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XVIII Commonwealth Games
Melbourne, Australia, 16-26 March

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Squash Medal Table

Country
Gold

Silver

Bronze
 Australia 3 3 2
 England 2 1 2
 New Zealand 0 1 1

DAY 11
Gold for Nicol and Beachill, The Grinham Sisters and Kneipp/Grinham
Peter Nicol signed off his Commonwealth Games career in unforgettable fashion when he won gold in the men’s doubles with Lee Beachill.

Nicol added another gold medal to the one he bagged in the singles, taking his career tally to four gold.

In a rematch of the Manchester Commonwealth Games gold medal clash, the English pair overcame strong resistance from Australians Stewart Boswell and Anthony Ricketts to win an entertaining encounter 7-9, 9-7, 9-1, 10-8.

It was a tale of gold, silver and bronze for the English team on the final day of the Commonwealth Games.

Vicky Botwright and James Willstop took silver after losing out in the final of the mixed doubles, and Botwright then teamed up with Tania Bailey to land bronze in the women’s doubles.

But it was Beachill and Nicol who stole the limelight. Their Australian opponents were desperate to gain revenge for the loss four years ago. And the Australian fans were hungry for another serving of gold.

As has been the case for the whole tournament, there was a healthy crowd at the Show Court – and one that was intent on making some noise. It’s no secret that the home nation relishes success, particularly against the English.

Anyone doubting Australia’s pride of its sporting prowess should just take a look at the sign at the entrance to the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, which informs us this is ‘The largest multi-event facility in the southern hemisphere’.

Any sporting arena with that billing deserves a memorable match – and that’s exactly what we got, as the two teams became locked in a tremendous tussle.

After a slow start, Beachill and Nicol established a 4-2 lead in the first game, but the Australians soon got back on level terms. There was then a lengthy break after Boswell accidentally hit Nicol with his racquet on the follow-through of his shot.

Perhaps that delay disrupted the English pair because, on returning to the court, Boswell and Ricketts edged in front. They closed out the game 9-7 to the delight of the home fans.

In the second game, there was again nothing to choose between the teams. As in the previous game, the No. 2 seeds led 4-2 before being pegged back.

With so much to play for, Ricketts let his frustration get the better of him following a controversial let decision.

“That’s your fault, not mine,” he informed the referee.

But the let stood and, after winning a marathon point at 7-7, England took the next point to level the match at one game apiece.

Buoyed by that minor victory, Beachill and Nicol raised their game. The left-handed and right-handed combination that has enjoyed such success over the years once again paid dividends.

With a mixture of precision and power, and taking it in turns to target Boswell, then Ricketts, they began to draw more and more mistakes out of their opponents.

The English pair raced into a 3-0 lead at the start of the third game, the first time either team had led by more than two points in the match.

After the advantage was extended to 4-0, there was another heated exchange between Ricketts and the officials.

That merely played into the English duo’s hands. They continued to go about their business and quickly wrapped up the game 9-1.

While Ricketts continued his remonstrations with the referee in the break, the small English contingent at the Show Court showed their support, with a rendition of the old favourite “England, England” chant. As creative songs go, it’s up there with the Australian “oi, oi, oi”, but at least it gave an indication of which team held the upper hand.

But, as we have seen so many times over the past 11 days, the Australians would not roll over.

Neither side could take control of a fourth game that lasted an astonishing 58 minutes. Huge rallies were accompanied by some relentless hard-hitting from both teams.

Somewhat inevitably, the ball could not stand up to such a battering and had to be changed halfway through the game.

After that stoppage, Beachill and Nicol made a strong burst for the finish line, transforming a 6-5 lead into an 8-5 advantage.

But displaying nerves of steel, the Australians would not give in. They saved three match balls to square the game at 8-8.

A slip from Boswell gave England a fourth chance at 9-8. Then followed what was undoubtedly the longest rally of the match. Again and again, all four players pulled off individual heroics to keep the point alive before finally a mistake by Ricketts handed England the title.

