TEN UP FOR BRITAIN AT WORLD UNI GAMES

By Lee Taylor | 23 August 2007

Golfer Charles Ford, of Tennessee University, took Britain's medal tally at the 2007 World University Games into double figures when he won silver in the men's singles competition.

Ford knew he needed a strong final round to stay in contention for a podium place and even after he had finished with a score of 71, there was an anxious wait to see if he would actually win a medal. With Yoshio Yamamoto and Roberto Diaz of Mexico a shot behind, and Japan’s Yuki Usami two ahead, the fight for silver and bronze was still up in the air. Ming-Chuan Chen of Chinese Taipei had already finished five shots clear to clinch gold.

However, Diaz and Yamamoto failed to gain their shots whilst the pressure told on Usami when he double bogeyed the last and drew level with Ford, the Britain taking second spot on a countback after previous scores of 71, 75 and 69.

“It was a real hard grind this week,” said Ford. “I struggled on the first couple of rounds but I recovered ground yesterday and I knew that was my chance,” he added. “Obviously I’m delighted with the silver medal. It would have been nice to have played that little bit better earlier in the week, but I’m still so pleased to have come away with a podium place.”

The men’s team which included Ford, Gavin Dear (University of Stirling), Thomas Sherreard (Georgia State) and Scott Borrowman (also Stirling) finished fifth overall whilst the women’s team also came fifth. Anna Scott (Georgia State), Hannah Burke (Baylor University) and Emma Fairnie of Edinburgh University, were in with a shout of a medal but fell just short, with Scott also finishing just two places outside of the medals in the singles event.

Team manager, Raleigh Gowrie, who was deprived the services of Daniel Willett after he was called into the Walker Cup squad just prior to the Games, was delighted with how the team performed at the Watermill Golf Course and Gardens.

“This has been a great experience all round,” said Gowrie. “We have gained a great deal from being at a multi-sports Games and to come away with a medal means the trip has been a great success,” he added. “I am disappointed for the girls as they were so close and they were really down at the end, but I’m absolutely thrilled for Charlie. He has probably been our most consistent performer and thoroughly deserves this. If he carries on developing at the speed he has done, then he will be a force in the game for years to come.”

Elsewhere on the penultimate day, the women’s football team finished seventh overall. A 3-2 victory over China avenged the opening game defeat against the same opponents and was sweeter still considering they found themselves 2-0 down early in the second half. Three goals in five minutes from Danielle Bird (Loughborough) and Shelley Cox (Loughborough), who scored twice, ensured they finished on a high. The men however lost their game against Uruguay 3-2 to finish eighth overall. Goals from Daniell Bulley (University of Buffalo) and Kieran Hall (Fort Lewis College) gave them hope but it was not enough to save them from defeat.

In judo, the men and women both reached the last 16 before losing to Poland and Hungary respectively, whilst in diving, Stacie Powell (Southampton) came 12th in the women’s 10m platform.

Britain has one last chance of adding to its haul on the final day when Gary Hunt and Thomas Owens (both of Southampton) go in the men’s 10m synchronised platform tomorrow afternoon.

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