Colin Fleming and Joss Rae, Team Scotland’s only remaining tennis players, pulled off the shock of the tournament tonight (Thursday) when they beat home favourites and second seeds Leander Paes and Sania Mirza to reach the semi finals of the mixed doubles in the inaugural tennis event at the Commonwealth Games.
In the last match on the packed 5000 capacity Centre Court, Fleming and Rae silenced the partisan home crowd. They won 6-4 6-4 and in the process guaranteed themselves at least two more matches and a chance of a medal, a remarkable achievement for two players who had never played mixed doubles together before the start of the Games.
After the match, a delighted Rae said: “That was amazing. It’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in and even though it was a bit intimidating we both got a real buzz from it and ended up thriving off it.
“The match tonight is only the second match I’ve ever played with Colin and I haven’t played much mixed doubles recently but we played really well together – in fact it’s the best I’ve ever played and it’s such a satisfying feeling.
“We have a semi final tomorrow against an English couple who we both know well and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Fleming agreed, saying: “The atmosphere on court really helped us today. It was just great fun playing in it and we both played really well.
“We know the guys we’re playing tomorrow pretty well and it should be a good match. We’ll definitely be gunning for it.”
Pete Nicholson, tennis Team Leader, was just as delighted as the players. Commenting after the match he said:
“This really was an astonishing victory for our guys over two very good Indian players who were playing in front of their home crowd. Both Colin and Joss raised their game unbelievably well – they hardly missed a ball all night!
“The atmosphere on court was electric and there was a huge amount of pressure but they stuck to their task and closed match out in style.”
They play England’s fourth seeds Ross Hutchins and Anna Smith in the semi finals on Friday in the second match in the evening session on Centre Court, which is due to start at 1700hrs. The winners of the match will progress to the final to contest the gold and silver medals whilst the runners up will face a bronze medal play-off against the other losing semi finalists.
Team Scotland’s badminton players went out of the mixed team event at the XIX Commonwealth Games today (Thursday) after a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Auld Enemy in Delhi.
Having finished in second place behind India in Group D last night, the eight-strong Scotland team progressed to a quarter final berth against England in the morning session today at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
Watson Briggs and Imogen Bankier took to the court first for the Scots in the mixed doubles tie, once again threatening to upset higher ranked opposition when they faced Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork, a pair ranked in the world’s top 10.
The Scots lost the first game 21-14 but, with a vocal contingent of travelling fans cheering them on, fought back to take the second 21-15. But in the third, Robertson in particular stepped up a gear and the English pair won 21-14 15-21 21-7 to go 1-0 up in the match
Afterwards, Bankier said: “We thought we had a chance and we showed that by taking the second game. But they are a world class pair and Nathan is very experienced – he’s one of the best mixed doubles players in the world and they stepped it up a gear in the third. They’re the kind of players who are so good that if you give them any chance at all they will take it.”
Briggs confirmed: “We served well in the second game but Nathan served amazingly in the third and when he gets into a rhythm it’s hard to break him down.
“But we might have them again in the mixed in the individual event so hopefully today’s match will help us with that and if we can break his rhythm we could have a chance.”
Kieran Merrilees was next on court for Scotland in the men’s singles, but despite his best efforts he couldn’t overcome world number 16 Raj Ouseph, leaving Scotland trailing 2-0 by the time Susan Egelstaff took to the court to play her women’s singles tie.
Egelstaff gave Team Scotland a glimmer of hope when she scored a 21-9 21-18 win over Liz Cann, the player she beat in the women’s singles bronze medal play-off match four years ago in Melbourne, but defeat in the men’s doubles for Briggs and Paul van Rietvelde gave the English team a 3-1 winning scoreline to take them through to the semi-finals.
Looking back at the match Egelstaff said: “Scotland have played England so many times that we all know what to expect from each other. We’ve had some good matches before so everyone in the team thought we might have had an outside chance today.
“I’ve beaten Liz before so I knew I could do it again and I just tried to be positive and think about my own game. I was really pleased with how I played, I controlled it well and I played some good net shots so I’m happy with my performance.
“She’s a really good fighter and a great athlete. She raised her performance in the second game today – she does that a lot. She did the same thing when I played her in Melbourne four years ago so I was happy I played well and managed to close the match out in the second game.”
Team Scotland’s shuttlers will now turn their attention to the individual events which start on Saturday, where third seed Susan Egelstaff will aim to finish on the podium as she did four years ago in Melbourne.
There was a first for Team Scotland in the pool on Thursday, with Lauren Smith placing third to claim bronze and become the first Scot ever to win a synchronised swimming medal.
Sitting third going into the final round, the free routine, 27-year old Smith managed a near-perfect swim to maintain her medal placing, though she then endured an agonising wait as her two closest rivals performed their routines.
“Routines are never perfect,” said Smith. “There’s always something you can improve on, but the best feeling you can get is your coach saying you’ve managed a really good performance, and that’s what mine told me. So I was very pleased; I felt like I really put everything into it.