Unlike when Nicol won singles gold, the celebrations were quite subdued. The victorious duo shook hands with their opponents before exchanging a quick hug. No doubt, the real celebrations will follow tonight’s closing ceremony.

Speaking after the match, Nicol was still struggling to come to terms with what he had achieved.

“I didn’t expect both my medals to be gold,” he admitted.

“It was great to work with Lee.

“The singles win was the best match of my life. I wanted desperately to do well – it was my last Games.”

The surprise package in the mixed doubles – Vicky Botwright and James Willstrop – fell just short in their quest for gold when they ran into in-form Australians Natalie Grinham and Joseph Kneipp.

The English pair, who had already caused a couple of upsets this week, looked on course for another shock when they took control of the first game.

But the Australians hit back in the next game, forging a 6-3 lead. England closed the gap to 7-5, but couldn’t quite save the game.

The third game followed a similar pattern, with Australia enjoying slight ascendancy. Try as they might, Botwright and Willstrop couldn’t regain control, eventually losing the game 9-6.

With their gold medal hopes hanging by a thread, the English pair gave their all in a closely fought fourth game. But it would not be enough, as Australia opened up an 8-6 lead.

After the first match ball had resulted in a let, the Australians made the most of their second chance, sealing the match thanks to a glorious Grinham drop shot.

The final result – a 6-9, 9-6, 9-5, 9-6 win to Australia – was a fair reflection on a match where England had been second best, albeit only just.

Despite the fact they missed out on gold, Willstrop was satisfied with their efforts.

“Apart from the disappointment of losing, we both played well,” he said.

“We gave it absolutely everything we could. We needed to get the early games, but the Aussies made very few errors and kept plugging away.”

However, given the pair had not played many times together in the past, Willstrop hinted his partnership with Botwright could enjoy plenty of success in the future.

“We haven’t played a lot together, so it’s very good from that perspective,” he said.

Only a few minutes later, Botwright had to head back on court – this time for the women’s doubles bronze medal play-off.

Yet, you wouldn’t have known Botwright had already been on court for an hour, as she successfully joined forces with Tania Bailey to beat New Zealand’s Louise Crome and Lara Petera.

England won a crucial first game 10-8, before the New Zealanders levelled the match. However, Bailey and Botwright would not be denied as they took the next two games to win 10-8, 4-9, 9-4, 9-6 in 76 minutes.

The Grinham sisters tasted further success when they saw off Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey 1-9, 9-4, 9-3, 9-3 in the gold medal match. The victory over the New Zealanders gave Natalie Grinham her third gold of the tournament.

Understandably, she was overwhelmed at her achievement.

“It’s unbelievable. I have no words,” she said after the match.

“After a shower and a break, it will sink in and I will probably be screaming from the rooftops.”

In the other bronze medal matches, Rachael Grinham and David Palmer enjoyed a comfortable 9-4, 9-6, 9-6 win over New Zealanders Kitchen and Glen Wilson.

Palmer was back on court later in the day with teammate Dan Jenson. The Australians claimed another bronze, defeating New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson and David Knight 9-2, 9-4, 6-9, 9-6.

That result completed a successful day for the Australians, who finished the doubles with two gold, a silver and two bronze medals.

The final medal table highlighted the domination of Australia, England and New Zealand. In fact, no other country won a medal.

Helped in no small part by Natalie Grinham, Australia led the way with three gold, three silver and two bronze medals. England finished a highly successful Games with two golds, a silver and two bronze, while New Zealand claimed a solitary silver and bronze.

SQUASH ON BBC


Pictures courtesy of
Steve Line

 


Melbourne 2006 gold, silver and bronze medals.

