CWG 2022 Squash: James Willstrop, Joelle King win golds in Doubles

CWG 2022 Squash: James Willstrop, Joelle King win golds in Doubles

Squash at the 2022 Commonwealth Games concluded with two veterans James Willstrop and Joelle King winning golds in their respective Doubles events.

New Zealand’s Joelle King successfully defended her Women’s Doubles title alongside Amanda Landers-Murphy. The duo beat the English team comprised of Mixed Doubles silver medalist Alison Waters and Women’s Singles bronze winner Sarah Jane Perry by a score of 11-8, 11-8. in the gold medal match.

New Zealand led initially in the first game but the English team came back to get an 8-6 lead. The defending champions however won five points on the trot to clinch the game 11-8.

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The second game was tied 3-3 before New Zealand broke away to get a 9-4 lead. England narrowed the lead to 9-7 before the experienced Kiwis managed to win the game and match 11-8.

Perry had defeated defending champion King in the Women’s Singles bronze match. King had earlier won gold in the Mixed Doubles event alongside Paul Coll.

33-year old King now has eight CWG medals from four editions starting from Delhi 2010 up to Birmingham 2022.

Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold and Aifa Azman defeated compatriots Chan Yiwen-Ainaa Ampandi 11-3, 11-9 in the bronze medal match.

Willstrop wins Men’s Doubles title

England’s James Willstrop may have missed out on a Singles medal at Birmingham but he and partner Declan James emerged victorious in a marathon Men’s Doubles gold medal match.

Willstrop and James defeated Adrian Waller and Daryl Selby 2-1 in an all-English final.

Willstrop and James easily won the first game 11-3 but Selby and Mixed Doubles silver medalist Waller came back to win the second 11-7.

The third game was a see-saw battle. Willstrop-James got into an 7-3 lead but the other English pair fought back to lower it to it 9-8. The 2018 bronze medalists however just about managed to win 11-9 over the silver medalists from four years ago.

Waller-Selby had defeated Willstrop and James in three games at the Gold Coast 2018 semifinals so this win was in some ways a revenge victory.

This was the second gold and seventh medal at the CWGs for Willstrop.

Scotland’s Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart defeated Malaysia’s Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen 11-10, 11-6 to win the bronze medal.