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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
Mon 20th, Day FIVE, FINALS:
[4] Peter Nicol (Eng) bt [1] David Palmer
(Aus)
9/5, 10/8, 4/9, 9/2 (109m)
[3] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt [2] Rachael
Grinham (Aus)
2/9, 9/6, 9/1, 9/6 (49m)
Bronze Medal Matches:
Shelley Kitchen
(Nzl) bt Nicol David (Mas) 5/9, 9/6, 9/5, 9/2
(53m)
Lee Beachill
(Eng) bt Nick Matthew (Eng) 9/3,
9/7, 9/3 (48m)
Plate finals
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Framboise in Melbourne
EN BREF #5
BBC Games coverage
Men's Final
Video Highlights
from Howard Harding |
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Framboise
reports from Melbourne ...
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[3]
Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt [2] Rachael Grinham (Aus)
2/9, 9/6, 9/1, 9/6 (49m) |
Gold for Natalie
Quick summaries from Steve
Cubbins
Australia's Natalie Grinham stunned her older sister Rachael to claim
Commonwealth Games gold in the women's singles event.
An emotional third seed Natalie, who celebrated her wedding a
fortnight ago and 28th birthday last week, beat Rachael for her second
upset win of the tournament, adding a gold medal to add to the bronze
she claimed in the doubles at the Manchester Games in 2002.
Rachael is yet to win a Games event, having claimed two silver and two
bronze medals.
Surprisingly, the sisters had never played each other in a major
tournament final before, despite highly successful careers, and
Natalie has now won two of the 10 matches they've contested on the
professional circuit since 1999.
The sisters are the top seed for the women's doubles event, which
starts on Wednesday.
 "We had
breakfast today together. She actually got me out of bed this
morning!
"It’s really weird. When you come to the CWG, you don’t normally
play people of your own country, even less somebody of your own
family, that you don’t want to see "lose. So it makes it very hard
and very different…
"I normally enjoy playing against Natalie, there is a bit of mind
games going on, we know each other’s game, and we are trying to
plan ahead what the other one is going to do…
"It happened that we spoke to each other while playing. So I told
her “you are getting desperate, you are trying to make me lose my
focus”. She didn’t do it today though…
"Natalie and Nicol are the quickest players on the circuit, they
always destroyed each other! Natalie is playing very well at the
moment, she is much more relaxed nowadays…
"I guess we are at the age this could be our last CWG…
"How do I feel? I’m absolutely exhausted. Actually, I didn’t feel
like I was playing for a gold medal today. Well, it’s the first
time we both actually made it to the final of a big event, so I
guess it felt like we already won. And at the moment, I’m
struggling to get any emotions, I’m just exhausted.
"I didn’t have my sister in my corner to coach me. That’s what
went wrong today…"
Rachael Grinham |
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 "How
does it feel to beat my sister? It feels great! No, it’s always
very difficult for us to play each other, one of us has to lose,
I’m just happy it was me who won today…
"At the start of the match, I was pretty high on winning
yesterday, actually I got the feeling that I won the gold medal
when I beat the World Number 1, then Rachael beat Shelley, we
nearly felt like celebrating…
"My game plan was to try and make her tired and to make the
rallies last longer. In the first one, she chopped me, so I just
dug deep.
"Also, today, the crowd couldn’t really pick any one of us to
support, both Australian, both from the same family. There was
much more adrenalin for us yesterday…
"I have been waking her up every morning this week, and she kept
on winning, so I told her “might as well do it today as well”…
"It’s a shock for us this week, as our mum was there during the
whole event, and normally, when she comes, we have an awful
tournament. We nearly felt like telling her “don’t come”! Who does
she support? Me of course, I’m the youngest, she feels sorry for
me…"
Natalie Grinham |
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[4]
Peter Nicol (Eng) bt [1] David Palmer (Aus)
9/5, 10/8, 4/9, 9/2 (109m) |
NICOL GETS HIS GOLD
Quick summary from Steve
Cubbins
Peter Nicol had made it quite clear for a long that his major goal as
he approached the end of his career was to win another Commonwealth
Games singles gold medal. His performance today at the Sports and
Aquatic centre in Melbourne underlined just how badly he wanted this
one.
