World Doubles Rackets Championships 2021 Second Leg
Saturday 13th November at 7 pm
New York Racquets Club
One game all and the new World Champions are Tom Billings and Richard Owen
The Champions, Jonathan Larken and James Stout, started strongly with Stout picking up the first two points. Tom Billings served a fault but partner Richard Owen gave the Challengers a slight 3-2 lead. But the Champions were back in the lead through Larken's precision service, 5-3, before the Billings serve levelled the game at 5-5. The champions then capitalised on their next time in the box, stretching out a 9-5 lead. With the momentum now with the Champions, the Billing/Owen partnership could only muster a point to trail 6-9. A superb return negated the Stout serve and then it was Larken in impervious form serving through, with six unmatched pointed to take the first game 15/6. Game on!
The second game started cagily with the Challengers quickly gaining the box but only managing a solitary point in their first pair of hands, to lead 1-0. Larken responded in his next hand, with Stout making some remarkable shots, to take a 5-1 lead. Billings and Owen responded, with superb positioning by Owen and supreme recovery shots by Billings, closing the gap to 4-5. As the game started to open up, some free flowing Rackets saw Larken and Stout extend their lead to 7-4. But now Billings and Owen found their length and started to turn the tables, taking a 10-7 in the next pair of hands. These points could all count in the longer term as once again the Champions closed the deficit to 9-10. With five points needed, a single point on the Billings serve gave the Champions hope. But then Owen served and edged ever closer to winning the necessary game - point by point - and then it was championship point. Superb length from Owen and Stout was unable to return - 15/9 - and new World Champions.
Second leg 6/15 15/9; Billings and Owen win 5-1 over the two legs.
