NZ Secondary Schools Championships: Lily Crawford, Natalie Trow cast out Susan Xian, Nicole Leong
The partnership of Lily Crawford and Natalie Trow remained invincible in group stage of NZCT NZ Secondary Schools Championships as they intercepted Susan Xian-Nicole Leong on September 5, 2012.
This encounter was the second Women’s Doubles tie of a match between Waikato Diocesan and Burnside High which was played in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Both teams remained head-to-head for three games and they kept the audience intact while piling up final result of 21-17, 20-22 and 21-17.
Though, Lily and Natalie put a fluctuated performance but still they managed to claim the victory by bagging the opening and ending match points.
The twosome of Susan and Nicole could not forge a fruitful chemistry in most part of the tussle and won only second set of the match.
First sign of trouble came when they failed to perform their given roles in the opening game and let the vital match point slip from their hands.
Initially, they showed some spark and matched the opposing team in all areas of the game but next couple of rallies saw them making fatal mistakes.
Lily and Natalie did not squander this opportunity and established a strong grip over game.
Both Women’s Doubles experts did not lose focus at any stage and served notice of their supremacy with 21-17 score.
The following set proved the best part of the battle as both teams made every effort to achieve their respective goals.
At one stage, it was felt that Lily and Natalie will transform their 1-0 lead into a straight-set victory but then the opposing team put their expedition to a halt.
Susan and Nicole took some time to come out of their competitors’ influence and remained at the lower end until the mid-game break.
However, they started making progress immediately after the break and kept on gathering valuable points at a steady pace.
Their strokes were so well crafted and placed that the opposing shuttlers did not have enough time to respond.
Finally, this nerve-racking set ended when Susan and Nicole placed a decisive margin of 22-20.
The spectators were expecting a lot of action in third set but their thirst was not filled completely as the twosome of Lily and Natalie stole the show with a staggering knock of 21-17.
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