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• TODAY • Day D4 • Day D3 • Day D2 • Day D1 • FINALS • SEMIS • QUARTERS • Day 2 • Day 1 • Update •
   
TODAY AT THE GAMES
Sat 25th, Doubles Day Four:
Men's semi-finals:
[1] Stewart Boswell & Anthony Ricketts
(AUS)
[5] Campbell Grayson &
Martin Knight (NZL)
9/6, 11/9, 11/9 (85m)
[2] Lee Beachill & Peter Nicol
(ENG) bt
[3] Dan Jenson & David
Palmer (AUS)
5/9, 9/4, 9/6, 9/4 (103m)
Women's semi-finals:
[1] Natalie Grinham &
Rachael Grinham (AUS)
[3] Tania Bailey & Vicky
Botwright (ENG)
5/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/6 (66m)
[2] Shelley Kitchen & Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt
[4] Louise Crome & Lara
Petera (NZL)
3/9, 8/10, 9/4, 9/6, 9/3 (81m)
Mixed semi-finals:
[3] Natalie Grinham &
Joseph Kneipp (AUS) bt
[1] Rachael Grinham & David Palmer (AUS)
9/7, 9/7, 3/9, 3/9, 9/7 (78m)
[4] Vicky Botwright &
James Willstrop (ENG) bt
[2] Shelley Kitchen & Glen Wilson (NZL)
3/9, 6/9, 13/11, 9/3, 9/3 (79m)
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Framboise in Melbourne
EN BREF #7
BBC coverage
GALLERY:
from Howard Harding
Results from Melbourne |
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OUPS AGAIN…
Normally,
the semi-finals day is a day where I get to spend just that much more time
in bed than the other days. First, we only had four matches the day
before, and as only two matches are scheduled, you can normally have a 2
hours more lay down…
And that’s what I programmed my mind to do on this event too. But here,
none of that, due to the specificity of the doubles (read the forever
length of the matches), we had to start yet again at 11am, after having
finished last night at past 12…
But when I got up early this morning (as I’m quite far away from the city
centre, about 1h30m travel), I went and made a cup of tea…. And found
myself snoring on the kitchen table.
“You should skip that morning session and go straight back to bed,”
suggested Bob, the friend I’m staying with…
And that’s exactly what I did… So all my apologies, I missed two matches
this morning.
Feeling guilty? Not that much….
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KIWI GUARANTEE
Quick summary from Steve Cubbins
The first semi-final on court was guaranteed to produce a New Zealand
winner, but would it be world doubles champions Kitchen & Leevey, or
their challengers Crome & Petera ?
For a long time it looked as though Crome & Petera would prevail as
the took the first and held a big lead in the second, holding off a
comeback from Kitchen & Leevey to double their advantage.
After a tight start to the third a series of errors from Crome -
failing to return two serves and a couple of careless tins - gave
Kitchen & Leevey a way back into the match.
Both pairs were using the ball down the middle as a way of getting out
of trouble, which led to a few scrappy rallies and a few hits - poor
Lara was struck several times, once on the point of the elbow by
Kitchen, and in the fourth on the side of the knee by Leevey, the
latter requiring an injury break (watch for the bruise in the bronze
medal match!).
Crome and Petera tried swapping sides in the fourth in an attempt to
stem the flow of points, but the momentum was very much against them
now, the fourth was taken on the resumption and the fifth quickly
slipped away.
So Shelley Kitchen gets at least a silver to go with her singles
bronze, and she's still in the mixed later today .. some games ... |
 "One
of us had to lose - at least some Kiwis have got through.
"I got hit a few times, but it's just the way doubles is, players can't
help getting in the way of each other."
Lara Petera
(NZL) |
 "It's always hard to play fellow New Zealanders, we are all good friends
off court.
"It's nice to have the chance to go one better than my bronze and try for
gold or silver.
"I'm feeling fresh for the mixed tonight."
