Mens Doubles
Commonwealth Games 2018 Men's Doubles Draw
05 - 14 Apr
Oxenford Studios, Gold Coast, Australia
Men's Final:
[5] Zac Alexander & David Palmer (AUS) bt [7] Daryl
Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG)
11-9, 3-11, 11-6 (57m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) bt [2] Alan
Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO)
11-9, 11-9 (58m)
Men's semi-final: [7] Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG)
11-9, 9-11, 11-10 (86m)
[5] Zac Alexander & David Palmer (AUS) bt [2] Alan
Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO)
11-8, 11-5 (30m)
Last 16 round:
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [15]
Jason-Ray Khalil & Sunil Seth (GUY)
11-9, 11-7 (19m)
[7] Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt [9] Lance
Beddoes & Evan Williams (NZL)
11-1, 11-3 (18m)
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) bt [14]
Bradley Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT)
11-5, 11-3 (23m)
[11] Vikram Malhotra & Ramit Tandon (IND) bt [12]
Christopher Binnie & Lewis Walters (JAM)
11-4, 11-10 (30m)
[5] Zac Alexander & David Palmer (AUS) bt [6] Peter
Creed & Joel Makin (WAL)
11-1, 11-6 (30m)
[3] Paul Coll & Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [13] Tayyab
Aslam & Farhan Zaman (PAK)
11-6, 11-6 (28m)
[10] Mohd Syafiq Kamal & Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [8]
Nafiizwan Adnan & Ivan Yuen (MAS)
4-11, 11-9, 11-10 (76m)
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [16] Mandela
Patrick & Kale Wilson (TRI)
11-2, 11-5 (13m)
Men's Doubles 3rd & Final Pool round:
Pool A
[16] Mandela Patrick & Kale Wilson (TRI) bt Sailesh
Pala & Romit Parshottam (FIJ)
11-9, 11-3 (16m)
Pool B
[15] Jason-Ray Khalil & Sunil Seth (GUY) bt Manda
Chilambwe & Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM)
11-8, 10-11, 11-10 (48m)
Pool C
[14] Bradley Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) bt
Jason Doyle & Jules Snagg (SVG)
11-6, 11-4 (14m)
Pool D
[13] Tayyab Aslam & Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Joe Chapman
& Neville Sorrentino (IVB)
11-8, 11-4 (16m)
Pool E
[12] Christopher Binnie & Lewis Walters (JAM) bt
Alexander Frazer & Jacob Kelly (CAY)
11-3, 11-7 (17m)
Pool F
[11] Vikram Malhotra & Ramit Tandon (IND) bt Ernest
Jombla & Yusif Mansaray (SLE)
w/o
Pool G
[10] Mohd Syafiq Kamal & Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Michael
Kawooya & Ian Rukunya (UGA)
11-2, 11-2 (11m)
Pool H
[9] Lance Beddoes & Evan Williams (NZL) bt Othneil
Bailey & Omari Wilson (SVG)
11-4, 11-7 (12m)
2nd qualifying round:
Pool A
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt
[16] Mandela Patrick & Kale Wilson (TRI) 11-0, 11-2 (14m)
Pool B
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt
[15] Jason-Ray Khalil & Sunil Seth (GUY) 11-3, 11-3 (17m)
Pool C
[3] Paul Coll & Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt
[14] Bradley Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) 11-4, 11-10 (27m)
Pool D
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) bt
[13] Tayyab Aslam & Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-7, 11-3 (30m)
Pool E
[5] Zac Alexander & David Palmer (AUS) bt
[12] Christopher Binnie & Lewis Walters (JAM) 11-7, 11-5 (30m)
Pool F
[11] Vikram Malhotra & Ramit Tandon (IND) bt
[6] Peter Creed & Joel Makin (WAL) 11-7, 8-11, 11-10 (46m)
Pool G
[7] Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt
[10] Mohd Syafiq Kamal & Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 11-4, 11-8 (27m)
Pool H
[8] Nafiizwan Adnan & Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt
[9] Lance Beddoes & Evan Williams (NZL) 11-9, 11-10 (46m)
1st qualifying round:
Pool A
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt
Sailesh Pala & Romit Parshottam (FIJ) 11-3, 11-0 (11m)
Pool B
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt
Manda Chilambwe & Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) 11-4, 11-4 (14m)
Pool C
[3] Paul Coll & Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt
Jason Doyle & Jules Snagg (SVG) 11-4, 11-2 (13m)
Pool D
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) bt
Joe Chapman & Neville Sorrentino (IVB) 11-4, 11-4 (12m)
Pool E
[5] Zac Alexander & David Palmer (AUS) bt
Alexander Frazer & Jacob Kelly (CAY) 11-6, 11-3 (16m)
Pool F
[6] Peter Creed & Joel Makin (WAL) bt
Ernest Jombla & Yusif Mansaray (SLE) w/o
Pool G
[7] Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt
Michael Kawooya & Ian Rukunya (UGA) 11-1, 11-3 (15m)
Pool H
[8] Nafiizwan Adnan & Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt
Othneil Bailey & Omari Wilson (SVG) 11-6, 11-3 (12m)
Women's Doubles
Commonwealth Games 2018
Women's Doubles Draw
09 - 14 Apr
Oxenford Studios, Gold Coast, Australia
Women's Doubles Final:
[1] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt [3]
Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) 11-9, 11-8 (22m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[4] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [7] Laura
Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
11-6, 11-8 (21m)
Women's semi-final: [3] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik
(IND) bt [7] Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 11-10,
11-5 (25m)
[1] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt [4]
Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-9, 11-5 (20m)
Men's Doubles quarter-finals:
[7] Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt [1]
Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS)
9-11, 11-8, 11-10 (73m)
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) bt [11] Vikram
Malhotra & Ramit Tandon (IND)
10-11, 11-8, 11-5 (48m)
[5] Zac Alexander & David Palmer (AUS) bt [3] Paul Coll
& Campbell Grayson (NZL)
11-9, 6-11, 11-7 (64m)
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [10] Mohd Syafiq
Kamal & Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
9-11, 11-6, 11-5 (52m)
Women's Doubles quarter-finals:
[7] Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [9]
Rachel Arnold & Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 11-8, 11-10
(25m)
[3] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [5]
Samantha Cornett & Nikki Todd (CAN) 7-11, 11-5, 11-9 (39m)
[4] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [6] Tesni
Evans & Deon Saffery (WAL) 9-11, 11-10, 11-3 (48m)
[1] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt [2]
Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) 11-10, 11-5 (24m)Quarter-finals: [9] Rachel Arnold & Sivasangari Subramaniam
(MAS) v [7] Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[3] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) v [5]
Samantha Cornett & Nikki Todd (CAN)
[4] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) v [6] Tesni
Evans & Deon Saffery (WAL)
[2] Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) v [1] Joelle
King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
2nd qualifying round:
Pool A
[1] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt
[8] Sarah Cardwell & Christine Nunn (AUS) 11-8, 11-6 (21m)
[9] Rachel Arnold & Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt
[8] Sarah Cardwell & Christine Nunn (AUS) 10-11, 11-6, 11-5 (38m)
Pool B
[10] Lisa Aitken & Alison Thomson (SCO) bt
Eilidh Bridgeman & Caroline Laing (CAY) 11-2, 11-2 (12m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) bt
