The 38-year-old, appearing at his fourth Games, had won two silver and four bronze, but never a gold.

But all that changed today as he claimed, not one, but two golds on the last day of action at the Scotstoun Sports Campus.

Palmer and Cameron Pilley won a thrilling match to bring the sporting action at Glasgow 2014 to a close coming from a game down to beat defending champions Nick Matthew and Adrian Grant of England 10,11, 11-7, 11-9.

A superb final game saw both pairs locked at 9-9 but Matthew uncharacteristically missed a forehand to give the Australians match point and following a ferocious exchange a Pilley forehand did the trick and they were champions.

Matthew had been going for a "double double" after winning both men's singles and doubles at Delhi 2010 and retaining his singles crown already at Glasgow.

It was not to be, though, as Palmer and Pilley broke England's monopoly on the men's doubles title since the sport's first appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

England also took bronze as Daryl Selby and James Willstrop overcame home pair Alan Clyne and Harry Leitch 11-9, 11-7 which saw the Scottish pair finish fourth for the second consecutive Games.

David Palmer and Cameron Pilley celebrate a second squash gold medal for Australia on the last day of action at Glasgow 2014 ©Getty Images



Earlier in the day, Palmer secured that elusive first ever gold medal when he and Rachel Grinham won the mixed doubles final overcoming another English pair, Peter Barker and Alison Waters.

After winning the first game 11-8 the sides were tied at 10-10 in the second but in a remarkable show of sportsmanship Barker called a double bounce on himself at match point to hand the match to the Australians.

"It certainly doesn't get much better," said Palmer following his historic double gold success.

"I am happy and obviously it's going to take a while to sink in and it is not ideal with two games back to back.

"I almost ran out of gas in the end there.

"My legs were getting a little twitchy and a little crampy near the end.

"Cameron [Pilley] really stepped it up in the middle of that last game and he is such an aggressive [player] with his power and touch.

"I was encouraging him to trust his shots and I thought he played some really great shots.

"He really stepped up when we needed him."

Pilley also claimed his second medal of the day as he partnered Kasey Brown to a bronze medal win over Kiwi rivals Martin Knight and Joelle King 8-11, 11-9, 11-8.

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