TIME FOR SOME TWO-ON-TWO ACTION

Doubles Club Championships - Starts March 17

Often, it’s better that things came in pairs. Shoes for example. There is no much point buying just one. Knife and Fork. How would you carve up that steak without both of those utensils? Laurel and Hardy. Would one be just as hilarious without the other? How popular would Wimbledon really be without their strawberries and cream? Batman and Robin. Can you imagine how would Batman be able to fight crime in Gotham City without his totally useless, “holy-Toledo-I-have-no-special-powers” sidekick...? (Okay, the movies actually proved that one to be true!).

Additionally, it will be awfully difficult to play the 2014 DAC Doubles Club Championships without some type of back-up. And think, when (if) you win you have someone to celebrate with, someone to raise that glass of bubbly to toast the victory, someone to reminisce with years later about the sacrifices you had to make to win... and of course someone to dump all the blame on if you lose!

There are 3 categories to choose from: A, B, and C. Take note, however, that we are all about fair competition at the DAC, and we want everybody in the right category. So, here are some guidelines of what to watch for when choosing your partner:

•   An ‘A’ player will under no circumstances be allowed in the C draw regardless of their partner.

•   A ‘B’ player partnered up with a ‘C’ player will be entered in the B draw.

•   An ‘A’ player partnered up with a ‘B’ player will be placed in the A draw.

•   I reserve the right to determine which category your team belongs in.

We are getting more and more players involved in the doubles, but it will be important to secure your partner quickly. Here are some more points to consider if you are looking at playing:

•   Enter with a partner. In other words do not ‘reserve’ a spot in the draw. There isn’t much point doing that anyway, there is no limit to the amount of teams allowed.

•   All matches will be best of 5 games to 15. There is no tie break to be played, At 14-all, all games play a sudden death rally to 15. There will be no consolation draw.

•   Each match will have a deadline for completion. Failure to play the match by the deadline may result in a forfeit for those involved. The tournament must be kept moving along and we cannot wait for those who procrastinate.

•   If you are going away for a significant amount of time during the month of the event, do not enter. The schedule for the tournament will not be made around your travel plans.

•   Be flexible, be accommodating with your schedule. Everybody is busy, Organizing doubles matches can be frustrating at the best of times when dealing with four calendars at once. Limiting your availability to “I can only play on Monday’s at 5.30am” is not overly helpful.

•   Be fair with the let calls. Safety first. Benefit of the doubt should be given. On the other hand, do not ask for lets if you would not have reached the ball anyway. Common sense prevails.

Registration deadline is March 11. All the finals will be scheduled to be played on April 16. We hope all finalists can adjust their schedules accordingly. Simply e-mail me your entry!