Joanna Parker and Kelly Sibley won the 2012 English National Championship’s Women’s Doubles title after a comfortable victory over Emily Bates and Lauren Spink.
The win was Parker and Sibley’s fourth title in five years in the doubles to enable them to close in on the record of five Nationals Doubles titles; currently held by Jill Parker MBE and Linda Jarvis-Howard as well as Fiona Elliott and Linda Lomas-Bellinger.
The pair were heavy favourites for the title as both the English numbers one and two as well as the only two female British players inside the top 200.
However, they started slowly against Bates and Spink who went into a surprise 4-1 lead in the first game as Parker and Sibley kept pushing long with their shots.
The lead didn’t last though and once the favourites recovered from 5-3 down to 9-5 up there was no stopping them and they never lifted their grip on the trophy. They eventually won that first game 11-7 to put down a marker to their opponents.
It was one which Bates and Spink would never recover from as the second game also followed quickly 11-4.
The underdogs did, however, put up a great fight in a nail-bitingly close third game where they saved two match points from 10-8 down before creating two game points of their own – eventually converting when Sibley went long, to claim a consolation game 14-12.
The title was finally sealed when Bates fired long and the favourites won the fourth game 11-4 and the match 3-1.
It’s a deserved, yet very expected, title for the pair who will later contest the singles final which may prove to be much closer between the attack of Sibley and the defense of Parker.
Parker & Sibley beat Bates & Spink 3-1 (11-7, 11-4, 12-14, 11-4)