Top seeds Momen, the men’s world No20 from Cairo, and El Weleily, the women’s world No7 from Alexandria, led strong fields featuring players from Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.

The favourites were keen to retain the titles won by compatriots Amr Shabana and Engy Kheirallah in the 2007 Arab Games in Egypt.

After overcoming Kuwaiti Abdullah Al Muzayen - also a semi-finalist in 2007 – in four games, Momen lined up against fellow countryman Karim Abdel Gawad in the men’s final.

Alexandria-born Gawad, the 20-year-old second seed, took a 2/1 lead – but the more experienced 23-year-old Momen regained control to close out the match 11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4 to claim the gold medal.

El Weleily also faced a second-seeded compatriot in the women’s final – and Omneya Abdel Kawy also established an early lead.

But it was to be a silver medal for the second time in a row for the former world No8 from Cairo as the in-form El Weleily marched on to gold medal success, winning 7-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-6.

“Current Egyptian domination of the Arab Games squash is a given,” commented World Squash Federation CEO Andrew Shelley. “But with the improvements from other competing nations – and the participation of Iraqi players, for example – the breadth and depth in the region is growing too.

“These Games, like all the other major multi-sport events in which squash takes part, are pinnacles for all players until we achieve a place in the one that transcends them all, the Olympic Games.”

The quadrennial Arab Games were first played in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1953.

Arab Games Squash Championships, Doha, Qatar

Men’s quarter-finals
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 13-11, 11-5, 11-6
[3/4] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt Rasool Hashim Abdullah (IRQ) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5
Ali Bader Al-Ramzi (KUW) bt [3/4] Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) 12-10, 11-5, 11-3
Semi-finals:
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [3/4] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2 (40m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Ali Bader Al-Ramzi (KUW) 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 (21m)
Final:
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4

Women’s quarter-finals:
[1] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Ghufran Ayoob (IRQ) 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (18m)
Aisha Al-Hamad (KUW) bt Rand Alsa’AD (JOR) 11-4, 11-8, 11-3 (16m)
Mariam Dashti (KUW) bt Rana Janabi (IRQ) 11-4, 11-8, 11-7 (17m)
[2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Shahd Najada (JOR) 11-2, 11-3, 11-7 (22m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Aisha Al-Hamad (KUW) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 (17m)
[2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Mariam Dashti (KUW) 11-2, 11-0, 11-3 (16m)
Final:
[1] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 7-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-6

The squash tournament will be held at the redeveloped Runaway Bay Sports Complex, which will also host the weightlifting competition.

A temporary show court will be built at Runaway Bay, along with a permanent centre featuring six singles courts and four courts that can be adjusted to cater for both singles and doubles.

“This is an excellent outcome for our sport and ensures squash will continue to have a high profile in one of Australia’s fastest growing areas,” added O’Donnell.

Despite it being an indoor sport, squash has always enjoyed good support and success on the Gold Coast. Australian squash legend Geoff Hunt has his family house there, and former world champion Rodney Eyles lives and coaches on the Coast, as does former world number two Brett Martin, one of the famous Martin siblings who dominated world squash in the 1980s.

A new generation of squash stars is also developing on the Gold Coast and should be in their prime by 2018, including Australian junior women’s representative Challen Stowell and Queensland Under-15 champion Will Mountford-Jones.

“Winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal is one of the highest honours in world squash,” O’Donnell said. “Australia has a proud record at the Commonwealth Games since the sport was introduced in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, winning seven gold medals, eight silvers and 11 bronzes over that period.

“Squash is relishing the chance to show the Australian sporting public how much it has changed over the past decade and just how dynamic and exciting the sport has become.

“On behalf of the Australian squash community I want to congratulate the excellent work by the Gold Coast bid team in winning the Games.

“Their hard work and professionalism has paid enormous dividends, not only for the sports involved, but for the whole Gold Coast community.”

Despite fears that hurricane ‘Jova’ would interrupt the opening ceremony, the sun shone brightly on the day that the XVI PanAm Games got underway. Squash action saw medals contested in Singles and Team competitions and – for the first time – in Doubles championships for both men and women.

A bronze medallist in both the 2003 and 2007 Games, world No14 Samantha Teran won the first gold medal for Mexico after storming to victory in the women’s singles. Teran, the top-ranked Mexican woman of all-time, romped through to the final without dropping a game, then beat Canada’s Games newcomer Samantha Cornett 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 to become the first Mexican to win singles gold.

Teran went on to win double gold, partnering Nayelly Hernandez to surprise success in the Women’s Doubles. After upsetting second seeds USA in the semi-finals, the Mexican pair progressed to overcome favourites Colombia (Catalina Pelaez & Silvia Angulo Rugeles) 11-8, 11-5 in the final.

And the hosts made it a double in the inaugural Doubles when top seeds Arturo Salazar & Eric Galvez survived a 93-minute marathon final against USA, ultimately beating Christopher Gordon & Julian Illingworth 11-7, 11-9.

Arturo Salazar had earlier suffered a surprise defeat to his lower-ranked twin brother Cesar Salazar in the Men’s Singles semi-finals. A 5/8 seed, Cesar made his breakthrough in the quarter-finals, upsetting Canada’s top seed Shahier Razik, the 2003 gold medallist.

But the 23-year-old Mexican from San Luis Potosi met his match in the final, as Miguel Angel Rodriguez despatched Salazar 11-7, 11-9, 11-4 in 55 minutes to become the first Colombian to win the gold medal.

It was the latest success in Rodriguez’s distinguished career after the 25-year-old from Bogota won his 17th PSA World Tour title in Brazil this month by extending his remarkable unbeaten record in Tour finals to 12 titles since 2007.

Mexico’s fourth gold medal came when the men’s team beat former champions Canada 2/1 in the Team final, where stalwartEric Galvez - the 2007 singles gold medallist – clinched victory (and his second Guadalajara gold) after beating Canadian newcomer Andrew Schnell 11-5, 11-1, 11-3.

After disappointment in two earlier finals, Canada finally tasted gold in the Women’s Team event where Samantha Cornett beat Catalina Pelaez 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 before Miranda Ranieri overcame Silvia Angulo Rugeles 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 as the second seeds beat Colombia 2/0 to successfully retain the title they have now won four times since 1995.

Before the opening Squash matches, the Federacion Panamericana de Squash (FPS) honoured former presidentSergio Rodriguez with a minute’s silence in his memory. It was an emotional moment for the many who knew the popular figurehead – in particular for his widow Marta Luz who was participating in the tournament as a referee director.

Event spokesman Gerardo Porras highlighted a notable performance in the event by Paraguay: “In the bottom of the doubles draw was Paraguay pair Esteban Casarino & Nicolas Caballero against Colombians Andres Vargas & Javier Castilla. This was a special match because it was the last PanAmerican tournament for Paraguay star Esteban Casarinoand the beginning for Paraguay’s rising star Nicolas Caballero, who is just 16 years old.

“The match was full of tension and emotions, which Paraguay won 11-9, 4-11, 11-10 to secure bronze medal – their first medal in the games and the sixth medal in their history. They are already heroes in their country,” concluded Porras.

Andrew Shelley has hailed the 2011 Pan American Games as the sport’s ‘best ever’.

“The growing strength of squash across the region is powerfully demonstrated by the fact that medals were shared across eight nations – Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Guyana, USA, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil,” said the World Squash Federation CEO.

“But Mexico deserve massive credit – not for only winning four gold medals but also for securing medals in all six events,” added Shelley.