[7] Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 11-4, 11-7 (26m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) bt
Eilidh Bridgeman & Caroline Laing (CAY) 11-0, 11-2 (12m)
[7] Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt
[10] Lisa Aitken & Alison Thomson (SCO) 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 (50m)
2nd qualifying round:
Pool A
[1] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) bt
[16] Dianne Kellas & Bradley Hindle (MLT) 11-2, 11-4 (12m)
Pool B
[2] Alison Waters & Daryl Selby (ENG) bt
[15] Meagan Best & Shawn Simpson (BAR) 11-3, 11-2 (15m)
[15] Meagan Best & Shawn Simpson (BAR) bt
Alison Mua & Stephen Henry (FIJ) 11-2, 11-1 (8m)
Pool C
[14] Marlene West & Cameron Stafford (CAY) bt
Khaaliqa Nimji & Hardeep Reel (KEN) 11-5, 11-8 (13m)
[3] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed (WAL) bt
[14] Marlene West & Cameron Stafford (CAY) 11-5, 11-5 (15m)
Pool D
[4] Donna Urquhart & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt
[13] Faiza Zafar & Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-3, 11-6 (12m)
Pool E
[12] Madina Zafar & Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bt
Mary Fung-A-Fat & Jason-Ray Khalil (GUY) 11-6, 11-9 (18m)
Pool F
[6] Rachael Grinham & Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt
Charlotte Knaggs & Kale Wilson (TRI) 11-0, 11-4 (10m)
Pool G
[7] Jenny Duncalf & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt
Colette Sultana & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) 11-5, 11-7 (16m)
Pool H
[8] Joshna Chinappa & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt
[9] Lisa Aitken & Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-10, 11-8 (28m)
1st qualifying round:
Pool A
[16] Dianne Kellas & Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt
Lynette Vai & Madako Junior Suari (PNG) 11-6, 11-6 (22m)
[1] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) bt
Lynette Vai & Madako Junior Suari (PNG) 11-4, 11-7 (12m)
Pool B
[2] Alison Waters & Daryl Selby (ENG) bt
Alison Mua & Stephen Henry (FIJ) 11-0, 11-2 (9m)
Pool C
[3] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed (WAL) bt
Khaaliqa Nimji & Hardeep Reel (KEN) 11-3, 11-1 (10m)
Pool D
[4] Donna Urquhart & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt
Taylor Fernandes & Sunil Seth (GUY) 11-4, 11-7 (18m)
[13] Faiza Zafar & Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt
Taylor Fernandes & Sunil Seth (GUY) 11-8, 11-10 (22m)
Pool E
[5] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt
Mary Fung-A-Fat & Jason-Ray Khalil (GUY) 11-3, 11-3 (13m)
[5] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt
[12] Madina Zafar & Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 11-2, 11-3 (13m)
Pool F
[6] Rachael Grinham & Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt
[11] Aifa Azman & Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS) 11-4, 11-4 (17m)
[11] Aifa Azman & Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS) bt
Charlotte Knaggs & Kale Wilson (TRI) 11-4, 11-4 (10m)
Pool G
[7] Jenny Duncalf & Adrian Waller (ENG) bt
[10] Amanda Landers-Murphy & Zac Millar (NZL) 11-5, 10-11, 11-5 (38m)
[10] Amanda Landers-Murphy & Zac Millar (NZL) bt
Colette Sultana & Daniel Zammit-Lewis (MLT) 11-6, 11-6 (12m)
Pool H
[9] Lisa Aitken & Kevin Moran (SCO) bt
Caroline Laing & Jacob Kelly (CAY) 11-2, 11-3 (18m)
[8] Joshna Chinappa & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt
Caroline Laing & Jacob Kelly (CAY) 11-3, 11-6 (15m)
It was fitting that the final match on the final
day of 11 days of intense Commonwealth Games Squash
competition at Oxenford Studios in Gold Coast
produced a second gold medal for hosts Australia - when
Zac Alexander & David Palmer held off English
rivals Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller in a thrilling
near-hour-long Men's Doubles climax which went the full
distance.
It was almost certainly the farewell Games
performance of veteran campaigner Palmer, the 41-year-old former
world number one from New South Wales who has featured in the
sport's six appearances in the Commonwealth Games since 1998,
and has now extended his record medals haul to nine.
But it was New Zealander Joelle King who
topped the individual medals table in the 2018 Gold Coast Games
after striking gold in the Women's Doubles, to add to her
Singles gold and Mixed Doubles bronze.
Alexander & Palmer, the fifth seeds, reached the
men's final after seeing off both the second and third seeds -
and took the opening game of the final against the No.7 seeds.
But the tables were turned in the second when
Selby (pictured above, left, with Alexander) and Waller levelled
the match, for the loss of just three points. The home
favourites regrouped, changing their tactics early in the
decider before delighting the loud and capacity crowd with their
11-9, 3-11, 11-6 victory after 57 minutes.
"I said from day one, a year and a half ago,
when I said I wanted to play, I wasn't just here to make the
numbers up - I still felt, deep down, that if things went my way
I had a chance," said Palmer.
"It's been great with Zac. We rode under the
radar a little bit this week as fifth seeds - it's been nice not
to have the pressure on us. The draw went our way. We snuck
through and stepped it up when we needed to - in the
quarter-finals we beat New Zealand, and last night was great as
we took care of the Scottish team really well.
"It maybe wasn't our best squash today - but
they made it difficult for us, the way they played. But we found
a way."
Speaking of his partner Alexander, a 29-year-old
from Brisbane who has now won his first medal, Palmer (pictured
above with Alexander) continued: "He was great, he's so strong
on the forehand, he reads the ball well, he hits the ball
cleaner than anyone - and tactically he's very good as well. We
played off each other - I'm very happy for him."
Alexander added: "It's unbelievable. It's as
good as it gets.
"They outplayed us in the second game - in the
third game we had to control the game . We clicked just a few
minutes into that last game, and started to play down the middle
a bit more - and that worked well. It was huge."
When asked if he might return for the 2022 Games
in Birmingham, Palmer said: "No - this is it, this is it! This
is a dream come true to finish like this. I'm going to finish on
a high!"
King, the world No.4, partnered Amanda
Landers-Murphy to an 11-9, 11-8 win in the Women's final
over Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik,
the Indian pair who won gold in the 2014 Games in Glasgow.
(Action pictured below)
It was the climax of an arduous 11 days for
29-year-old King whose tally is now five medals over three Games
since 2010.
"When you play such a big match, on such an
occasion - against a quality team - and come out on top, it's
unbelievable," said King. "I'm on cloud nine at the moment.
"Probably a year ago, three medals would have
been beyond my wildest dreams - but the way this year has been
going, I wanted three golds to be honest. But to come away with
two golds and a bronze is pretty amazing.
"But it's a team effort. It's not just me, it's
all these guys who have been watching me all the way through the
singles and picking me up each day. It's been pretty amazing and
I can't wait to share it with them."
