Squash galore in Birmingham as women's and men's doubles commence

It will be a massive day for Australia’s squash team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with the women’s and men’s doubles getting underway on Thursday.

Nearly all the Aussies will be in action across the three doubles events at the University of Birmingham.

The only pairing not on the court will be Rhys Dowling and Cameron Pilley in the men’s doubles after they received a bye in Round 1. 

The day will kick off withZac Alexander and Ryan Cuskelly in the men’s doubles Round of 32 as they take on Cayman Islands’ duo Jake Kelly and Jace Jervis on Court 1 at 1pm (local time)/10pm (AEST).

Cuskelly and Alexander will head into the match as the 5/8 seeds.

Following the men’s doubles, Pilley and Donna Lobban will be back on court for their Round of 16 match where they’ll face India’s Joshna Chinappa and Harinder Pal Sindhu on Show Court from 1:30pm (local time)/10:30pm (AEST).

It’s the third time Chinappa and Sindhu have paired together for a Commonwealth Games but have yet to make it past the quarter-finals, going down to a New Zealand team in both Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018.

Lobban, in particular, will be familiar with Chinappa style having played her on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour since 2007 and on a handful of occasions at the World Doubles Championships.

The mixed doubles competition will continue with Rachael Grinham and Zac Alexander on Court 1 from 2:30pm (local time)/11:30pm (AEST). 

They’ll have to wait to find out who their opponent will be with the winner of Lijana Sultana/Colette Sultana of Malta and Patrick Rooney/Georgina Kennedy of England to be decided earlier in the day.

The competition then moves to the women’s doubles with Alex Haydon and Jess Turnbull facing Georgina Kennedy and Lucy Turmel on Court 1 at 7:15pm (local time)/4:15am (AEST on Friday 5 August).

Kennedy comes into the doubles competition fresh off a gold medal performance in the women’s singles on Wednesday.

The English pairing won’t be unfamiliar to the Aussies, having played them earlier this year at the World Doubles Championships in Glasgow with Haydon and Turnbull coming from behind for a 2-1 win. 

Haydon will also make her Commonwealth Games debut on Thursday morning, with her parents arriving in Birmingham to cheer her on. The 21-year-old is the third member of the squad to make her debut at these Games, following on from Dowling and Turnbull last week.

While she has had to wait a little bit longer to pull on the green and gold at Birmingham 2022, she can’t wait to step onto the court.

“When I step onto the court in Birmingham for the first time, I think I will just be pinching myself. There won't be anything to describe it,” she said. 

After playing in their mixed doubles matches earlier in the day, Lobban and Grinham will combine on Show Court at 8pm (local time)/5am (AEST on Friday 5 August). 

They’ll face the winner of Sara Sunayna Kuruvilla and Anahat Singh of India and Chanithma Sinaly and Yeheni Kuruppu of Sri Lanka, who of head-to-head in a Round of 32 match.

The squash competition is being played at the University of Birmingham Squash Centre, with the action live and free on 7plus.

For the full schedule and results from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, click here.

Photo Credit: PSA