Pan American Games Squash Championships, Guadalajara, Mexico

Men’s Singles semi-finals:
[5/8] Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [3/4] Arturo Salazar (MEX) 11-2, 11-8, 11-2
[2] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [3/4] Shawn Delierre (CAN) 11-7, 11-3, 11-7
Final:
[2] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [5/8] Cesar Salazar (MEX) 11-7, 11-9, 11-4 (55m)

Women’s Singles semi-finals:
[1] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [3] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 11-3, 11-5, 11-3 (38m)
[4] Samantha Cornett (CAN) bt Miranda Ranieri (CAN) 11-9, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8 (24m)
Final:
[1] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [4] Samantha Cornett (CAN) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (33m)

Men’s Doubles semi-finals:
[1] MEXICO (Arturo Salazar & Eric Galvez) bt [3/4] ARGENTINA (Hernan D’Arcangelo & Roberto Pezzota) 11-4, 11-6 (52m)
[5/8] USA (Christopher Gordon & Julian Illingworth) bt [5/8] PARAGUAY (Esteban Casarino & Nicolas Caballero) 11-8, 11-10 (37m)
Final:
MEXICO bt USA 11-7, 11-9 (93m)

Women’s Doubles semi-finals:
[1] COLOMBIA (Catalina Pelaez & Silvia Angulo Rugeles) bt CANADA (Miranda Ranieri & Stephanie Edmison) 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 (35m)
MEXICO (Nayelly Hernandez & Samantha Teran) bt [2] USA (Maria Elena Ubina & Olivia Blatchford) 11-4, 11-5 (19m)
Final:
MEXICO bt COLOMBIA 11-8, 11-5 (26m)

Men’s Team semi-finals:
[1] MEXICO bt [3/4] BRAZIL 2/1
Arturo Salazar lost to Rafael Alarcon 6-11, 7-11, 8-11 (26m)
Cesar Salazar bt Vinicius Rodrigues 11-4, 11-8, 11-6 (28m)
Eric Galvez bt Vinicius Costa 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (38m)

[2] CANADA bt [3/4] USA 2/0
Shahier Razik bt Julian Illingworth 8-0 ret.
Shawn Delierre bt Christopher Gordon 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8 (54m)

Final:
[1] MEXICO bt [2] CANADA 2/1
Cesar Salazar bt Shawn Delierre 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 14-12 (76m)
Arturo Salazar lost to Shahier Razik 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 3-11 (60m)
Eric Galvez bt Andrew Schnell 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 (33m)

Women’s Team semi-finals:
[3/4] COLOMBIA bt [1] USA 2/1
Silvia Angulo Rugeles lost to Olivia Blatchford 3-11, 6-11, 6-11 (21m)
Catalina Pelaez bt Maria Elena Ubina 8-11, 11-6, 11-0, 11-6 (22m)
Ana Gabriela Porras bt Lily Lorentzen 2-11, 4-11 ret.

[2] CANADA bt [3/4] MEXICO 2/1
Miranda Ranieri lost to Samantha Teran 5-11, 4-11, 2-11 (21m)
Samantha Cornett bt Imelda Salazar Martinez 11-6, 11-8, 13-11 (30m)
Stephanie Edmison bt Nayelly Hernandez 11-8, 11-2, 11-2 (28m)

Final:
[2] CANADA bt [3/4] COLOMBIA 2/0
Samantha Cornett bt Catalina Pelaez 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 (29m)
Miranda Ranieri bt Silvia Angulo Rugeles 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 (37m)

Accompanied by WSF Secretary-General George Mieras and Vice President Heather Deayton, he will have an opportunity to assess the mixed team squash event, played the first time in the 2010 Games, alongside the men’s and women’s singles championships.

The team event is the same format to be used in the WSF World Cup which will be played on an all-glass showcourt at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai next March.  The Chennai Mall is South India’s largest shopping and entertainment complex.

This week WSF Chief Executive Andrew Shelley will visit Guatemala for the Pan-American Squash Championships, and attend the AGM of the Pan-American Squash Federation.  Also present will be Women’s International Squash Players’ Association President Natalie Grainger.

Shelley and newly-elected Vice President Mohamed El-Menshawy will then travel to Saudi Arabia where the Men’s World Open will be held.

December sees the WSF stage its biennial Women’s World Team Championships in Palmerston North, New Zealand, where Mrs Deayton will be on-site.  The event, in its 17th edition since 1976, completes a busy calendar of championships for 2010.

Led by 19 players from the men’s and women’s world top 20 rankings, with representation from 27 countries, the championships field was truly world-class – with England emerging triumphant in the medals table, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

“It’s definitely the biggest moment of my career,” admitted England’s world number two Nick Matthew after winning his second gold medal in Delhi – his first being in an English clean sweep of all three men’s singles medals.  Australia’s Kasey Brown went home with three medals (one gold and two bronze), while New Zealander Joelle King became her country’s most successful athlete, and clinched the chance to carry the Kiwi flag at the Closing Ceremony, after unexpected gold in the Women’s Doubles and silver in the Mixed.

The event was staged in the purpose-built 11-court Siri Fort Complex – which featured a spectacular all-glass showcourt surrounded by seating for more than 3,000 spectators.

“The crowds overall were sensational – most players agreeing that they had never experienced anything like it anywhere else in the world,” said WSF CEO Andrew Shelley.  “The exuberance of the spectators as Nicol David paraded the Malaysian flag around the showcourt after her singles gold medal triumph will remain with me forever.

“The Siri Fort facilities are a great legacy of the Games – and will surely kick-start the development programmes in Delhi as well as being another focus for events.

“We attracted visits from some extremely distinguished guests of the Delhi hosts, including IOC President Jacques Rogge; Prince Albert of Monaco; and HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex,” added Shelley.  “All expressed their enthusiasm for what they saw.

One of the proudest squads competing in the game hailed from Norfolk Islands:  “I know it is not as great as winning a medal, but it is a big deal to us that Duncan Gray and Gye Duncan got in to the last 16 in the men’s doubles competition in Delhi – and the two teams they got beaten by were the two Australian teams which got the silver and bronze medal,” said team captain Mal Rundell.

“They got a good number of points against them considering we had never even got close to getting a game before in the Commonwealth Games and even better that that we have only got 30 adult members in our club and we don’t have a doubles court to train on.”

One of the venue’s most impressed visitors was Sir Matthew Pinsent, the four-time Olympic rowing gold medallist who was reporting for the BBC.

“Squash would be a good addition to the Olympics – it is relatively easy to set up, especially in a modern urban environment, and is fast and exciting to watch both on television and live,” said Pinsent in a BBC blog.

“Crucially, the Olympics would be the absolute pinnacle of what the sport offers – unlike so many of the current sports in the programme (such as tennis, football and arguably now rugby sevens).

“The fact that squash can compete with many of the sports already in the Olympics on many of these makes me think that they must be head of the list should the 28 sports ever be increased even by one.”

In the final match on the spectacular all-glass showcourt, the favourites battled for more than two hours to hold off an Australian challenge from second seeds Stewart Boswell & David Palmer – and recovered from losing the second game to win 11-9, 6-11, 11-5 in 133 minutes.

The success means that the Men’s Doubles gold medal stays in England hands for the fourth time since the sport’s maiden appearance in the Games in 1998.

“Four years ago, a legendary English squash player Peter Nicol got two golds – and I delighted to have been able to emulate him,” said the jubilant 30-year-old from Sheffield immediately afterwards.

“Winning two gold medals is an amazing feeling – and doubles is so different from singles squash. It’s all about camaraderie with your partner. You almost feel that the racket isn’t attached to your arm – you are just doing it for your partner.

“And when we got our heads back together after the second game, we were amazing.

“It’s definitely the biggest moment of my career,” added the world No2. “I didn’t get the chance to celebrate my singles success, but now I will be able to as I made a good decision not to play a major Tour event in Egypt later this week. I put aside thoughts of regaining my world number one ranking for the sake of two gold medals.”

In describing their marathon encounter – their third three-game win over the top Australian pair since March – Matthew admitted: “We always have a tough battle with them. David was chasing that elusive gold medal

“But it’s all about team work – and Adrian and I have known each other since we were nine years old – and that’s what made it work. I think it got a bit scrappy in the second, but we let our squash do the talking in the third.”

Grant, the London-born world No14 who is based in Leeds, said: “After Nick had done such a fantastic job in the singles, I had to give him the motivation to push harder in the doubles. In doubles, you’ve got to take world rankings out of it – you’ve got to understand each others’ games. We never took anybody for granted.”

The outcome provided Stewart Boswell with his third successive silver medal in the event. It also gave David Palmer, the former world number one and two-time world champion, a record-equalling sixth Commonwealth Games medal since 1998.

“It’s definitely nice – but you’ve got to put it into perspective. Tonight’s wasn’t the colour I wanted. It was a tough schedule – and, looking back, perhaps I should have pulled out of one,” said the 34-year-old from Lithgow, NSW, after his farewell appearance in the event.

New Zealand grabbed the first gold medal of the day when the fourth-seeded pairing Jaclyn Hawkes & Joelle Kingshocked fancied English duo Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro, the third seeds, 11-9, 11-10 in the Women’s Doublesfinal in exactly one hour.