Speaking of Landers-Murphy, the 26-year-old
world No.41 who partnered her to world titles both in 2016 and
2017, King said: "She's the dark horse of the team, she's the
quiet achiever. She works really hard all the time. I've known
her for a while now and we've become really close. I'm really
happy for her and proud that she's put in the effort and got the
reward. She's carried me most of the week - brought me through
when I was a bit flat and down.
"I leave the village at 5am tomorrow morning for
El Gouna. I'll probably spend the first day on the beach and let
my body heal, then switch over to singles - it's a big
tournament, a World Series event, and I don't want to let the
momentum of the year be broken now. I've worked hard to get here
and I'm going to do everything I can to put in my best
performance there."
England and Australia shared the two events'
bronze medals. The first match, with a 10.00am start, saw fourth
seeds Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (pictured
above with fellow medallists) beat the English pair Laura
Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry 11-6, 11-8.
Later, England's No.4 seeds Declan James
& James Willstrop needed 58 minutes to get the better of
Scottish rivals Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban, the
second seeds, 11-9, 11-9.
Grinham was celebrating her eighth Games medal -
and agreed that today's success was awesome.
"But that's what we come here for, to win
medals. I was close to walking away from this Games without a
medal. Luckily we turned it on today and had an awesome match.
And it was quite comfortable - a lot of the games this week have
been so close.
"Donna's been incredible, so solid all week.
It's brutal to play in both events, all week."
It was late the previous evening that Urquhart
and Cameron Pilley treated the crowd to a
gold-medal-winning performance in the Mixed Doubles.
"It's a strange feeling," said Urquhart. "We
played the last match last night, a late finish. But I had to be
ready for an early start this morning. I think it's adrenaline
that got me through, to be honest. But now that I've finished
I'm probably going realise how sore my body is.
"Rachael said to me last night: if I'm coming
off tomorrow after losing, I'm coming off in a wheelchair!"
When 41-year-old Grinham was asked if she would
make the 2022 Games, the former world number one, replied:
"Never say never - but very likely not!"
Willstrop, the men's singles gold medallist
earlier in the Games, said after his Doubles win: "They count
for so much, these Commonwealth medals - it's a huge thing for
anyone winning medals, in the village people applaud it and
you're up on a board.
"And yesterday we were a million miles away from
thinking about that - it's incredible how you have to turn
yourself around. You wake up the next morning and have another
go!"
His partner James, aged 24, added: "After an
hour and a half of drama and stress yesterday, I wouldn't have
dreamed of thinking of coming back on court again today!
"We never go through the emotion of losing at
squash, then having to play again. It was reconciliation today -
we still realised there's a huge amount to play for and we said
fourth is going to feel a hell of a lot worse than third is. We
can hold our heads high now knowing that we've done everything
we could. We're really happy that we came through today."
When the subject of the next Games came up,
34-year-old Willstrop (pictured below with fellow English
medallists) replied: "Declan should be there, but it's different
for me - I can't take anything for granted. All I know now is
that I'd like to play squash for a bit, if I can. I have to take
it month by month.
"I'm just so thrilled that I've got my body to a
point where it can get through two weeks of this. I never
dreamed of that four years ago."
2018 Commonwealth Games images courtesy of
Toni Van der Kreek
Donna Urquhart &
Cameron Pilley, an Aussie pairing that has only been
together for eight months, claimed Commonwealth Games Squash
gold after winning the Mixed Doubles final in straight games in
front of a capacity and partisan crowd at Oxenford Studios
in Gold Coast - thus keeping the event's gold medal in
Australian hands for the fourth time since 2006.
The fourth seeds made their breakthrough in the
semi-finals when they despatched second-seeded English pair
Alison Waters & Daryl Selby. Their opponents in the
final also pulled off a semi-final upset - Dipika Pallikal
Karthik & Saurav Ghosal, an Indian pairing
celebrating their second successive partnership in the
Commonwealth Games, surviving a dramatic third game tie-break
against the event favourites.
But, buoyed by the crowd, Urquhart & Pilley -
first cousins who hail from Yamba in New South Wales - defeated
the Indians 11-8, 11-10 in 31 minutes to claim the first squash
medal for the hosts on Gold Coast.
"It feels amazing," said Pilley, who now becomes
the first player to win three Commonwealth Games Doubles gold
medals. "It won't sink in until we're standing on the podium and
watching the flag go up - that'll probably get the waterworks
going.
"Every other gold I've won is so special. But to
play in front of such a great Aussie crowd is something we never
get the opportunity to do. I've got about ten family from
Denmark who've come over and we've both got a massive group from
Yamba that came up.
"So to do it in front of all your friends and
family who never get to see you play - and we walk away with a
gold medal - it makes it even better!"
Urquhart interjected: "It's not just that - but
having this capacity crowd cheering for us is very special. It's
so good for squash - I hope everybody loved it.
"We might never get another opportunity to play
in front of a crowd that big, where they're all cheering for us.
"I can't believe we did it. I can't believe how
relaxed we were - I can't believe how relaxed I was!! How good
is this moment. We remembered to enjoy it - and that relaxed us.
We were so hungry to win."
When asked about the partnership, Pilley
replied: "We only played with each for the first time in August,
and teamed up for the world champs in England."
Urquhart, who won a Women's Doubles bronze eight
years ago in Delhi, added: "It's my first gold medal. I always
imagined what it would be like getting gold - it's always been a
dream of mine, so it's going to be difficult now to realise it's
actually happened!"
New Zealand claimed bronze - and took the
country's 2018 Games tally up to four medals, its best ever
success - when Joelle King & Paul Coll defeated
England's Alison Waters & Daryl Selby 11-6, 11-6
in 28 minutes.
"After yesterday's disappointment we wanted to
make sure that we came out here and lifted the team - and I
think we put together probably one of our best performances, to
be honest," said King, the women's individual gold medallist who
is now sure of the three Gold Coast Games medals.
"It's been a tough two weeks and we've played
every single day - it's a long stretch. But I'm super proud of
our effort today."
Coll (pictured, foreground, above), who was
clearly distraught after their semi-final defeat, was upbeat
about their play-off success. "I was on the floor 24 hours ago,
but I've got a champion partner and she picked me up. I've got
fire in my belly to help her out today - she's a real
inspiration to me. To get a bronze - not the colour we wanted -
is a great feeling.
"We're guaranteed four medals, and I think it's
the most we've ever got. We had high expectations coming here -
we've got a wicked support team."
King, a medallist both in 2014 and 2010,
concluded: "This is the third time I've done this - our team is
incredible. It's not just our effort, it's a real team effort."
Contrasting semi-finals in both the Men's and
Women's events produced unexpected finals. An all-English men's
match went the full distance before seventh seeds Daryl Selby
& Adrian Waller prevailed over No.4 seeds Declan James
& James Willstrop 11-9, 9-11, 11-10 in 86 minutes -
fighting back from 10-7 down in the decider, then winning the
'sudden death' point on a 'no let'.
"Playing your team-mates is really difficult,"
said Selby (pictured above, left, during the match). "We play
and train with each other the whole time - it's been a year's
preparation - and to come up against them in the semis is tough.
They're obviously a great pair. You feel for them.
"But on a selfish note, this is my last chance
to get in a final. It's been a great partnership. I'm just so
happy that we've managed to do it."