 
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Men's Doubles Pools
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Pool A:

AUS

GUY

KEN

  Pld Won
[1] Stewart Boswell & Anthony Ricketts (AUS)     3/0 -0- 1 1
[12] Shawn Badrinath & Maxim Weithers (GUY) -0-   -0-

-0-

1 0
Hartaj Bains & Hardeep Reel (KEN) 0/3 w/o   -0-    
-0-            

Pool B:

ENG

BER

ZAM

NFI

Pld Won
[2] Lee Beachill & Peter Nicol (ENG)   3/0 3/0 3/0 3 3
[11] Nicholas Kyme & James Stout (BER) 0/3   3/2 3/0 3 2
O’Neil Chilambwe & Lazarus Chilufya (ZAM) 0/3 2/3   3/2 3 1
Duncan Gray & Gye Duncan (NFI) 0/3 0/3 2/3   3 0

Pool C:

AUS

PAK

SRI

  Pld Won
[3] Joseph Kneipp & David Palmer (AUS)   3/0 3/0 -0- 2 2
[10] Aamir Atlas & Khayal Muhammad (PAK) 0/3   3/0

-0-

2 1
Yassir Issadeen & Navin Samarasinghe (SRI) 0/3 0/3   -0- 2 0
-0-            

Pool D:

ENG

CAN

KEN

  Pld Won
[4] Nick Matthew & James Willstrop (ENG)   3/1 3/0 -0- 2 2
[9] Shawn Delierre & Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 1/3   3/0

-0-

2 1
Joseph Karigithe & Chirag Shah (KEN) 0/3 0/3   -0- 2 0
-0-            

Pool E:

NZL

SCO

TRI

NFI

Pld Won
[5] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL)   3/2 3/0 3/0 3 3
[8] Harry Leitch & John White (SCO) 2/3   3/0 3/0 3 2
Joshua Pinard & Colin Ramasra (TRI) 0/3 0/3   3/0 3 1
Peter Christian-Bailey & Steve Nobbs (NFI) 0/3 0/3 0/3   3 0
Pool F:         Pld Won
[6] David Evans & Alex Gough (WAL)   3/0 3/0 3/0 3 3
[7] Rodney Durbach & Adrian Hansen (RSA) 0/3   3/0 3/0 3 2
Andrew McGoon & Sonalmeet Nagra (FIJ) 0/3 0/3     3 0
Chikumbutso Mkutumula & Aubrey Taulo (MAW) 0/3 0/3 3/2   3 1

Men's Doubles Draw
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First Round
Fri 24th
Quarters
Fri 24th
Semis
Sat 25th
Final
Sun 26th
bye
_____________
Durbach/Hansen (Rsa)
9/7, 9/3, 9/2 (28m)
Kyme/Stout (Ber)

Boswell/Ricketts (Aus)
9/7, 6/9, 7/9, 9/7, 9/5 (99m)
Durbach/Hansen (Rsa)

Boswell/Ricketts (Aus)
9/6, 11/9, 11/9 (85m)

Grayson/Knight (Nzl)
 

 

GOLD

Boswell/Ricketts (Aus)
7/9, 9/7, 9/1, 10/8
Beachill/Nicol (Eng)



Bronze
Grayson/Knight (Nzl)
9/2, 9/4, 6/9, 9/6 (90m)
Palmer/Jenson (Aus)

bye
_____________
Grayson/Knight (Nzl)
9/7, 9/3, 9/6 (72m)
A. Khan/K. Khan (Pak)
Matthew/Willstrop (Eng)
9/4, 5/9, 9/5, 9/6 (123m)
Grayson/Knight (Nzl)
Giuffre/DeLierre (Can)
9/4, 8/10, 9/2, 9/6 (56m)
Gough/Evans (Wal)

_____________
bye
Gough/Evans (Wal)
9/6, 9/2, 7/9, 9/7 (102m)
Palmer/Jenson (Aus)
Palmer/Jenson (Aus)

9/5, 4/9, 6/9 9/4 (98m)
Beachill/Nicol (Eng)

 

Bains/Reel (Ken)
9/3, 9/5, 9/3 (30m)
White/Leach (Sco)
_____________
bye

White/Leach (Sco)
8/10,9/2, 9/2, 3/9, 9/6 (87m)
Beachill/Nicol (Eng)

Women's Doubles Pools
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Pool A:

