Squash: Pair face big test at Games

World-ranked pair Carol Owens and Leilani Joyce head the six-strong New Zealand team for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in July.

Both players will have a busy time in Manchester, playing the singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Owens is ranked No 2 in world singles and Joyce No 3, despite being sidelined with an Achilles injury for five months. They are favourites in the doubles.

Joyce said yesterday she planned to return to competition at the Mitchell Open in Rotorua over Queen's Birthday weekend.

The other women in the team are Shelley Kitchen and Lara Petera.

Kitchen, with a world singles ranking of 16, is sure to give some higher-ranked players a difficult time. She will team with Petera in the doubles.

That combination finished fifth at the recent world doubles championship behind Australian and English combinations.

Glen Wilson and Daniel Sharplin complete the team. They will compete in the mixed doubles.

Wilson will team with Joyce. The two won last year's transtasman doubles. Wilson has previously had a world singles ranking in the top 30 and won a bronze medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in the mixed doubles. Sharplin will link up with Owens.

Squash made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur.

Leilani Joyce (Auckland): singles, mixed doubles, women's doubles; Carol Owens (Auckland): singles, mixed doubles, women's doubles; Shelley Kitchen (Northland): singles, women's doubles; Lara Petera (Northland): women's doubles; Glen Wilson (Wellington): mixed doubles; Daniel Sharplin (Midlands): mixed doubles.

- NZPA