the sport's
profile further as we chase the elusive entry into the Olympics Games."
Twitter was a platform
from which numerous sports luminaries expressed their new-found
enthusiasm for Squash: "Squash has always been a great sport to play,
and these days it's very good to watch. Should be an Olympic sport,"
tweeted England football hero Gary Lineker.
Olympic decathlon gold
medallist Daley Thompson said: "Women's squash final. Nicol & Laura
both warriors and brilliant ambassadors for the game. The Olympics
needs Nicol, Laura, Nick, James - in fact Squash"
Respected BBC Radio
sports journalist Mark Pougatch proclaimed: "Saw squash in Kuala Lumpur
games in 98. Said it should be in the Olympics then and say the same
now. More deserving than some who are...."
The Daily Express
newspaper wrote: "Squash has been one of the real finds of these Games
from a TV perspective with a number of high-quality matches and
performances."
2014 Commonwealth Games Squash Medals Table
Position Country Gold
Silver Bronze
Total 1
Australia 2 0
1 3 2
England 1 5
3 9 3=
India 1 0
0 1 3=
Malaysia 1 0
0 1 5
New Zealand 0
0 1 1
