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2002 World Invitation Doubles: Taylor and Botwright put out Fitz-Gerald and Price

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Special to SquashTalk by Colin McQuillan © 2002 Colin McQuillan
last update: 04/18/2002 6:58 PM

World Invitation Doubles Features Intense Play

England is assured today of at least one Gold medal in the World Invitation Doubles Championships after their second team in the mixed doubles, Nick Taylor and Vicky Botwright, unexpectedly defeated the top-seeded Australian pairing of British Open Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Paul Price 15-13 11-15 15-13 in an 85 minute semi-final at Sportcity, Manchester.

Earlier the top England mixed partnership, Chris Walker and Fiona Geaves, removed Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee and Nicol David 15-9 11-15 15-10 in 69 minutes.

Fitz-Gerald, playing with increasing tension in the forehand court against Botwright, had just half-an-hour earlier finished a 59 minute qualifier in the women's doubles and immediately after the mixed semi-final went back on court to play the backhand court with Liz Irving in a 42 minute women's doubles semi-final which they lost 15-8 11-15 15-7 to England's Cassie Campion and Linda Charman-Smith.

The Australian Grinham sisters, Rachael and Natalie, came through the other women's doubles semi-final 17-14 15-9 in 45 minutes against England's Tania Bailey and Stephanie Brind.

The men's doubles final today (Friday) will also be an Anglo-Australian affair, with Paul Johnson and Mark Chaloner, the reigning Commonwealth Games champions, facing David Palmer and Paul Price Palmer and Price were switched out of their scheduled semi-final against England's Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill after an Australian protest yesterday, and instead defeated the best runner-up combination of Del Harris and Simon Parke 17-15 17-14 in 63 minutes.

England's two top men's doubles teams, both left-right handed combinations playing forehands down both walls, were thus required to play against each other, with Johnson and Chaloner needing 108 minutes to get past Nicol, the British Open Champion, and Beachill, British National Champion, 15-12 11-15 15-11.

Mixed Doubles Semi-finals:
Chris Walker/Fiona Geaves (Eng) bt Ong Beng Hee/Nicol David (Mal) 15-9 11-15 15-10 Nick Taylor/Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt Paul Price/Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) 13-15 15-11 15-13

Lower Place Play-offs:
Rodney Durbach/Calire Nitch (RSA) bt Daniel Sharplin/Carol Owens (NZ) 17-15 6-15 17-16 Joe Kniepp/Robyn Cooper (Aus) bt Paul Steel/Shelley Kitchen (NZ) 15-7 15-9
Mohad Azlan Iskander/Sharon Wee (Mal) bt Adrian Hansen/Sjeane Cawdry (RSA) 15-10 11-15 15-13

Men's Doubles Semi-finals:
Paul Johnson/Mark Chaloner (Eng) bt Peter Nicol/LeeBeachill (Eng) 15-12 11-15 15-11 David Palmer/Paul Price (Aus) bt Del Harris/Simon Parke (Eng) 17-15 17-14

Lower Place Play-offs:
Stewart Boswell/Anthony Ricketts (Aus) bt Martin Heath /Neil Frankland (Scot) 15-11 15-10
David Evans/Alex Gough (Wal) bt Rodney Durbach/Adrian Hansen (RSA) 12-15 15-11 15-7 Martin Heath/ Neil Frankland (Scot) bt Paul Steel/ Glen Wilson 6-15 15-10 17-14

Women's Doubles Semi-finals:
Cassie Campion/Linda Charman-Smith (Eng) bt Sarah Fitz-Gerald/Liz Irving (Aus) 15-6 11-15 15-7
Rachael & Natalie Grinhamd (Aust) bt Tania Bailey/Stephanie Brind (Eng) 17-14 15-9

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