Duncalf and Massaro, who reached the gold medal play-off after upsetting top-seeded Australians Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart in the semi-finals, led in the first game and had game-balls from 10-6 in the second.

But the Kiwis kept up the pressure before leaping for joy after their surprise gold medal triumph.

“We are OVER the moon,” said a beaming Hawkes, the world No14 from Auckland. “Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to do this – I am so happy to have won gold.

“It’s the first time we’ve played together,” continued the 27-year-old. “It’s great to get New Zealand’s fourth gold in the Games.”

Just before rushing back to the court to prepare for the next match – her Mixed Doubles final which followed immediately -Joelle King paid compliments to Hawkes: “My partner here was pretty awesome.

“When I was a little girl, I dreamed about winning a Commonwealth Games medal,” added the 22-year-old from Cambridge.

Duncalf was inevitably despondent: “We had the confidence to win gold. There’s a very fine line in doubles between winning and losing – they did really well to come back.”

Massaro added: We weren’t expecting to be paired up, and have had very little practice together, but I thought we did well.

“But it’s horrible to lose your final match – but I’m sure we’ll celebrate silver later,” suggested the 26-year-old world No7.

It was a first squash gold medal of the 2010 Games for Australia when favourites Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley saw off New Zealand outsiders Joelle King & Martin Knight, the 11th seeds, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 in a 96-minute Mixed Doublesfinal.

Clearly uplifted by her gold medal performance some 20 minutes earlier, King led the Kiwis to a first game lead before the top seeds turned up the power to storm to gold.

Is it a relief, the winning Aussies were asked by a home reporter? “No, it’s not a relief,” said Brown. “Yes, it is,” interjected Pilley. “It’s a relief to finish doubles!

“We both played two matches today we didn’t lose,” added Pilley, the world No16 from Yamba, New South Wales. “Gold again in 2014 in Scotland? That’s definitely the goal!”

When asked how it felt to win his county’s first squash gold medal this time, the tall 27-year-old responded: “It’s special – but more so because you’re playing for all of squash in Australia. It’s an honour to put on the Australian colours – it gives you something extra, and I think that showed when we came back from one-nil down.”

Both players agreed that a beer was one of their priorities.

“Gold means everything – it’s incredible,” said Brown. “To get gold for your country is pretty amazing.”

After winning bronze in the singles event, and bronze earlier in the day in the Women’s Doubles, Brown became the only player to win three medals in Delhi.

“Winning three medals is a fantastic feeling – a gold medal means so much, especially representing Australia,” added the world No8 from Taree, NSW.

“This year I’ve been working really hard and I feel I’ve really improved. I was confident I could do well.

“But the first thing I need to do is ring my Mum!”

A downbeat Martin Knight conceded that the best pair won: “Today, they just played better,” said the Wellington-born 26-year-old. “I set goals every day and today we were going for gold – and there’s no reason why we could have expected that. But I will go away with good memories.”

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

Men’s Doubles Final:
[1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [2] Stewart Boswell & David Palmer (AUS) 11-9, 6-11, 11-5 (133m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[4] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [5] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) 11-5, 11-7 (52m)

Women’s Doubles Final:
[4] Jaclyn Hawkes & Joelle King (NZL) bt [3] Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro (ENG) 11-9, 11-10 (60m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[1] Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [2] Lisa Camilleri & Amelia Pittock (AUS) 11-4, 10-11, 11-5 (54m)

Mixed Doubles Final:
[1] Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [11] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL) 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 (96m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[3] Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [8] Donna Urquhart & David Palmer (AUS) 11-9, 11-6 (35m)

Matthew, the world No2 from Sheffield who won singles gold for the first time last week, partnered Adrian Grant to an 11-10, 11-9 win in 65 minutes over fourth-seeded Australians Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley in the Men’s Doubles semi-finals.

But Joelle King, the world No24 from Cambridge, had to play three matches today. After first winning her Mixed Doublesquarter-final with Martin Knight, the 22-year-old paired up with Jaclyn Hawkes to upset Australia’s No2 seeds Lisa Camilleri & Amelia Pittock 5-11, 11-5, 11-5 in a Women’s Doubles semi – then immediately afterwards linked back with Knight in their 11th-seeded Mixed partnership to see off the third-seeded Malaysians Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee 11-7, 11-10 in 53 minutes.

“I’m hungry” was the Kiwi’s immediate response when asked by an NZ TV crew how she felt after her second triumph! “I haven’t eaten for a long time.”

In describing the match, King said: “It was pretty neck-and-neck – but we both played pretty good squash out there today.

“Gold? That would be amazing – and it would be pretty surreal.”

‘Surreal’ was also how Knight described the dying minutes of the match: “That last rally was surreal – it seemed to go on forever. I’m just so happy to be in the final. I can’t keep the smile off my face.

“It’s only our second event together,” continued the Wellington-born 26-year-old, ranked 44 in the world. “But we know each other really well, and hopefully we can keep this going.”

After claiming their surprise place in the Women’s final – after which Joelle King had to rush off to prepare for the immediately-following Mixed semi – an exuberant Jaclyn Hawkes spoke for the pair: “The match was really tough – we had to keep our heads. Our coach Anthony Ricketts gave us some good advice after the first game – we had to get a better width, and this put them under pressure.”

The world No14 from Auckland was asked how good it was to beat the Aussie pair? “We don’t want to beat anyone more than Aussies,” said Hawkes.

And on the certainty of a medal, the 27-year-old gushed: “I’m so happy! This is what we’ve been training for for the last four years. We’ve been funded and everything we’ve been working for is this – this is the pinnacle for us.”

Nick Matthew, who suffered an illness setback last month, has been improving each day since arriving in Delhi. He andAdrian Grant are seeded to retain the Men’s Doubles gold medal for England, after Peter Nicol & Lee Beachill won the title for the second time in a row in 2006 – when Nicol also clinched the singles gold.

“Going for a second gold medal is going to be incredible,” said 30-year-old Matthew. “What Peter Nicol achieved last time was massive.

“We’re top seeds and we earned that billing. Yesterday was good – the Malaysians pushed us hard and we took a lot from that match.

“Adrian was brilliant,” added the Yorkshireman. “He was definitely my ‘man of the match’.”

Left-hander Grant, going for his maiden Games medal, is keen to help his partner: “I want to give him the chance to get a second gold medal.

“You can’t underestimate anybody in doubles,” explained the London-born world No14 when asked how he viewed his opposition in the final.

The favourites will meet Australia’s second seeds Stewart Boswell & David Palmer, who ended the run of Scottish outsiders Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch, the fifth seeds who ousted England’s No3 seeds Peter Barker & Daryl Selby in the previous round.

Boswell, the world No19 from Canberra, is celebrating his third successive appearance in the Men’s final, but looking for his first gold medal. Palmer, a former world number one, is also after his first gold – but is certain to win a record-equalling sixth Games medal, with one silver and four bronzes already in his collection.

“It’s nice to know that I’m going to get some kind of a medal,” said Palmer after the pair’s 11-10, 11-6 win in 73 minutes over the Scots. “So far, it’s been a great doubles week for me.”

When asked to comment on the Scottish pair – featuring Clyne, a full-time player ranked 50 in the world, and unranked Leitch, a Cambridge University graduate studying for a PhD in developmental and embryonic stem cell biology – Palmer said: “They’ve obviously put in a lot of work – they play a style that’s difficult to beat.

“They have boundless energy – and are obviously up for it. We had to nullify that. It was nice that we were able to get a few points’ lead each game – playing catch-up is hard in doubles,” explained the 34-year-old from New South Wales.

Boswell, a UK-based former world No4, said: “It’s good to be in my third final – but this time I want to win!”

Harry Leitch and Alan Clyne were clearly disappointed that their gold campaign had come to an end: “They won the crucial points today,” said 25-year-old Leitch. “But the dream is still alive for us – we’re ready for tomorrow.”

Inverness-born Clyne added: “We came here for a medal – and we’ve still got that chance.”

England’s last-minute pairing Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro were the first to claim a final place. The third seeds, brought together when Duncalf’s original partner Alison Waters was forced to withdraw with an Achilles injury, recovered from a game down to upset top-seeded Australians Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart 6-11, 11-5, 11-4 in 58 minutes in the first Women’s Doubles semi.

“Although it’s our first tournament together, we felt quietly confident,” said Duncalf, winner of a silver medal in the singles. “Any of us could have played together.