The early exchanges set the tone, long, punishing rallies with Palmer
generally in control, but needing to win a point at least three times
to actually win it. Nicol, under the cosh for the most part, led 5/2,
Palmer pulled back to 5/6, missed an absolute sitter and saw Nicol get
the better of some long rallies as he took the 27-minute game 9/5.
 Nicol
continued the run into the second, leading 3/0, but Palmer once again
started to give him the runaround and levelled. Nicol was working
hard, much much harder than his opponent, but still managed to stay
ahead, and his clenched-fist "come on" as he reached 7/5 and 8/5 were
the first of many. The lead was whittled away, but Nicol hung on, and
doubled his lead after 30 minutes of high-octane squash as Palmer
tinned.
After an even opening to the third - and a delay in mid-game as Nicol
received treatment for a bleeding finger - Palmer raced ahead to cut
the deficit.
Had the tide turned, had Nicol's work-rate caught up with him? It had
every right to, but early in the fourth it was the Australian,
amazingly, who seemed to be feeling the pace.
Still working hard, Nicol moved ahead 4/1, pulled off several more
impossible recoveries to reach 5/1, and the body language was clear -
Nicol had been through the wall and come out the other side, and now
it was Palmer feeling the pace.
The Australian was left on his knees at the front of the court as
Nicol hit 6/2, the volume of the "c'mon" increased as he closed in on
the target, to be drowned by a roar of delight and relief as the final
cross-court flick brought the Scot-turned-Englishman his second
singles Gold medal.
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 "A
week ago, I was fighting to just get fit enough to play the
tournament, so I’m happy to get a silver medal although I’m hugely
disappointed, of course. But I’ve lost against an opponent who was
just better than me on the day…
"I played my game plan, which was to twist and turn him, and I
kept the ball in play as much as I could, but the amount of shots
that Peter retrieved tonight is just incredible, and no matter how
tired he was, he was still forcing me to play one or two extra
shots. And as I got more tired, the legs were not responding as
well as they should have, and I couldn’t get into position, and I
made errors at crucial times…
"The second game was crucial. At 8/8, I had a few opportunities,
but I made errors… If I had been able to squeeze the game, I would
have been right back in the match. But he stepped up the pace….
"I just wanted to thank my family for the support they gave me all
week, it has been fantastic to have them around, and it gave my
parents the opportunity to see the guys, and to watch some
excellent squash… I’m really grateful for their encouragements…"
David Palmer |
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 "I don’t know what to
say really… It was absolutely brilliant…. And what was so good is
that David is possibly the player at the top at the moment, a
great champion who wins all the majors events. And then, we have
another great champion, at the end of his career, who won
everything that there is to win, and that is a perfect set up for
a match like this….
"A lot of credit goes to David, who was not at the top of his
physical form on this event, and who played brilliantly, and who
never gave up. I think that we saw his total commitment during the
last game, where we had that huge rally at 6/1, and Peter played a
boast, and David just couldn’t get there, and just finished on the
floor, having given all what he could…
"It was an incredible sporting match, sport won in the end…"
David Pearson
 "A man on a mission, you could see it in his eyes…"
"Yesterday, I told him “make sure you win”, and he replied “Oh I
will”. And you could feel he was going to make it happen."
Nick Matthew
 "I’m lost for words… David played absolutely fantastically, he was
awesome, Peter had been working on this event for about a year
now, and he wanted it so much, you could see it in his face. This
is probably one of the best games of squash I ever seen…
"Peter is a fantastic team member. Today, we had the whole of the
team cheering and supporting him.. He is such an inspiration for
all young players, perfect preparation, attention to detail,
focus, discipline, at the age of 33, and his third final of the
CWG in a row… Just unbelievable… Really an inspiration for all…"
Paul Carter
 It was truly a fantastic game, two great champions playing in a
great spirit. Couldn’t be disappointed, with the way David
played…. I’m very proud of him…
John Palmer |
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EMOTIONLESS…
To
tell you the truth, Peter was like possessed today. He actually scared
me at times, as the expression on his face made him look like a
predator after a prey. David didn’t have a chance, because Peter just
wanted it more. The Boss was never going to lose that match. Never.
