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and the Fitz-Geralds
by Collin Mcquillan in Manchester, August 2 2002
[last update was 5-aug-02
]
Colin Mcquilllan, live from Manchester on Friday Night
Singles Stars find Doubles Emotionally Draining
Fate And The Fitz-Geralds Thanks largely to a career-best doubles performance by the young Welsh combination of Gavin Jones and Scott Fitzgerald (okay, so there is a slightly different spelling, but it is just the difference between Australia and Wales), there is no longer a North American interest in the Commonwealth Games squash doubles.
Melanie Jans and Margo Green went down to Leilani Rorani and Carols Owens of New Zealand in the women's doubles quarter-finals and the Welshmen took the quarter-final place from the last 16 of the men's doubles that many had expected to be occupied by Graham Ryder and Shahier Razik.
Joathon Power, the singles Gold medallist, as readers from yesterday may recall, had already left the building.
 |
| Canadians Ryding and Razik (in black and red) go down (photo © 2002 Fritz Borchert) |
Alex Gough, who with David Evans, was already part of the Welsh quarter-final presence, watched his young compatriots' 69 minute 15-9 15-11 15-11 progress against the Canadians and suggested he had never seen Fitzgerald in particular play better.
The rest of us were busy watching the other Fitz-Gerald, the good looking one who took the women's singles Gold medal on Wednesday, producing what must have been one of the most disappointing performances of her life.
Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the 33-year-old world champion and world number one, was keen to add another couple of medals to her Manchester Hall, preferably Gold ones, and through a day of frantic activity on all fronts she looked to be well on her way. Certainly she has made the mixed doubles semi-finals in partnership with Paul Price.
Then she met England's Fiona Geaves in the sort of mood that no-one, believe me, really deserves to encounter at the end of the longest day in the biggest and most important squash doubles tournament ever brought together.
Off To A Less Than Great Start
Geaves' day had started when she and Chris Walker lost their last qualifying
match in Pool A of the mixed doubles for which they are top seeded to New
Zealand's Leilani Rorani and Glen Wilson, then got worse when Rorani, in partnership
with Carol Owens, downed her again in the women's doubles, forcing Linda Charman
and herself into a quarter-final against the much fancied second seeded Australian
pairing of Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Liz Irving.
After a full-out anger-session before the quarter-final, however, the English pair went out determined to rescue the day. They played the finest doubles they have collectively ever produced, and sent the singles Gold medalist and her vastly experienced 37-year-old partner packing 15-11 15-5 in 33 minutes of fearsome, furious concentration.
 |
| Star-studded Aussie duo goes down swinging (photo © 2002 Fritz Borchert) |
More than just resurrecting the day for Geaves, the win means that England is guaranteed two medals from the women's doubles, and one of them must be at least Silver, because they will be facing Cassie Jackman and Tania Bailey in the bottom half semi-final after the England's first string pairing beat Katrina Hogan and Karen Hargreaves of Wales 15-4 15-4 in a 24 minute quarter-final.
The other women's semi-final will be between the top seeded Rachael and Natalie Grinham of Australia and the Rorani-Owens partnership.
"We were just so mad at losing to the Kiwis, and I was just simply furious with myself for letting the top place in the mixed doubles pool get way," said Geaves. "We had a real old session together in the late afternoon and by the time we got on court with the Aussies we were just fizzing."
Asked what they might use to generate such useful fury for the semi-final, Geaves looked this writer straight in the eye and opined : "Just talking to you could do it."
In fact, little of the anger showed in the English performance. Charman particularly was strong and accurate, while Geaves was at her most devious on the forehand side. By carefully shaping their attack to wear down Irving, the Australian shotmaker, then shafting testing little attacks onto Fitz-Gerald, they reduced the world champion to explosions of self-deprecating fury during play and floods of tears afterwards.
As well as her well publicised ambition to win three medals at these Games, Fitz-gerald was also hoping that she could decorate the retirement of her partner and great friend with a medal. Irving had announced already that she would retire once this event was over.