“But when I walked off I thought, I can’t watch this,” she continued, referring to the two remaining routines. “I went and warmed down in the other pool, where there was a screen, but I wasn’t looking at what they were doing; I didn’t want to look at the rankings until the very end.
“I was waiting and waiting to hear that the final swimmer [Tarren Otte of Australia] had finished, and it seemed to go on forever.”
There was a delay before Otte’s routine, forcing the Australian swimmer – the last swimmer in the competition – to stand poolside for several minutes. When, eventually, she finished, and the judges delivered their verdict, it was enough only for her to retain fourth place. Smith had her medal, and she emerged from the warm-down pool to hugs and celebrations with her coach and support team.
“A medal is what I was coming to get,” she said, “but it was really close between three of us for bronze. I didn’t allow myself to believe it until I saw the final rankings, with my name third.”
Born in Surrey, Smith’s father, David, is from Glasgow. “My dad – both my parents – have been so supportive, so this is a way of saying ‘thank you’ to my dad,” said Smith. “I wanted to compete for Scotland, and I’m very proud of this medal.”
Smith started her sporting career young. From the age of three, she was a gymnast. “I did gymnastics for ten years but I was really scared in the swimming pool,” she said. “I had swimming lessons when I was eight, but I stopped because I was scared.
“Two years later, when I was ten-and-a-half, I tried again, going to swimming lessons with my sister, and the teacher said, ‘you’d be good at synchronised swimming.’ I didn’t know what the sport was, but three weeks later I entered a competition and won. And I thought, this is the sport for me.”
As Great Britain captain, Smith wants to compete at the London Olympics in 2012, but she will be unable to participate in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as synchronised swimming will not feature on the sport programme.
“Maybe my medal will make the difference and synchro’ can be included in the Glasgow programme,” said Smith. “It’s been on the Games programme for years and years and it would be such a shame if it was taken out in Glasgow, especially after we’ve just won our first ever medal. And I promise to take part if it’s included.”
AQUATICS
20 year old Sean Fraser from Edinburgh swam the race of his life tonight to win silver for Team Scotland in the para sport S8 100m freestyle in a time of 1:00.77. He was touched out at the finish by Australian Ben Austin, Paralympic Champion from 2004, in a time of 1:00.44
Ecstatic with his performance he said: “I was in it to win it but I had a slightly slack finish, however it was a p.b. so I really can’t complain, that was the best I have ever done. I have to take it on the chin, a slightly better man won, he has come out of retirement specially for this event.
“I knew I had a very good second 50 in me because I have the quickest 400 so I just had to be in the race at 50. I turned and without moving my head I could see the Australian next to me half a body length in front so I knew I had a chance. I started pegging him back but I ran out of pool.
“The Scottish support at the pool is phenomenal even though I am totally in the zone I could still here people shouting my name and a little bit of encouragement goes a long way.”
This is only Scotland’s second ever Commonwealth Games medal in disability sport.
Earlier, Jak Scott swam the 50m freestyle but missed out on a place in tomorrow night’s final. Lewis Smith swam the 200m IM where he finished 12th in the heats, while Andy Mayor finished seventh in the 100m butterfly final to cap off a superb individual week.
It’s the final day of swimming in the pool tomorrow where Kris Gilchrist and Michael Jamieson swim the 200m breaststroke. Hannah Miley and Corrie Scott compete in the 400m IM, before the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relays.
ARCHERY
As the single remaining Scottish archer in the competition, Tracey McGowan will compete in the individual compound quarter finals tomorrow at 0900hrs local time. If successful, she’ll progress through to the semi-finals and finals to compete for a medal.
ATHLETICS
Scotland’s athletics team were out in force at the evening session but unable to pick up as many medals as they’d hoped.
Chris Baillie made it through his morning heat into the first track final of the night struggled from the blocks and came home in 8th position.
He said, “I just didn’t feel 100% today so it was tough out there. I didn’t get a good start and couldn’t chase in the way I normally do.”
Lee McConnell, running in lane nine, had a tough task in the final of the 400m and lacked that final push on the last bend to sniff out a medal. She finished in 5th place in a time of 52.36
The sole medal for the night came in bronze colour and belongs to Steph Twell after a great performance in the 1,500m final.
“I am totally over the moon. I really dug deep and hung in there. I’ve always been known for not finishing strongly but I think I am getting stronger and I ran with all my heart and passion,” she said with much enthusiasm.
On the field, Scotland was represented by both Mark Dry and Andy Frost in the Hammer competition with Frost narrowly missing out on a medal to finish fourth with a best throw of 69.08 and Mark Dry was disappointed with 6th position and a 67.41 best effort on the night.
Roger Skedd withdrew from the Decathlon after the discuss event and an earlier appeal in the 110m hurdles.