But now, I’m not sure why, but I didn’t get into the general feeling
of amazement about the match. Yes, it was a beautiful match, and full
of dramas, and very intense, a great show. But I have the impression
that the emotional factor played an immense role in the way the two
parts perceived the match.
And in particular the English side, famous for their reserve and
contained behaviour. This was huge for them. They revere Peter, and so
they should, the Boss being probably one of the best five squash
players that have ever lived. And they wanted him to win. Desperately.
And they lived each shot, each second of the encounter as one step
closer to History being made.
On the other hand, David’s camp was amazed that the man could simply
walk after the bronchitis that kept him in bed for 10 days just hours
before the start of the event. And yes, the Australian arriving in the
final was a miracle, but they were still, quite rightly too, hoping
for yet another miracle.
The match was a great match, but I’m not sure that we would have such
fireworks around it if it wasn’t that emotionally/historically
charged. I know that I have been constantly put on the spot for
getting emotionally involved in the matches I report on. For once, I
was slightly outside, and watching the others get emotional. And I
can’t help a little smile on my face…
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 "I
am in shock. I can't believe I have won it. I was overcome with
emotion and I have never felt that before in my entire squash
career."
"I wanted to win so desperately, and I wanted to make amends for
Manchester. This is everything I have been working for, for the
last 16 months, and for my whole career really.
"And it wouldn’t have made any difference if I had been playing a
team mate. It would still have been an opponent I wanted to beat.
"I wasn’t disturbed at all by the support the crowd gave David.
They were not against me, they were for David, and that’s a way it
should be. And there were between 25 to 30 Englishmen that cheered
for me, I was very happy with that…
"During that last game I was so tired but it was the best game of
squash I have ever played. I knew that if I could get ahead it
would be very hard for him.
"I almost felt that it was my destiny to win. It meant
everything."
"I’m really looking
forward to the Doubles, even more than I was to the singles. It
may look weird, but we play such an individual game, doubles are
so different from what we are normally doing, the friendship, the
camaraderie, I’m really looking forward to it…"
Peter Nicol |
In Praise
of Peter Nicol
Malcolm Willstrop is impressed ...
PRESENTATIONS - short video
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NICOL SQUASHED OUT…
This week will not stay in Nicol David’s mind as her best event,
that's quite obvious. The Duracell Bunny as she is affectionately
called just ran out of energy in the semis, and a lack of
motivation/juice a I have seen Nicol play a fair amount of times, I
saw her win, and I saw her lose, but I never saw her as slow and
imprecise as she was tonight. And she was unable to react to Shelley
Kitchen's faultless performance.
The New-Zealander didn’t put a foot wrong and played superbly,
hitting hard in the back corners, varying pace, angles and shot
intensity, putting the Malaysian under a lot of pressure that she
today just didn’t seem to handle.
Nicol had started as fiery as ever, winning the first game quickly
and leading the second one 4/0 in no time. But from that point on,
she made some uncharacteristic errors, one after the other, and had
to concede the game on a superb rally that got the crowd furiously
clapping as the two players walked out of court.
After that, unforced errors started to creep into Nicol’s game on a
regular basis, she wasn’t able to retrieve as she normally does and
seemed also very slow to move. That gave Shelley and her supporters
the belief that she could actually get the bronze for New Zealand,
probably for the first time.
And they were right. In 47 minutes, Shelley Kitchen gets the best
win of her career and pockets the bronze medal. It doesn’t get much
better than this…
 "I
was so nervous to start with, so I tried to stay calm, settle
down, stayed focus. It’s funny how it pays off when you do
that...! She is such a great player, I was just trying to get a
few points here and there…
"Today, I played the ball around, compared to yesterday when
Rachael prevented me to do so. I got my length from the start
today, and that set me up for the rest.