Australians Zac Alexander & David
Palmer came through the other semi, beating second-seeded
Scots Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban 11-8, 11-5 in 30
minutes. The win will extend Palmer's record as the most
prolific Games medallist in squash - and will give the New South
Welshman the chance to retain the event's gold medal he won in
2014 with Pilley.
The women's semi-finals went according to
seedings, with India's defending champions Joshna Chinappa
& Dipika Pallikal Karthik reaching the final for the
second time in a row after beating England's Laura Massaro
& Sarah-Jane Perry 11-10, 11-5 in 25 minutes - and Kiwis
Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy needing just
20 minutes to overcome home pairing Rachael Grinham &
Donna Urquhart 11-9, 11-5.
"It was important to get that first game," said
Pallikal (pictured above, about to be greeted by Chinappa) after
the win which ensures that India will take home two Games medals
in the sport for the first time. "We played really well in the
second to keep that momentum going.
"We fully enjoyed being out there today and I
think it showed. Sometimes when you're playing doubles you
forget that your singles game works the best when you're on a
doubles court. Saurav keeps telling me to play to my best
advantage."
Chinappa added: "To be honest when we won the
gold last time I never fully appreciated it. Coming back this
year, the competition is so tough. It means a lot to me - the
girls are so tough."
Men's Final line-up:
[7] Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG) v [5] Zac
Alexander & David Palmer (AUS)
Bronze medal play-off:
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) v [2]
Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO)
Women's Final line-up:
[3] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND)
v [1] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
Bronze medal play-off:
[7] Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v [4]
Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS)
2018 Commonwealth Games images courtesy of
Toni Van der Kreek
India and hosts
Australia will go head-to-head in a surprise Commonwealth Games
Squash Mixed Doubles final after the top two seeds failed to survive
today's three-game semi-finals at Oxenford Studios in Gold
Coast, Australia.
It was the end of the line for the favourites when
Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal, the fifth seeds from
India, defeated New Zealanders Joelle King & Paul Coll,
the reigning world champions, 9-11, 11-8, 11-10 in 53 minutes.
From 6-3 down in the third and final game, the Kiwis
came back to take a 7-6 lead before India moved on to match-ball at
10-9. King & Coll grabbed the next point to force a sudden death 10-10
'match-ball' for both pairs - but after a lengthy rally, King hit the
ball into the tin to put Pallikal and Ghosal into the final.
"We both wanted it really badly," said a beaming
Pallikal (pictured above being interviewed with Ghosal on the court)
later. "They were two up on us and they had their confidence going. We
knew it was going to be a really long match - the main thing for us was
to get everything up, regardless of how good a shot it was. We also knew
we had to enjoy ourselves."
Ghosal added: "Joelle's having an absolute cracker of
a week, she's playing so well, and Paul lost the men's final and he's
also playing well, and as a team they won the last two World Doubles -
and deservedly so. They beat us - the only team we lost to."
Speaking of his partner and sister-in-law, Ghosal
continued: "Dipika was immense tonight, she did so well. She dictated
the forehand side of the court more than Joelle did. She was moving well
and picked up some great balls - she was brilliant.
"It's about winning a medal for India - and that's we
work for. We take a lot of pride in playing for our country. It's not
about money or fame - it's about contributing to that medal table.
"Dipika and I are a very good pair."
The second semi immediately followed on the all-glass
showcourt - with the capacity crowd eager to cheer on a home pair.
Undoubtedly buoyed by the crowd, Donna Urquhart & Cameron
Pilley recovered from the loss of the first game to beat Alison
Waters & Daryl Selby, the No.2 seeds from England, 10-11,
11-7, 11-7 in 55 minutes.
"We're absolutely stoked," said New South Welshman
Pilley (pictured above during the match). "We knew we were in for a
battle. They're the No.2 seeds. The crowd brought us home there. It was
so good to hear them cheering their heads off - it doesn't happen much
for the Aussies."
Fellow Yamba-born Urquhart, his first cousin who
earlier also came through a Women's Doubles quarter-final clash, added:
"The atmosphere tonight was as good as it was this morning - and it's
nice when you can give them something to cheer about. There were a
couple of thousand people here. We didn't want to let them down.
"When we were scheduled to play them (Selby & Waters)
at the recent World Doubles, in the quarter-finals in Manchester, after
the first five points of the game, I tore my calf muscle. I was
devastated - I felt that I'd let my team-mates down. We felt we could do
well against them, but didn't get the chance."
So how did the pair feel about being the first Aussie
players to be sure of a medal at the Games? "It means heaps!" said
Pilley. "On paper, even though India are the No.5 seeds, we all know how
good they are - they've done so well in the past. We didn't have
anything to lose tonight and tomorrow it will be the same. We're
guaranteed silver so we've got nothing to lose - we'll just go on and
enjoy it."
On explaining the pair's relationship, Pilley
explained: "We grew up together in Yamba - our mums are sisters and we
grew up as next door neighbours."
Urquhart expanded: "Cam is four years older than me
but we played a lot of squash in those early days. I remember he played
with his left hand and I tried SO hard to beat him!"
It was in the morning that Urquhart teamed up with
Rachael Grinham to survive one of the most dramatic squash matches
ever seen in the Commonwealth Games.
The fourth seeds looked dead and buried when Welsh
pair Tesni Evans & Deon Saffery, the No.6 seeds, took the
first game and built up a 9-1 lead in the second - just one point shy of
match-ball.
But, with the partisan crowd behind them, Grinham and
Urquhart (pictured above during the match) stuck to the task and reduced
the deficit point by point before drawing level after a sudden death
10-all tie-break. With the stuffing knocked out of the Welsh, the Aussie
pair motored on to take the third to win 9-11, 11-10, 11-3 - much to the
overjoyed delight of the crowd.
When asked if they had ever experienced a comeback
like that, Urquhart was quick to respond: "I know I haven't!"
Grinham said: "Not that I can remember - but that's a
big one and we'll always remember that!"
On the impact of the crowd, Urquhart said: "At 9-1
down they were really quiet and with every point we got back they got
louder and louder!
"Wales played amazingly. In the first game I thought
we were playing well and in control but they did really well to play
winners on some big points. In the second they went up because they were
playing really well."
Grinham added: "It's so hard in the doubles - you do
have to be attacking but at the same time the points can go away from
you so quickly if you make errors."
Another earlier match saw a different outcome between
Pilley and Selby. It was a quarter-final match in the Men's Doubles when
Pilley & Ryan Cuskelly, the top seeds and reigning world
champions, faced English outsiders Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller,
the 7th seeds.
The Aussie pair, widely considered one of the hosts'
best gold medal hopes, failed to capitalise on a first game lead and
allowed Selby and Waller to clinch a massive 9-11, 11-8, 11-10 triumph
in 73 minutes.
The match followed another English win, by Declan
James & James Willstrop who now face compatriots Selby and
Waller for a place in the final.
"What can I say, my partner was phenomenal - he had a
lot of balls to hit today," said Selby. "It's his first Commonwealth
Games and he played phenomenally well. I was lucky enough to hit the
winning shot but Waller was absolutely brilliant.