Final event for the Scots tonight was Freya Murray competing in the 10,000m which received cheers from the crowd for the entire race due to the presence of three home-grown athletes going for glory. It was a difficult race tactically for Murray who slipped off the third-place battle with just three laps to go and came home in 5th place in a time of 33.24.59. She goes again in the 5,000m alongside Twell on Tuesday night.
McConnell returns tomorrow for the first round of the 200m, Angus McInroy throws in the Discuss qualifying, Eildih Child runs in the 400m hurdle heats and Lennie Waite takes a strong field in the 3000m Steeplechase.
BOXING
Josh Taylor won 4-1 against Benjamin Lamptey of Ghana, before Aston Brown progressed after defeating Canadian, Custio Clayton by the same scoreline. Super Heavyweight Ross Henderson 7-1 against Alexay Mukhin of Australia in the final match-up of the evening session.
Stephen Simmons is first up in the ring tomorrow as he faces South African Masana Manganyi at 1630hrs local time. Bantamweight Joe Ham faces Sakaria Lukas of Namibia at 1745hrs local time before Callum Johnson lines up against Krystian Borucki of the Isle of Man at 2030hrs local time.
CYCLING
The final day of track cycling saw Team Scotland finish just outside the medal positions in the men’s team sprint and men’s scratch race.
The young team sprint trio of John Paul, Callum Skinner and Chris Pritchard did well to qualify for the bronze medal ride-off, in which they faced a strong Malaysia team. Fourth represented a good performance for a team that is looking towards the Glasgow Games in 2014.
Please note, contrary to selected media releases, Evan Oliphant finished 5th not 13th in the men’s scratch race.
GYMNASTICS
Amy Regan and Tori Simpson were the last Scottish gymnasts to take part in the competition, performing on the beam and floor events respectively. Both gymnasts put in strong performances, with Amy finishing 4th and Tori 7th.
HOCKEY
The men’s team played their third match of the pool stages this evening against Malaysia and lost out 2-0 despite creating plenty of opportunities to take the honours.
The Malaysians are ranked seven places above them in the world but the Scots had always targeted this as a must win match. Having faced their opponents twice already this year in two very competitive matches (losing 3-2 and 3-1) they were very disappointed not to convert their chances.
There was an unfortunate incident in the second half involving a Malaysian player striking Scotland’s goal keeper Alastair McGregor with his stick. No card was awarded as it was not picked up by officials until after the game so Scotland had to battle on against 11men. Following a report, the player has now been banned (subject to appeal) for the following two matches and Scotland feel they were denied the chance to gain a deserved advantage over the Asian side.
They must pick themselves up ahead of a huge match against the hosts. Playing India, in India is a special opportunity for the men and they have nothing to lose.
The women also play their final pool match tomorrow against Australia at 13.30hrs.
LAWN BOWLS
It was the final pool matches for the women’s triples today and they notched up two victories over Northern Ireland and Niue to qualify for the medal stages.
The women’s pairs weren’t so fortunate, losing to England in their only match of the day. They must now win their final match tomorrow against Jersey and rely on other results going their way.
The men’s triples returned to the green early this morning after their late tie-break victory last night and had two consecutive matches against India then Wales winning both in tie-breaks again. They face Namibia first thing tomorrow which is a must-win game and they also need Canada to beat Wales for them to make it through.
Burnett and Spears in the men’s pairs had mixed day with a win and loss against Northern Ireland and South Africa respectively. They have a tough game tomorrow against Australia but are still in the hunt for qualification.
The singles matches being tomorrow and Paul Foster and Claire Johnston from 9.00hrs.
SHOOTING
Neil Stirton and Jonathan Hammond picked up bronze in the 50m 3 Position Pairs event with a score of 2308-104x. In the only pistol event of the day, Alan Ritchie finished 11th in the qualification round in the 10m air pistol with a score of 569-12x.
The clay target competition began today with the men’s and women’s trap pairs events. Shona Marshall and Linda Pearson finished sixth in the women’s competition while John MacDonald and Ossie Mclean narrowly missed out on a medal in fourth.
It’s a busy day across the two shooting ranges tomorrow with eight athletes competing in a number of events. John Macdonald, Ossie Mclean, Shona Marshall and Linda Pearson feature in the men’s and women’s trap singles. Neil Stirton and Jonathan Hammond compete against one another in the 50m 3P singles. Full-bore shooters Ian Shaw and Angus McLeod compete together in the 300yds pairs before going up against one another in the singles competition.
SQUASH
Chris Small won the men’s singles consolation plate beating Zambian Kelvin Ndhlovu in the final but there was disappointment for Alan Clyne who was narrowly beaten in the final of the men’s singles classic plate.
The squash players will now turn their attention to the doubles events which begin tomorrow.
TABLE TENNIS
The Scottish men’s team, made up of Stewart Crawford, Gavin Rumgay and Craig Howieson, played a tactical match to beat Canada in the team classification event and finished in 9th place.
