The final round of the round robin in the summer doubles took place over the weekend. The tournament had been delayed due to injury of players and finally two long term injury withdrawal and a new partnership later the games began. Following two tight games against the Tim/David partnership Mike/Karl and Anita/Jolyon were left with a winner take all final game. With a -8/8 handicap the game was set for a battle where the experienced Mike/Karl partnership would need all their skill to overhaul the deficit against the newly formed Anita/Jolyon playing only their second game as a partnership.
The first game saw only limited impact on the handicap from Mike/Karl as they started to find their rhythm however having warmed up the just missed drops and lobs that had plagued the first game were now finding their mark with ruthless precision. From both long and short rallies the handicap was relentlessly chipped away until the two teams stood at 14-14 and a winner takes all point. again the superior control from Mike/Karl crafted the point to take a well earned second game to tie the score.
The third game was played in a very similar manner to the second with, if anything, longer rallies as both pairings found their stride. Some beautiful shots from both teams brought the game to another tense 14-14 rally. This time however the recovery skills of Anita/Jolyon kept them in long enough for a loose ball to be put away and restoring the lead. The fourth game though underlined why Mike/Karl have been the dominant pairing at the club for a few years with a combination of tight drops, impeccable length lobs and returning anything thrown at them saw the handicap gone at 10-10. Not content with that they dominated the final rallies to take the game 15-11 and set up a final game of winner takes all.
Anita/Jolyon decided to change their tactics for the final game and gave Mike/Karl a different look. This led to some early quick points for the Anita/Jolyon partnership. In trying to adapt their game Mike/Karl caused some confusion in their partnership which allowed Anita/ Jolyon to sneak to 14-1. Despite some excellent backs to the wall squash the mountain proved to great to climb with Anita/Jolyon finally securing the game, match and doubles victory 15-6.