AUS

NZL

ENG

JAM

PNG Pld Won
[1] Natalie Grinham & Rachael Grinham (AUS)   3/1 3/0 3/0 3/0 4 4
[4] Louise Crome & Lara Petera (NZL) 1/3   3/2 3/0 3/0 4 3
[5] Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) 0/3 2/3   3/0 3/0 4 2
Karen Anderson & Marlene West (JAM) 0/3 0/3 0/3   3/0 4 1
Naluge Guy & Eli Webb (PNG) 0/3 0/3 0/3 0/3   4 0

Pool B:

NZL

ENG

AUS

SCO

SRI Pld Won
[2] Shelley Kitchen & Tamsyn Leevey (NZL)   3/2 3/2 3/0 3/0 4 4
[3] Tania Bailey & Vicky Botwright (ENG) 2/3   3/1 3/0 3/0 4 3
[6] Dianne Desira & Amelia Pittock (AUS) 2/3 1/3   3/0 3/0 4 2
Frania Gillen-Buchert & Louise Philip (SCO) 0/3 0/3 0/3   3/1 4 1
Nirasha Guruge & Tehani Guruge (SRI) 0/3 0/3 0/3 1/3   4 0

Women's Doubles Draw
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Semi-Finals, Sat 25th Final, Sun 26th
Grinham/Grinham (Aus)
5/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/6 (61m)
Bailey/Botwright (Eng)

GOLD

Grinham/Grinham (Aus)
1/9, 9/4, 9/3, 9/3 (57m)
Kitchen/Leevey (Nzl)

Bronze
Bailey/Botwright (Eng)
10/8, 4/9, 9/4, 9/6 (80m)
Crome/Petera (Nzl)
 
Crome/Petera (Nzl)
3/9, 8/10, 9/4, 9/6, 9/3 (81m)
Kitchen/Leevey (Nzl)

Mixed Doubles Pools
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Pool A:

AUS

RSA

SRI

  Pld Won
[1] Rachael Grinham & David Palmer (AUS)   3/0 3/0 -0- 2 2
[12] Tenille Swartz & Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 0/3   3/1

-0-

2 1
Nirasha Guruge & Navin Samarasinghe (SRI) 0/3 1/3   -0- 2 0
-0-            

Pool B:

NZL

CAN

SRI

  Pld Won
[2] Shelley Kitchen & Glen Wilson (NZL)   3/0 3/0 -0- 2 1
[11] Runa Reta & Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 0/3   3/0

-0-

2 1
Tehani Guruge & Yassir Issadeen (SRI) 0/3 0/3   -0- 2 1
-0-            

Pool C:

AUS

NIR

 

NFI

Pld Won
[3] Natalie Grinham & Joe Kniepp (AUS)   3/0 -0- 3/0 2 2
[10] Madeline Perry & Steve Richardson (NIR) 0/3  

-0-

3/0 2 1
Chantelle Day & Jeffrey Broderick (CAY)                         withdrawn            
Debby Adams & Gye Duncan (NFI) 0/3 0/3 -0-   2 0

Pool D:

ENG

WAL

JAM

  Pld Won
[4] Vicky Botwright & James Willstrop (ENG)   3/2 3/0 -0- 2 2
[9] Tegwen Malik & Gavin Jones (WAL) 2/3   3/0

-0-

2 1
Marlene West & Christopher Binnie (JAM) 0/3 0/3   -0- 2 0
-0-            

Pool E:

MAS

RSA

GUY

NFI

Pld Won
[5] Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee (MAS)   3/0 -0- 3/0 2 2
[8] Diana Argyle & Craig van der Wath (RSA) 0/3   -0- 3/0 2 1
Nicolette Fernandes & Shawn Badrinath (GUY)                 withdrawn            
Becky Nobbs & Duncan Gray (NFI) 0/3 0/3 -0-   2 0

Pool F:

NZL

ENG

ZAM

MRI

Pld Won
[6] Lara Petera & Callum O’Brien (NZL)   3/2 3/0 3/0 3 3
[7] Alison Waters & Adrian Grant (ENG) 2/3   3/0 3/0 3 2
Sharon Chimfwembe & Lazarus Chilufya (ZAM) 0/3 0/3   3/1 3 1
Vanessa Florens & Nadeem Hosenbux (MRI) 0/3 0/3 1/3   3 0