Tomorrow will see the start of the men’s singles event. Howieson and Crawford will play at 1310hrs and1350hrs local time respectively. Gavin has a bye in the first round as he is seeded.
TENNIS
Team Scotland is guaranteed at least silver in the mixed doubles after Colin Fleming and Joss Rae defeated England by two sets to one in a tense semi-final.
They will now face top seeds from Australia for a shot at gold.
See main news release for more information.
WEIGHTLIFTING
It’s time for Peter Kirkbride to compete in his second Commonwealth Games tomorrow in the 94kg category. Preparation has been going well and coach Charles Hamilton is hoping he can ‘do something big’ when it matters most.
WRESTLING
In woman’s freestyle wrestling Kathryn Marsh (59kg), Ashlea McManus (67kg) and Donna Robertson were all in action. Donna went out in the first round, and Kathryn and Ashlea went through to compete in the semi-finals, which saw them fight for a bronze medal through the repechage system.
Tomorrow Viorel Etko (60kg), will compete in the men’s freestyle eliminations at 0900hrs local time.
AQUATICS
Lauren Smith made history in the pool today when she became the first Scot in history to win a medal in the synchronised swimming competition. Lauren was lying in third after yesterday’s technical performance and put in a superb performance in her free routine to take the bronze. Cameron Brodie and Andy Mayor made it through to the 100m butterfly semi-finals, with Andy progressing to tomorrow night’s final.
Kerry Buchan and Kathryn Johnstone qualified for the evening semi-final of the 100m breaststroke, where they finished 13th and tenth respectively, while Corrie Scott narrowly missed out on a place in the semi.
Craig McNally also made it through to the evening semi-finals of the 100m backstroke where he finished 12th. Lucy Ellis and Sara Hamilton raced in the 50m freestyle semi-finals but both missed out on a place in tomorrow evening’s final. Lewis Smith finished eighth in the 400m IM final, while Megan Gilchrist finished in the 800m freestyle final.
4x200m freestyle relay silver medallist Jak Scott is first in the pool tomorrow in the 50m freestyle, before Sean Fraser competes in his favoured 100m freestyle S8. Megan Gilchrist and Caitlin McClatchey race the 400m freestyle before Lewis Smith swims the 200m IM. The final heat of the day is the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Andy Mayor will compete in the final of the 100m butterfly after progressing through the semi final today.
ATHLETICS
Steph Twell eased comfortably into the final of the 1,500m today. She qualified as fourth fastest in her heat in a time of 4.10.35, over three seconds quicker than the winner of the second heat.
She said, “I was really glad to get onto the track and needed the heat to get my legs going close to race pace and blow away the cobwebs. I could see coming up the home straight that we were well clear so I could take it easy.
“I arrived in the village on Sunday morning so I am settled and the training facility at the village is great. Being able to start your warm-up straight away and get on the track in ten minutes is great.”
Steve Cram is tipping Twell for a medal. Twell responded by saying, “I have got to stay on top of my game but I am honoured for him to say that and hopefully I can just do my best. If the race is run in the right way then a medal is definitely a possibility.”
Roger Skedd got underway in the decathlon and goes into day two lying in 14th position.
Lee McConnell gave a confident performance again tonight in the semi final of the women’s 400m, finishing second in her heat in a time of 52.27. She’ll now have to run from lane nine but doesn’t think that will affect her race too much in tomorrow’s final.
She said, “I didn’t want to waste energy by pushing for the win so I have just got to take the lane I am given. I’m just going to do the same tomorrow but push harder off the final bend and go for it. There are eight girls going for three medals so I’ll go with my race plan and hope that’s enough.”
The action heats up for the Scots tomorrow with a busy night of finals. McConnell and Twell are joined by Mark Dry and Andy Frost in the hammer, Freya Murray runs in the 10,000m and Chris Baillie has the 110m hurdles heats in the morning and will be aiming for a final spot in the evening’s race.
BADMINTON
Team Scotland’s badminton players went out of the mixed team event at the XIX Commonwealth Games today (Thursday) after a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Auld Enemy in Delhi.
They will now turn their attention to the individual events which start on Saturday, where third seed Susan Egelstaff will aim to defend the women’s singles bronze medal she won four years ago in Melbourne.
BOXING
Only one of Scotland’s boxers was in action today as light flyweight Iain Butcher lost out to European Champion Paddy Barnes (Northern Ireland’s) 4-2. However Iain made Barnes work hard for the win and made a very creditable Commonwealth Games debut.
Tomorrow Josh Taylor and Aston Brown will compete in their second round ties in the afternoon session. Josh fights Ghanaian Benjamin Lamptey at 1400hrs local time before Aston faces Canada’s Custio Clayton at 1530hrs local time. Super Heavyweight Ross Henderson also enters the ring for the first time as he takes on Alexay Mukhin of Australia at 2215hrs local time.
