Matthew demands Olympic inclusion for squash

NICK MATTHEW has called for squash to earn its Olympic status after striking double gold at the Commonwealth Games.

Twelve months ago the International Olympic Committee turned down the sport for a place on the schedule in Rio, four years after they rejected their bid to be part of the London 2012 programme.

Instead they controversially chose golf and rugby sevens as new sports – a missed opportunity for a sport that is craving an Olympic endorsement to raise its profile

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"This is our highlight, this is the pinnacle of squash with us not being an Olympic sport," said Sheffield's Matthew, after partnering Adrian Grant to men's doubles gold against Australia's Stewart Boswell and David Palmer.

"I love golf but I don't think they need to be at the Olympics. We desperately need it and we want it really badly.

"England topped the medal table here and it's just a massive shame we are not in London. Hopefully we can spread the word that we are an entertaining sport and we deserve our place."

There was certainly plenty of drama during an occasionally bad-tempered clash with their Australian arch-rivals, with Matthew needing to separate Grant and Boswell after one fiercely contested rally.

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Palmer now has six Commonwealth medals – none of them gold – while Boswell has now lost three straight doubles final.

In contrast world No 2 Matthew, fourth in the men's singles four years ago, is returning with two golds – emulating the achievement of hero Peter Nicol in Melbourne.

"He's one of my favourite players and the one of the greatest players of all-time and it just doesn't feel real to have achieved what he did," he added.

"It was a pig out there and we knew it was going to be tough.

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"Doubles is so physical and there were lots of racquets in the face. We got sucked into the chat a bit too much and the game became really stop-start.

"Once we got the flow of the game back we started to enjoy it again."

But there was disappointment for Harrogate's Jenny Duncalf, who was left to contemplate what might have been after settling for a second silver in the women's doubles.

Duncalf, the world No 2, and partner Laura Massaro were edged out in a tense final by New Zealand's Jaclyn Hawkes and Joelle King.

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They narrowly lost the first game of the final but were cruising in the second, leading 10-6, just one point from forcing a decider.

But with the pressure on, nerves took hold and the Kiwis won five points in succession to secure a 11-9, 11-10 victory.

"It was so close and that makes it more disappointing in many ways," she said.

"It was a great feeling winning the semi-final because you knew you are winning a medal but this is a horrible feeling, being so close to gold."

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Elsewhere, Sheffield shooter Mick Gault's bid to equal the all-time Commonwealth Games medal record came to an end but the veteran didn't rule out a comeback in 2014.

Gault – the most decorated English athlete in the history of the Games – was targeting medal number 18 in Delhi, which would have taken him level with Australian shooter Phillip Adams.

But it wasn't to be as the 56-year-old, competing in his fifth Commonwealth Games, finished seventh as Singapore's Bin Gai took the gold.

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