Canada’s squash princess to lunch with the Queen
Canada’s squash princess to lunch with the Queen
Canada’s reigning women’s squash champion Samantha Cornett (Deep River, Ont.) will have an exciting Day 1 of competition on Thursday at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games – starting with lunch with Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, followed by her first round in women’s singles action against Australia’s Sarah Cardwell at 16.30.
Cornett was selected to represent Canadian athletes at the luncheon in the Main Dining hall at the Commonwealth Games Athlete Village. On the menu: Loin of Scottish lamb, baby vegetables, petite roast potatoes and rosemary jus, followed by salted caramel, fine butter pastry topped with candied banana and sweetened Scottish cream.
“I’m very much looking forward to it and doing it for my [British] grandma, because she would kill me if I didn’t go,” laughed Cornett. “I’m feeling very good about this competition. I feel fully prepared and my body feels amazing. I’m really looking forward to it.”
On the men’s side, Shawn Delierre (Montreal, Que.) plays Papua New Guinea’s Moreaina Wei at 12.00. The winner of that game plays at 18.00 against the winner of a 12:00 match between Australia and Kenya.
“I’m feeling pretty good, I settled in on the courts yesterday,” said Delierre. “Tomorrow should be my grand opening and all nerves let loose out there, play free spirited, be happy to represent Canada. I’ll just take it one point at a time, no pressure, feel happy inside and play the best that I can.”
Delierre, 31, is participating in his third Commonwealth Games. He reached a career high #38 in the World in 2013 and is looking to improve on his Round of 16 finish at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. The 2013 Canadian National singles Champion, Delierre is also the holder of 12 Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour titles.
Cornett, 23, is making her second appearance at a Commonwealth Games. At the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games she finished 17th out of 29. She reached a career high #28 in the World in May 2014 on the Women’s Squash Association (WSA) World Rankings and she is also the holder of four WSA Tour titles.
Both Cornett and Delierre will compete in singles and mixed doubles competition and are seeking to finish among the Top 8 in Glasgow.
