Capelles Handicap Tournaments
Post date: Jan 07, 2020 8:47:57 PM
Andy Gill and Rosemary Powell teamed up with great success to win the Capelles Open Handicap Doubles. It is traditionally the first tournament played at the GTTA Centre each new year and has been won by many well-known table tennis names since the first event in 1974, although it will be the first time that Gill's name will appear on the trophy while Powell can now add 2020 to her triumphs in 1979 and 1999.
The tournament is played to the old system of first to 21 with each pairing given a handicap based on their combined rankings. The random drawing of doubles partners usually throws up some interesting combinations of doubles partners and it proved to the case again. Indeed, the eventual champions only finished runners-up in their first-round group, losing to Lionel Jones and Paula Le Ber 21-19, 20-22, 14-21, but qualified on countback after beating Mick Ingrouille and Dawn Taylor. Richard Edwards and Craig Dunning had looked hot favourites after winning Group B relatively comfortably, but they succumbed to Gill and Powell in the semi-final while in the other half of the draw the veteran pair of Steve Martin and Ian Fitchet were also looking dangerous, ruthlessly dispatching Jones and Le Ber 21-12, 21-6. Andy Gill, Rosemary Powell, Juliette Yeaman, Ian Fitchet & Steve Martin
The final appeared to be swinging the way of Martin and Fitchet as they attacked well to cause plenty of problems, and having won a tightly contested first game, they raced into a 15-7 lead. It was at this point that Gill came to life and used his spinny left-handed loops to great effect they reeled off an incredible 15 consecutive points before closing out the game 21-16. This proved to be the turning point from which Martin and Fitchet could not recover as Gill was ably backed up by Powell's fast backhand attacks and they claimed the deciding game 21-15 and with it the trophy.
Meanwhile Juliette Yeaman claimed the Capelles Ladies Handicap Singles title, pipping Paula Le Ber who finished runner-up.
Paula Le Ber & Juliette Yeaman with GTTA Tournament Secretary Ian Fitchet