Shelley Kitchen
(NZL)
"I just tried to think positively. We only got going in the third game."
Tamsyn Leevey
(NZL) |
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[3]
Natalie Grinham &
Joe Kneipp (AUS) bt
[1] Rachael Grinham & David Palmer (AUS)
9/7, 9/7, 3/9, 3/9, 9/7 (78 mins)
David Left, others kept changing |
UNTIL THE END…
After finishing their match at nearly 1am against English Pair
Grant/Waters, David Palmer and Rachael Grinham were schedule to play
at 1pm this afternoon. Needless to say they must have been a bit
tired…
I arrived at the end of the third game, when David Palmer and Rachael
Grinham made their comeback. After two very tight two first games that
went Natalie/Joe’s way, Rachael and partner tightened their shots,
adjusted their volleys and in no time (come on, two 8 minutes games!)
were back to 2/2.
And they took a good start in the decider, up 6/2, they seemed to have
the match won. And maybe that’s what they thought, and lowered their
guard just a bit too early?
Out of nowhere, Joe and Natalie found some stunning winners, and their
opponents just couldn’t stop the points hemorrhaging…
The pair equalised at 7/7, Natalie placed yet again a stunning
crosscourt that David couldn’t return. Match ball. All that work done
to come back into the match, must have thought the David/Rachael pair.
And zoom. A backhand boast in the tin.
But the day is far from over for three of the four players. The
Grinham sisters now play in less than two hours against
Bailey/Botwright. What a day, what a day…
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 "I
don’t want to appear pretentious, but I think I played a few good
shots, tight drives that stuck to the wall, some good winners, and
Natalie also played some stunning shots that allowed us to get
them right out of position.
"We couldn’t have played a better second half of the fifth game.
"We played the right shot at the right time, and when we had the
opportunity, we put the ball away.
"And I tell you that I’m really happy that we are guaranteed a
silver or a gold, and that we don’t have to compete for the
bronze…"
Joe Kneipp |
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 "We
had a very late finish last night, and a pretty early one this
morning, and as this arrives at the end of a very heavy week, it’s
start to put a bit of pressure on the legs…
"Joe was the fresher player on the court today, he played very few
singles, and I think that’s what made the difference today. They
just played very well… And to tell you the truth, we were up in
the fifth, and I just don’t know what happened! I seemed to have
make very few errors all match, and I just made them on the
crucial points….
"I’m playing again in three hours, but Rachael is even worse, she
is starting at 6pm, in two hours…"
David Palmer |
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AUSSIES INTO FINAL
World Doubles Champions Anthony Ricketts and Stewart
Boswell maintained Australia's record of being represented in
every squash final at these Commonwealth Games getting the better of
three close games over surprise semi-finalists Campbell Grayson and
Martin Knight of New Zealand.
"Bit disappointed, but we played really well. They were both really
tough."
Campbell Grayson
"There were a good couple of games, but they played the
important points better. We'll definitely be trying for bronze."
Martin Knight |
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"We got two golds last time, but we're happy to get halfway there.
It's going to be tough. I thought we played alright on the important
points.
Doubles is more physically draining so it's definitely a challenge."
Stewart Boswell
"We handled that well, and I know there will be a bit of pressure because
we definitely want the gold. We'll be trying very hard for that."
Anthony Ricketts |
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CATCH UP GAME…
The English pair got to a great start, pushing their Australian
opponents to make the error, but after that, they were playing catch
up all the way, as the Sisters led 6/1 in the second, 7/3 in the
third, and 6/3 in the fourth.
Of all the players I’ve seen this week, the Grinhams are the only ones
that really play a different game in doubles. I can’t tell you, I’m
not a specialist enough technically, but still, they play… another
squash…
And I must say it’s a joy to see. They move swiftly on the court, they
are… like water, fluid and unpredictable… And they move so fast, they
are so early on the ball, it must be so difficult for their opponent,
Rachael, with her precision and her way of holding her shots, and
Natalie, quick as lightening, placing her drop shot from all the way
back there from the changing rooms…
The English girls did their best today, they gave the maximum they
could. They were always a bit on the back foot, but as they are a new
pair, I’m sure they’ll train together and will improve over time…
 "I’m
going to have something to eat today….!