"As I said yesterday, as a pair, we're dangerous -
but these boys are world champions and they're world champions for a
reason: they're the best doubles pair, and they have been for a long
time. A win over them, in Australia, is something very special.
"And it guarantees some medals for Team England!
"I'm delighted to be in two semi-finals on a personal
note, for Team England - and we're going to have a Doubles finalist
again in the men's!"
Waller, who departed from the Mixed doubles the
evening before after a defeat by Selby and his mixed partner - again
11-10 in the decider - added: "Yesterday was brutal for the whole team -
no-one wanted to watch, everyone was on the edge of their seats. There
were really no winners out of that - because everyone put their heart
and soul into it.
"But we backed up well afterwards - last night Daryl
and I played really well and I think we took the took the confidence
from that into today's match. They're a solid pair and didn't give us
much at all.
To get through on sudden death ...... I didn't want to lose two in a row
- that would have been too much!
"But I'm so happy for us and Team England."
An unusual quarter-final fixture in the Women's
Doubles saw top seeds Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy,
representing New Zealand, take on English pair Jenny Duncalf
(pictured above behind Landers-Murphy) & Alison Waters, the
second seeds. The Kiwis, paired with the No.2 seeds after failing to win
their qualifying pool group, made it clear that they are fully back on
track after dismissing their English rivals 11-10, 11-5.
With medals in sight as
competition intensified on the first day of knockout action in the
Commonwealth Games Squash Doubles in Gold Coast, Australia,
it was athletes from India and Malaysia who upset the form
book at Oxenford Studios.
Indian pair Dipika
Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal experienced the full range
of emotions across two matches in the Mixed Doubles. In the morning, the
fifth seeds struggled against Malaysians Aifa Azman & Sanjay
Singh Chal, recovering from dropping the first game to
come back and
beat the 11th seeds 7-11, 11-6, 11-8
In the evening
quarter-finals, the pair then pulled off a notable upset over Tesni
Evans & Peter Creed of Wales (pictured above), fighting from
behind in the second to clinch a
tie-break and beat the third seeds
11-8, 11-10 in 38 minutes.
"When you play two matches
a day, it's really hard to regroup and come back stronger in
the second
because you're so used to just playing one match a day," said Pallikal.
"When
you mess up one match in the Commonwealth Games you're out for
four years, rather
than when you play PSA you can come back the next
year and play it again.
"I think we enjoyed it a
little more this evening than we did this morning - and that's when
we
play our best squash. We loosened up a little bit in the evening - and
we're just glad to have taken that second game as they were coming out
really strong and if it had gone to a third it could have gone either
way."
Ghosal continued: "Very
rarely do you have an entire event when you play the way you
want to the
whole time. You'll have a day when you're not feeling the ball well, or
your
body's not moving well. I think the morning match was something
like that.
"But credit to the
Malaysians, they played really, really well. We had to get through that
match and sometimes when you get through matches like that, it gets you
better.
"But there's more that we
can do. We won a good match against a very good team this evening."
But now the pressure's
off? "I agree there's no pressure on us now," said Pallikal. "But
both of us know that the Commonwealth Games is really important and we want
to do well.
I think Saurav and I are good enough to beat anyone on our
day."
The pair are playing the
Commonwealth Games for the first time together since Ghosal
married his
partner's sister. "I've known Dipika since she was about nine or ten and
we've always been close - and I dated her sister for a very long time,
since I was 16, so we've known each for a long time.
"I don't think the
'intimacy' has changed a lot, but of course she's family now, and I've
always cared for her."
Pallikal and Ghosal will
now face top-seeded New Zealanders Joelle King & Paul Coll
for a place in the final.
The other Mixed semi will
be the Anglo/Australian affair predicted by the seedings - featuring the
second seeds Alison Waters & Daryl Selby, of England, and
fourth-seeded Aussies Donna Urquhart & Cameron Pilley
(pictured above in morning action against Cayman Islands).
Incredibly, both pairs
survived tense and emotional domestic derbies - in which each pair's
opponents included their own partner in the other doubles event!
On the showcourt, Urquhart
and Pilley despatched Rachael Grinham & Ryan Cuskelly, the
sixth seeds, 11-6, 11-9.
But it was on one of the
sidecourts that Waters and Selby squandered a one-game lead
to let their
opponents Jenny Duncalf & Adrian Waller, the No.7 seeds,
draw level - then
lead the decider 10-8.
The re-focussed second
seeds saved three match balls to win 11-7, 9-11, 11-10 in exactly
one
hour.
"We've obviously trained a
lot together and every time we play in practice it's really close,"
explained an emotionally-drained Selby (pictured above during the
morning match against Malta). "They're a really good pair and have both
improved a hell of a lot. We knew it was going to be tough.
"I think we played the
first game well and half of the second game really well - but I think
we
just saw the finishing line and both us were guilty of hitting a few
errors and making
a few mistakes and letting them back in. And they
capitalised extremely well!
"Alison dug in and did
what she does best. I'm proud of her. We came through from 10-8 down!
"But it was very
emotional. I felt joy and sadness in equal amounts - genuinely! We're
all
so close: Adrian's my doubles partner and Jenny and Alison play
together. It was really horrible to play in that match.
"It's emotionally draining
to play against friends - especially when it's that close. When it's
10-all in the third, it's just one point - one mistake, one error, one
no let, one something .... and you're gone! Or you're still in a
competition that only happens every four years! That's why I, Jenny and
Alison are quite emotional about it as we know it's our last chance."
Looking forward to the
semi, Selby said: "They're going to have the home crowd behind
them. But
we're a dangerous pair. It's going to be an enjoyable experience. We
came here
for a medal and we've got two cracks at medals. We've just got
to take one match at a
time and try and enjoy the atmosphere."
The unexpected Malaysian
success in the Men's Doubles extended play late into the night.
It was
an all-Malaysian clash between experienced pair Nafiizwan Adnan &
Ivan Yuen,
the eighth seeds, and event newcomers Mohd Syafiq
Kamal & Eain Yow Ng, seeded in
10th place.
With a place in the
quarter-finals at stake, it was underdogs Kamal & Ng who ultimately
prevailed - winning 4-11, 11-9, 11-10 in 76 minutes, the longest match
of the day.
Scottish medal hopes rest
exclusively with Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban, the second
seeds
in the Men's doubles. The experienced pair despatched Trinidad &
Tobago's Mandela
Patrick & Kale Wilson (see below) 11-2,
11-5 in just 13 minutes to secure a slot in the
last eight.
"We didn't underestimate
our opponents and did what we had to do," said Clyne. "We've been
battling away on these side courts without much attention - which suits
us. But it
will be good now to get onto the showcourt tomorrow."
Lobban added: "Our
partnership started at the World Doubles in 2016 - which we won.
We
worked well together and enjoyed playing together - so it was probably
back then
that we started planning our bid to be here to fight for
medals at the Commonwealth
Games."