“The pressure was on them, as the top seeds. We improved as the game went on. In doubles, you have to be ever so consistent in what you do,” added the world No2 from Harrogate.

“As soon as we won, I went a bit goose-pimply!”

Massaro explained the depth of their friendship: “We’ve played each other since we were 14 – we know each others’ personalities so well,” said the 26-year-old from Preston.

“It took me a game to settle down. But at 4-1 in the third, I thought ‘we can win here’.

“It’s amazing to think I’ve got a medal.”

Hopes of a double gold for women’s singles winner Nicol David ran out in the world number one from Malaysia’s second Mixed Pairs match today. After beating the hosts’ last remaining medal hopes Joshna Chinappa & Saurav Ghosal in three close-fought games, David and Ong Beng Hee went down to Kiwis Joelle King & Martin Knight in the semis.

“We didn’t play as well as we could,” said Beng Hee, a former world No7 from Kuala Lumpur, “We had a hard match this morning and didn’t have enough time to recover. We had a terrible start in the first game.”

David added: “Everything went their way really – we did what we could.

“I’m disappointed – especially as we know we can play better.”

After their earlier quarter-final match, in which the Indian 2010 Commonwealth Games squash campaign finally came to an end, Saurav was unable to be upbeat: “Right now, there are no positives,” said the Kolkata-born 24-year-old world No26 – India’s highest-ranked player of all-time. “At the end of the day we lost – and we haven’t got a medal.

“Anything short of a medal is not good enough.”

Cyrus Poncha, India’s national coach, took a broader view: “We had certainly set our hopes on winning a medal, but I feel we’ve got a lot of positives out of the event. I’m quite pleased with the results – and it’s been a great two weeks for Indian squash.

“However, losing Dipika (Pallikal) was certainly a major blow,” added Poncha, referring to the 19-year-old world No33 who was forced to withdraw from the entire competition after being struck down by a fever.

The final match on the all-glass show-court at the Siri Fort complex produced another Australian bid for gold when top seedsKasey Brown & Cameron Pilley beat compatriots Donna Urquhart & David Palmer, the No8 seeds, 11-10, 11-10 in 68 minutes to set up a Mixed final against New Zealand’s 11th seeds Joelle King & Martin Knight.

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

Men’s Doubles semi-finals:
[1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [4] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-10, 11-9 (65m)
[2] Stewart Boswell & David Palmer (AUS) bt [5] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) 11-10, 11-6 (73m)

Women’s Doubles semi-finals:
[3] Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [1] Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart (AUS) 6-11, 11-5, 11-4 (58m)
[4] Jaclyn Hawkes & Joelle King (NZL) bt [2] Lisa Camilleri & Amelia Pittock (AUS) 5-11, 11-5, 11-5 (50m)

Mixed Doubles quarter-finals:
[1] Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [2] Jenny Duncalf & James Willstrop (ENG) 11-7, 7-11, 11-8 (104m)
[8] Donna Urquhart & David Palmer (AUS) bt [10] Lisa Aitken & Harry Leitch (SCO) 11-3, 11-3 (28m)
[3] Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [4] Joshna Chinappa & Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-5, 7-11, 11-7 (59m)
[11] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL) bt [5] Jaclyn Hawkes & Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-6, 11-9 (50m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [8] Donna Urquhart & David Palmer (AUS) 11-10, 11-10 (68m)
[11] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL) bt [3] Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-7, 11-10 (53m)

Barker, the world No8 who won the singles bronze medal last week, and his Essex close friend Selby, ranked 10 in the world, were highly regarded as doubles medal prospects in the Indian capital.

But Scotland – which boasts only one doubles court, off the Scottish coast on the Shetland Islands – has targeted doubles as its specialist area. Unranked Leitch, a postgraduate medical student at Cambridge University, and Clyne, the world No50 from Inverness, showed this conclusively as the pair carved up the experienced Englishmen 11-7, 11-7 in 69 minutes.

“Doubles is so different from singles – and we’ve worked really hard on it,” said an ecstatic Leitch afterwards. “We fight for each other – and as I don’t play full-time, maybe I just want it more than the others.

“When you get to the quarter-finals, it’s tiny things that make the difference,” added the Edinburgh-born 25-year-old who is studying for a PhD in developmental and embryonic stem cell biology.

So how does this win rate amongst his career squash successes? “This is it. The highlight before was making the quarter-finals with John White in 2006 – so this surpasses that!

“I consider myself very lucky that I get his opportunity to play for Scotland,” concluded Leitch.

It was a crestfallen Barker who tried to describe what had happened: “It’s not squash – it’s a totally different game. Technique doesn’t come into it – especially on these courts,” said the 27-year-old left-hander.

“They’ve perfected the art of playing doubles. It’s frustrating, and embarrassing, to be honest.

“They just didn’t make any errors – and forced them out of us. It’s disappointing as I think we’d been playing alright.”

Earlier, second-seeded English pair Jenny Duncalf & James Willstrop made up for the disappointment of a shock Pool loss by beating Guernsey duo Zephanie Curgenven & Henry Birch 11-4, 11-2 to earn a place in the quarter-finals – where they will face the top-seeded Australians Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley.

“We had a day together to regroup after the dent – but we don’t take it as a dent,” explained Willstrop, silver medallist in the men’s singles event. “With all our previous results, we’ve got a better record than anyone in this event. We know we can beat anybody. We just want to put yesterday behind us and get on with it.”

Partner Jenny, also the women’s silver medallist, added: “We took a couple of things from yesterday and worked on them. I’m feeling good – despite the fact that this was my fourth match today!”

Indian hopes are now resting exclusively on the shoulders of Joshna Chinappa & Saurav Ghosal. The fourth seeds claimed a place in the last sixteen of the Mixed event after a final qualifying round win over Scottish pair Frania Gillen-Buchert & Alan Clyne – and were then handed a bye through to Tuesday’s quarter-finals.

The local stars will face Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee, the third seeds from Malaysia featuring the women’s gold medallist.

“Playing Nicol and Beng Hee is going to be a tough match – they are both very good,” said Ghosal, the world No26 from Chennai who is India’s highest-ranked player of all-time. “It’s going to be tough for us – we’ll have to play really well.

“Having the hopes of India on us won’t really change things – we want to win anyway. There’s pressure of course, but we’re both used to it and are able to handle it well. We can use the crowd support to our advantage.

“The crowd here is the best I have ever seen anywhere – all the players are talking about it, everyone is amazed,” added the 24-year-old. “It’ll make us play better – it’s going to make the occasion very special.”

Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee also suffered a surprise early pool defeat – but have bounced to reach the last four as expected following their 11-7, 11-3 defeat of England’s Sarah Kippax & Adrian Grant.

“I thought it was tough on Nicol to have to play against the seeded Scots straight after winning the gold medal, but she’s got better now that we’ve got into it,” said Ong Beng Hee, the Penang-born world No17.

“But we’re having great fun – and that’s what it’s all about.

“Nicol has got such speed and she hits the ball so well,” added the former world No7. “My job is to cover for her.”

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

Men’s Doubles quarter-finals:
[1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [6] Mohd Azlan Iskandar & Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 11-5, 11-10 (82m)
[4] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [7] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) 11-9, 11-10 (88m)
[5] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) bt [3] Peter Barker & Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-7, 11-7 (69m)
[2] Stewart Boswell & David Palmer (AUS) bt [9] Lyall Paterson & Chris Small (SCO) 11-2, 11-2 (28m)

Women’s Doubles quarter-finals:
[1] Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [8] Delia Arnold & Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-4, 11-9 (40m)
[3] Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [7] Tamsyn Leevey & Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 11-4, 11-9 (44m)
[2] Lisa Camilleri & Amelia Pittock (AUS) bt [6] Lisa Aitken & Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO) 11-9, 11-8 (49m)
[4] Jaclyn Hawkes & Joelle King (NZL) bt [5] Tania Bailey & Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-4, 9-11, 11-4 (55m)

Mixed Doubles last 16 round:
[1] Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bye
[2] Jenny Duncalf & James Willstrop (ENG) bt Zephanie Curgenven & Henry Birch (GGY) 11-4, 11-2 (13m)
[10] Lisa Aitken & Harry Leitch (SCO) bye
[8] Donna Urquhart & David Palmer (AUS) bt [9] Frania Gillen-Buchert & Alan Clyne (SCO) 11-5, 11-7 (41m)
[3] Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [6] Sarah Kippax & Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-7, 11-3 (28m)
[4] Joshna Chinappa & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes & Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [12] Sharon Wee & Ivan Yuen (MAS) 10-11, 11-3, 11-10 (60m)
[11] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL) bye

Perhaps still feeling the effects of their earlier defeats in the singles finals, silver medallists Duncalf and Willstrop went down 11-9, 11-5 in 35 minutes as New Zealand celebrated a notable breakthrough win.