"In the first game, they played very well, and from the second, we
cut the mistakes and we got through!
"In the fourth, they were leading, and I was prepared to go for a
fifth. You can’t underestimate your opponent thinking that’s it’s
all over, it goes so quickly if you do…. And physically, I feel
fine…
"Our parents were both players, that’s how we got into the game,
but they were club players, not on the circuit at all… And it’s
Rachael who is the oldest, she’s got more wrinkles than me…
"Tomorrow, I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t think
about the medals at the moment, I just know I’m going to give 110%
to each event, give it my best, and hope it will be enough. And
this two weeks have been great, no matter what happens tomorrow…"
Natalie Grinham |
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 "I
feel we’ve played well all week, it’s all about not making the
mistakes really.
"Rachael and Natalie are quicker than anybody else on the circuit,
you can’t expose them, they could cover the double court on their
own! So if you put one in trouble, the other one will cover the
shot…
"And they play some great shots in the middle, so difficult to
see, and they play them as well in their singles game as well…
"In the fourth, I lost a bit of concentration after one of Rachael
shot was called good where I saw it in the tin. You work so hard
to win the rally, and then when you think you’ve won it at last,
you are told you haven’t. So I lost a bit of focus, which I
normally don’t do, and Rachael played a couple of trick cross
courts, and they hit me…
Tania Bailey
"We get a bit tired when we get to the last days of the doubles as
we play in the three events. We concentrate on our singles, and
then we start on the doubles… Some pairs just play the doubles,
and have much more time to get ready…
"We didn’t do that great last week, the English girls I mean,
whereas the boys did very well, so we are going to try and do
better this week…"
Vicky Botwright |
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AS STRONG AT IT COMES…
It was such a hard game. David Palmer, visibly exhausted by the amount
of squash he’s been playing these past 14 days, but desperate, really
desperate for a gold medal, ran out of energy, both mentally and
physically. His partner, Dan Jenson was superb, and had Australia won
today, my title would have read “Dan saves the day”. He found some
great winners, and saved so many winners from Peter Nicol it’s unreal.
But it was not enough to beat the Super English tonight. The
Australians kept 80% of their shots concentrated on Peter, who by the
way, told me he didn’t even notice it, so concentrated was he, and I
wondered, as the game unfolded, if that was a good game plan.
“Peter still plays extraordinary well even when he is tired”, told me
a player recently. And it’s so true. It’s nearly impossible to tire
him out. And especially on ½ a court… If they had to pick on somebody,
I would have chosen Lee, who had a few problems focusing in the past
few months, whereas Peter wants that gold medal more than anything…
Both Australians hit a barrage on the Boss, but nothing doing. He
saved, return, picked up everything and got the winners out of it. And
it became obvious that the attackers got more tired that the attacked…
I could see David’s frustration when he couldn’t return Peter’s shots,
but it turned to despair after Australia lost the third game. As the
Boss liked to do on a single court, he had broken the mental
resistance of his opponents, and the fourth, the shortest game of the
match, went all England’s way.
If yesterday the Beachill/Nicol pair was lucky to get away against the
Scots, today they were impressive in stability, nerves and strength…
 "We
should have been more patient than we were tonight.
"I’m very disappointed."
