Silver lining for Malta after losing gold

Malta's men's team overcame the disappointment of losing the gold medal by beating Cyprus 5-0 yesterday to ensure second spot in the squash tournament.

After their 4-1 defeat to gold medal winners Liechtenstein on Friday, Malta had to clinch three matches to make sure of the silver.

It did not take them long to reach their target as the first three players in action, Jonathan Crockford, Bernard Bugeja and Joseph Desira, all won their matches for an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Crockford made light work of Frixous Frixou 3-0 and Bernard Bugeja had the better of Marios Yiannou 3-0 to edge Malta closer to silver.

Desira endured a difficult start against Nasos Karasavas, losing the first game 9-7. Urged on by the crowd at the Marsa squash courts, Desira won the second game 9-0, also profiting from his opponent's difficulty to keep up with the pace due to injury. The Maltese-Australian maintained his momentum to win the last two sets 9-0 and 9-3 and secure Malta's silver success.

Steve Schranz's encounter against Giorgos Hadjiphillipou was already underway when Desira sealed his victory but that did not undermine the Maltese player's focus. Trailing his opponent 2-1, Schranz hit back to win the next two games for a 3-2 victory.

Schranz's hard-fought victory enhanced the likelihood of a 5-0 whitewash as Michael Fiteni, singles gold medalist, was widely expected to beat Panos Hadjiphillipou in the last match. Fiteni did not disappoint, cruising to a 3-0 success to cap another fine afternoon for Maltese squash.

Despite their defeat, Cyprus collected a bronze medal as Monaco suffered a 5-0 loss to Liechtenstein earlier in the day.

Paul Lake, the Malta coach, had mixed feelings about the runners-up spot yesterday. Though satisfied that his players had secured silver, the Englishman also admitted to being somewhat disappointed at the team's failure to strike gold.

"If the team played like they did today against Cyprus, we would have beaten Liechtenstein and won gold," Lake said. "We actually lost the gold."

Lake believes that Malta can enhance its reputation in international squash if they can build on the success achieved during the GSSE.

"Malta is still a long way behind the leading European nations but we are as good or even better than the other small nations.

"Hopefully, the people involved with this sport will keep the ball rolling after the GSSE. The potential is here and the Maltese have a winning mentality, unlike what many people think. If Malta continue to work seriously, in five to 10 years' time, they can establish themselves among the European B countries in squash," Lake said.

Squash has indeed given Malta plenty to cheer about in the GSSE as Fiteni and Dianne Desira collected gold in the singles, the ladies' team topped the charts for another gold and the men's team grabbed silver.

Liechtenstein won the bronze medal in the women's tournament despite losing 2-1 to Monaco yesterday.

Ladies' standings: 1. Malta 46; 2. Luxembourg 37; 3. Liechtenstein 22; 4. Monaco 20; 5. Iceland 4.

Men's standings:1. Liechtenstein 97; 2. Malta 82; 3. Cyprus 59; 4. Monaco 44; 5. Luxembourg 39; 6. Iceland 10.