“I guess they didn’t expect much after Melbourne,” said Knight, referring to the Australian Open Doubles championships in August, when the Kiwi pair crashed out in the opening round – and Duncalf and Willstrop progressed through to the final.

“We lost every match 2/1 there – but we were confident we could make it here,” added the jubilant Wellington-born 26-year-old.

Joelle King continued: “After Melbourne, we went away and worked on a few things. We both stepped up today – and kept each others’ confidence up. We’re definitely very happy with that result.”

Willstrop, looking weary from his arduous week so far in Delhi, was downcast: “We’re disappointed because we’ve worked hard at this. And we feel we were quite good too.

“It just means we’ll have a harder route through to the final stages,” added the 27-year-old world No4.

“It’s not all over,” Duncalf pointed out.

Earlier, New Zealand suffered a mild setback when their fifth-seeded pair Jaclyn Hawkes & Campbell Grayson were defeated 11-9, 11-4 by lower-seeded Australian duo Donna Urquhart & David Palmer.

The Melbourne event was again cited as the misleading factor: “We played four matches there and lost three of them 11-10 in the third,” said Palmer, a bronze medallist in the Mixed event four years ago.

“This was a big match for us – we were really up for it today, we both wanted to win. We’ve worked a lot together in various doubles events recently. It would be nice to do some damage here.

“Donna and I have teamed up well – she’s a left-hander which works well. We struggled a bit to start with, but we’re really working well together now.

“We don’t play doubles that often – but it’s a medal,” continued the 34-year-old from Lithgow in New South Wales who has accumulated five medals in three previous Games’ appearances since 1998.

“We both missed out on singles medals – so we’d like to get one back. I’ve had a few down days since losing in the quarter-finals – but today was a turning point.”

Was 23-year-old Urquhart, a Games debutante in Delhi, at all overawed by former world number one and two-time world champion Palmer when they first teamed up? “I remember the first time we practised together – I felt so intimidated. But now it’s just Dave,” explained the world No16 from Yamba, NSW.

Urquhart went on to partner Kasey Brown in an 11-6, 9-11, 11-8 victory over New Zealanders Tamsyn Leevey & Kylie Lindsay in the Women’s Doubles, while Palmer continued his Men’s Doubles campaign with Stewart Boswell, crushing Zambians Kelvin Ndhlovu & Ray Simbule 11-3, 11-9 in just 16 minutes.

After the rare experience of a defeat – in yesterday’s first qualifying round of the Mixed Doubles – Malaysia’s proud new singles gold medallist Nicol David was back in winning form after partnering Ong Beng Hee to an 11-3, 11-5 victory over Kenyans Khaaliqa Nimji & Hardeep Reel.

David, the 27-year-old world number one Penang, was 15 when she made her debut in the sport’s first appearance in the Games in her home country in 1998. But her direct opponent Khaaliqa Nimji is still only 12 – and is not only the youngest player ever to compete in the event’s squash competition, but is also her country’s youngest senior champion, a title she won last year when only 11.

David and her partner delighted the crowd by keeping the rallies going – giving their inexperienced opponents the chance to enjoy their court-time with two seasoned professionals.

“When you’ve got a 12-year-old on court, it’s hard to attack her,” explained Ong Beng Hee, a one-time world No7, afterwards.

“Khaaliqa has good ball sense and hits it well,” added David. “Getting this experience at this age will be so useful to her.”

On the significance of the third seeds’ first win in the event, Beng Hee continued: “Yesterday was a bad start for us. But Nicol had a busy build-up to the event, with the worlds followed by five matches here to win the gold. She’s understandably a bit tired from that. But we’re back on track today now.”

David was asked if she was still on a high after her long-awaited singles triumph: “It’s a great feeling to have the gold medal. Winning it hasn’t really sunk in yet – I still can’t believe it.

“It’s difficult to get into another competition so soon afterwards.”

Khaaliqa Nimji clearly enjoyed her unique opportunity: “It was a good experience – I’ve learned a lot – but I’ve still got a long way to go.

“I hope to make it back next time,” added the Kenyan squash prospect.

“Back another six times, probably,” David chipped in!

Men’s Doubles last sixteen round line-up:
[1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) v
[13] Robin Clarke & Shawn Delierre (CAN)
[6] Mohd Azlan Iskandar & Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) v
[8] Gaurav Nandrajog & Siddharth Suchde (IND)
[4] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) v
Gye Duncan & Duncan Gray (NFK)
[7] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) v
[16] Philip Musonda & Lazarus Chilufya (ZAM)
[5] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) v
[11] Sandeep Jangra & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND)
[3] Peter Barker & Daryl Selby (ENG) v
[12] Yasir Butt & Danish Atlas Khan (PAK)
[9] Lyall Paterson & Chris Small (SCO) v
[14] Michael Fiteni & Bradley Hindle (MLT)
[2] Stewart Boswell & David Palmer (AUS) v
[10] Aamir Atlas Khan & Farhan Mehboob (PAK)

For more info and full results, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

It was less than 15 hours after Matthew won his title on the all-glass showcourt that he found himself beginning his second medal campaign on a conventional glass-backed court at the Indian city’s new sports complex.

And the 30-year-old world number two from Sheffield took full advantage of the fresh legs of partner Adrian Grant, the left-hander from London who was playing his first match in Delhi. The experienced pair – winners of the Australian Doubles Championship in August – cruised to an 11-1, 11-4 win over Cayman Islands duo Malton Blair & Alexander Frazer, both making their maiden appearance in the Games.

“I enjoyed it,” said Matthew after his brief encounter on the court. “We feel we’ve got a good thing going – and hit the ground running. Adrian was buzzing and I was feeding off his energy.”

The new Games champion had enjoyed precious little time to celebrate his gold medal: “After the medal ceremony I went straight back to the village where I had something to eat, then chatted with the guys back in the room, then had about five hours sleep, then got up this morning to be back here to play,” explained the Yorkshireman who headed a 1-2-3 of Englishmen in the medals ceremony. “We’ll have to leave the celebrations until we’re back home.”

Grant was delighted to be playing after being forced to sit out the singles competition: “I’ve been gearing up for this. It was good to see the guys winning all the medals. The energy I had not competing, and also seeing them on the podium, gave me an extra lift.

“And Nick’s up for it just as much as I am,” added the world No14, who celebrated his 30th birthday this week in Delhi.

Nicol David and Ong Beng Hee are no strangers to the Commonwealth Games Mixed Doubles event having clinched the event’s silver medal in 2002. But the Malaysians met their match in Harry Leitch & Lisa Aitken after the tenth seeds from Scotland pulled off the day’s biggest upset with a shock 11-9, 11-5 victory over the third seeds in 39 minutes.

While David has held the world number one ranking for 54 months and her partner was once No7 in the world, 25-year-old Leitch has never had a world ranking and Aitken currently stands at 183 in the women’s world list!

“Doubles is a whole different ball game,” explained David, the record five times world champion later. “We’ve both had busy years (on the singles circuit).

“It’s all about communication,” David continued. “The first match is always difficult.

“But we knew they’d been working hard.

“Beng Hee has been very patient with me. We’ve now just got to focus on our next match to make sure we get into the knockout stages.”

Leitch, a Cambridge graduate who is now studying for a PhD at the world-famous University, was confident that the pair would do well. “We’ve been concentrating on doubles – it’s so different from singles. We were confident that we could compete with opponents like this.

“Lisa’s a rising star – she’s going to be a great singles player.”

Left-hander Aitken, a 20-year-old from Angus who was born in Dundee, admitted that it was strange to be on court with a player like Nicol David whom she has always looked up to.

“But we’ve been working on this for the past two years – and just had to put out of my mind who our opponents were.”

Roger Flynn explained Scotland’s doubles philosophy: “We’re competitive in doubles because we’ve got a young team,” said the country’s national coach. “Apart from Alan Clyne, we’re not competitive in singles yet – that will be our focus for 2014.

“With three gold medals in doubles, it makes sense for us to target those – it’s more of an even game and we’ve worked hard at establishing our pairings: mature players with younger players, where the chemistry is right.

