Day 1

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        TODAY AT THE GAMES       

Thu 16th, Day ONE:

It was a disappointing day for Pakistan on today's opening day of squash action in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne when the country's two seeded players, cousins Shahid Zaman and Mansoor Zaman, were bounced out of the men's singles event by Canada's Matthew Giuffre and Welshman Gavin Jones, respectively.

As men's and women's singles events came down to the last sixteen there was just one upset in the women's, as South Africa's Tenille Swartz put out Kiwi 14th seed Tamsyn Leevey in straight games.

Framboise reports from Melbourne ...

Men's Round Two:

Shahier Razik bt Chris Simpson           9/3, 2/9, 9/3, 9/6  (54m)
John White  bt Nick Kyme                    9/7, 9/1, 9/1  (24m)
Joseph Kneipp bt Joseph Desira           9/4, 9/1, 9/1  (20)

Anthony Ricketts bt Colin Ramasra      9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (22m)
Stewart Boswell bt Steve Richardson    9/4, 9/0, 9/4  (42m)
Lee Beachill bt Craig van der Wath       9/1, 9/2, 9/1  930m)
Alex Gough bt James Stout                   9/4, 9/1, 1/7 R'td (19m)

Graham Ryding bt Clinton Leeuw          9/1, 9/6, 9/0
Azlan Iskandar  bt Christopher Binnie  9/0, 9/1, 9/1  (21m)
Matthew Giuffre  bt  Shahid Zaman      9/4, 10/8, 10/9  (45m)
Peter Nicol bt Rodney Durbach             9/5, 9/1, 9/1  (32m)

Ong Beng Hee bt Shawn DeLierre         9/3, 9/1, 9/2  (30m)
Nick Matthew bt  Lazarus Chilufya        9/2, 9/1, 9/2  (32m)
Gavin Jones bt Hartaj Bains                 9/3, 9/3, 9/4 (39m)
James Willstrop bt  Harry Leitch          W/O   

Women's Round One:

[1] Nicol David (Mas)  bye
[13] Runa Reta (CAN) bt Eli Webb (PNG)                      9/1, 9/1, 9/2 (20m)
[8] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt Diana Argyle (RSA)              9/3, 9/1, 9/0 (20m)
[12] Amelia Pittock (AUS) bt Marlene West (JAM)        9/1, 9/0, 9/1 (22m)

[3] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt Chantelle Day (CAY)    9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (14m)
[16] Tricia Chuah (MAS) bt Vanessa Florens (MRI)     9/3, 9/0, 9/5 (20m)
[7] Madeline Perry (NIR) bt Tehani Guruge (SRI)      9/1, 9/0, 9/0 (20m)
[10] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 4/9,9/6,7/9,9/6,9/2 (62m)

[9] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Naluge Guy (PNG)        9/2, 9/1, 9/0 (17m)
[5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Louise Philip (SCO)        9/2, 9/3, 9/0 (21m)
Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt [14] Tamsyn Leevey (NZL)     9/5, 9/6, 9/4 (25m)
[4] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Sharon Chimfwembe (ZAM) 9/0, 9/1, 9/3(14m)

[11] Tegwen Malik (WAL) bt Nirasha Guruge (SRI)   9/3, 9/0, 9/0  (18m)    
[6] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt Karen Anderson (JAM)         9/4, 9/1, 9/2  (18m)
[15] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO) 9/3, 9/0, 9/4  (24m)
[2] Rachael Grinham (Aus)  bye
   

DRAWS

Framboise reports from Melbourne

Team managers etc:
send in your news ...

Results from Melbourne

WHAT AN OPENING

A Superb performance from the Welshman. After taking the first game 9/7, Gavin went up 6/0 before Mansoor applied some pressure to come back to 6/6. But Gavin stepped on the pedal to finally take the game 9/6.

Down 2/0, was Mansoor going to let go, as he sometimes does? Nope, not today. Point by point, he came back in the match, against a Welshman maybe a bit tired by his first two games exploits to equalise 2/2.

And both players dug in, and they fought hard, Mansoor, attacking every shot he could put his racquet on, Gavin, defending and counter-dropping with an intensity I’ve never seen before.

