Locals Hope Doubles Skills Will Shine at Mackay Open

The doubles tie continues to be a key feature of weekly fixtures for Season Two. Several years ago, the club adopted a two-player team format for most seasons, moving away from the traditional three-player setup that had been in place for many years. In this new format, the doubles match becomes crucial, as it creates a fifth opportunity for a decisive result if the teams have shared the points equally in the singles.

There are two common models for incorporating the doubles match into the fixture. One model sees the doubles played after the first two singles matches, ensuring its significance within the contest. The other model stages the doubles at the end of the match, making it optional if the overall result has already been decided. The latter is often used in high-level competitions where the doubles only serves as a tiebreaker.

By placing the doubles match in the middle of the fixture, players always take it seriously, resulting in the club boasting some very capable doubles players. Typically, each team's number one player faces the opponent's number two, often leading to an even score after the first two singles. At this point, the match cannot yet be decided, and all four players take to the court determined to secure the crucial doubles point.

In the latest round of fixtures, while a few doubles clashes had one-sided results, most followed the usual tradition of close finishes. In the top division, Nick Green and Leo Lai staged a remarkable comeback against Judd Carr and James O’Sullivan, winning 14-12 in the deciding fifth set after trailing by two games to nil. Green and Lai took the third game by three points and edged the fourth 15-13 before clinching the marathon final set.

In second division, Chris Leitner and Patricia Green combined well to overcome Cooper Bulow and Joe Clifton, who held a two-one lead after the third game. Leitner and Green regrouped to claim the next two games 11-8, 11-8. Another thrilling encounter saw Monica Deeth and Hilton Kane edge out Allan Clarke and Julien Wright 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10 in a match full of lengthy rallies and quality play.

Many players from these weekly competitions will be heading to Mackay this weekend for the city’s annual open championships, which begin on Friday evening. Traditionally popular with players from Bundaberg through to Cairns, this year’s event has extra significance. Like the Rocky Open a few weeks ago, the Mackay tournament serves as a qualifying event for state selection for upcoming national championships. As a result, players from South East Queensland are also expected to attend. It is hoped that the Rocky players can deliver strong performances in the open, ratings, and age events, and bring home a few prizes in both singles and doubles competitions.