Mixed's Doubles Draw
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First Round
Fri 24th
Quarters
Fri 24th
Semis
Sat 25th
Final
Sun 26th
Winner A
---------------------
Waters/Grant (Eng)
9/2, 9/4, 9/6 (23m)
Reta/Giuffre (Can)
R. Grinham/Palmer (Aus)
9/1, 9/6, 11/9 (47m)
Waters/Grant (Eng)
R. Grinham/Palmer (Aus)

9/7, 9/7, 3/9, 3/9, 9/7 (78m)

N. Grinham/Kneipp (Aus)





GOLD

Natalie Grinham/Kneipp
(Aus)
6/9, 9/6, 9/5, 9/6 (60m)
Botwright/Willstrop (Eng)
 


Bronze
Rachael Grinham/Palmer (Aus)
9/4, 9/6, 9/6
Kitchen/Wilson (Nzl)

bye
---------------------
David/Ong (Mas)
9/7, 5/9, 9/7, 10/8 (93m)
Malik/Jones (Wal)
N. Grinham/Kneipp (Aus)
9/7, 7/9, 9/5, 9/5 (57m)
Malik/Jones (Wal)
Perry/Richardson (Nir)
10/8, 9/7, 9/7 (35m)
Petera/O'Brien (Nzl)
---------------------
bye
Petera/O'Brien (Nzl)
6/9, 9/5, 9/7, 9/6 (70m)
Botwright/Willstrop (Eng)
Botwright/Willstrop (Eng)

3/9, 6/9, 13/11, 9/3, 9/3 (72m)

Kitchen/Wilson (Nzl)
Swartz/Leeuw (Rsa)
9/7, 10/8, 9/3 (36m)
Argyle/Van der Wath (Rsa)
---------------------
Winner B
Argyle/Van der Wath (Rsa)
9/4, 9/3, 9/5 (37m)
Kitchen/Wilson (Nzl)

* Winners C-F drawn, runners up into opposite half

DAY 10
Peter Nicol In Line For Second Gold Medal In Melbourne
England will go for two gold medals on Sunday on the final day of the Commonwealth Games.

Lee Beachill and Peter Nicol are just one match away from retaining the title they won in Manchester after eliminating highly-fancied Australians David Palmer and Dan Jenson.

Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles, Vicky Botwright and James Willstrop will play off for the gold medal, thanks to a sensational win over New Zealanders Shelley Kitchen and Glen Wilson.

Nicol will get his chance to add another gold to the one he won in the singles following an impressive performance in tonight’s semi-final.

After losing the first game – something that is becoming a habit for the No. 2 seeds – Beachill and Nicol were rarely troubled by the Australians, winning 5-9, 9-4, 9-6, 9-4.

Their opponents in Sunday’s finals will be from Australia, just for a change. Stewart Boswell and Anthony Ricketts earned their tilt at gold after beating Campbell Grayson and Martin Knight – the quarter-final conquerors of Nick Matthew and James Willstrop – in three close games, 9-6, 11-9, 11-9.

If that match was tense, it paled in comparison to the mixed doubles marathon between England and New Zealand.

Botwright and Willstrop looked down and out after losing the opening two games to Kitchen and Wilson. And they almost were.

However, the English pair somehow kept their composure to win a pivotal third game 13-11. And once they had a game under their belts, there was no stopping them. They raced away with the next two games to win 3-9, 6-9, 13-11, 9-3, 9-3.

Now they get the chance to win an unlikely gold against Natalie Grinham and Joseph Kneipp, who won a thrilling all-Australian battle against Rachael Grinham and David Palmer in five games.

Unfortunately, Botwright could not repeat that success in the women’s doubles. It was always going to be an uphill task for her and Tania Bailey against in-form Australian duo Natalie and Rachael Grinham.