"I just think I have let Liz down," sad Fitz-Gerald. "I wanted her to retire on Commonwealth Games medal, preferably a Gold, and I went out there and just played crap. I had a small problem with my blood sugar level and had to come off after the first game to get something to nibble on. But that wasn't the real problem. The real problem was that I played absolute crap."
Irving was outwardly more philosophical: "I am disappointed," she admitted. But I have to hand it to the English girls. They played better that we did. Life doesn't always go your way and you have to accept that."
There was no disguising, however, the emotional down into which both Australians descended. "We started out together in this game and I wanted to win a medal for Liz as much as for myself," sniffed the singles Gold medallist. "I had played a lot today but I was not tired. I just made so many mistakes."
Unsettled By Rorani's Excellence
Geaves' medal hopes were unsettled earlier as the previously unrecognised
doubles abilities of New Zealand's Leilani Rorani undermined her progress
for England.
Rorani, a former world number one who has returned for these Games from a severe Achilles tendon rupture, was high seeded for the singles competition but failed, largely through movement problems, to make the medal stages. In the doubles, however, with court coverage demands considerably reduced, her power of shot and accuracy of placement is having a telling effect.
With Carol Owens, normally her archest of rivals, Rorani has forged a strong understanding in the women's doubles and their 43 minute 15-9 15-13 defeat of Geaves and Charman in Pool D was enough to force the English pair into the toughest of the quarter-finals.
Later, playing with Glen Wilson, Rorani defeated Geaves and Walker 15-13 15-11 in another 43 minute match in Pool A of the mixed doubles qualifiers, making the English pair's top seeded progress through the quarter-final stage more difficult than expected.
"We hadn't actually seen either of these pairs playing together before," said Geaves. "Tactically they played very well, better than us in fact."
Brind & Johnson Fight Back
Stephanie Brind and Paul Johnson gained some revenge for England by downing
Carol Owens and Daniel Sharplin of New Zealand 15-11 17-14 in Pool D of the
mixed. Later the second English pair also defeated Karen Andersen and Wayne
Prescod of Jamaica 15-3 15-7 to make the quarter-finals.
Rorani said: "There were a lot of people laughing about Carol and I teaming up together considering our well known singles rivalry, but this was our first doubles match together so it was particularly pleasing to get a win that meant we did not have to face the top seeded Australians, Rachael and Natalie Grinham until the semi-finals.
In fact that chore fell to the more recognised New Zealand pairing of Shelley Kitchen and Lara Petala as runners-up to England's Cassie Jackman and Tania Bailey in Pool C, while the top English pair drew the quarter-final against Katrina Hogan and Karen Hargreaves of Wales. Rorani and Owens drew Melanie Jans and Margo Green of Canada.
Brits In Every Men's Quarter-final
In the men's doubles England's defending titleholders Mark Chaloner and Paul
Johnson are through to the bottom half quarter-finals in which they face Mansoor
Zaman and Shahid Zaman Khan of Pakistan.
Stewart Boswell and Anthony Ricketts of Australia face Martin Heath and Neil Frankland of Scotland in the same half.
Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill of England reached the top half quarter-finals to meet Alex Gough and David Evans of Wales, while the top seeded David Palmer and Paul Price of Australia now play Gavin Jones and Scott Fitzgerald of Wales.
Could It happen Again In The Mixed?
Geaves will have to face Fitz-Gerald's wrath again tomorrow when she and Walker
face the singles Gold medallist in partnership with Paul Price in a bottom
half quarter-final of the mixed doubles. In the same bottom half of the draw
the second seeded Malaysians, Ong Beng Hee and Nicol David face Gavin Jones
and Karen Hargreaves of Wales.
Paul Johnson and Stephanie Brind of England face another Australian pairing, Joe Kneipp and Robyn Cooper, while the top quarter-final has drawn an all-Kiwi confrontation between Glen Wilson with Leilani Rorani and Carol Owens with Daniel Sharplin.