Men's quarter-final
line-up:
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [7] Daryl
Selby & Adrian Waller (ENG)
[4] Declan James & James Willstrop (ENG) v [11] Vikram
Malhotra & Ramit Tandon (IND)
[3] Paul Coll & Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [5] Zac
Alexander & David Palmer (AUS)
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) v [10] Mohd Syafiq
Kamal & Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
Women's quarter-final
line-up:
[9] Rachel Arnold & Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [7]
Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[3] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) v [5]
Samantha Cornett & Nikki Todd (CAN)
[4] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) v [6] Tesni
Evans & Deon Saffery (WAL)
[2] Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) v [1] Joelle
King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
Mixed semi-final line-up:
[1] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) v [5] Dipika Pallikal
Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[2] Alison Waters & Daryl Selby (ENG) v [4] Donna
Urquhart & Cameron Pilley (AUS)
After a day two count of
30 pool matches spread across five courts, Commonwealth Games Squash
action moves into the knockout stages on Thursday in the Women's and
Mixed Doubles at Oxenford Studios in Gold Coast,
Australia.
A crucial encounter in the
Women's event opened proceeding on the all-glass showcourt where
top-seeded New Zealanders Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy
faced Aussie pair Sarah Cardwell & Christine Nunn, the
No.8 seeds, in a match (see above) which the Kiwi world champions -
after losing in Monday's first pool match - had to win in order to
progress to the knockout stage.
With King, the
newly-crowned Commonwealth singles gold medallist, now in the 'doubles
zone', the favourites took just 21 minutes to see off the home duo 11-8,
11-6.
"If we lost, we were
definitely out," conceded King afterwards. "I guess we just wanted to
come back and try and play better than we did yesterday - it was a
pretty poor start from myself. I had the afternoon off yesterday and was
able to recover a bit more.
"Doubles is one of those
games where it takes a little bit to gell - especially when you've been
playing singles and you've got to try and switch over. And we certainly
gelled a lot better in that game."
Was it difficult to come
down from Monday's high of gold medal success? "Yes," said King. "Not
much sleep and all that - but we're professionals and that's what we've
got to do.
"I was disappointed with
the way I played yesterday - it wasn't good. I had to come back today
and restart my doubles campaign. So hopefully we can move forward out of
the round robin then see what else we can do."
Partner Landers-Murphy
said: "It's a team effort - both of us were out there and we just didn't
perform as we wanted to. Today we had to come out and prove that we can
play better.
"We don't go on there
thinking we're world champs - we go on there taking each day as it
comes."
When asked how she was
handling playing both doubles events, with different partners, King
explained: "Playing match after match is not so bad, we train to switch
over pretty quickly. I just didn't expect as big a come-down from the
singles. That was probably the hardest part of it. Transitioning was
easy because we all know each other really well, we know what's working.
But it's been a long week already.
"We've just started the
doubles and we all agree it was probably our worst performance ever
yesterday. But we've got nothing to lose. Sometimes when you have a loss
it sparks you on a bit. I guess we're going to muck up the draw - which
we've done many times. In the world doubles, Paul and I lost as well in
our pool and ended up actually going through and winning!"
Later in the day, the Kiwi
pair's surprise first day victors Rachel Arnold & Sivasangari
Subramaniam, the 9th seeds from Malaysia, completed a second
successive upset win by fighting back from a game down to beat Cardwell
& Nunn (all pictured above) 10-11, 11-6, 11-5 - thereby topping Pool A,
ahead of fellow qualifiers King & Landers-Murphy.
"We're very excited," said
Arnold. "It's our first tournament together - and it's in the
Commonwealth so I'm very happy with our performance. After yesterday, it
was important for us to get a win today as well and not just slow down."
Event debutante
Subramaniam, still only 19, said: "It was a really good win for us,
yesterday and today, to make it to the quarters as ninth seeds! It was a
very good win, but it's not over yet!"
New Zealander Paul Coll
was also rapidly adjusting to doubles play after battling to silver in
the men's individual final less than two days earlier. His first of the
day's two matches was a men's fixture in which he partnered Campbell
Grayson to an 11-4, 11-10 victory over Maltese pair Bradley
Hindle & Daniel Zammit-Lewis.
How easy was the change
from singles? "It's not easy, you've got to be pretty switched on," said
the world No.9 (pictured above, foreground, in the day's Mixed match).
"Yesterday morning was tough, today is a lot better. Campbell carried me
yesterday, made it easy for me. But we've got a great team from New
Zealand, physios, etc, who take wonderful care of us. Body's feeling
good."
His partner agreed: "He's
come from such a high, the emotion and everything - and doubles is a lot
different as well, and I've had the opportunity to play for the last
couple of days. I've just got to try and look after him and help him
when I need to."
Coll interjected: "He's a
good masseuse as well!"
Grayson responded
instantly: "Yes, they call him Superman - but I'm going for the Superman
role now!"
Coll continued: "Since the
individuals started I haven't had time to play any doubles - but it
comes back pretty quickly. One or two matches and it clicks pretty well
- and we've got our communication sorted out which is key to us, we
trust each other.
"Malta came out firing in
the second game and got an early lead. We had to talk about our tactics
and find a solution, which we did. And from 8-3 down we won 11-10. Yes,
that was tough."
Two English pairs vying
for a places in the Women's quarter-finals were placed in the same
qualifying pool - and in the morning faced each other.
Second favourites Jenny
Duncalf & Alison Waters justified their seeding by beating
compatriots Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry, the No.7
seeds, 11-4, 11-7.
Was it difficult playing
their team-mates? "It's obviously a very different dynamic to playing
other countries, but in individuals we play each other all the time, so
we're kind of used to it," said Duncalf, a former world No.2. "But, in a
funny way, being in the same group could be good for us if we both get
through - so then we won't play each other in the knockout stages so
soon.
"But we played so much, in
the summer and just recently before we left. We knew what we wanted to
do and were quietly confident - we thought we could do well."
The No.2 seeds got off to
a strong start on Tuesday by beating Scots Lisa Aitken &
Alison Thomson. On that match, Waters added: "It helped us having
that match yesterday - it was a good match against the Scots and it got
us into our flow and we came out really strong in that first one."
Replying to a question
about the number of matches players are playing in these early days,
Duncalf said: "I enjoy it - we've both got three today, we're both
playing the mixed and women's - the more I'm on court, the happier I am.
The mixed is so tough, it sharpens me up for the women's as well. I love
being on court. I didn't play the individuals so it's exciting getting a
piece of the action!"
Later in the day Massaro &
Perry clinched their place in the quarter-finals - but had to recover
from a game down and battle for 50 minutes to quash Aitken & Thomson
(see above) 9-11, 11-8, 11-7.
Perry, the singles silver
medallist, was emphatic: "The singles are completely out of my head - I
had yesterday to get into the doubles. We just wanted to go on there and
get the job done."
Massaro admitted: "We knew
there was a lot of pressure on us and we weren't happy with our
performance this morning. They won a silver medal at the world doubles,
we practise with them a lot and we know how good they are.
"Even though we weren't
that happy with our match this morning, we thought it would help us for
tonight - and I think it did. We knew our backs were against the wall. I
said to SJ after the second, if we lose this we go down with no regrets.
"We're two quality
performers under pressure - in fact that might have been the difference
in the end as we back ourselves to be able to perform under a huge
amount of pressure - being one-nil down - and hold it together. That
wasn't our best squash but it's what makes me proud that we can come
through when we're not playing our best squash."