The match got a bit tense, as it would, as the score came closer and closer, culminating at 6/6. It was anybody’s game really, but today, Gavin was that much more desperate for victory I felt, and on a return of serve in the tin, Mansoor conceded the match 9/6 in the 5th…

"It was a pretty tough game. I was quite unhappy with the draw I must say, as if we look at the world rankings, I should have been seed 17, and I find myself playing a top 15. Don’t think that ever happened before in the Commonwealth Games before. "I stuck to my game plan to start with, squeeze him to the back, and let him play short, but I suddenly changed it in the 3rd, and mentally had a bit of a let down. In the 4th, there were a couple of rallies that really hurt, but after the break, I came back to my game plan… "I’m very happy indeed, as I’d never beaten Mansoor before. Next round, I think I play this evening a pretty tough player, so I’m going to rest now, and stretch…"

Gough played controlled squash, working and concentrating on length. His opponent had a very good lob, but a weak back hand.

"I’ve been coaching Colin for 6 years now, I’m the head coach for 11 islands, the OECS. I used to play in England at county level, and I actually just lost today against a young man from Scotland, Harry Leitch." James, Alexander’s coach "It’s awesome to play against somebody like Alex, he is so far above, the speed, the skills, the pace of the game. I’m not used to play at that kind of pace. In the Caribbean, we don’t have any player that plays at that pace. "And as far as the Games are concerned, it’s almost perfection really, the organisation, everything…"

This was really the lady’s day today… Just married 10 days ago, 25  today, and giving only one point away to her opponent Chantelle Day, from the Cayman Islands.

Sitting quietly with new husband Tommy Berden, Natalie had the calm of pure happiness that comes from being loved.

And last night's opening ceremony added to the happiness factor.

“I don’t know how to describe it”, said the Australian, “it’s such an overwhelming feeling.

"Especially for Amelia, it was her first time, she was so exited, so happy, she kept on saying hello to everybody, it was so funny… And the roar when Australia came on stage, it was amazing.

"In Manchester, most of the crowd was quite naturally supporting England, whereas here, it was all for us…”

And what about Tommy, who had a few months away from the courts due to a very serious injury to his thumb.

“I’m ok, I’m slowly getting back into things. I started playing again one week before getting married, and I can still beat her, so I’m happy… No, seriously, I’m going to play for the Europeans, and probably nothing until the new season in September/October. “

But let’s get to it, what we all want to know, how was the wedding?

“The day was beautiful, we did it to celebrate with our friends and family what we already have, as we have been living together for 6 years (“almost seven”, cuts in Tommy), yes, almost seven years. So nothing has really changed since.

"It was hard to find a break in our schedule, already to get married, and also for the honeymoon, but we eventually find it, and we are going to go on honeymoon probably in May, after the Europeans, to the Caribbean.”

Well, I know love when I see it, and trust me, those two are picture perfect representation of it….

Many happy returns, guys, toutes mes felicitations…

Christian Leighton, Jahangir Khan, Geoff Hunt

A very good battle from the Kenyan, who his coach told me to be the best hope for Kenya. Good fighting spirit, good rallies.

"I’m 25, and for the past year, I’ve been working a lot on my game, I train in the UK, in Nottingham, at the Park, with Gordon Hill. I came back to Nairobi to do the trials. Today, playing against David was hopeless, he is such a talented player. "I was trying to play as straight as possible, but he holds the ball so well, the preparation for all his shots look the same, so you’ve got to keep an eye on the ball constantly. My aim was to get a few points, which I did, mission accomplished. "This was my first times in the game, it’s an experience in itself just participating…"

"I used to play for France, as I was based in La Réunion, very close to Mauritius, and I hold the double nationality French by my mother, and Mauritius, as I was born there.

"Three years ago, I came back to Mauritius, where I am a PE teacher. I enjoy the intensity of the game, both tactically and physically, and the fact you’ve got to give it all…"

Vanessa Florens (Mauritius)

Nick Kyme (BER) bt Chikumbutso Mkutumula (MAW)   9/0, 9/2, 9/1 (25m)

"I play in Malawi, but we are not that serious about squash. We have about 200/300 players, and the level is not that good. Today, against Nick, it was a real experience, and I enjoyed wining a few points."



"I haven’t played well recently, I had a few injuries as well, hopefully, I’m getting out of it, just at the end of the season…"

NORMAL DAY AT THE OFFICE…

A bit nervous when he got on court, but soon Mr John White got over the jinks of playing in front of his close family, and after a terrible start, due it must be stressed to a very sharp Bermudian Nick Kyme, the Scot found his pace, his precision, and hit the ball as only he know how, and that’s not a figure of speech…

Nick did very well just to stay in the rallies, let me tell you, as John was taking no prisoner, and quite logically, after a close first game, was not able to score much more points….