But the English girls got off to the best possible start when they took out the first game 9-5, but that proved a false dawn.

The Grinham sisters responded by taking the next game for the loss of just three points. Just over half-an-hour later, the match was finished as the Australians triumphed 5-9, 9-3, 9-3, 9-6.

They will play the gold medallists from Manchester – New Zealand’s Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey – who beat compatriots Louise Crome and Lara Petera after trailing by two games. 

DAY 9

Three Countries Line Up For Doubles Medals In Melbourne
Lee Beachill and Peter Nicol restored English pride and kept their gold medal hopes alive with a nail-biting win in the men’s doubles.

On a day when England had several gripping battles against Australia and New Zealand, the No. 2 seeds were pushed to the brink against the old enemy Scotland – in the shape of Harry Leitch and John White.

After a hesitant start, Beachill and Nicol recovered to register an 8-10, 9-2, 9-2, 3-9, 9-6 to advance to the semi-finals.

They will be England’s only representatives in the men’s doubles semi-finals after Nick Matthew and James Willstrop suffered a shock loss.
Unlike the fast-scoring hustle and bustle of singles, some of the rallies in doubles are long. Really long.

As a result, organisers at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre took it upon themselves to liven up proceedings.

In between matches, a giant gun fired T-shirts into the crowd. The result on Friday evening was some of the loudest cheers we heard from the Show Court all night. Whoops of adulation from anyone lucky enough to grab a prize; moans and groans from those nearby who missed out on the bounty.

One over-exuberant Australian was even give a dusting down by the stewards for screaming: “You suck.”

Perhaps his comments should have been directed at the Scottish pair Leitch and White, who froze after winning a tense first game against Beachill and Nicol.

The gold medallists from Manchester pulled out some breathtaking shots to fight their way back into the match, the left and right-handed combination working well together.

Only two points were conceded in the second game; the same amount again in the third. An English victory appeared a formality.

However to their credit, Leitch and White rediscovered the rhythm that had worked so well in the first game and took the match to a winner-takes-all decider.

Neither team budged an inch until, with the score locked at 6-6, Beachill and Nicol found an extra gear and claimed the three points needed for victory.

Nick Matthew and James Willstrop weren’t so fortunate. They crashed out to Campbell Grayson and Martin Knight in four games. The New Zealanders took the match, which finished three minutes shy of two hours, 9-4, 9-5, 5-9, 9-6.

The third game alone lasted a withering 45 minutes after play was stopped when Matthew’s racquet smashed into Grayson’s face.

The result means Matthew will leave the Games empty-handed, while it is another quarter-final exit for Willstrop, who also lost in the last eight of the singles.

“Awful, we’re devastated,” Willstrop said afterwards.

“Nick and I wanted gold, so it’s a failure in our eyes.

“We knew they’d be good, that they’d be difficult to beat.”

Grayson and Knight will be joined in the semi-finals by Australian quartet David Palmer and Dan Jenson, and Stewart Boswell and Anthony Ricketts.

In the conclusion of the women’s doubles preliminary rounds, Tania Bailey and Vicky Botwright enjoyed mixed fortunes. A solid morning win was followed by a heartbreaking five-game loss to defending champions Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey.

The day began perfectly for the England stars when they enjoyed an excellent win over Australians Kasey Brown and Amelia Pittock in the morning session. After losing the first game, they hit back to take the next two, before eventually winning a see-sawing fourth to seal a 7-9, 9-1, 9-3, 9-7 triumph.

It was a similar pattern in the evening session when they pushed the New Zealanders, who recently won the World Doubles Championships here in Melbourne, to the brink.

Bailey and Botwright took out the first game, but were soon on the back foot after their opponents claimed the next two.

The English pair responded by winning the fourth game, but it was not to be. The deciding game went the way of the New Zealanders, who prevailed 6-9, 9-6, 9-6, 5-9, 9-5.

Speaking after the game, a delighted Leevey said there wasn’t much to choose between the teams.

“The game was good. I felt I did a lot of work and had to really keep the ball up. It was really intense,” she revealed.

