There had been rumours that the floors of the now enclosed courts at Sedbergh were liable to sweat after a few games, and this sadly turned out to be the case. Nonetheless, thanks to a great deal of sawdust-sweeping between (and even during) games, the tournament was played out and the conditions bravely overcome.
There were no three-game matches this year, also an unusual feature. The biggest surprise was the quarter-final defeat of second seeds Buchanan and Roberts by Kiggell and Thomas, the latter now master-in-charge at Malvern and clearly enjoying the courts.
Two other quarter-finals produced well-fought matches: past champions Akerman and M Mohammed just got the better of Hughes and Rew, while Cavanagh and Fox eventually managed to tame the ferocious hitting of Bristol University pair Ackland and Rolls.
The semi-finals saw top seeds Ellison and H Mohammed defeat Akerman and M (Dad) Mohammed comfortably, while Cavanagh and Fox took a while to work out how to beat the canny Kiggell and Thomas, which they did after a close first game. The final was rather one-sided, Ellison volleying devastatingly from the right and Mohammed showing no signs of lack of practice when the ball eluded his agile partner. For all their experience, Fox and Cavanagh had no real answer to the barrage of winners to which they were subjected, and the holders duly took both games with ease, making it their fifth consecutive win in this event.
Two pairs from Sedbergh School acquitted themselves well in the plate, one of them only narrowly losing in the final to Frost and Goodwin from Derby, who hit the ball just that bit harder, making up for their lack of experience in the buttress game.
Many thanks to Malvern College for its hospitality, and good wishes to Chris Thomas in his task of building teams to represent the school at every level.
Next year – back to Bradfield!
{joomplucat:280 limit=5|columns=5}
RESULTS
Round 1: Cooper & Thompson bt Stone & Wainwright 15-13, 15-9; Hughes & Rew bt Neale & Sinton 15-2, 15-6; Akerman & M Mohammed bt Lawry & Robinson 15-10, 15-2; Cavanagh & Fox bt Lidiard & Warner 15-3, 15-3; Ackland & Rolls bt Gunyon & Kirk 15-2, 15-4; Kiggell & Thomas bt Frost & Goodwin 15-1, 15-3; Buchanan & Roberts bt Hale & Hale 15-6, 15-4
Quarter-finals: Ellison & H Mohammed bt Cooper & Thompson 15-2, 15-1; Akerman & M Mohammed bt Hughes & Rew 15-11, 15-10; Cavanagh & Fox bt Ackland & Rolls 15-8, 15-11; Kiggell & Thomas bt Buchanan & Roberts 16-14, 15-7
Semi-finals: Ellison & H Mohammed bt Akerman & M Mohammed 15-3, 15-4; Cavanagh & Fox bt Kiggell & Thomas 15-12, 15-3.
Final: Ellison & H Mohammed bt Cavanagh & Fox 15-3, 15-3.
Plate Final: Frost & Goodwin bt Lawry & Robinson 15-11