Over 60s Amateur Doubles 2015
Results
Bebb/Stefanowicz bt Butler/Seymour 8/3
Prenn/Moore bt Compton/Mason 8/1
Dean/Shaw-Hamilton bt Newby/Fisher 8/1
Weaver/Coquhoun bt Bebb/Stefanowicz 8/1
Dean/Shaw-Hamilton bt Prenn/Moore 8/6
Newby/Fisher bt Compton/Mason 8/1
Prenn/Moore bt Butler/Seymour 8/2
Newby/Fisher bt Bebb/Stefanowicz 8/6
Semi-Finals
Weaver/Coquhoun bt Prenn/Moore 8/4
Dean/Shaw-Hamilton bt Newby/Fisher 8/5
Final
Dean/Shaw-Hamilton bt Weaver/Coquhoun 8/7
The early rounds saw Bob Compton and Peter Mason give a game account of themselves against the heavyweights, without much reward in games, as did Colin Butler and Mike Seymour who did garner a few more games (3 and 2 respectively) in very decent matches with Jamie bebb and Marek Stefanovicz and John Prenn and Richard Moore.
Jill Newby and Jonathan Fisher played one of the matches of the day to beat Bebb/Stefanowicz 8-6, with the result in doubt up to the end, to qualify for the semi-finals. Philip Shaw-Hamilton and Mick Dean staged a stout comeback from 1-5 to beat the 2nd seeds John Prenn and Richard Moore 8-6 to also qualify while the losers were forced to play another match to earn the right to play Paul Weaver and Duncan Colquhoun in the semi-final.
Paul Weaver’s speed and aggression combined well with Duncan Coquhoun’s volley and courtcraft and John Prenn’s power (4 winning forces won one game without reply) was never quite enough, despite Richard Moore’s consistency. They did recover from 0-3 to 3-3, but the holders and top seeds then progressed with relative ease.
Jill Newby and Jonathan Fisher then raised their game impressively to capitalise on some slightly scrappy play from Mick Dean and Philip Shaw-Hamilton in the other semi-final. They held a 5-3 lead before the match just ebbed away from them. Fisher’s back-court retrieving and dispatch combined well with Jill Newby’s superb volleying, though, and they will have been pleased with their performances.
The final saw Weaver and Colquhoun have the edge, apparently, through much of the match with Dean and Shaw-Hamilton fighting hard to stay on terms. Down 1-2, 2-3, 4-6 and 6-7, Dean and Shaw-Hamilton reached game point and a long chase to defend, whereupon Dean produced a nick serve to retain the service at 7-7. Shaw-Hamilton then also produced a couple of tricky serves to reach 40-15 and then beat last gallery from the hazard with another raking backhand to finish the match. It could hardly have been much closer.