Commonwealth Games Doubles Squash Sportcity, Manchester
Women's Doubles Quarter-finals Results:
Rachael Grinham/Natalie Grinham(Aus) bt Shelley Kitchen/Lara Petara (NZ) 15-8
15-8 Leilani Rorani/Carol Owens (NZ) bt Melanie Jans/Margo Green (Can) 15-8
15-8
Cassie Jackman/TaniaBailey (Eng) bt Katrina Hogan/Karen Hargreaves (Wal) 15-4
15-4 Fiona Geaves/Linda Charman (Eng) bt Sarah Fitz-Gerald/Liz Irving (Aus)
15-11 15-5
Second Round Qualifying Results: Men's
Doubles:
Pool A;
[1] David Palmer/Paul Price (AUS) bt Navin Samarasinghe/Saman Thilakarathna
(SRI) w/o Regan Pollard/Luke Fraser (GUY) bt Navin Samarasinghe/Saman Thilakarathna
(SRI) w/o [1] David Palmer/Paul Price (AUS) bt Farrukh Zaman/Shamsul Islam
Khan (PAK) 15-5, 15-11
Pool B;
Gavin Jones/Scott Fitzgerald (WAL) bt Thomas Sherratt/Nicholas Kyme (BER)
w/o
Gavin Jones/Scott Fitzgerald (WAL) bt Kaebetsoe & Lentsoe Monnapula (LES)
w/o
[2] Mark Chaloner/Paul Johnson (ENG) bt Gavin Jones/Scott Fitzgerald (WAL)
15-4, 15-8
Pool C;
[3] Lee Beachill/Peter Nicol (ENG) bt Patrick Chifunda/Ernest Chisenga (ZAM)
15-8, 15-11 Murray Martin/Jesse Engelbrecht (ZIM) bt Hartaj & Rajdeep Bains
(KEN) 15-10, 15-12
Pool D;
[4] Stewart Boswell/Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt Jason Nicolle/Gareth Webber
(GUE) 15-2, 15-11
Pool E; [5] David Evans/Alex Gough (WAL) bt Mansoor Zaman/Shahid Zaman Khan
(PAK) 15-1, 15-12
Pool F;
[6] Neil Frankland/Martin Heath (SCO) bt Graham Ryding/Shahier Razik (CAN)
15-7, 14-15, 15-11
Women's Doubles:
Pool A;
[1] Rachael & Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [8] Katrina Hogan/Karen Hargreaves
(WAL) 15-3, 15-1
[8] Katrina Hogan/Karen Hargreaves (WAL) bt Alana Simmons/Lindy-Ann Alexander
(LCA) w/o
Pool C;
[6] Shelley Kitchen/Lara Petera (NZL) bt Marlene West/Karen Anderson (JAM)
15-7, 15-12 [3] Cassie Jackman/Tania Bailey (ENG) bt [6] Shelley Kitchen/Lara
Petera (NZL) 15-9, 11-15, 15-5
Pool D;
[5] Carol Owens/Leilani Rorani (NZL) bt [4] Fiona Geaves/Linda Charman (ENG)
15-9, 15-13
Mixed Doubles:
Pool A; Kelvin Ho/Sharon Wee (MAS) bt Luke Fraser/Nicolette Fernandes (GUY)
15-6, 15-10 [8]
Glen Wilson/Leilani Rorani (NZL) bt [1] Chris Walker/Fiona Geaves (ENG) 15-13,
15-11
Pool B;
[2] Ong Beng Hee/Nicol David (MAS) bt [7] Joseph Kneipp/Robyn Cooper (AUS)
17-16, 12-15, 15-8
Pool C;
Gavin Jones/Karen Hargreaves (WAL) bt Derek Hunter/Naluge Guy (PNG) 15-5,
15-13
[3] Paul Price/Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) bt Derek Hunter/Naluge Guy (PNG) 15-11,
15-4 [3]
Paul Price/Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS)
bt Martin Heath/Pamela Nimmo (Scot) 15-4 15-11
Pool D;
[4] Paul Johnson/Stephanie Brind (ENG) bt [5] Daniel Sharplin/Carol Owens
(NZL) 15-11, 17-14
[4] Paul Johnson/Stephanie Brind (ENG) bt Wayne Prescod/Karen Andersen (Jam)
15-3 15-7
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