“We only have one doubles court in our country – it’s in Clickamin on Shetland Island – and some years ago we took a large squad there to find our best pairings. Since then we have taken part in international doubles events in England, Australia and India.”

Earlier in the day, Scotland again showed their doubles prowess when Lyall Paterson & Chris Small upset local starsGaurav Nandrajog & Siddharth Suchde, the No8 seeds, 11-8, 11-8 in the Men’s Doubles.

One of the highlights of the match was the reaction from the jubilant and vociferous crowd surrounding the all-glass showcourt: “The crowd were absolutely sensational,” added Flynn. “Their exuberance was overwhelming and made for a great occasion.”

There was similar response later when Nandrajog & Suchde returned to the showcourt to beat Kenyans Hartaj Bains &Hardeep Reel 11-6, 11-9.

“The crowd is unbelievable,” said Indian National coach Cyrus Poncha. “I’ve never seen this before at an Indian squash event. I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted. This is truly a good sign for Indian squash.”

Another good sign for Indian squash took place on one of the conventional courts where the country’s top two playersSaurav Ghosal & Joshna Chinappa took on Marlene West & Cameron Stafford of the Cayman Islands.

A queue of spectators stretched around the vast concourse of the Siri Fort Complex, desperate to get into the limited seating available for this popular mixed doubles clash.

Ghosal & Chinappa had been paired up less than 24 hours earlier, following the shock withdrawal of top Indian star Dipika Pallikal, the 19-year-old world No32 from Chennai who had been training for this event for some time with Ghosal. The teenager, laid low with a high fever, represented one of the host country’s best medal hopes in the women’s doubles event where she and Chinappa were the second seeds.

Ghosal and Chinappa, each now only competing in one doubles event, took the first game against the Cayman Islanders, but saw their opponents stage a remarkable fight back to draw level. The local stars regrouped to close out the match 11-6, 9-11, 11-5.

“We were a bit unsettled in the second game when our opponents switched over,” explained Ghosal with his new partner after the game. “We made a few errors, and they took advantage – but we did well to impose ourselves on the third game and pull through.”

On the last-minute change, Ghosal said: “Joshna’s a really good player and we have played before, even though not for some time. I knew what she was capable of. It’s just a matter of getting through the early rounds and getting the tactics right.

“The games we won, we won well – but we can produce better than that,” added the world No26 from Chennai.

On the withdrawal of her women’s doubles partner, Chinappa said: “I’m very sad for Dipika and hope she gets better soon. We were going for gold – which would have been great for us and our country – but I’m now going to have to settle for gold in the Mixed!

“Saurav and I only had a short time to practice together before today – but lots of time to talk, and that was very useful,” concluded the 24-year-old from Chennai.

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

Men’s Doubles 1st qualifying round:
Pool 1
[1] Adrian Grant & Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Malton Blair & Alexander Frazer (CAY) 11-1, 11-4 (16m)

Pool 2
Gye Duncan & Duncan Gray (NFK) bt Kelvin Ndhlovu & Ray Simbule (ZAM) 11-7, 7-11, 11-8 (41m)

[2] Stewart Boswell & David Palmer (AUS) bt [15] Lekgotla Mosope & Lefika Ragontse (BOT) 11-3, 11-0 (17m)

[2] Stewart Boswell & David Palmer (AUS) bt Gye Duncan & Duncan Gray (NFK) 11-4, 11-6 (18m)

Pool 3
[14] Michael Fiteni & Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt Peter Christian-Bailey & Mal Rundell (NFK) 11-3, 11-4 (30m)

[3] Peter Barker & Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Peter Christian-Bailey & Mal Rundell (NFK) 11-4, 11-1 (20m)

Pool 4
[4] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Othniel Bailey & Jules Snagg (SVG) 11-1, 11-1 (11m)

[13] Robin Clarke & Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt Othniel Bailey & Jules Snagg (SVG) 11-2, 11-9 (16m)

Pool 5
[5] Alan Clyne & Harry Leitch (SCO) bt James Matewere & Julius Taulo (MAW) 11-2, 11-1 (13m)

Pool 6
[11] Sandeep Jangra & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt Michael Kawooya & Ian Rukunya (UGA) 8-11, 11-4, 11-3 (27m)

[6] Mohd Azlan Iskandar & Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Michael Kawooya & Ian Rukunya (UGA) 11-5, 11-2 (18m)

[11] Sandeep Jangra & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt Shopon Pervez & Masud Rana (BAN) 11-2, 11-3 (12m)

Pool 7
[7] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) bt [10] Aamir Atlas Khan & Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 11-7, 10-11, 11-3 (82m)

[7] Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) bt Samuel Kyagulanyi & Brian Okumu (UGA) 11-2, 11-1 (13m)

Pool 8
[9] Lyall Paterson & Chris Small (SCO) bt [8] Gaurav Nandrajog & Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-8, 11-8 (44m)

[8] Gaurav Nandrajog & Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt Hartaj Bains & Hardeep Reel (KEN) 11-6, 11-9 (23m)

Women’s Doubles 1st qualifying round:
Pool 1
[7] Tamsyn Leevey & Kylie Lindsay (NZL) bt Kate Cadigan & Jeannine Cowie (JEY) 11-3, 11-3 (12m)

[1] Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Kate Cadigan & Jeannine Cowie (JEY) 11-3, 11-2 (10m)

[1] Kasey Brown & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Samantha Cornett & Stephanie Edmison (CAN) 11-5, 11-5 (25m)

Pool 2
[4] Jaclyn Hawkes & Joelle King (NZL) bt Zephanie Curgenven & Issey Norman-Ross (GGY) 11-1, 11-1 (9m)

Pool 3
[5] Tania Bailey & Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Nicolette Fernandes & Ashley Khalil (GUY) 11-6, 11-2 (19m)

[2] Lisa Camilleri & Amelia Pittock (AUS) bt Zoe Barr & Madeline Perry (NIR) 11-2, 11-8 (21m)

Pool 4
[3] Jenny Duncalf & Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Safina Madhani & Khaaliqa Nimji (KEN) 11-0, 11-3 (8m)

[8] Delia Arnold & Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Anaka Alankamony & Surbhi Misra (IND) 11-7, 11-4 (27m)

Mixed Doubles 1st qualifying round:
Pool 1
[1] Kasey Brown & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Samantha Cornett & Robin Clarke (CAN) 11-1, 11-3 (25m)

Pool 2
[11] Joelle King & Martin Knight (NZL) bt Safina Madhani & Hartaj Bains (KEN) 11-2, 11-3 (11m)

[2] Jenny Duncalf & James Willstrop (ENG) bt Jeannine Cowie & Michael Hopkins (JEY) 11-2, 11-2 (16m)

Pool 3
Stephanie Edmison & Andrew McDougall (CAN) bt Khaaliqa Nimji & Hardeep Reel (KEN) 11-1, 11-3 (11m)

[10] Harry Leitch & Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt [3] Nicol David & Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-9, 11-5 (39m)

Pool 4
[4] Joshna Chinappa & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Marlene West & Cameron Stafford (CAY) 11-6, 9-11, 11-5 (31m)

Pool 6
[6] Sarah Kippax & Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Zephanie Curgenven & Henry Birch (GGY) 11-5, 11-10 (18m)

In the sport’s first 1-2-3 in the Games, third-seeded Englishman Peter Barker clinched the bronze medal when he beat Malaysia’s sixth seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 in the third place play-off.

Matthew, the 30-year-old from Sheffield who topped the world rankings in June, then suffered an illness setback last month, struggled earlier in the tournament – but was on top form to beat fellow Yorkshireman Willstrop, ranked four in the world, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 in 67 minutes.

Cheered on by a boisterous crowd of more than 2,000, Matthew and Willstrop produced an exhilarating display of world-class squash on the spectacular all-glass showcourt in the Indian city’s new sports complex.

“This is the most important thing in my career so far,” enthused Matthew after his triumph. “This was a massive goal. Four years ago I came fourth and saw what it was like. It’s amazing to get gold – I’ll savour it for a long time.

“I remember sitting at home watching Peter Nicol win gold in 1998 – then saw him win it again in Melbourne four years ago when I came fourth, which was quite hard to take. I’ve worked such a long time for this.

“I’m also so happy for Pete, winning bronze. I was at the same stage last time. I’m captain of the team and I’m so proud of them.