"You heard me yesterday complain about the fact that for these
games, we had to play for the bronze, well, I must say today was
just incredible, it’s an amazing feeling…
"My aim was not to let my country down. I always play at my best
when I represent my country, because I get so much support. On
the tour, we are always alone, where as here, today, I had my
family, my boyfriend, his family, my best mate, etc. It makes
such a difference…
"I’m really grateful for the after match care we received here,
we have five physios who are available to give us massages, and
they were the ones that kept me going this week I must say. I
wish I could take them with me on tour…!
"To be honest, when I saw the draw, and that I was playing Jenny
in the second round, I didn’t even look who I may get after
that…. I wouldn’t have imagined such a result. Not in my wildest
dreams."
Shelley Kitchen |
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 "I
had a lot of squash in the last three months, and you don’t
realise how much it takes out of you…
"The first two games were OK, but in the third, I couldn’t stick
to my game plan, and even simple things, I just couldn’t find my
game…
"I’m emotionally, mentally, physically drained. Today, I tried
everything, but Shelley got everything, every mistake I would
make, she would take advantage of, and she never made an error."
Nicol David |
"I think it’s a big learning thing this week for Nicol. There is a lot
on her shoulders, and she will have to learn to let it go, and start
again…
"This is a new year, and I’m pretty sure she’ll have a very good
second part of the year. Soon, she’ll have four months to train and to
re-focus, I think she’ll need that."
Liz Irving
Nicol's coach
"Oh my, I am so pleased for her. It means so much for her, and for me
that bronze medal. She dropped two events for this, ToC and Apawamis
in January, and it all paid off in the end…
"This week is the best I ever saw her play. She needed a good result
here, and that’s what she got. It’s perfect. Incredible, just
incredible…"
Anthony Ricketts
Shelley's boyfriend
"Fantastic effort from Shelley. It the best squash that she played in
her life I feel, she stayed focused until the end. Also, she held it
pretty well physically, because she had some hard matches this week.
"It’s her coming of age, and up another notch… But then again, she
always plays well for New Zealand… Pretty happy with that…
David Clarke
New
Zealand Coach
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Lee
Beachill (Eng) bt Nick Matthew (Eng)
9/3, 9/7, 9/3 (48m) |
NICK FLAT AS A PANCAKE…
From what both players said afterwards, neither of them were really
looking forward to playing a team mate after missing out on the final…
So they both played well, Lee sucked Nick into his spiders web up and
down the wall, the young man still fighting, and running like a
lunatic, covering a heck of a lot of ground, but more or less always
on the back foot, and it became quickly obvious that he wouldn’t have
the steam to beat the US Open Champion today…
I think that if Nick had played a player from another country, things
would have been maybe a bit different, and the will of not letting the
team down may have made a difference. But he knew that the bronze
would stay “in the family” in this case, didn’t he…
So as Lee said, one of the two had to win it, and the Man from
Pontefract did tonight…
 "I
don’t agree with having to play for the bronze medal, it wasn’t
the case for the past two Games, and we normally do not play the
3/4 place, as it’s one of the most difficult things to do, to lose
in the semis, and come back the next day and play another match.
Nick and I are both professionals, so we played it, but it was
very hard indeed.
"My gold medal with Peter in the doubles in Manchester is probably
the best moment in our career, we were talking about this recently
together, and this bronze for singles is pretty important as well.
I was very happy to get into the semis, I thought that David
played incredibly well yesterday. And for today, I feel that we
both deserve a bronze medal after the way we both played this
week, and I wish we could have split this medal between us.
"One of us had to win it, I’m glad I was the one."
Lee Beachill |
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 "When
I look at the people I played this week, I feel that I was at our
Nationals…
"You can’t underestimate the mental and physical strain of losing
in a semi final… It was very hard today to come back and play for
the bronze, especially as they didn’t have to in Kuala Lumpur and
Manchester.
"But I can see why they are doing it, look at the crowds today,
they were delighted to see another match, it’s good for them, it’s
good for the squash, it’s good for the event.
"It’s incredibly difficult to finish fourth, it’s the worst place
you can get really. But now, I’ll come back tonight, and cheer for
Peter, who I think has a pretty good chance against David, even if
he going to receive massive support from the crowd."
Nick Matthew |
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