CYCLING
Evan Oliphant qualified for Friday’s scratch race final by finishing eleventh in his heat on Thursday evening, but there was disappointment for James McCallum, the bronze medallist in this event four years ago, and David Lines.
With placings of 13th and 14th in their respective heats, both riders narrowly failed to progress.
Earlier in the day Kate Cullen finished 8th in the women’s scratch race.
Ross Edgar, meanwhile, had a tough quarter-final in the sprint competition, meeting Australia’s Shane Perkins. Perkins beat Edgar in two straight rides on his way to winning the gold medal.
As well as Oliphant in the scratch final, Friday’s final session in the velodrome will see John Paul, Chris Pritchard and Callum Skinner in action in the men’s team sprint.
GYMNASTICS
Jordan Lipton was in action today on the uneven bars, her final event of the competition. She gave a strong performance to finish fifth.
Tomorrow it will be the turn of Tori Simpson and Amy Regan to take part in the beam and floor events respectively.
HOCKEY
Scotland’s women recorded their first victory this morning with a 6-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). A confident performance saw goals from captain Linda Clement and Nikki Kidd putting them ahead at halftime. Kidd put away another in the second half through a well-taken drag flick; Alison Bell added to her tally from the South African match with two goals and Hollie Cram got her second of the competition in the closing minutes.
T&T broke through Scottish defence in the closing minutes to record their first goal of the competition.
Clement summed up the match saying, “We are pleased to win of course but disappointed with our overall performance. We have a rest day tomorrow before we face Australia and we can’t afford to make mistakes against them.”
The men are targeting a win over Malaysia at 20.30hrs tomorrow to bounce back from their Australian defeat yesterday.
LAWN BOWLS
In the women’s section, the triples had only one match today against Jersey and won 2-0. The women’s pairs stepped out against Papua New Guinea and Niue winning both to keep them in a strong position with two matches remaining.
The men’s pairs have now won seven, lost one, after victories over Swaziland and the Cook Islands today. The men’s triples were lying in sixth position before two tough matches against New Zealand and Australia today. They lost out to the Kiwis but ended on a high with a dramatic sudden-death play-off win over Australia.
RUGBY
Scotland’s 7s squad played their second warm-up match against England this afternoon. It was a much tougher match than their Indian opponents earlier in the week but a great chance to step up preparations step up another gear before the main event next Monday and Tuesday.
Coach Stephen Gemmell said, “Today was very worthwhile. We needed another physical game in the heat. There are one or two little things we need to focus in our next training sessions before we compete on Monday.”
SHOOTING
Tuesday’s bronze medal pair Jen McIntosh and Kay Copland were back on the range today, to compete in the 50m 3P singles event. Jen qualified for the afternoon shoot-off where she finished in fifth place. Kay finished 11th in the morning session.
It will be a busy day at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range tomorrow with seven athletes taking aim. The clay-target trap pairs, sees the first Delhi outings for John MacDonald and Ossie Mclean for the men, with Shona Marshall and Linda Pearson in the women’s competition. Alan Ritchie will compete in the 10m air pistol event, while Neil Stirton and Jonathan Hammond shoot in the 50m 3P pairs.
SQUASH
Alan Clyne is through to the final of the men’s classic plate event after beating Colin Ramsara of Trinidad and Tobago. He will face Malaysian Ivan Yuen on the show court on Friday at 1345hrs after Yuen beat Harry Leitch in the other semi final. Scotland also have a finalist in the men’s singles consolation plate after Chris Small beat Zambian Ray Simbule in the semi final. Small will play Kelvin Ndhlovu on the show court at 1300hrs on Friday.
In the women’s singles consolation plate Lisa Aitken lost out in the semi final to Malaysian Sharon Wee whilst Frania Gillen-Buchert withdrew from the women’s singles classic plate.
TABLE TENNIS
Scotland’s men contested the minor team placings today and in a challenging match against Sri Lanka they won 3-0. Tomorrow they will face Canada 0930hrs local time to determine the 9th /10th place in the competition.
TENNIS
On Thursday Colin Fleming and Joss Rae, Team Scotland’s only remaining tennis players, pulled off the shock of the tournament when they beat home favourites and second seeds Leander Paes and Sania Mirza to reach the semi finals of the mixed doubles in the inaugural tennis event at the Commonwealth Games.
In the last match on the packed 5000 capacity Centre Court, Fleming and Rae silenced the partisan home crowd, winning 6-4 6-4 and in the process guaranteeing themselves at least two more matches and a chance of a medal.
They play England’s fourth seeds Ross Hutchins and Anna Smith in the semi finals on Friday in the second match in the evening session on Centre Court, which is due to start at 1700hrs. The winners of the match will progress to the final to contest the gold and silver medals whilst the runners up will face a bronze medal play-off against the other losing semi finalists.
WEIGHTLIFTING
Graeme Kane was the first of Scotland’s weightlifters to compete in Delhi today in the 77kg category and finished in ninth position.
