Love birds shine as Danes crush England

That outcome had become virtually certain after Denmark had sneaked the opening mixed doubles, because England, after winning a dispute about the order of play, had counted on taking the first encounter and trying to win all three doubles.

That though was a long shot against one of the best of many outstanding Danish squads. Gade and Martin were remarkably committed to the cause, even though their minds may have been on their preparations for next month’s Thomas and Uber Cups world team finals in Kuala Lumpur, and perhaps even on the Olympics in Sydney in September.

"You saw what they were like – excellent – there was no problem at all. They wanted to do it for Denmark," said the Danish manager Kenneth Larsen. "This was actually not an easy match. If we had been a little bit unlucky we could have lost, but we made the right choice for the mixed doubles and that helped decide the final."

Larsen’s selection was Jens Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager widely regarded as Denmark’s second best pair, but who had beaten the former all-England champions Simon Archer and Joanne Goode in Singapore and who proceeded to do so again by 15-11, 8-15, 15-6.

Schjoldager served excellently and Eriksen was a constant threat in the fast, flat, mid-court jabbing rallies, but the English pair finished the match annoyed about some of the officiating. Twice in the first game Archer let go shuttles hebelieved were out, only to see them called in, and Goode was once called for a foul serve when, to English eyes at least, Schjoldager’s delivery was just as questionable.

"We didn’t have the luck with the calls," said England manager Finn Traerup, himself a Dane. "But you have to expect that in a match. I don’t know if it affected the outcome, but Jo seems to be affected. She wasn’t calm."

Gade and Martin now hope to go on to collect a double gold when the live-in couple defend their European singles titles over the next five days.>