The loss means Bailey and Botwright must face the fearsome Grinham sisters in the last four. The Australian pair have won all four matches so far.

England’s other representatives Jenny Duncalf and Alison Waters did not qualify for the semi-finals after losing two matches in the preliminary rounds.

Botwright and Willstrop then had to pick themselves up from their evening defeats to team up in the mixed doubles quarter-finals. But they showed no signs of fatigue as they overcame New Zealand’s Lara Petera and Callum O’Brien in four games.

Without doubt, Botwright and Willstrop were aided by the fact they received a bye into the last eight, by virtue of some impressive results in the preliminary rounds.

After dropping the first game, they recovered to win 6-9, 9-5, 9-7, 9-6.

No. 7 seeds Alison Waters and Adrian Grant did not fare as well as their teammates, losing their quarter-final 9-1, 9-6, 11-9 to top seeds Rachael Grinham and David Palmer.

Earlier in the day, the English pair had booked their spot in the last eight, thanks to an impressive 9-2, 9-4, 9-6 defeat of Canadians Runa Reta and Matthew Giuffre.

However, they couldn’t carry that form into their quarter-final clash.


DAY 8
Matthew and Willstrop Team up for Doubles
Just five days after their pulsating singles quarter-final, Nick Matthew and James Willstrop teamed up to score two wins in the men’s doubles on day eight of the Commonwealth Games.

The English pair opened their account at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre with a routine 9-3, 9-7, 9-4 win over Joseph Karigithe and Chirag Shah from Kenya.

They returned in the evening session to take on Canadian duo Shawn Delierre and Matthew Giuffre. Although they lost the first game, the end result was the same, with Matthew and Willstrop winning 8-10, 9-4, 9-5, 9-4.

It was all a far cry from last Saturday when Matthew had saved six match balls before downing Willstrop in a thrilling five-game encounter.

“It’s been good that we’ve played with and against each other many times,” Willstrop said today.

“We’re good friends and playing against each other isn’t a problem.”

Matthew agreed that it was a good experience.

“We’re really enjoying it and we’re being positive about the whole thing,” he said.

After winning two games on Thursday, Lee Beachill and Peter Nicol remained on course to defend their title when they beat Gye Duncan and Duncan Gray 9-6, 9-5, 9-2.

The No. 2 seeds won in just 12 minutes against the pair who hail from Norfolk Island, which lies in the South Pacific 1676 kilometres east of Sydney.

Completing a busy day at the office, Willstrop joined forces with Vicky Botwright in the mixed doubles to notch another victory. They overcame Jamaicans Christopher Binnie and Marlene West 9-3, 9-4, 9-5.

And there was also success for England’s Adrian Grant and Alison Waters against Zambians O’neil Chilambwe and Chiluba Chilfuya.

Meanwhile, Australian duo Rachael Grinham and David Palmer looked in ominous form against South Africans Clinton Leeuw and Tenille Swartz, winning 9-2, 9-4, 9-3.

Possibly the game of the day, and certainly the longest, was in the women’s doubles when Waters and Jenny Duncalf came unstuck against New Zealanders Louise Crome and Lara Petera.

After being on court for more than two hours, the English pair eventually went down 9-4, 8-10, 9-7, 7-9, 10-8. In a match where England regularly questioned the referee’s decisions, there was a further hold-up when Petera’s racquet hit Duncalf’s elbow in the third game, resulting in a delay for the blood rule.

In contrast, Waters and Duncalf returned later to see off Papua New Guineans Naluge Guy and Eli Webb 9-4, 9-7, 9-6 – a match that lasted just 16 minutes.

Speaking after the loss to the New Zealanders, Duncalf said: “I felt we should have won the sets when we were leading, especially the last set. It’s the first time we’ve played together, so I suppose that we’ve also had to get used to playing in competitions.”

Unsurprisingly, the victorious Petera was delighted with the result.

“We’re totally pumped!” she said.

“Now that we have played what is probably the toughest match of our lives, I’m sure that we’ll be able to handle our other games pretty well.”