Women's quarter-final
line-up:
[9] Rachel Arnold & Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [7]
Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[3] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) v [5]
Samantha Cornett & Nikki Todd (CAN)
[4] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) v [6] Tesni
Evans & Deon Saffery (WAL)
[2] Jenny Duncalf & Alison Waters (ENG) v [1] Joelle
King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
Mixed last sixteen round
line-up:
[1] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) v [15] Meagan Best
& Shawn Simpson (BAR)
[8] Joshna Chinappa & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) v [10]
Amanda Landers-Murphy & Zac Millar (NZL)
[3] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed (WAL) v [13] Faiza Zafar
& Farhan Zaman (PAK)
[5] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) v [11]
Aifa Azman & Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS)
[6] Rachael Grinham & Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [12] Madina
Zafar & Tayyab Aslam (PAK)
[4] Donna Urquhart & Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [14]
Marlene West & Cameron Stafford (CAY)
[7] Jenny Duncalf & Adrian Waller (ENG) v [9] Lisa
Aitken & Kevin Moran (SCO)
[2] Alison Waters & Daryl Selby (ENG) v [16] Dianne
Kellas & Bradley Hindle (MLT)
2018 Commonwealth Games
images courtesy of Toni Van der Kreek
Less than 24 hours after
the drama of the Singles medals finals day, Commonwealth Games Squash
action switched to Doubles as players took to the wider courts in bids
for glory in the Men's, Women's and Mixed events at Oxenford Studios
in Gold Coast, Australia.
There was a significant
Pool upset early in the day in the women's event when Rachel Arnold
& Sivasangari Subramaniam, the ninth seeds from Malaysia, brushed
aside top seeds Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy, the
reigning world champions from New Zealand.
The match took place some
16 hours after King celebrated becoming the first Kiwi to win a singles
gold medal - after surviving a dramatic and energy-sapping 78-minute
final.
But Arnold & Subramaniam
(pictured below) clearly made no allowances for this, storming to a
shock 11-10, 11-10 best-of-three victory (the standard doubles scoring)
over the favourites.
"We were ready for a tough
match," said 21-year-old Arnold, ranked 51 in the world. "We stuck to
our plan and we played really well."
Rising Malaysian star
Subramaniam, a 19-year-old Games debutante ranked 42 in the world,
added: "We've played a lot of doubles in Malaysia - we did a lot of work
to focus on doubles, so we were well-prepared.
"It was a really good
start for us - especially as they are top seeds in the draw. I was
really pleased with what I did in the singles - our confidence levels
are getting higher. But we've got to keep going and win tomorrow."
King and Landers-Murphy
need to win their remaining match to keep alive hopes of making the
knockout stages.
King made up for her
disappointing doubles start later in the day when she teamed up with
men's singles final runner-up Paul Coll to beat Papua New Guinea
pair Lynette Vai & Madako Junior Suari 11-4, 11-7 in the
Mixed event.
The packed showcourt crowd
enjoyed the first of three home wins on the day when fifth seeds Zac
Alexander & David Palmer dismissed Cayman Islands pair
Alexander Frazer & Jacob Kelly 11-6, 11-3 in an early Men's
doubles qualifier.
"Just focussing on the
men's doubles - the one event for us - is great," explained Palmer, a
double Doubles gold medallist in the Glasgow Games in 2014 and the
player with the most Games medals of all-time - eight in five
appearances since 1998. "Having the extra courts to practise on has been
the first time ever, at any Games, so I think that will definitely help
us later in the tournament when the matches get harder.
"We've played a couple of
world championships, we partner up well - I'm on the backhand and Zac's
on the forehand so I think we mix up pretty well, between his attack and
my experience."
On celebrating his sixth
appearance in the Games in 20 years, the 41-year-old from New South
Wales said: "It's a funny feeling, but I still get nervous. It's fun, I
still like to compete - and especially here in Australia. We don't get
to play many times in front of our Aussie crowd - it's motivational
watching people like Pilley play, with a huge crowd behind him - and
hopefully it'll happen for us this week in the doubles. We're a little
under the radar I think, which is good, but on the day we're still
capable of doing well."
What is the motivation to
keep coming back? "I'm coaching a lot now, but I miss that competitive
side - I don't get to play too many events for myself any more - and
also the fact that it's here on the Gold Coast in Australia. I remember
how great it was playing in Melbourne. Level-wise I'm still OK to play,
body is still pretty good. I'm still looking for another challenge and
I'd love to get another medal with Zac.
"I'm not here to make the
numbers up - I'm here because I still think we can do very well."
After resting during the
singles, England's Jenny Duncalf & Adrian Waller both made
their first Gold Coast appearances by beating New Zealanders Amanda
Landers-Murphy & Zac Millar (pictured above in a devastating
dive during the match) 11-5, 10-11, 11-5 - recovering from the loss of
the second game after being ahead by taking the decider.
"Doubles always is fast
and furious - it's definitely more frantic than singles and you can't
afford to fall back on your feet at any time in the entire match," said
Duncalf, a former world No.2 making her fourth appearance in the Games.
"We were pleased to come back in the third strong.
"It's my fourth Games -
but I'm still young at heart and on occasions like this and tournaments
like the Commonwealth Games, I still get so excited - just watching,
it's brilliant, but we've been chomping at the bit to get on court."
Waller added: "We seem to
have been waiting a week or ten days - so it's great to get out there.
There's nothing that beats being on court.
"We have managed to
practise every day. We settled really well there (in the match) and are
happy to move on to tomorrow. We've played bits and pieces over the
summer - but this is the first time we've played competitively."
India's defending Women's
gold medallists Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik
squandered a lead in the first game to go 1/0 down before coming back
strongly to beat Pakistanis Faiza Zafar & Madina Zafar
10-11, 11-0, 11-1.
"They definitely played a
lot better than we expected," admitted Chinappa later. "We were 10-7 up
so we obviously had no business losing that first game - but they had a
few good shots and few winners.
"But we regrouped and
decided enough is enough and wanted to finish it off as quickly as
possible - and I think the scoreline shows that!"
When asked what it was
like to return as the defending champions, Pallikal explained: "We're
usually used to defending titles every year, but this is a four-year gap
and a lot has changed over the last four years - the competition's
higher than what it was four years' back.
"We can't take anything
lightly so we're just excited to be here. Yes, we do want to defend our
gold but I think the main thing for both of us is to enjoy the whole
process of trying to win the whole event.
"When we got back home
last time, there was a lot of spotlight on us, a lot of attention -
which was great. We were just excited about it, not just personally but
for squash in general.
"I guess for us to have
won that gold told people that we were as good as any other athletes in
the country and we can win a gold at the highest standard. It was huge
for us - even today people call us the Commonwealth gold medallists so
hopefully we can go back home next week with another gold so that people
can call us double gold medallists!"
Men's singles gold
medallist James Willstrop was also back in action, partnering
Declan James to an 11-4, 11-4 win over British Virgin Islands' duo
Joe Chapman & Neville Sorrentino.
"I've obviously come off a
heavy few days and Declan's fresh," said Willstrop. "I'm now very keen
to make sure I'm ready to play as well as I can - I've got to recover
well and forget about yesterday.
