1 Oct 2010

Squash

11:42 pm on 1 October 2010

The New Zealand squash medal campaign suffered a shock even before the start of the Commonwealth Games when two-time medal winner Shelley Kitchen was ruled out of the team after falling victim to a bout of pleurisy.

Kitchen, who had hoped to add to the silver and bronze medals she won at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, had been working hard to return to fitness after giving birth to her first child in February. She is replaced in the team by New Zealand fourth seed Kylie Lindsay, 26, ranked 51st internationally.

The women's squad is rounded out by three talented players, each with a chance of Commonwealth success - Jaclyn Hawkes, New Zealand No 1 Joelle King and Tamsyn Leevey.

Of the three, 27-year-old Hawkes is ranked the highest internationally, placing 15th in the WISPA August world rankings. This will be her first Commonwealth Games.

Leevey, 32, won a silver medal at the Melbourne Games, partnering Kitchen in the women's doubles. King, 22, who won the Australian Open in 2009, is now ranked 20th in the WISPA ratings after jumping 19 places in the past 12 months.

New Zealand is also represented by Campbell Grayson, 24, and Martin Knight, 26, who will compete in the singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles events.

Both are attending their second Commonwealth Games and will be hoping to build on the fourth placing in the doubles they achieved at Melbourne 2006, after losing the bronze medal match to Australia.

When and where

There will be five squash events held - singles (men and women), doubles (men and women) and mixed doubles. All games will be held at the Siri Fort Sports Complex from 4-13 October.

NZ team

Men: Campbell Grayson (singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles, Auckland), Martin Knight (singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles, Auckland).

Women: Jaclyn Hawkes (singles, women's doubles, Auckland), Joelle King (singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, Cambridge), Tamsyn Leevey (women's doubles, Lower Hutt), Kylie Lindsay (singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, Matamata).

Athletes' profiles sourced from www.olympic.org.nz . Event information sourced from http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/