Lobban and Stewart end 24-year wait for podium spot
GREG LOBBAN and Rory Stewart’s squash bronze was 24 years in the making and Team Scotland’s final medal of the Commonwealth Games.
The pair picked themselves up from a crushing 2-1 semifinal defeat to England’s Daryl Selby and Adrian Waller to reach the podium on the last day of sporting competition.
Lobban and Stewart came through a tough bronze medal match with Malaysian rivals to claim Scotland’s third-ever Commonwealth squash gong and first since 1998.
Lobban said: “I’ve been in the bronze medal match before and it’s the worst match to be involved in when you’re on the wrong side of it.
“I know how it feels to lose them. I’m just proud of Rory, he’s the younger one and the debutant, but he’s kept me together through the week and carried himself impeccably.”
Lobban and Stewart struck out for history against Eain Yow Ng and Chee Wern Yuen with the former avenging his fourthplace finish alongside Alan Clyne at Gold Coast 2018.
Scotland won two medals at squash’s first appearance on the Commonwealth programme in Kuala Lumpur with Peter Nicol taking singles gold and doubles bronze with Stuart Cowie.
Lobban said: “(No medal since 1998) has been hanging over our heads for a long time and it’s probably got the better of us. This is a great achievement for Scottish squash.
“We’ve loved watching Team Scotland racking up medals over the last few weeks and we desperately wanted to be a part of it.
“We wanted to go to a party tonight knowing we’d done our bit.
“We’re a small nation in squash compared to other nations and we’re always punching above our weight.
“To have something to show for it is great.”
The first game was a tight affair with neither side leading by more than two points at any stage.
Stewart was the man trying to make things happen as the playmaker, targeting the front left-hand corner, as the Scots claimed a narrow 11-10 win in the first game.
They commanded the second game and ran out 11-6 victors to rubber-stamp their medal.
It was no easy task for Team Scotland debutant Stewart to pick himself up off the canvas after disappointment at the final four stage.
He said: “It wasn’t easy to deal with. I took myself away from the situation and Greg found me and reassured me that we still had plenty to play for.
“It’s maybe a surprise for a lot of people for me to win a medal but I’ve always known my ability and I haven’t crumbled on the big stage.
I’m proud to be able to handle situations well.”
Lobban lost the love for the game and considered retirement during lockdown, returning to the court for days like these.
He said: “This certainly helps. The thing I’ve never fallen out of love with is just competing. I just love the grit that we’ve got to show on court.”
We’ve loved watching Team Scotland racking up medals and we desperately wanted to be a part of it