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CLUB TOURNAMENT - FUN DOUBLES The Purkiss Robinson Doubles event is usually a highlight of the annual club tournament. It's fun and often brings together some very unlikely pairings! This year however a disappointingly low turn out reduced the spectacle. Just 21 entrants turned out for the third night of the Club Tournament held on a Thursday evening at Newlands. But for those who were there, the competition was fierce. This year played without handicaps - other than your partner - the event aimed to pair players of opposite standards. With a number of expected entrants failing to arrive it became necessary to make some hasty changes to pairings, this left one or two rather stronger pairs than might have been expected and no more so than the eventual winners! The first stage was played in 3 groups of 3 pairs from which the winner and runner-up would go through, together with the highest loser from the 3 groups. This meant that only two pairs would be eliminated in this first sift. And as it was, both had a second chance playing in a fourth group to decide the remaining qualifying place for the knock out quarter finals. And here's real irony. Ron Arthur and Sam Pit were one of the two pairs who failed to qualify from their first group, albeit by the narrowest of margins with all three group pairs winning one each. However they then went on to reach the final winning their second group with two emphatic victories. In only one of the first three groups was there a decisive result, with Neil Gooday and Haydn Upson taking both of their group matches convincingly. The trophies sponsors, Norman Purkiss and John Robinson taking the runner-up spot. The third placed team in the group Mike Johnston and Jacqui Smith took the highest placed loser spot through a very narrow 5 set defeat against Neil & Haydn. In Group 2 honours were entirely even. Richard Upson & Diane Pitt beating Graham Turner & Hannah Pitt in the opening game by a narrow 3:1 scoreline. Graham & Hannah then disposed of Frank Neil & Adam Pitt but only after a hard fought five set battle. Frank & Adam in turn beat Diane & Richard. The result Graham & Hannah failed to qualify and went into the play off's! In Group 3 things were equally tight. Ryan Pitt and Eric Clift beat Ray Lawrence & Mike Pitt in style in the opening set. But Ray & Mike struck back with a 3 straight win over Sam & Ron, who in turn edged out Ryan & Eric 3:1. This still left Sam & Ryan facing the play-off's but what a success they made of that.
Somehow in the quarter final stage, three of the teams who had automatically qualified for a place ended up playing a group contest to decide one semi-final place. A little harsh on Richard & Diane and Ryan & Eric who ended up eliminated leaving Mike & Jacqui - who had only qualified as highest placed losers - with a place in the semi final as they beat both of the other pairs in convincing style. Obviously slow starters! In the fourth qualifying
group, new pair Fred Henwood and Steve Clift came in to take on the two
pairs that had failed to qualify from the first groups, Graham &
Hannah and Sam & Ron. The lack of warm up seemed to leave Fred &
Steve with too much to do, soundly beaten by both pairs. The deciding game
was a close one with Sam & Ron running out 3:1 winners.
Quarter Final
In the first of the other
two quarter finals, Neil & Haydn took on Ray & Mike. It looked
about as straightforward as the score line suggests 6,7 & 2 in
favour of Neil & Haydn. The last quarter final match between Frank
Neill & Adam Pitt and Norman & John was a quite different
affair. With the 'old boys' having to retrieve a 2:1 deficit to secure
the match in the fifth end.
Norman and John were then relishing the prospect of taking on Neil & Haydn again, who they had already lost too in the group stage, in the semi-final. Their fate however was almost identical going down 3:1 as Neil & Haydn cruised home after dropping the first end 11:4. The second semi-final featured two pairs who had both been third in the initial group stages, yet here they were on the brink of success. This proved to be a much closer match with some very competitive play as Sam & Ron just edged out Mike & Jacqui at 12:10 in the 4th. Semi Finals
In the final Sam & Ron never really got off the blocks. The pairings looked uneven on paper and equally so on the table. Neil's immensely superior range of shots proving just too much for either opponent and with Haydn more than capable of keeping the ball in play and contributing some good winning shots himself he and Neil never looked in any serious trouble taking the match and the trophy 3 straight. A good competition, well organised but with a disappointingly low support from members. FINAL
There is a separate page covering the Tom Burns handicap Singles Trophy and the youth event, The Ted Harris Trophy. |
