Again, there was a damp start to the second day of the National Doubles Championship weekend; eventually, the sun came out from behind the clouds and provided perfect weather for playing petanque.

The format was the same as the previous day, but this time with only eleven mixed doubles teams registering. However, this did not stop the teams from fiercely competing for the eight places in the Championship Quarter-Finals.

Championship

The quarter-finals were competitive, and the final scores often did not reflect the intensity of the encounter. The clubs represented were the SWBRC PS (3 teams), Caerleon RFC PC (2 teams), Monkstone PC (2 teams) and the Wheatsheaf PC.

The first semi-final saw the experienced duo of Hugh Morris & Christine McCaddon (Wheatsheaf PC) drawing against Steve Snudden & Gemma Foster (Caerleon RFC PC). After a hard and long-fought match, the Caerleon duo won a place in the final for the second year in succession.

The second semi-final was between Len Field & Sonia Ford (SWBRC PS) and Peredur John & Jayne Dunn (Monkstone PC). Both teams are experienced, and therefore the encounter was closely fought. Either team could have taken the match and their place in the final. However, the SWBRC PS pair took the game 13/12 and their place in the final.

The final between Len Field & Sonia Ford and Steve Snudden & Gemma Foster was another closely fought encounter and could have gone either way, but the consistency of play by the Caerleon pair sealed the game 13/8 and the Championship title.

Another point is that this was Sonia Ford’s first National Championship. She played well throughout the day and put all the teams she encountered under pressure with her pointing.

National Mixed Doubles Champions – Steve Snudden & Gemma Foster (Caerleon RFC PC)	National Doubles Championship finalists – Len Field & Sonia Ford (SWBRC PS) and Gemma Foster & Steve Snudden (Caerleon RFC PC)

Plate

Due to the low number of entries, the Plate competition was a low-key affair. However, it was played in good spirit and kept the organiser busy, and the winners were Bernard Adshead & Rose Fiera.

Plate Winners – Bernard Adshead & Rose Fiera (Monkstone PC)	Plate Runners-up – Vickie Adshead & Tony Smith (Monkstone PC)