“The match was so tough – after all James is four in the world. I had to try and forget it was a Commonwealth Gamesfinal. I was a little bit lucky as James had played two tough games earlier.”

When asked what his thoughts were of Delhi, Matthew replied: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s fantastic – I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.

“The crowd were right behind both of us today – they were fantastic. They were cheering for squash.”

Willstrop, from Leeds, was full of praise for his England team-mate: “I’m disappointed with the result – but that was some performance from Nick. He has a fantastic record. He played too well for me – I really had no answer.

“He played out of his skin, though I thought I played pretty well too. He’s playing at a standard that’s higher than anyone else. He keeps asking more questions of me.

“It might be the best he’s ever played against me – so that’s a nice thing to take from the match. He’s dismantled me the last few times. So whilst it’s disappointing, I’ve got to keep learning.

“I have no regrets – I’ve won the silver medal,” added the 27-year-old. “It was a great atmosphere today.”

Peter Barker was also delighted with his bronze medal achievement. “I played really well today. Winning this medal has to be one of the highlights of my career.

“It’s a strange feeling – normally when you lose (as in the semi-finals), you pack your bags and go home. Nick said to me yesterday ‘don’t make the same mistake I did last time’. I took his advice and got my head together and told myself it’s a massive match.

“It’ll take a little while to sink in – but not many people win a Commonwealth Games medal. My Mum and girlfriend are here. This’ll probably mean more to my Mum!

“Azlan did incredibly well to get here. He and I are good friends. We train together in London. It’s never easy, playing a friend. But I wanted to show something for my efforts,” added the world No8 from London.

When asked to comment on England’s success, the left-hander said: “We’re pretty strong in squash at the moment – we really wanted a 1/2/3 and hope this will help get us some media coverage back home. To get all the medals in the men’s event really shows the dominance of our players.

“What a lovely position for England to be in.”

England men’s coach David Campion highlighted the background to the country’s success. “This is the culmination of a lot of effort over the last 18 months by a number of people. It’s testament to all the hard work and effort that all the players have put in.

“We’re absolutely delighted to bring home all three medals in the men’s event,” added the former junior international. “And it’s a great shame that Alison (Waters) had to pull out of the women’s bronze medal match. She looked in great form yesterday and was a great prospect in the doubles too.

“The Commonwealth Games is such a big occasion for any squash player – something to cherish for life. It’s big for England Squash and the English Institute of Sport – and a lot of people there have contributed to this success.

“I am very proud to be part of it.”

Men’s final:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [2] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (67m)

Bronze medal play-off:
[3] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [6] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 (45m)

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

David, who picked up a record-equalling fifth world title only two weeks ago and this month celebrated her 54th month as world No1, traded points with her WISPA Tour rival in the early exchanges – but, from three-all, the event favourite won eight points in a row to take the opening game.

After taking the second for five points, the Malaysian had to handle a late surge by Duncalf as the 27-year-old from Harrogate in Yorkshire battled to stay in the game.

But, after some inspiring rallies from both players, Nicol served for the match for the first time only to win the point on a stroke – thus giving the long-awaited gold medal to the Malaysian superstar for the first time.

The packed crowd screamed and whistled as Nicol David did a ‘lap of honour’ around the spectacular all-glass showcourt with the Malaysian flag draped around her shoulders.

“I’m so excited right now – it’s just so wonderful,” said the jubilant David after her 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 triumph.

“Jenny didn’t play her best today – but I had to take my opportunities.

“At match ball I just knew that I had to be ready to play the longest rally I’ve ever played. It wasn’t the best way to finish – but it meant winning gold! I was just on another planet.”

Was there a sense of relief in her win? “Yes – but at the same time I knew I had a great week, coming in from my success at the worlds – I had to be true to my game.”

And did she feel under pressure? “There will always be that, whatever I do – I feel I always have to win and in my mind I want to go for it.

“A Commonwealth Games gold medal is one of my highest achievements so far. The fact that it’s in a multi-sport event, which means so much for Malaysia, makes it even more important for me,” concluded the 27-year-old from Penang.

Duncalf admitted to mixed feelings about the outcome: “It’s a strange feeling – you come into a final hoping to win. But at the same time, winning a silver medal is one of my highest achievements. To get a silver medal is truly precious.

“I don’t think Nicol did a lot wrong – she didn’t really give me a look in. All credit to her – she’s a deserved winner.”

The third-place play-off match did not take place after England’s third seed Alison Waters was forced to withdraw following an Achilles injury sustained in the semi-final against Duncalf – giving the bronze medal to Australia’s sixth seedKasey Brown.

“I’m pretty gutted,” said 26-year-old Londoner, who learned that she moved to a career-high world No3 in the women’s rankings today. “I had a scan today and have a slight tear on the Achilles tendon in my left leg. I’ll be out for a couple of weeks so I’m pretty disappointed.

“Having not lost to Kasey, I’d have felt confident against her – but she’s playing well at the moment. And in the doubles I had chances of medals in both events.

“But we’ve got strength in the team – we’ll still be pushing for medals.

“I’ll be staying here till the end – I’ll be their No1 supporter!

“And at least I’ve had some good news today by going to No3 in the world rankings,” added Waters.

Women’s final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 (40m)

Bronze medal play-off:
[6] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt [3] Alison Waters (ENG) w/o

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

Jenny Duncalf was the first to secure a place in the medals. But the world No2 from Harrogate in Yorkshire had a tough battle against fellow countrywoman Alison Waters, the third seed, dropping the first game and facing game-ball against her at 10-9 down in the second.

But the 27-year-old England No1 recovered to draw level before taking the next two games to avenge her defeat in this year’s British National Championship, beating Waters 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4 in 59 minutes.

“Obviously it’s great to be in the Commonwealth Games final – tomorrow will be one of the highlights of my career,” said the jubilant Duncalf moments after coming off the all-glass showcourt at the new 11-court complex.

“It was a bit of a funny game as Ali got a twinge in her Achilles – it was a bit of a tough trying not to think of her. It was a bit unsettling,” explained Duncalf.

“Getting the second game was really important. We’re extremely competitive – but best mates off court.”

How does she see her chances in the final? “I’m just looking forward to it – whoever I’ve got. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet.

“I’ve felt good this tournament – I really like the court and the arena’s great.”

When asked if she felt she was playing as well as when she downed Nicol David twice in succession last year, Duncalf replied: “I’m never totally sure how I’m playing. But I definitely had to play well to beat Ali – she’s a great player technically and physically. She really dominated me in the first game.

“Winning gold would be unbelievable. It would be the highlight of my career. We’re all desperate to win gold.”

A downcast Waters confirmed her Achilles twinge: “This really hampered my movement. If I’d won the second game, it would have made a big difference.

“I still felt I was in it – the third game was close,” added the Londoner. “I felt I was playing really well. I’m now concentrating on bronze.”

Can Jenny win it, the 26-year-old was asked? “I hope so – she’s playing well.”

Later, top seed Nicol David emerged from the second semi, recording her fourth successive straight games win in Delhi by beating Australia’s surprise semi-finalist Kasey Brown, the sixth seed who upset Northern Ireland’s No5 seed Madeline Perry 24 hours earlier.

The 25-year-old from New South Wales led three times in the opening game, but at six-all David took control to close out the game after winning the next five points in row. The cool Malaysian was always ahead thereafter and after 38 minutes notched up her 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 victory.

Now just win away from the only major tile which has hitherto eluded her, David was pleased with her performance: “I was playing really well to stay with her, moving well and hitting the ball well. I felt good. I had a really good run today.

“I’m glad to be in the final – but it’s going to be a battle. Just one more push!”

Much is expected of the record five-time world champion who finished in a disappointing fourth place four years ago in Melbourne: “That was a big turning point for me. I learned a lot from that. I’ve brought my game up.”

The favourite was asked what it would mean to win the title: “The Commonwealth Games title would definitely be up there with the other big ones,” said the Penangite.

Brown was philosophical about her defeat: “All this experience is going to help me in the future. Maybe next time I can win gold.”

When asked to identify what makes her opponent so difficult to beat, the New York-based Aussie replied: “Mentally Nicol is very strong – and physically too. She’s also very quick and consistent. You feel you have to win five points before you get one.”

Top seed Nick Matthew became the first to claim a place in the men’s final. The world No2 from Sheffield avenged a recent defeat by Peter Barker to beat his England team-mate in exactly one hour.

