Yorkshire trio have plenty to prove after blowing away cobwebs

ANNA Blyth started her Games campaign with a solid if unspectacular seventh place finish in the women's 500m time trial.

Blyth was national cycle champion in the event two years ago but has since switched her training to focus on the omnium, the six-discipline multiple race event which makes its Olympic debut at London 2012.

Having turned her attention from sprinting towards endurance, the 22-year old from Leeds can have no complaints with her 36.807secs performance, which ranked her third Briton behind Wales' Becky James, the bronze medallist, and Scotland's Jenny Davis.

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"It was an okay start and the time wasn't too bad considering it's been two years since I last rode in the event," said Blyth.

"This was really just a chance to turn my legs over and get into the competition.

"The track is good but it's a bit too chilly with all the air conditioning, which should slow the times down a little bit.

"I really didn't have any expectations of place or time, but I'm feeling good."

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Blyth's main aims in Delhi are the points and scratch races. The 25km points races see riders claiming points with their placings in intermediate sprints held at regular intervals and the scratch race is contested over 10km.

"They are my targets here but I know it's going to be tough," she added. "I've got every chance but a lot of other riders are thinking the same thing because it's very wide open."

Beverley's Lizzie Simmonds has enjoyed a breakthrough year but was given a harsh reality check in the pool yesterday.

The 19-year-old travelled from British Swimming's holding camp in Doha to Delhi confident of her medal chances in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstrokes but stumbled at the first hurdle.

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Simmonds failed to make it out of the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke – an event she won European silver in two months ago – on a night where England claimed four medals.

The former Lincoln Vulcan touched home in 1min 01.42secs to finish sixth in her semi-final and 10th overall – nearly three-tenths of a second away from the eighth and final qualifier, Georgia Davies.

"I'm really disappointed with that swim and nothing felt right or seemed to go right out there, which isn't ideal," said Simmonds. "I need to go away and look at what went wrong and put things right for the next one and come back stronger.

"It's a big disappointment at such a big meet for me but I know I'll learn from it and I'll take this experience and I'll be better in the future."

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Four of England's top players eased into the quarter-finals of the squash, one of them – Peter Barker – bringing heartbreak for the exuberant crowd who had been willing on top-ranked Indian Saurav Ghosal.

The 24-year-old from Kolkata, looking for his first career win over Barker, saved two match balls against the third seed before taking the third game.

It was nip and tuck up to four-all in the fourth before Londoner Barker, the world No 8, forged ahead to win 11-5 11-9 11-13 11-5 in 76 minutes.

Sheffield's Nick Matthew followed Barker into the last eight with victory over Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan but, for the second day running, it took the favourite four games to get past his opponent – 10-12 11-3 11-5 11-5.

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Second seed Jenny Duncalf, of Harrogate, and third seed Alison Waters also progressed. Duncalf, the world No 2, recovered from a game down to beat Halifax's Sarah Kippax, the 10th seed, 4-11 11-3 11-6 11-2 and Londoner Waters defeated Canada's Stephanie Edmison 11-3 11-3 11-3.

In association with SPAR – there for you and our GB athletes, proud supporters since 2004 www.spar.co.uk

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