Going out with a lift of 118kg in the snatch, he had a no-lift with his second weight of 122kg. In the clean and jerk, Kane began at 143kg with a good lift and moved up to 147kg for his second lift but was unsuccessful on both attempts and ended the competition with a combined total of 261.
Kane reflected on his performance saying, “I am very disappointed, I just haven’t been on form for the past week or so. I have been feeling a bit flat and I just didn’t feel strong. I’ll enjoy the rest of my time here though and support the boys in their competitions in the next few days.”
Coach Charles Hamilton praised Kane’s first Games competition and effort. He said, “Graeme has found it tough out here but he did the best he could. I have worked with him since the age of 11 so I know what he is capable of and this has been a good experience for him which I am sure he’ll build on.”
Peter Kirkbride lifts on Saturday in the 94kg and Tommy Yule goes for a medal on Sunday in the 105kg.
“Both guys have trained well and are doing big stuff in the gym so we’re hoping they can do well and chase for medals,” concluded Hamilton.
WRESTLING
In woman’s freestyle wrestling Fiona Robertson (48kg), Jayne Clason (55kg) Tracey Connell (63kg) and Sarah Jones (72kg) were all in action this morning. Tracey went out in the first round whilst the other three girls got to the semi-finals and lost and ended up competing for bronze medals through the repechage system. Unfortunately none of them were able to capitalise on their second chance and Sarah and Jayne finished fourth.
Tomorrow Fiona’s twin sister, Donna (51kg), will compete along with Kathryn Marsh (59kg), and Ashlea McManus (67kg). The competition starts at 0900hrs local time, and a win will take each wrestler through to the finals at 1600hrs local time.
Five of the squad had an idea of what they were about to
face and the team were well prepared, but the mighty force that are Australia were just too good and ran away with the match nine goals to nil.
The Scottish men’s hockey squad faced the toughest test of their career today when, under the sweltering sun, they played seventy minutes of the highest intensity hockey against the boys in gold and green who are the current world champions and Commonwealth gold medallists.
Since hockey was introduced to the Games in 1998, Australia have taken gold on every occasion. They have only lost one match in the competition which was against South Africa in the group stages of the Kuala Lumpur Games.
Four years ago in Melbourne, Scotland were again in the Aussies group and went down 5-1. The score may look more appealing but the team feel they have come a long way since then.
Stephen Dick played a part in both matches and compared the two experiences. He said, “Our structure and the way we play now is much better than four years ago. Australia are a lot more clinical in their finishing than in the past and were really on their game today. The pace they play at and their front defence was very strong.”
How does a hockey player pick themselves up after a heavy defeat and look ahead to the next game? Dick explains, “We have a bit of experience in that situation. It happened to us in the World Cup Qualifier and we went on to win the bronze medal so we know it’s possible. We’re looking for a strong result against Malaysia and we’ve got to do it.”
The youngest player in the Scotland side is 18 year old Alan Forsyth who was facing the hockey giants for the first time.
“Australia are world class and it’s a brilliant opportunity for us to play against some of the world’s top players. Playing the world champions at their best, is difficult but for me, to get selected for the Games is fantastic. Today’s game ranks as the number one experience in my career so far. They’re amazing players individually and to get the chance to face them was really special. Disappointing to lose but you can’t expect too much against the number one team,” said Forsyth.
Australia didn’t have it all their own way. Scotland’s attack created chances and earned two penalty corners and a couple of shots at goal to make their keeper work and gain confidence from some flowing passages of play and possession.
Australian player Glenn Turner was happy with his sides opening game but found the heat and the Scots a bit of a challenge. “The heat is still a bit of a shock to us and it was tough out there but it was good to get off to a good start. The Scotland goal keeper had a really good game and they’re a determined side. We knew we were in for a tough, physical match and that’s exactly what they gave us,” said Turner.
Alistair McGregor was one of the Scotland’s busiest players on the pitch but he’s holding up well. He commented, “The team are looking after me well, giving me ice vests to wear at half time and I am drinking lots. It was a tough game but we always knew it would be.”
Plenty of rest over the next 24 hours then match three for the men against Malaysia on Friday evening and a game they are all desperate to win.
A silver medal in the women’s team sprint got Team Scotland’s cyclists on the medals table in the Delhi velodrome. But there was disappointment for the Team Scotland flag bearer, Ross Edgar, who crashed out of the keirin at the semi-final stage, but bounced back in the evening to qualify for Thursday’s sprint quarter-finals.
Jenny Davis and Charline Joiner were the duo who contested the new event on the Commonwealth Games programme, the women’s team sprint. And they did well to qualify for the final, going faster in the two-lap race than both Canada and India to earn a ride-off for gold with Australia.
With a medal guaranteed, they put in their best ride of the series, with Davis leading out, and Joiner taking over for the second and final lap. Despite going faster than ever in the final they couldn’t match the Australians, but they were more than happy with their silver medals a little over six months after they began preparing for the event.
