New mum Kitchen courts Commonwealth Games glory

Life has become a juggling act between motherhood and top level squash for Kaitaia's Shelley Kitchen since the birth of her daughter Amalia Ricketts four months ago.
While Kitchen stopped playing squash 14 weeks into her pregnancy following the New Zealand Open last August, the 30-year-old hit the courts again only three weeks after her "good birth".
"I just popped down to the courts whenever I could to have a hit ... I swam all through my pregnancy so I maintained some fitness ... but I didn't realise how fit I was before having Amalia," she said.
The former world No6  gradually increased her training and  last week was named in the six-strong New Zealand squash team to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi during October and she was looking to add to the silver and bronze medals she won at the 2006 Melbourne Games.
Kitchen will team up with world No14 Jaclyn Hawkes in the women's doubles, and Campbell Grayson in the mixed event. Both combinations claimed gold at last year's Australian Doubles Championships in Melbourne.
Five of the six in the New Zealand team will also line up in the singles in Delhi this year, with Tamsyn Leevey the exception.
"We have been doing lots of doubles preparation already and we will be playing at this year's Australian Doubles Championships in August, where most of the top teams from Australia, New Zealand, and England will be.
"It will be a good indication heading into the Commonwealth Games."

 The Auckland-based Kitchen also went to the Manchester Games in 2002, and while she is excited to be back on the top-level competitive squash scene, it has not been an easy task, she said.
"I am loving motherhood and it's very exciting but it is hard to juggle everything ...  sometimes it takes an hour to leave the house with Amalia.
"My parents are up north in Kaitaia, so I don't have so much support around me in that respect and my partner Anthony (Ricketts) is the coach for the New Zealand squad, so he gets pretty busy with that."
When Kitchen heads out to training, Amalia either goes to creche or sometimes she goes to her mum's training sessions at the National Squash Centre courts at Unitec.
"There's always someone to watch over her and luckily, she's pretty good with other people," Kitchen said.
Although the transition has not always been easy, Kitchen said Amalia has expanded her world - and given her something else to focus on after squash.
"I don't stick around the courts to chat much now ... I do my two hours of training and then try to get home to Amalia," she said.
Following her Games campaign, Kitchen is aiming to make the New Zealand team to contest the World Women's Teams Singles Championships during December, at Palmerston North.
The national team will be selected following the New Zealand Nationals at the end of August.
The New Zealand squash team to compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games: Shelley Kitchen (Auckland), Jaclyn Hawkes (Auckland), Joelle King (Cambridge), Tamsyn Leevey (Wainuiomata), Campbell Grayson (Auckland), Martin Knight (Wellington).