England and Australia to contest men’s doubles gold medal final

Howard Harding reports

England and hosts Australia will go head-to-head in the Commonwealth Games Squash Men’s Doubles final at Oxenford Studios in Australia.

An all-English men’s semi-final 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'.

Selby, 35, said:

"Playing your team-mates is really difficult. 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."

Meanwhile, 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 medalist in squash - and will give the New South Welshman the chance to retain the event's gold medal he won in 2014 with Pilley.

Semi-finalists Willstrop & James and Clyne & Lobban will compete for bronze tomorrow.

In the women's doubles semi-final, England’s Laura Massaro & Sarah-Jane Perry put up a great fight against India’s Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik but the defending champions proved too strong, winning 11-10, 11-5 in 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, Kiwis Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy required just 20 minutes to overcome home pairing Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart 11-9, 11-5.

It means Massaro & Perry and Grinham & Urquhart will contest the women's bronze medal tomorrow.

In the mixed doubles, Donna Urquhart & Cameron Pilley claimed gold after winning the mixed doubles final in straight games, keeping the event's gold medal in Australian hands for the fourth time since 2006.

Buoyed by the crowd, Urquhart & Pilley defeated India's, Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal 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.

Meanwhile, it was the end of the road for England's Alison Waters & Daryl Selby in the mixed bronze medal match after being overpowered by New Zealanders Joelle King & Paul Coll 11-6, 11-6 in 28 minutes.

Speaking on Twitter, Selby said: "Wasn’t to be for the bronze medal tonight, Kiwi pair played really well. Proud to have such a great partner in @Aliwat1 , enjoyed every minute..."

Commenting on the team's chances, England Squash National Coach David Campion said: "It’s so close between the top teams here. The boys have a great chance for gold tomorrow against the Aussies and we still have the bronze medal matches to play for in womens and men’s doubles. They’ve all given everything they have. You can’t ask for anymore than that."

Results

Mixed Doubles Final:
[4] Donna Urquhart & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [5] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-8, 11-10 (31m)

Bronze medal play-off:
[1] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) bt [2] Alison Waters & Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-6, 11-6 (28m)

Men's Doubles Semi-finals:
[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)

Women's Doubles Semi-finals:
[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)

Line-up

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)