“It feels amazing,” said Joiner. “This time last year I’d never have believed I’d get to the Commonwealth Games, never mind get a medal. I’m very happy with our ride.
“When I realised we were in the final I was in tears, I was really overwhelmed,” she continued. “We weren’t thinking about getting to the final, just about going for a PB so I think we’ve done as well as we could have done. I had a bit of Delhi belly last night, and I was up through the night not feeling well. So to win a silver medal is really amazing – I can’t believe it.”
Davis, a former judo player who only missed the 2002 Commonwealth Games after suffering an injury, was equally shocked. “I was a judo player for 18 years, so it’s been quite a journey for me,” said Davies. “This time last year I had no chance of qualifying, but they added this event in February and Charline and I began training for it.
“I would say we’ve practiced our starts – with me leading out the start gate, and Charline getting on my wheel – at least two hundred times in the last six months. In the first round I had some nerves in the start gate, but in the final I got out as clean as I’ve ever done.
“The experiences I’ve had in judo helped me get here,” added Davis. “But we have a great support team, and I have to thank Marco Librizzi, who wrote the training programme that allowed me to peak here.”
There was bad luck for Kate Cullen and Eileen Roe in the women’s points race, with Cullen not managing to repeat her bronze medal in the same event four years ago, and Roe – who’d also been feeling unwell – dropping out.
Both women’s and men’s points races saw world class fields, and in the men’s event, won in outstanding fashion by Australian world champion Cameron Meyer, Evan Oliphant rode aggressively to finish sixth.
“I missed out last time on a medal by one point, so I’m really disappointed,” said Oliphant. “A medal’s what I came for, and I’ll have a go in [Friday’s] scratch race now.
“It was a brutal race, harder than four years ago,” he continued. “It was full on all the time. The field was as good as you’d get in a world championship final – there weren’t many guys missing. I knew the race would be about [gaining] laps, not winning sprints, so I didn’t go for sprints. Towards the end I was waiting for the right opportunity, but it didn’t come.”
Edgar, meanwhile, was battered but not broken by his high speed crash in the keirin semi-final, which came on the last lap, as they raced at around 45mph.
“I’m obviously disappointed not to make the final,” said Edgar. “I was a bit unlucky with the crash, I was thinking I was in a good position, but kind of forgetting the South African guy would start to come back. There was a massive squeeze on that final bend, and down I went.
“It wasn’t anyone’s fault,” Edgar continued. “It’s just one of those things that happens when you’re racing and it’s as tight as that. I landed on the South African [Bernard Esterhuizen], so I had a soft landing. I bruised my calf, but that was it. I felt a bit sorry for the guy, because I was sliding down the track on top of him.
“The keirin’s my favourite event, so I’m quite disappointed,” added Edgar. “But I’ll do my best in the sprint.
Robbie Renwick anchored Team Scotland’s 4x200m freestyle relay squad to second place in the Delhi pool on Wednesday, to end his Commonwealth Games campaign with gold and silver medals.
In an exciting race, in which Andy Hunter led off to put the Scots in third place, the Australians were dominant in the end. But the race for silver see-sawed between the Scottish quartet, early leaders South Africa and Canada.
“Take a bow, David Carry,” announced the pool’s MC as the double gold medallist moved the Scots into the silver medal position after his second leg, before 19-year old Jak Scott took over. Scott did well to keep them in contention, before Renwick finished off the job with a superb swim, leapfrogging from fifth to second to claim a second consecutive silver, after their close defeat at the hands of England in Melbourne in 2006.
“It wasn’t so much about the split there, it was about the medal,” said Renwick. “The Aussies were so dominant that it was a race for second, which we won – we can’t ask for more than that.
“I knew I had to pull it back a bit,” added Renwick, “but it was the rest of the boys who did most of the work. It was another gutsy swim and I’m very proud of it. I’m quite relieved I’m finished now. I came out here to Delhi with two medals in my mind and I got them. It feels different to Melbourne, where we were a bit disappointed. I’m just so happy for the other boys – I’ve never seen them so proud, and I feel very proud myself.”
For Scott, described by Renwick as “the rookie on the team,” a Commonwealth Games silver medal was an outstanding accomplishment for a swimmer in his first international competition. “It’s my first Commonwealth Games, my first major meet, and it means so much to me,” said Scott.
“I’m the baby in the team,” continued Scott. “Robbie was in a similar position to me four years ago, and he’s been a great help to me, getting me through this. He’s been there, done this. I know he benefitted from being on the team with David Carry four years ago, and I’m hoping to benefit from him. Both David and Robbie are such an inspiration to me. Maybe I can come back in four years and win a gold medal.”
There were also good performances in the pool from other Scots, with the women’s 4x200m squad of Caitlin McClatchey, Hannah Miley, Megan Gilchrist and Lucy Ellis, finishing fifth behind the all-conquering Australians, and breaking one of the oldest national records in the books.
