England Reach Last Four In All Three Doubles Events In Melbourne
England will be represented in the semi-finals of all three Commonwealth Games doubles events at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre – with Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill chasing further squash medals to go with the gold and bronze, respectively, they won in last week's men's singles event, and Vicky Botwright in line for a pair of doubles medals.
Nicol and Beachill took another step forward in the defence of their men’s doubles title by beating Scottish pair Harry Leitch and John White in today's (Friday) quarter-finals.
But the second-seeded Englishmen were taken to the wire before triumphing 8-10, 9-2, 9-2, 3-9, 9-6 over the eighth seeds in 87 minutes
Afterwards Nicol said: “We haven’t played a really competitive match together for four years. When we played well we played very well, but in the fourth game we were like zombies and didn’t communicate at all.
“The last game was hard, and if we didn’t know each other so well, we definitely wouldn’t have won. We get the best out of each other.”
They now face Aussies Dan Jenson and David Palmer in tomorrow’s semis. But Nicol and Beachill are the only England pairing left in the men’s doubles draw after Nick Matthew and James Willstrop lost their quarter-final to New Zealanders Campbell Grayson and Martin Knight.
But 30 minutes after that defeat, Willstrop and his mixed doubles partner Vicky Botwright beat New Zealanders Lara Petera and Callum O’Brien 6-9, 9-5, 9-7, 9-6. They now face another New Zealand pair, Shelley Kitchen and Glen Wilson, in the semis.
Adrian Grant and Alison Waters lost their semi-final against the home pairing of David Palmer and Rachael Grinham by 1-9, 6-9, 9-11.
Tania Bailey and Vicky Botwright have made the semi-finals of the women’s doubles – they take on the formidable Australian favourites Natalie Grinham and Rachael Grinham.