World champion pushed hard by Simpson at Glasgow 2014
LOUIS PLEVIN, the young judo player, and Chris Simpson deserved equal levels of sympathy as they felt the power of the Commonwealth Games on a tough weekend for the Sarnians in Glasgow.
Plevin's Games were over in just 19sec. as he found himself dumped out of his debut Commonwealths by the man who later that day would storm his way to the 90kg gold medal.
Meanwhile, Simpson encountered similar power in the form of a world star and although his medal dream came to an end, the Guernseyman won plaudits from all directions.
Heroic failure you could call it, but it would be cruel and wrong to suggest Chris Simpson in any way failed as he lost 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 in the quarter-finals to the world champion Nick Matthew at the Scotstoun Centre.
Simpson was brilliant and probably never played better, but when you are the world's best, getting out of sticky situations is what you do and Matthew, the defending Commonwealth champion from Delhi, did that time and again in front of a big crowd on the televised court to defeat Simpson in three very tight games.
Matthew had never seen the Sarnian play better and Simpson enjoyed some consolation in his top quality performance.
'I was very pleased to compete with him in so many facets of his game – it's the first time I've done that.'
More from Glasgow 2014 in todays Guernsey Press.