And Michael Jamieson, in the men’s 200m breaststroke, was a strong fourth in his event, closing all the time on the bronze medallist Scott Rickard, and touching the wall just 14 hundredths of a second behind him. “I’m not disappointed,” said Mathieson. “I’ve got quicker each round, even though I took a huge chunk off my time last night. The 100’s my bonus event; I’m definitely a 200 swimmer, because I can’t quite match those bigger guys over the first 50.
“The second fifty metres is my stronger half, and I knew I’d be coming back at these guys. I just ran out of water – I could’ve done with an extra five or ten metres of water.”
“But this is a huge confidence boost for me. If you’d said at the start of the week I’d finish 4th in the 100, I’d have bitten your hand off. My aim is to get a medal in the 200 on Saturday, and to go into that with experience of a major final can only help.”
Andy Mayor was also pleased, not least because he hadn’t expected to be in action at all on day three. As ninth fastest in the semi-finals of the 50m butterfly, he was resigned to a rest day until a withdrawal opened a door back into the competition.
“It was a great bonus doing the final,” said Mayor. “I only heard about three hours ago, just after I’d had my lunch, that I was in. I was sending an email off to my coach at the time, letting him know how things were going, but I was over the moon when I heard.
“It sets me up really well for the 100m [butterfly] tomorrow. I’m not as big as some of these other guys, so the 50’s always a bit of a struggle for me.
“I came 8th,” he continued, “but I was up there, and I was a tenth quicker than I was last night. I really need to use the 50 as a marker for the 100, so I’m pleased – I’m just buzzing after it.
“I was facing a day off, but I’m delighted to be here. The stands were packed with people today, which makes it such a great feeling when you walk out. It was a great experience – I loved it.”
Team Scotland is looking forward to welcoming fourteen year-old diver Grace Reid into the Athletes’ Village tomorrow as the final member of the aquatics squad to arrive in Delhi. Unfortunately however, Grace will now be the only diver representing Team Scotland in Delhi, after injury forced 23 year-old twins, Helen and Carol Galashan out of the Games.
Helen has suffered a scaphoid fracture in her left wrist. The initial injury was sustained before attending a pre-Games training camp in Leeds, and the repeated pressure of diving has caused the fracture to rupture. Unfortunately this also impacts on Helen’s twin sister Carol, who was due to compete with her as part of a pair in the 10m platform synchronised event.
Aquatics Team Manager, Derna Campbell said: “We are all really disappointed that Helen and Carol won’t be able to compete for us in Delhi. To suffer an injury so close to a Games is a major blow, but this is doubly saddening as it affects both Helen and Carol. We all wish Helen a speedy recovery and we are looking forward to seeing them both return to action soon.”
Both Helen and Carol have both competed for Scotland at previous Commonwealth Games in artistic gymnastics. Helen competed in Manchester in 2002 and Melbourne in 2006, with Carol joining her sister in Australia. The diving events get underway on 10 October, with Grace competing on 13 October.
Scotland’s men opened their campaign in Delhi with a tough match against Pakistan and faced a barrage of attacking moves in the intense heat.
Coach Russell Garcia reviewed the match saying, “I think we’ve got a lot to look at from the game and plenty we can build on. We made a few mistakes but towards the end of the game we put together some nice combinations and we can move forward with that.”
Pakistan, silver medallists four years ago, pressurised the Scottish defence from the opening whistle and were 2-0 up at half time. The second half was a marked improvement for the Scots who lost to Canada but drew with New Zealand in last week’s warm-up games. Scotland created chances and forced the Pakistani’s to make some saves but the third goal from a penalty corner eight minutes into the second half, took the match beyond reach.
Garcia continued, “Pakistan played as we thought they would, we had watched them on video so there was nothing unexpected.”
Scottish Captain Chris Nelson was aware of the key elements lacking in their first group match. He said, “We didn’t value the ball as we should have when we had possession. We started to create chances at the end so we’re disappointed but have a big game to look forward to tomorrow.”
Reigning Commonwealth gold medallists and world number one Australia, are the opponents tomorrow and will present an even tougher challenge. It will be their first match of the competition so they’ll be out to show the rest of their group what they’re capable of.
Mark Ralph reached his 150th cap today and earlier in the week talked about the about facing such a quality side from down under. He said, “It will be a joy to play against Australia and really test ourselves. They are the best side in the world at the moment so it will be a great experience.”
Goal Keeper Alistair McGregor made his 100th international appearance today and Ross Stott, brother of team mate Niall, was awarded his 50th cap.
Meanwhile, the women battled hard against South Africa but lost out 2-1, Ali Bell the scorer for Scotland in the second half.
“Again we faced a team that is much higher ranked than us but the girls are a bit disappointed as they are playing well. We changed our tactics in the second half and that made a big difference. Everyone stepped up their performance and we put South Africa under a bit of pressure,” said coach Gordon Shepherd.