Derby Moor Academy, Littleover
Sunday, 30th June 2024
Bob Dolby reports: 28 competitors, club members, friends, family, supporters, the President, the General Secretary gathered as is traditional on the last Sunday of June for the 20th playing of the Invitation Doubles on the courts at Derby Moor Academy.
Players came from Durham, Manchester, Winchester, Bedford and Reims to pair up with local players as organised by Lewis Keates and Brian Kirk. The result was a fiercely contested main draw with play of exceptional intensity and games of considerable length, while Plate competitions were also staged as the day drew on.
The main draw saw an unusual number of lengthy three-gamers, all of them involving Kristians Davins & Oscar McIntyre, who deserved their eventual win if not merely for their sheer stamina. For both it was their first time of winning. Unfortunately time ran out for a third-place play-off between Karen Hird & Rob Whitehorn and Anthony Goodwin & Ricky Zhou. It was a delight to see two top school players, Ricky and JP, come up from Winchester to play, as well as two National U16 champions, Val and Eleonora from Manchester and Durham respectively. Val made the final with the hard-hitting Bally Singh, while Eleonora won the third place play-off in the Plate with fellow Durham Club member Dan Swinbank. It was also a pleasure to host Chris Woods and his son Jacob, maintaining the long-standing friendship between the Derby Moor Club and the Manchester Y Club.
Our thanks go to the drivers and supporters of travelling players; to Stuart Kirby for the catering and — with two new knees! — setting such a fine example of commitment to the game; to Brian for running scoresheets and timings; and to Lewis for his unremitting work in communications and promotion of the event.
Scores
1st round: JP Cheng & Lewis Keates bt Adam Hicks & Jacob Woods 15-2; Val Fikhter & Bally Singh bt Dan Swinbank & Eleonora Vallascas 15-3; Karen Hird & Rob Whitehorn bt Stuart Kirby & Dylan Wright 15-7; Brian Kirk & Jeremy Stubbs bt Tony Hicks & Mark Kiteley 15-7; Kristians Davins & Oscar McIntyre bt Max Staryk & Zach Winson Gates 15-2 ; Richard Christie & Aaron Wheatley bt Chris Woods & Callum Yates 15-4
Quarter finals: Fikhter & Singh bt Cheng & Keates 11-6, 11-7; Hird & Whitehorn bt Kirk & Stubbs 11-2, 11-3; Davins & McIntyre bt Christie & Wheatley 5-11, 11-9, 11-5; Anthony Goodwin & Ricky Zhou bt Hodges & Greaves 15-1
Semi-finals: Fikter & Singh bt Hird & Whitehorn 15-7, 15-11; Davins & McIntyre bt Goodwin & Zhou 15-9, 15-16, 15-12
Final: Davins & McIntyre bt Fikhter & Singh 9-15, 15-13, 15-3
Plate: Woods & Yates bt Kirby & Wright 11-4, 11-3
3rd Place Play-off: Swinbank & Vallascas bt T Hicks & Kiteley 15-8
2nd Round Losers’ Plate: Cheng & Keates
The competitors
The winners: Kristians & Oscar
Silver for Val & Bally
Plate for Callum & Chris
The Roll of Honour