"That court is so different… "I had a good start and then he got cracking, and that was it really, that’s why he is a top ten player… "It was the first time I played John, and it’s the pace he plays at, even on a dead court like this one, he hits it straight, in particular on his backhand, he holds it just enough, it hangs in low and just… dies…!"

"It’s my first Commonwealth Games, first in 98, I didn’t get picked up for the Australian team, and then, for the Manchester Games, at the last minute, I was told that my residency was going to be short by a few weeks, so there I was, in Nottingham, with all my mates playing in Manchester, that was hard…

"But it’s all in the past now, and I know now what I was missing, just to be part of the village among so many other athletes of all sports, it’s a great feeling, plus the wonderful venue, a great court…. This is probably the biggest event of our careers…

"It was a bit nerve-wracking, playing in front of my dad and my mum, who don’t get to see me play in the big events, and my brother is coming soon, and an uncle, more pressure… But no, it’s great, because even if you do normally get the support of your team mates, your friends, having your family around you makes such a difference…

"And it would be nice to go home with a medal…"

CLOSER THAN EXPECTED…

If Shahier was expecting an easy ride from the Guernsey boy, he must have been disappointed by Simpson’s excellent performance. Retrieving well the Canadian’s lovely drop shots (mind you, with Tom Richards as a sparring partner, he has had some practice), Chris caused a real problem that Shahir had a hard time finding solutions to.

But all came down to too many “unforced” errors in the 4th, as Chris was getting closer and closer to the tin, put under pressure by the relentless retrieval of his opponent.

Still, an mighty proud Simpson at the end of the encounter, in opposition to a rather unhappy Razik…

"I was happy with the way I played in some areas, but then again, there are quite a few that I still need to work on…. "I was very nervous, there were a lot of people from Guernsey today in the crowd, who haven’t seen me play since I was 9 years old, I didn’t want to disappoint them. "I would have like to play with more depth, to get more pace, as I felt I was playing at his pace. Also, I could have played more straight drives. Very often, I was getting to the front of the court, but would cross court it, and that was a mistake… "And you know when I told you I wasn’t sure why I was playing in the Commonwealth, that I was a bit afraid of what I was going to go there for, I changed my mind…. The walking in the arena yesterday, the roar for the Australian, and of course, the girls that let us out…"

"I’m 17, I’ve been playing squash since the age of 7. At the moment, I play about four times a week. I’m going to college, but after that, I would like to try the circuit for two years, and see how it goes…

"I was overwhelmed to play such a player, the intensity of the squash blew me away, but I hope that I learned from this, and that it will help me in my game, now that I have a glimpse of what it takes to get to the top of the world…"



"I never played Graham Ryding, and I’m looking forward to the match…"

"I’m happy to get through, this was a dangerous match. David has been a great player in the past, and stays very dangerous. This was probably the toughest second draw.

"After New York, I suffered from a very bad bronchitis, stay a few days in bed, and I’m now starting to get back into things, just playing a bit slower than normal maybe... Obviously, not the best of preparation for the event, but a good win in three tonight, tomorrow, a match that on paper should be easier than today, get myself in the quarters, and from there, who knows…"

As usual, a very fighting spirited Richardson, not giving anything away.

And don’t get fooled by the 9/0 score in the second, it was still a big battle there. In the third, Stewart may have had a little lapse in concentration, that allowed the Irish to come back into the match.

But an enormous rally at 3/2 killed him off. Still, a very good performance from Steve, and a good win for the Australian…

"That was a lot of running, he shoots like crazy, and I was always on my toes… "Not only it was the first time I played him, but also the first time I saw him play. My game plan was to keep him to the back, because it was much shorter for me to run to the front from the T than it is from the back…. "I also noticed that he was a bit slower than me to get to the front, so when he was playing short, I didn’t hesitate to play short as well, and it worked. "In the past 7 months, I feel that I got more experience, thanks to playing more and more matches against top level guys…

"Matt is getting there. In squash, you improve your world ranking accordingly to your skills, it really a true sport, a pure sport. Very rarely you see a ranked 40 beating a top 20. Really a true sport…"

, Matt’s father (with mum Patti)

TENILLE/TAMSYN

It was the first time I saw Tenille Swartz in action, and I must say I was quite impressed by her front game and aggressiveness. She gets very early on the ball, attacks relentlessly, and finds the nick on a regular basis.

