Glasgow 2014: Nick Matthew beats James Willstrop to win gold

Nick Matthew became the first man to retain the Commonwealth Games singles squash title after beating fellow Englishman James Willstrop in Glasgow.

Matthew, 34, won an absorbing contest 11-9 8-11 11-5 6-11 11-5.

With Peter Barker taking bronze, it is England's second successive Commonwealth podium clean sweep after they also dominated in Delhi.

England's Laura Massaro took silver after losing to Malaysia's world number one Nicol David in the women's final.

Matthew's clash with Willstrop, 30, was a repeat of the 2010 final in Delhi.

Then Matthew had won in three games but this time he was made to work much harder as Willstrop pushed him every step of the way.

An exhausting rally on the third point of the match set the tone as both men covered the court in tireless fashion while producing some top quality squash.

World champion Matthew - who carried the England flag at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony - took the opening game before Willstrop hit back.

Sheffield's Matthew, who won gold in both the singles and doubles in Delhi four years ago, went 2-1 ahead as he breezed through the third game but Willstrop hit back in impressive fashion in game four to take it to a decider.

But Matthew, who had won the last 24 meetings between the pair, went ahead early in the fifth game and maintained his advantage throughout to take it.

Matthew's victory was all the more impressive as his hopes of competing in Glasgow were threatened by a knee injury which required surgery last month and left his participation in doubt.

"Five weeks ago I was on a hospital bed, throbbing pain in my body," said Matthew.

"How the medics have done it… it is incredible. They need to retire now because it can't get better than that."

England's Peter Barker took bronze after beating Saurav Ghosal 11-5 6-11 11-5 11-6 in 53 minutes to leave the Indian player in fourth place for the second Games in a row.

In the women's final David, 30, produced a superb performance to beat Massaro 12-10 11-2 11-5.

Like Matthew, it is back-to-back Commonwealth golds for David, who did not drop a single game when she won in Delhi in 2010.

She has been world number one for 99 months and has won the World Open title a record seven times.

But Massaro, 30, is the world number two and went into the Commonwealths full of confidence after winning both the World Open and British Open titles in 2013.

Massaro, based in Preston, began quickly and looked to be controlling the opening game, but David showed why she has been the dominant figure in women's squash for so long by fighting back to pinch it 12-10.

The second game was much more one-sided as David played some brilliant shots and displayed her trademark athleticism around the court to breeze through 11-2 with little trouble.

Massaro fought hard in the third - and required treatment after being accidentally caught in the face by David's racket - but it was not enough.

New Zealand's Joelle King claimed bronze as she beat England's Alison Waters 11-7 11-7 11-5 in the third-place play-off.