Since many involved in squash believe the sport's image has never recovered in Scotland since Peter Nicol's defection to England more than a decade ago, a rare opportunity presents itself over the next few days.
At the time, Scottish squash was on top of the world, since the Australian-born Scottish internationalist John White was also to ascend to the top of the world rankings. However, in participation terms the sport was already in decline, with many squash courts in public and private facilities being diverted to other purposes. Nicol's decision, caused by a wrangle over funding, reflected that, so much so that some Scottish sports administrators are believed to have all but written off the case for supporting it.
Yet the performance of England in the singles at Scotstoun, dominating the men's event by taking all three medals as well as silver in the women's, demonstrates this remains a sport well suited to British athletes.
With Alan Clyne, currently 35th, their highest-ranked player in global terms, there was no real chance of the Scots making an impact in the singles, but Roger Flynn, their Australian coach, has boxed clever in focusing their efforts on doubles, a rarely played but much more watchable version of the sport.
Aware that the eyes of the nation are on this event, he recognised that this was their chance to catch the eye. That teamwork can overcome superior individual ability was amply demonstrated when Clyne and Harry Leitch just missed out on a medal in Delhi four years ago, losing the bronze-medal match to Ryan Cuskelly and Cameron Pilley of Australia.
On the back of the work done by Scottish Squash officials to set up competitions that have given them the chance to compete in doubles, Clyne and Leitch, the fourth seeds, and Greg Lobban and Stuart Crawford, the eighth seeds, are expected to win their respective pools on their way to the knockout stages.
It is expected to be tougher for the Scots in the mixed doubles where Clyne and Frania Gillen-Butchart are ninth seeds in the mixed doubles and Kevin Moran and Alex Clark are 15th, but again they should get through to the last 16.
Clark and Gillen-Butchart have the hardest task of all to get out of their pool in the women's doubles where they are up against two higher ranked pairs, but the doubles specific work they have done means confidence is high in the Scottish camp that they can out-perform their seedings in all three competitions and start to re-establish squash in the consciousness of the wider Scottish public.
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