Now, in the other corner, Tamsyn Leevy is no pushover, and I saw her forcing Alison Waters to five, getting a few match balls in the process during the last Qatar Classic. The New-Zealander’s strength is a fitness and a tenacity that rivals any of the top 10 girls…

In the first game, the two players were quite balanced until 5/4 for Tenille, when the South African started to string points at the speed of light to take the game. She went on taking a comfortable lead in the second, 8/2 game ball, but feeling her opponent getting a bit low in energy, Tamsyn put some pressure on, got some lovely winners from the back of the court to come back to 6/8, but the South African eventually prevailed, leading now 2/0.

And there was no stopping the 19 year old today. In the third, the South African went on controlling the centre of the court, hitting the ball very hard and varying her shots with some great winners, leaving her opponent running after her exquisite backhand drop shots, allowing her to get a surprise win in style, 3/0…

"I was the underdog today, I knew that I didn’t much to lose against those top players, so I just decided to go on there, and enjoy it as much as I could… "I know that Tamsyn is extremely fit, so I tried to keep the rallies going. I got tired during the second game in particular, but I dug in, and pushed to stay in the rallies. "Since I’m very young, I’ve always enjoyed playing a short game, it’s my strength really. But today, I had to keep my eye on the ball constantly, I had to be very focused, as Tamsyn runs so fast, and picks up everything…"

[5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Louise Philip (SCO)        9/2, 9/3, 9/0 (21m)

"This was a good start. We have been here for 10 days practicing, so the past few days, I was just itching to play…

"It’s great, I love it here, the opening ceremony yesterday was wonderful, and this is so different from any other tournament, and I love the village, it’s like a whole different world…"

Jenny Duncalf

Men's Round One:

Top half:
David Evans (WAL) bt Hardeep Reel (KEN)                 9/7, 9/5, 9/2 (33m)
[14] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Yasir Issadeen (SRI)       9/3, 9/0, 9/3 (22m)
Chris Simpson (GUE) bt Navin Samarasinghe (SRI)     9/0, 9/4, 9/0 (24m)
Nick Kyme (BER) bt Chikumbutso Mkutumula (MAW)   9/0, 9/2, 9/1 (25m)
[16] Joseph Kneipp (AUS) bt Joseph Chapman (BVI)  9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (20m)
Joseph Desira (MLT) bt Shawn Badrinath (GUY)         9/3, 9/4, 9/6 (34m) 
Colin Ramasra (TRI) bt Maxim Weithers (GUY)          10/8, 9/4, 9/2 (32m)
Steve Richardson (IRL) bt Joshua Pinard (TRI)          9/2, 9/1, 9/1 (31m)
Craig van der Wath (RSA) bt Nadeem Hosenbux (MRI) 9/0, 9/2, 9/0 (22m)
[13] Alex Gough (WAL) bt Colin Alexander (SVG)      9/1, 9/0, 9/2 (23m)
James Stout (BER) bt Joseph Karigithe (KEN)            9/2, 9/0, 9/0 (21m)

Bottom half:
Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt Jeffery Broderick (CAY)       9/1, 9/1, 9/0 (21m)
[12] Graham Ryding (CAN) bt Karl Nassief (DMN)    9/3, 9/1, 9/0 (19m)
Christopher Binnie (JAM) bt Leonard Bedneau (DMN)    9/0, 9/2, 9/3 (20m)
Matthew Giuffre (CAN) bt Andrew McGoon (FIJ)     9/0, 9/0, 9/0 (14m)
Rodney Durbach (RSA) bt Chirag Shah (KEN)        9/0, 9/7, 9/2 (21m)
Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt Sonalmeet Nagra (FIJ)        9/1, 9/0, 9/1 (21m)
Lazarus Chilufya (ZAM) bt Aubrey Taulo (MAW)     9/0, 9/0, 9/4 (19m)
O'Neil Chilambwe (ZAM) bt Hartaj Bains (KEN)      9/6, 9/2, 9/6 (33m)
Gavin Jones (WAL) bt [15] Mansoor Zaman (PAK)  9/7,9/6,5/9,2/9,9/6 (72m)
Harry Leitch (SCO) bt James Bentick (SVG)           9/5, 9/3, 9/5 (26m)

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