The left-handed Londoner led Matthew 8-7 in the first game, and was poised at 9-9 in the third game – but the third seed came away empty-handed as the favourite, who struggled to find his form earlier in the event, scored his 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 victory.

“I’ve got better each match, for sure – but I had to,” said Matthew. “The competition’s got tougher. I am pleased to get off in three.

“I feel I’m back to my best. I’m a lot happier than I was the first couple of days.

“I’ve been in contact my psychologist back home, which has been a help. If you start day-dreaming about winning matches, as soon as you get ahead of yourself that’s when you slip up.”

His reaction on reaching the final? “It’s fantastic. But I’ve not come here just to get in the final – tomorrow is when the job is finished.”

Barker felt he had been let down by the referees: “The first and third games were crucial – I had two bad decisions. Not that it would have made any difference. Nick outplayed me in the second.

“But it’s disappointing when you work so hard – and it comes down to bad decisions.

“Nick played a lot better: controlled and accurate squash.”

Barker ended a run of 10 successive defeats by Matthew in August by beating the Yorkshireman for the first time in theHong Kong Open. “He played better than he did in Hong Kong – and I didn’t play as well,” said Barker. “He just didn’t let me. I thought it was a fair match.”

Would he win bronze? “I hope so,” concluded the 27-year-old.

The much-touted ‘dream’ all-English final came about a few hours later when second seed James Willstrop defeated surprise opponent Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the No6 seed from Malaysia, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 in 44 minutes.

Whilst Willstrop had survived a brutal 111-minute encounter the previous night – fighting back from 2/0 down to beat dogged Australian David Palmer in a match which finished at 12.45 am – the Malaysian had needed 135 minutes to upset determined Englishman Daryl Selby in an incident-packed affair.

But it was clearly Iskandar who had been affected more as the 28-year-old from Kula Lumpur fell to his sixth successive defeat to the tall Englishman.

“That couldn’t really have worked out much better,” said Willstrop. “Looking back at being 2/0 down last night, I didn’t think I’d be in this position. Just 40 minutes on court today is handy.

“If we’d had another ding dong tonight, it would have made it very difficult for tomorrow. Yesterday, mentally, was very hard. I was nearly out of it last night. Two hard back-to-back matches would have made it very difficult,” explained the world No4 from Leeds.

“I set the tone pretty well today – I felt alright, I didn’t feel too bad. When he’s had two hours in his legs, and is 1/0 down, it’s hard.”

Four years ago in Melbourne, Willstrop crashed out at the quarter-final stage – losing to Matthew in an 82-minute marathon.

“Last time was quite heart-breaking, playing Nick in a monster match in Melbourne,” Willstrop recalled. “But I don’t think the England team could be happier this time – we’ve probably come and done as well as we could have hoped. We’ve always said that this is a very important competition – all of the players have put in a massive effort to get here.”

On another clash with Matthew, Willstrop stated: “I play him more than anyone. It’ll be a big game and an exciting one. Everybody talks about the rivalry – and that’s great for the sport.

“I’m behind at the moment – it’s time I got one!”

A tired Iskandar praised his opponent: “James has a super attacking game – he just didn’t give me a chance to get going. He was simply too good – to beat him, you need a fresh pair of legs. I thought he deserved to win.

“He’s a great player. He doesn’t allow you to get into a rhythm.

“I set my goal of making the semis – and I achieved that. I hope to recover tomorrow to put in another day.”

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com

Men’s semi-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [3] Peter Barker (ENG) 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 (60m)
[2] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [6] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (44m)

Women’s semi-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [6] Kasey Brown (AUS) 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (38m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [3] Alison Waters (ENG) 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4 (59m)

Waters, the third seed from London, was the first to put herself in medal contention for the first time after beating New Zealand’s Joelle King, the 12th seed, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-2 in 60 minutes.

It was the world number four’s second victory over the Kiwi this year – but clearly Waters had a tougher hurdle to overcome this time:

“I’ve only played Joelle once before – but I knew she’d be tough,” said 26-year-old Water. “She hits the ball well and hard. When I changed things around and brought in a bit of variety, it all came together for me.

“I’m glad to get through – winning that last game like I did gives you confidence. Knowing I can play like that in the fifth gives me a boost. I’ve had more experience than Joelle, and I think that was the key in the fifth.

“It’s exciting to be in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games – that’s pretty cool! Not many people can say that they’ve competed in the Games.

“It would be great to play Jenny in the semis as at least one of would get a medal,” added Waters.

Team-mate Duncalf then obliged, ending the hopes of another New Zealander by beating seventh seed Jaclyn Hawkes11-8, 11-4, 12-10.

“I felt good out there today – it’s always good to get through in three,” said second seed Duncalf. “I maybe switched off slightly in the third – so I was pleased not to go to a fourth.

“You can’t let up for one minute against these girls – you can’t get complacent. As soon as you sit back for a couple of points, the momentum goes.”

Asked if she was boosted by her team-mate’s earlier win, Duncalf replied: “Yes, it’s great to see your team-mates do well. There’s a great togetherness about the squad – we all look out for each other.

“Ali and I are sharing tonight – so I might have to think of a few tricks!”

Underdog Hawkes admitted later she had been relaxed going into the game: “I had nothing to lose.

“Jenny’s racket skills are so good. If you play a loose ball, you’ll find yourself in trouble. She just played better than me today.

“If I’d managed to take the third, she might have tightened up a bit. Even though she can come back from losing a game, I felt I had it in me to take it to a fifth.”

The 27-year-old from Auckland will now turn her attention to the Doubles: “I think our chances in the doubles are really good. We’ve got a real good shot to win.”

Londoner Peter Barker became the first man to earn a place in the semi-finals when he recovered from a game down to beat experienced Australian Stewart Boswell 10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 11-3.

Boswell, the No8 seed in his third appearance in the Games, was two points away from taking the second game when Barker edged through, then upped the pace to record his 73-minute victory.

“That was tough – and I was fortunate to win the second game,” admitted the third seed. “If he’d won that, it would have been really tough to come back – even though I have a few years on him! Two down against someone of Bozza’s experience would not have been good.

“But after winning the second, I was on the front foot.”

When told that Australian number one David Palmer had tipped him as a ‘dark horse’ for the title, Barker was quick to respond: “No! Maybe people are saying that because I beat Nick (Matthew) the last time we played. I’m quietly confident of doing well, but I like being the underdog!”

The left-hander then went on to admit how feared Palmer himself is: “We were all not wanting to play David. In fact it’s the first thing I thought of when I saw the draw was – ‘where’s David?’ That quarter was always going to be the one everybody wanted to avoid.”

The third game was twice interrupted when the Englishman had to change his racket. “My strings broke twice! And at 20 dollars a re-string, it’s going to be an expensive tournament! They’re new Ashaway strings – and good strings – but they have a life!”

Boswell said that his plan had been to try and get a good length and get in front – “which I did for about a game and a half. I thought I played pretty well – but I fell off the pace a bit at the end, which was a bit disappointing.

“Pete’s in pretty good form and is an obvious contender for the title. I think he’s capable of winning it. I was hoping to get through at least another round – but now we’ve got the doubles, so the only plus about losing is that I’ve now got two days free.

“I haven’t really given the doubles much thought,” added the Canberra-born 32-year-old. “But it gives us a good opportunity to win gold for Australia.”

Barker will now line up against England team-mate Nick Matthew, the event favourite, for as place in the final.

World No2 Matthew secured his first straight games win of the tournament when he overcame Australia’s seventh seedCameron Pilley 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.

“It’s definitely the best I’ve played this week – but I needed to against somebody like Cameron,” said an upbeat Matthew. “I knew I had to start well. It’s getting better each day. I was moving a lot sharper around the court today.

“And I’ve now got Pete (Barker). It’s never easy to play a compatriot but I’m looking forward to it. But Pete’s playing well – he’s confident. And he beat me the last time we played.

When asked if it felt good to know that England already had two certain silver medals, the 30-year-old from Sheffield said: “The coaches might think of things like that – but all of us are only after one thing! Nothing’s been achieved yet.”

Men’s quarter-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [7] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (54m)
[3] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [8] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 11-3 (73m)
More to follow ….

Women’s quarter-finals:
[3] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [12] Joelle King (NZL) 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-2 (60m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [7] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-8, 11-4, 12-10 (40m)
More to follow ….

For more info, visit the WSF’s dedicated Commonwealth Games site www.cwgsquash.com