In a Commonwealth Games where New Zealand's sporting prowess has rather limped along, squash players Martin Knight and Campbell Grayson became that rare thing - New Zealand athletes who exceeded our expectations.
The 20-year-old Grayson and Knight, 22, play off for the bronze in the men's doubles today. Both play
for Titirangi in Auckland and, although third-placegetters at this year's world championships, they are not household names.
Yet they made their way into yesterday's semifinal by beating English pair James Willstrop and Nick Matthew in four games. No big deal, you might think. Except that Grayson is ranked 132 in the world and Knight 121. Willstrop is ranked fifth, while Matthew is 10th.
"They have played great," said Shelley Kitchen, our top women's player. "Everyone thought they would give a good account of themselves but they have played really well."
Grayson and Knight are at their first Commonwealth Games and have impressed as a dogged combination who are hard to beat. The English did not attend the world championships in January and Grayson and Knight had not been expected to figure in the medals. But they determinedly stayed ahead of the English pair, winning most of the long rallies.
It was a different story in the semifinal against the Australians yesterday. Anthony Ricketts and Stewart Borrell are the world champions and world no 1s and are ranked 6th and 17th individually. The Australians won in straight games 9-6, 11-9, 11-9 - but the match hinged on a disallowed let in the second game, during which the Australians were stretched.
If the let had been allowed, Grayson and Knight might have taken the game but they were in no mood for what-if's yesterday.
"The umpire said I was too far away from the ball," said Knight. "I didn't think so, but that's what happens in squash. What we have to do now is go out there and get the bronze.
"I don't think we have played a bad game," said Knight - and the pair have the phlegmatic, relaxed demeanour of many New Zealand sportsmen. Even if they do not win bronze today, they rate as perhaps the biggest surprise of the New Zealand Games team.
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