"Having won yesterday,
you're on a high - it's a lovely feeling. There's the physical aspect
you need to get round - but there's no lack of motivation. I'm really up
for this. We've worked so hard together. I feel it's quite comfortable
to put an end to the matter of yesterday - this is a new thing now."
James, making his first
appearance in the Games, added: "I was bringing in some fresh legs -
I've been here for ten days now, training, preparing and seeing the boys
battling in the singles so I've got the bit between my teeth now. If I
can add a bit of freshness and sharpness to Jimbo's momentum then I'm
hoping that will make for a potent combination."
Aussie doubles hope are
being led by top men's seeds Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley,
the reigning world champions. Pilley came away with gold both in 2010
and 2014 - in the former a mixed gold with Kasey Brown and in
Glasgow the men's gold with David Palmer.
He and Cuskelly - who
appears back to full strength after being forced to withdraw from the
singles event with a leg injury - began their 2018 campaign in
impressive style beating Fiji pair Sailesh Pala & Romit
Parshottam (all four pictured above, pre-match) 11-3, 11-0.
Aussie compatriots
Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (pictured below) were two of
several players who played three matches on day one. Together the duo
won two women's doubles clashes - the final one of which saw the fourth
seeds resist a spirited attack from Samantha Cornett & Nikki
Todd, the fifth seeds from Canada, to win 5-11, 11-9, 11-4.
2018 Commonwealth Games
images courtesy of Toni Van der Kreek
New Zealand and hosts Australia are tipped for gold success in the three
Doubles Squash events in next month's Commonwealth Games, according to
the seedings revealed today by the World Squash Federation.
The Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles events will take place at Oxenford
Studios in Gold Coast, Queensland, from 10-15 April - immediately
following the two Singles championships from 5-9 April.
Kiwi Joelle King is seeded to win double Doubles gold - repeating the
success she achieved in last August's WSF World Doubles Championships.
Retaining the same partnerships, the 29-year-old world No.7 teams up
with Amanda Landers-Murphy to head the seedings in the Women's Doubles,
and is with world No.11 Paul Coll as favourites in the Mixed Doubles.
King was the hero of Team New Zealand in the 2010 Games in Delhi where
she was a double Doubles medallist - winning Gold in the Women's and
Bronze in the Mixed.
Alison Waters of England is expected to be a threat in both of King's
Doubles bids. The 34-year-old Londoner, ranked 10 in the world, partners
world No.17 Daryl Selby in the Mixed event, and links up with former
world No.2 Jenny Duncalf in the Women's Doubles - and both pairings are
the second seeds.
Waters was a Silver Mixed medallist in the 2014 Games in Glasgow, while
35-year-old Duncalf - who like Waters is making her fourth appearance in
the Games since 2006 - will arrive in Gold Coast looking to better
successive Silver medals in the Women's Doubles in 2010 and 2014.
Meanwhile it is the pairing of Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik,
winners of the Women's Doubles crown in Glasgow four years ago, who will
be bidding to retain Gold for India from the position of third seeds.
It is in the Men's Doubles that hosts Australia are expected to strike
Gold. Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilleyare the reigning World Champions and
expected to repeat this success in Gold Coast. The same pair won Bronze
in the 2010 Games - but world No.20 Pilley will be seeking a third
successive Doubles Gold after claiming Mixed Gold (with Kasey Brown) in
2010 in Delhi and partnering David Palmer to Men's Gold in 2014 in
Glasgow.
Despite retiring from the Tour seven years ago, Palmer will be back in
Games action for the sixth time since 1998. The 41-year-old phenomenon,
winner of a record eight medals and the only double gold medallist in
2014, will be bidding for 2018 success with Zac Alexander in the Men's
Doubles, where they are the fifth seeds.
Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban are seeded to provide Scotland their first
Commonwealth Games medal success since 1998 as second favourites in the
Men's Doubles.
Following the qualifying action in Pools, the top two pairs in each Pool
will progress to the knockout stages - last 16 rounds for the Men's and
Mixed Doubles, and quarter-finals for the Women.
A strong united delegation
of senior officials of the World Squash Federation (WSF), joined
by the Professional Squash Association (PSA), are in Gold
Coast this week to attend the XXI Commonwealth Games, as the
sport celebrates the 20th anniversary of its inclusion in the event.
Squash's participation at
the Commonwealth Games is a powerful demonstration of where it stands
today internationally: a well-established sport that is played worldwide
on 50,000 courts in no less than 185 countries and one that regularly
reinvents itself by placing a strong emphasis on innovation,
inclusiveness and sustainability.
As Squash is vying to be
included in the programme of the Olympic Games, the
Commonwealth Games, along with other high-profile international
multi-sport events such as the World Games, Pan American Games
and Asian Games have been providing the sport with a high-level
testing ground for the latest showcourt, refereeing and broadcast
technologies, as well as a platform to showcase the legacy that Squash
is capable of leaving to the host cities and countries.
The Commonwealth Games
have indeed left significant tangible legacies in Delhi, Glasgow, Kuala
Lumpur and Manchester, where the Squash venues have become major centres
or the sport's National Centres, providing access to high-performance
training and competition for thousands of young people over the years.
The showcourt from the
Melbourne Games in 2006 is still in use - and the state-of-the-art Gold
Coast showcourt, plus the nine match courts, will be relocated locally
to establish a new Australian National Centre in Carrara.
The Games have also
showcased the development of referee Video Review, and a new generation
of all-glass showcourts, which have since become an integral part of
Squash competitions around the world.
To name a few examples of
intangible legacy: Malaysia attributes its current major status
on the international Squash scene to its debut in the home Commonwealth
Games back in 1998; India can claim a similar effect, as the
country's greatest success in the sport was achieved when Joshna
Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, initially perceived as
outsiders, claimed the Women's Doubles title and India's first gold
medal in the Commonwealth Games. This victory not only reinforced
India's sporting profile internationally, but also created the new role
models for all young women in the country.
In 2018, Squash makes its
sixth appearance at the Commonwealth Games and the sport's truly
international profile is on display in Australia. 105 players from 28
nations, including the host country, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and
India, but also Lesotho, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, Fiji,
Mauritius, Cayman Islands, Malta, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines, all came together in Gold Coast to do their best at
this prestigious competition.
WSF President Jacques
Fontaine said: "With the inclusion of
Squash in the Commonwealth Games twenty years ago, the event became a
major showcase for our sport. Today we want to take it even further. As
our sport goes through a significant transformation inspired by new
technologies, new ways of youth engagement through sport, new
geographies joining in, and a better representation of women in sport,
we hope to capitalise on this incredible journey and showcase why Squash
has all the ingredients to be included in the Olympic Games programme."
PSA CEOAlex Gough commented: "With its ultra-modern glass showcourts
on display here at the Commonwealth Games this week and the innovative
plans we have for the upcoming Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games in
October this year, Squash has been at the forefront of the innovation
which enhances the spectator experience and allows for sustainable,
cost-effective and adaptable infrastructure solutions."
Next week delegation
members will travel from the Commonwealth Games in Australia to
represent WSF and PSA at the SportAccord Convention in Bangkok
where they will be able to discuss the current international sport
agenda and make the case for Squash with representatives of the global
sport movement.