In the evening session, Tania Bailey and Vicky Botwright boosted their medal chances with a 9-1, 9-7, 9-3 defeat of Scotland’s Frania Gillen-Buchert and Louise Philip.

Australia’s gold and silver singles medallists Natalie and Rachael Grinham impressed in beating Jamaicans Karen Anderson and Marlene West 9-1, 9-1, 9-2.

Of course, the result was to be expected, but Anderson’s comments after the match put the gulf in class into perspective.

“We only play together every four years,” she revealed.


DAY 7

John Murray reporting from Melbourne

Nicol and Beachill  to begin title defence
Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill carried on from where they left off when the defence of their men’s doubles title got under way at the Commonwealth Games.

The England duo, who won gold and bronze respectively in the men’s singles on Monday, enjoyed two comfortable wins at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.

Showing no signs of fatigue from their exertions earlier in the week, the defending champions easily overcame Bermudan pair Nicholas Kyme and James Stout.

The Bermudans began nervously and never really recovered, with Nicol and Beachill prevailing 9-3, 9-7, 9-5 in 30 minutes.

And the No. 2 seeds returned in the evening session to see off Zambians O’neil Chilambwe and Chiluba Chilfuya 9-1, 9-7, 9-4.

Speaking after their victory over the Bermudans, the Englishmen were happy to be back on court.

“It was pretty perfect for a first match. It was a strong hit-out. I think that’s what we needed,” said Beachill.

“It got Peter back into the doubles after the high of winning gold the other night.”

“Here it’s not just the Australians and English that are strong,” Nicol added.

“You’ve got a good Welsh pair, a good South African pair, the Bermudans – they are strong too.”

Elsewhere in the men’s doubles, David Palmer brushed aside the disappointment of losing Monday’s gold medal match when he teamed up with Australian teammate Dan Jenson to notch two wins.

There was further English success in the women’s doubles when Jenny Duncalf and Alison Waters made a successful start to their campaign.

They teamed up to beat Jamaica’s Karen Anderson and Marlene West Rabess 9-1, 9-1, 9-3. However, that victory was tempered slightly by a loss to Natalie and Rachael Grinham later in the day.

Bronze medallists from Manchester, the Australian sisters, who took out gold and silver in the women’s singles won three close games 11-9, 9-3, 10-8 in 51 minutes.

Losing singles quarter-finalists Tania Bailey and Vicky Botwright also got off to a winning start. They easily got past Nirasha and Tehani Guruge 9-0, 9-4, 9-2.

The Sri Lankan duo went down to defending champions Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey earlier in the day. Speaking after their 9-4, 9-4, 9-5 win, New Zealander Leevey said: “It’s good to get the first match over positively. I hope to do well and am definitely here for a medal.”

And there were mixed results in the mixed doubles for the English contingent.

Vicky Botwright and James Willstrop joined forces to oust Welsh pair Tegwan Malik and Gavin Jones in five thrilling games.

After a poor start, the No. 4 seeds evened things up at one game apiece before falling behind again. Eventually though, they pulled through 8-10, 9-2, 10-12, 9-3, 9-6.

“For me, the first game was a culture shock,” Botwright said after the match.

“I felt pummelled as the ball was always put on me.”

Willstrop agreed doubles was a different kind of ball game.

“Doubles is different to singles with new challenges and tactics,” he said.

“You need patience and I’m not good that.”

Teammates Alison Waters and Adrian Grant were also locked in a five-game duel against New Zealand’s Lara Petera and Callum O’Brien although, this time, the result went the way of their opponents.

The New Zealanders won a marathon match 7-9, 10-8, 4-9, 9-3, 9-6 in 82 minutes.

“New Zealand are doubles experts, so we really had a challenge on our hands,” Grant reflected immediately after the match.

“We’ve only been practising mixed doubles for a few months.”

“We needed to tactically change a bit more and, when we did, we were winning,” Waters added.

Despite that setback, Waters and Grant returned in the evening session to beat Botswanans Florens and Hosenbux and keep themselves in the medal hunt.