Surprisingly,
we did not increase the registration numbers from last year for this event.
Doubles participation has been up overall so I was expecting more teams to
enter. The B draw was larger, but the A draw shrunk to just 6 pairs. Overall,
we were 2 players fewer. Happily - and unlike last year - every single match
was played. No forfeits awarded and we almost had the entire event finished on
time! Some nudging and prodding was required, but everyone complied rather
well!
B
draw: The reigning B champions once again hooked up to do what no one else has
yet managed to do: defend the title. Rich
Stimson and Drew Creamer are a
strong combination - something they clearly proved in 2013. Rich is a
relentless hustler and Drew keeps is steady and clean. It was never going to be
easy for them with 15 other couples in the draw, and a few of them had also
tasted victory in this event.
A
team that had not yet managed to reach the podium’s top spot but have been
awfully close - twice - was Joe Moran
and Ken Katz. (In fact, they were so
close in 2011 when they lost 18-17 in the 5th in the final...) This year did
not work out for them so well when they lost first round 3-0 to doubles court
rookie Justin Winkelman and his more
experienced partner Len MacEachern.
Justin and Len then almost pulled out a quarter final upset over 2012’s
finalists Mike Petix and John Chouinard but ended up going down
in 5 games. Mike and John then met their fate in the semi final as they were
steam rolled 3-0 by Rich and Drew. The Stimson
/ Creamer team were one victory away from retaining their title.
My
other ‘favorite’ to won this category was Frank
Willard and Tom Shumaker. Two
very experienced doubles players, a team that would have to rely on all of that
knowledge if they were to win. They were not going to win with power or court
speed, they were going to win on anticipation and angles. Smarter - not harder.
It was, nonetheless, anything but smooth sailing. Winning their first match was
predicted, but they did lose a game to Curt
Pedersen and another doubles court greenhorn, Al Iafrate. They then almost faltered in the quarter final but they
squeaked by the unpredictable Alan
Howard / David Devine team 3-2 before following it up with another 3-1 semi
final win against 2012 winner Craig Hupp
and his (not 2012) partner Paul Flanagan.
The
final was almost just as close as the 2011 epic, although with the rule change
coming into effect last year, an 18-17 score line is no longer possible - it
could have been 15-14... and it almost got there. It is of course what every
tournament yearns for - a 5-set nail biting final which is anyone’s for the
taking. Frank and Tom did what they do best - move the ball around the court
and forced Rich to do what he does best - run. Drew held as steady as he could
and the two teams went back and forth for almost an hour. The difference in the
end was the couple of unforced errors that came from the Stimson / Creamer team. Bad timing no doubt but we all know the
cost of clipping that tin. The 5th game ended 15-12.
For
the 5th year running we have new Doubles 100 champions in the B level:
Congratulations to Tom Shumaker and Fred Willard!
The
smaller A draw did not produce the competitiveness it really should have. The
closest match of the event came in the first round with the Stimson / Creamer team - stepping up
from the B draw to try their hand in the A – against Scott Langenburg and Manny
Tancer. Rich and Drew held their own pretty well, and managed to sneak a
game but steadiness and pace was a little too much and they eventually went
down 3-1. Nonetheless, it was a good effort.
Manny
and Scott then lost 3-0 to the 2011 winners Peter Logan and Patrick Petz.
Peter and Patrick have failed to repeat as champions as they have lost the final
in the past 2 years. They were looking at changing that trend this time around.
They would, however, have to overcome their Doubles 100 nemeses John Dunwoody and Eric Green to do so.
 |
| John Dunwoody, Patrick Petz, Peter Logan, Eric Green |
John
and Eric also reached the final with a 3-0 win the semi over Mike Skaff and Shail Arora. The final was potentially a great looking match – last
year John and Eric beat Petz / Logan
in 4 games, 2 of those games going deep into the tie-break. Unfortunately, the
2014 version wouldn’t live up anywhere close to the expectations.
The
early morning match was a perfect time for Eric – he thrives better before the
sun has even thought about coming up. There wasn’t much Peter and Patrick could
do as Dunwoody / Green controlled
the game from rally one, not really giving them a sniff. They never lost
momentum. It was a quick 3-0, none of the games closer than 15-10.