David Palmer |
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"This was a great game, it’s a strange game doubles, you are not
sure sometimes why you win the rallies… They attacked so hard, and
we went through, we broke their barrage, and it felt good…
"David was tired, it was obvious, and no wonder. He played as many
matches as me, plus the mixed doubles. And you could see that he
couldn’t play that extra wining shot, that extra winner…
"As they were playing more on me, Dan got tired as well as David,
because if you concentrate only on one player, and you fail, you
are the one ending up feeling the pressure. And if you can’t break
the player up, you are the one who cracks up…
"We hardly made any mistakes. They were trying to play a better
squash, but we played a better doubles, that’s what it comes down
to, and we’ve proved it tonight…"
Peter Nicol
"Peter is at the wrong end of his career (Peter didn’t like that
one that much….), he played squash every day last week, including
the final, then refocused, and just played again superbly all this
week.
"On doubles, all the guys can get pretty much all the balls back,
and can play some great shots, it’s all a question of mental
strength, and tonight we were very strong. If we were a bit loose
at the start of the match, we refocused and mentally came back on
top…
"We were ready to play on all night if we had to, we are both very
stubborn, we were ready to go on as long as it would have taken.
By the end we felt very comfortable, and the fourth was the best
game of the doubles we ever played together."
"Tomorrow is going to be such a tough game, it will be all about
who can play that little bit better at that particular time and
who is going to be able to keep it together that little bit
longer…"
Lee Beachill |
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JAMES & VICKY
BACK FROM THE BRINK
Quick summary from Steve Cubbins
It hasn't been a good week for James Willstrop and Vicky Botwright,
both going out in the singles quarter-finals, and both doing less well
than they'd hoped in the men's and women's doubles.
 And
at 2/0 down to the Kiwi pairing of Shelley Kitchen and Glen Wilson in
the final match of another late evening, it looked as though another
disappointment was coming their way, those first two games slipping
away at just nine minutes apiece. The Kiwi pair played tight,
controlled squash, giving the English pair few opportunities to make
an impact.
The third was anything but quick, as the English pair dug in,
desperate for the chance of a gold medal. Shelley already has a chance
of course, in the women's final, and Glen has one from Manchester.
The English got to game ball first in the 25-minute game, couldn't
convert and staved off two match balls at 8/9 and 9/10 down before
reducing the deficit, 13/11.
The momentum had swung decisively, and in 15 and 11 minutes Willstrop
and Botwright reeled off the next two games to reach the final against
the odds.
They won't have much time to enjoy the victory however, as they're
first on tomorrow, at 10am, the schedule being stretched to allow some
of the competitors a little recovery time.
 "We
ran out of options, yes I’m tired, but no excuses, we should have
won in three, we should never have lost the third… We changed
sides to try and mix it up…"
Shelley Kitchen
"It was a bad loss, and pretty hard on Shelley,
now we’ve got to concentrate about tomorrow."
Glen Wilson |
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 "The
game of doubles is such a different sport, and whatever people say
or think about it, it’s still a medal to be picked up.
"We all want desperately to win, but I really definitely wanted to
get a medal. I was so disappointed with the singles results, then
with the men's doubles result, I didn’t want to come home with a
blank sheet, I wanted to win at least one…
"The percentage the two girls played tonight is phenomenal, and
Vicky played some very good shots.
"We are learning, we learned from the first two games we’ve
played, we are learning as we play, we are learning how to mix the
shots…. We are proud of our performance tonight, wining against
such players is an achievement.
"Tonight was awesome, but now, we’ve got to come down from it, and
prepare for tomorrow, we’ve got to win the gold, no doubt about
it….
James Willstrop
"I felt that I was the one making all the errors, and that Shelley
was getting the better of me. So I tried to give space to James as
much as possible for him to play his “Magician stuff”, as he is
the one that plays the wining shots…
"Even 2/0, we still felt comfortable, we still believed we could
come back, we kept on saying “why are we losing”, we knew why we
were losing, it just didn’t feel right!"
Vicky Botwright
 "I’m
lost for words, losing the first two games then wining the third
13/11, they couldn’t had been more through the mill…
"I’m a nervous wreck!"
Dave Botwright
(Dad) |
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"Does the guy in black actually knows how
to play squash ???? He played so little, poor man ..."
Judi, Press Liaison |
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