Gold for England as James and Willstrop triumph at WSF World Doubles Squash Championships

England’s 25-year wait for a WSF World Doubles Championship title is over after top seeds Declan James and James Willstrop beat Scotland’s Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart in straight games in the men’s final in Scotstoun, Glasgow today.

The result comes as just reward for the pair, both for today’s display and for a series of strong performances throughout the tournament that saw them overcome Hong Kong China’s Tsz Kwan Lau and Henry Leung, New Zealand’s Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe, Wales’ Peter Creed and Emyr Evans, and Scotland’s Alan Clyne and Douglas Kempsell to reach their maiden final.

When James and Willstrop went game ball down at 10/8 in the first game against a strong Scotland team, England fans were in danger of seeing wait for the championship title - which England had not won since Hong Kong in 1997 - prolonged further.

However, the experienced pair kept their cool and chipped away at the lead, before a brutal shot from the ever-attacking James took the first game 11/10.

James and Willstrop appeared buoyed by that win and came out well in the second, with the cooler court allowing them to play their naturally expansive game well and they were able to wrap up the title with an 11/6 victory.

Commenting afterwards, Willstrop said:

“That was tremendous. We knew that we had to just be absolutely on it. We gave them full respect because they deserve it. And hopefully, we deserve it. We're chuffed to bits.

“It’s a huge event, it’s a world title. We’re so grateful to Scottish Squash, to the WSF and to everyone who’s put this together.

“It’s a great facility, isn't it? And it's good memories from Glasgow [where the 2014 Commonwealth Games were played] for some of the old geezers in the team. So yeah, we're thrilled with it. And we're glad to be up here playing!”

James added: “It’s really special after the last couple of years to have a crowd back in to play squash. We're quite fortunate, aren't we, to be in this position?

"I love playing doubles and I love playing with James. He's such a great influence on me and he makes me feel really relaxed on court. We're just lucky to be here and I’m so happy about it."

There were further podium finishes for England as Adrian Waller and Alison Waters, and Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters captured mixed and women’s silver respectively.

In the mixed doubles, Adrian Waller and Alison Waters fell to 11/6, 11/8 to Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal Karthik, with Waters suffering another defeat as she and Sarah-Jane Perry went down 11/9, 4/11, 11/8 to Joshna Chinappa and Pallikal Karthik.

Elsewhere, in the playoffs for final rankings, England’s second men’s team of Daryl Selby and Waller finished fourth after an 11/9, 10/11, 11/9 defeat to Scotland’s Alan Clyne and Douglas Kempsell. Meanwhile England’s second women’s team of Lucy Turmel and Georgina Kennedy finished sixth after an 11/5, 3/11, 11/4 defeat to Scotland’s Georgia Adderley and Lisa Aitken.

The mixed duo Georgina Kennedy and Patrick Rooney, meanwhile, finished seventh, with yesterday’s 4/11, 11/7, 11/8 defeat to Stewart and Adderley their final match of the tournament.

England results

Men’s Final: [1] Declan James/James Willstrop (ENG) (11/10 11/6 51mins) [6] Greg Lobban/Rory Stewart (SCO)
Women’s Final: [3] Joshna Chinappa/Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) (11/9 4/11 11/8 40mins) [2] Sarah-Jane Perry/Alison Waters (ENG)
Mixed Doubles Final: [2] Saurav Ghosal/Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) (11/6 11/8 22mins) [4] Adrian Waller/Alison Waters (ENG)
Men's Third/Fourth Playoff: [5] Alan Clyne/Douglas Kempsell (SCO) (11/9 10/11 11/9 61mins) [2] Daryl Selby/Adrian Waller (ENG)
Women’s Fifth/Sixth Playoff: [5/6] Georgina Kennedy/Lucy Turmel (ENG) (5/11 11/3 4/11 25mins) [7/8] Georgia Adderley/Lisa Aitken (SCO)