Andy Gill once again proved he is becoming somewhat of a doubles specialist as he teamed up with Simon Carter to win the Lions Novelty Doubles for the third time in five years.
The tournament, first played in 1975, is a unique event in the calendar whereby players enter individually but are paired up with another entrant based on ranking, with high-ranked players paired with those lower down the list.
As a result, it produces some unorthodox combinations of players of different styles and abilities, producing plenty of close and competitive matches.
Indeed, Gill and Carter went the full distance in both their group stage matches, scraping past Division 3 pairing Shaun Mosley and Maija Hansen as well as Jamie Ferbrache and previous winner Marion Phillips, both in five sets.
In the quarterfinals they came through a tricky encounter against defenders Derek Cave and Micah Cohen, also in five sets, while junior pairing Ollie Sparks and Keira Eldridge defeated top-ranked Matt Casey with Judah Nwako, 11-9 in a pulsating final set. Both pairings had more straightforward semi final performances as they surged past Alexis Aquino with Sekao Nwako and Kenedy Chepkor and Olivia Gilbert respectively.
By the final, Gill and Carter had gelled well, with the Division 1 player’s familiar left-handed attacking top spins well complimented by Carter’s steady style of play. Sparks and Eldridge did well to claim the 2nd end, but their opponent’s consistency and extra spin ultimately proved too much as they went down 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6.