First we had the 2008 Club Doubles earlier in 2010 and now it’s the 2009 Men’s Handicap Doubles. At first I thought it was a warp in the time-space continuum … but then I worried we had strayed into that loopy quantum mechanics stuff. You know the Heisenberg uncertainty principle … we can know the year we’re in but not exactly which tournament we’re playing … or know which tournament we’re playing but not exactly the year it’s in … but you can’t know both.
Steve McArdel, Frank Nolan, Alastair Reed & Robert Lagerberg
Before I could consult Ewan Barker I remembered how shameless Brett is. It’s just like the Commonwealth Bank gouging us on rates … he goes back and finds competitions that failed to happen … and runs them as round robins years later. I believe Brett doesn’t know a jot about quantum mechanics … but he knows an opportunity when he sees it. Well good on him … I needed a bit of exercise and I was a lot younger in 2009 than I am now.
Group A: Ross Troon & Stuart Strange 3/24 win from John Zulic & Bruce Christie 2/21, Peter Dunn & Andrew Pipkorn 1/11, Will Hoskin & Mick Fenelon 0/19
Group B: Alistair Reed & Robert Lagerberg 1/17 win from Graeme Fowler & Rod Unmack 1/15, Frank Nolan & Steve McArdel 1/14
Group C: Tim Lamont & Elliot Wolstenholme 4/32 win from Tony & Charlie Cree 2/22, Jim Stephen & Dean Cinque 0/12
Group D: Wayne Spring & David Parker 3/24 win from Bill Hutcheson & Rob Jolly 2/23, Paul & Daniel Williams 1/19, Andrew Hall & Ian Dowman 0/9
Robert lagerberg & Alastair Reed discuss strategies
It was one of the best fields I have seen in a tournament in ages. The Friday night group A was a beauty and Ross and Stuart worked hard to take it from the Christie/Zulic pairing. In group B we saw newcomers Frank Nolan and Steve McArdel play in their first tournament. Welcome guys to a tough group that saw it all even on matches but Alistair and Robert winning on games. In Group C Jim and Dean would have seen the handicaps and blanched. This was prescient as Tim and Elliot prevail with Tim having no regard for father-in-law Dean’s feelings. The elite group is D with the best doubles pairing in our history competing with the lowest amateur handicapper in the club and his dad and then there was the very experienced Hutcheson/Jolly combination. The final Dowman/Hall pairing is not quite as elite. It all hung on the last point and at 7 all/deuce Wayne Spring served a freaky demi pique that an unlucky Bill Hutcheson could not return.
Stuart Strange, Ross Troon, David Parker & Wayne Spring
Semi Final 1: Ross Troon & Stuart Strange defeat Alistair Reed & Robert Lagerberg 8/5
Semi Final 2: Wayne Spring & David Parker defeat Tim Lamont & Elliot Wolstenholme 8/4
Final: Ross Troon & Stuart Strange defeat Wayne Spring & David Parker 8/6
Ross and Stuart perform solidly and win the first semi but there is a lot of interest is in the second. There is a 63 handicap difference between the pairings and so we see the largest handicap possible at work. David and Wayne hog the service end and with nary a mistake take it out. The finals were always going to be close. Stuart seems to be playing every day and Ross has a formidable left hand serve. Wayne and David lead most of the way but the Troon/Strange combination surge at the end to take out the Championship. Congratulations guys.
Tournament Champs - Stewy Strange and Ross Troon
Brett is delighted that his lost competition scam is working. He is pouring over the Club records and says watch this space … for a start there is a fruitful period 1939-45 when all of the competitions were cancelled.
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