Commonwealth Games 2014: Nick Matthew cruises to last eight in squash after birthday battle

England’s Nick Matthew went through in straight sets (Getty Images)

England’s Nick Matthew, the No 1 seed, safely booked his place in the squash quarter-finals with a straight sets win over Alan Clyne of Scotland today.

Matthew, who beat Clyne 11-4, 11-5, 11-8, was joined in the last eight by his England team-mate Peter Barker, who beat Malaysia’s Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-7, 11-6, 11-3.

One quirk of Matthew’s match was that both he and Clyne were celebrating their birthdays, with the Englishman turning 34 and his opponent four years younger. “It’s just freaky, to be honest,” Matthew said.

Nicol David, the seven-time world champion from Malaysia, is also in the quarter-finals, having beaten Vanessa Florens, of Mauritius.