Yamba's Cameron Pilley and Taree's Kasey Brown have won gold in the mixed doubles squash competition at the Delhi Comonwealth Games. Pilley and Brown downed Kiwis Joelle King and Martin Knight 8-11, 11-7, 11-5.
The Australians appeared in trouble during an attritional opening game that went the way of the New Zealanders, but their superior agility and court movement eventually turned momentum their way. Pilley and Brown, both of whom had won bronze in earlier matches yesterday, clawed back from 3-0 down to win the second game, and breezed through the final game 11-5 to complete a forgettable afternoon for New Zealand in Delhi.
''We both played two matches today and we didn't lose,'' Pilley said. ''That's all we can do.''
Added Brown: ''It's very tiring. Your arm gets pretty sore. I think I've hit about a million forehands over the last four days. You get stiff, but I think doubles is more of a mental game … Physically it's different to singles.''
Victory to Pilley and Brown may have bolstered Australia's lead atop the gold medal standings, but the team is on track to record its worst haul at the Commonwealth Games in 20 years. Australian teams have claimed in excess of 80 gold medals in each of their past four campaigns and, with just one day of competition remaining, they are guaranteed to fall short of that standard.
Earlier, Brown and Donna Urquhart (also of Yamba) won bronze in an all-Australian third-place women's doubles play-off against Lisa Camilleri and Amelia Pittock. Pilley and Ryan Cuskelly also claimed bronze in the men's doubles over Scotland.
