It was business as usual for the 20/21 SAPL SA State Mixed Doubles Championship.
Perfect weather, yet again. Another record attendance. More lovely food. Another thoroughly enjoyable day of camaraderie, friendly rivalry and fierce competition.
This year’s event culminated in an epic final. Making the early running were the defending champions, Selina Dally & Maurice Belz. As they steadily built up a commanding lead, they appeared to have everything in hand for the first hour or so of the match. But their challengers were the tenacious Deb Rodda & Craig Stewart – the only team to have gone through the day undefeated – and the latter were not going to give up without a fight.
Suddenly, the momentum had shifted and before you knew it the challengers had whittled away the deficit to a point where the game was back in the balance!*
* (Well, actually, it was about another hour later – I may have nodded off for a bit there.)
In the fading twilight, however, Selina & Maurice executed a strategic role reversal that proved enough to steady the ship and seal the deal, for the second year in a row. Congratulations to them both – a couple of genuine superstars of the game.
Thanks to Adrian Clements for umpiring and to Club d’Adelaide and its members for hosting the event. In particular, thanks for all the work that went into reconstructing the playing area so that it would be ready in time, after a burst water main had washed away the entire terrain.
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