2017/18 SA State Doubles Championships
at: Eastern Suburbs Pétanque Club 23 July, 2017
This year’s State Doubles Championships were held at Eastern Suburbs in wintry conditions. Several periods of light but persistent rain kept players on their toes, as the characteristics of the playing surface changed throughout the day.
The Ladies competition culminated in a final between the two stand-out teams on the day. Rada Pierre and Shelley Li proved to be very worthy runners-up, but it was Deb Rodda and Selina Dally who took out the honours.
This must have been quite a relief for the latter pair after a very shaky start to the day, due mainly to having only one player in the opening game. However, Selina atoned for her indiscretion to retain the Doubles title she has held (with a variety of partners) since 2014. For Deb, the victory was a fitting way to celebrate ten years since her first win in this event.
In contrast, the Open competition was one where you needed to throw out the form guide and back some long-shots. Even Nostradamus could not have predicted how this one would pan out as, one by one, the favourites fell by the wayside. In the end, it was Richard Voskamp & Stan Wilson, together with Greg Anderson & Anthony Pietsch, who earned a place in the final.
The final was played under lights, in cold and wet conditions. It was not the most spectacular final we’ve seen, as the fatigue from a long and trying day started to take its toll. This may have helped the younger team of Greg & Anthony, as they grafted their way to a win. This is Anthony’s second state title and his first in Doubles. Greg, on the other hand, already had a complete set of Singles, Doubles and Triples trophies. He’s now made a start on acquiring a second set.
Results
Ladies Doubles Champions: Deb Rodda & Selina Dally
Runners-Up: Rada Pierre & Shelley Li
Third Place: Llianne Healey & Glenis Head
Open Doubles Champions: Greg Anderson & Anthony Pietsch
Runners-Up: Richard Voskamp & Stan Wilson
Semi-Finalists: Will Swart & Raymond Beaumont
Alexi Alexi & Wendy Bensen
Consolante Winners: Wayne Twigden & John Luttrell
Consolante Runners-Up: Raja Jamaleddine & Sukrit Vaswani
Conviviale Winners: Mike Read & Brian Tuckfield
Conviviale Runners-Up: Anna O’Connor & Ray Drummond
SAPL Doubles Championship Results