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News Menu Draws and Fixtures All the latest from the world of Rackets. News Archive Look through our past news items, going back a full four years: 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 Ask Your Question If you've a specific question - ask the Rackets.co.uk Team. ............................................ Specialist Links Sponsorship We provide promotion & sponsorship opportunities to suitable companies. Site Terms Our complete terms of use.	Smith & Hubbard win first Open Doubles Neil Smith & Mark Hubbard beat Tim Cockroft and Guy Smith-Bingham 15/11,10/15,11/15,15/4,15/3,15/10 to win the Lacoste Open Doubles at Queen's Club. Neil Smith Mark Hubbard and Guy Barker Chairman T&RA Rackets Smith & Hubbard formed a partnership for this tournament and the final was only their 3rd match together although they must know the other's game pretty well having played against each other in the final of the Professional Singles for the last 5 years. Hubbard, the Radley College Professional has only lost one match this season, going down in the final of the Open Singles to Harry Foster. This was the first victory by a professional pair, or indeed a professional as one of a pair since Neil Smith last won, with Shannon Hazell in 1992. Their semi final victory over the reigning Open and Amateur Doubles Champions Harry Foster and Mark Hue Williams,15/7,7/15,2/15,4/15,15/10,18/16,18/14, provided one of the season's great fight backs as they came from 3 games to 1 down to take the match 4/3. In the final game they were ahead 10/4 then went behind 10/12 before winning. Cockroft and Smith-Bingham had an easier semi final win, beating Willie Boone and James Coyne in straight games 15/8,15/1,15/5,15/3. Their stiffest opposition was provided by professionals Peter Brake [Eton] and David Makey [Tonbridge] who went down in five games 18/14,14/16,8/15,15/12,15/5. Smith and Hubbard won the spin and Smith served an ace. Cockroft and Smith-Bingham reached 3 in their first turn in the box but having got them out Smith and Hubbard went to 10/3 in their next hand and increased their lead to 12/3 Tim and Guy having failed to score. It was now the turn of the 2005 Amateur Champions to get into the game which they did taking the score to 10/12 all on Smith-Bingham's serve before losing serve at which point Neil took the 3 points necessary for game finishing the game as he started with an ace. Smith-Bingham Smith [photo Dowling] Smith and Hubbard had settled into their stride more quickly than their opponents who, Guy particularly, were making too many unforced errors and trying to rely on pure pace to win the points. Neil and Mark won the second game, again taking 9/5 lead and then going to 11/5 in their next hand helped by their opponents double faults ,one each in this game. Over the course of the match Smith served 19 aces, Hubbard 9, Smith-Bingham 13 and Cockroft 12. The relative small number of aces throughout the match was a tribute both to the high standard of retuning from all four players and also to the fact that the championship court at Queen's seems to be less severe off the back wall than recently. The third game produced the best rackets of the match, all four protagonists playing at the top of their form leading to a number of wonderfully entertaining rallies played at a fierce pace including surely one of the longest rallies ever. Smith & Hubbard once more took an early 8/4 lead after 2 hands but this time Guy and Tim levelled the scores at 8 all and then 9 all and 10 all before taking the lead for the first time at 13/10 although Neil and Mark won one more point the amateurs were able to take the game 15/11. Losing this game seemed to pull the professional pair up short and they allowed Tim and Guy to take an 14/2 lead in three hands in the fourth game, Guy winning 7 consecutive points in his hand and then take the game 15/4 in their next turn in the box. The fifth game was the watershed. Close up to 5/3 to Smith and Hubbard after both sides had had two hands, they then kept Cockroft and Smith-Bingham pointless twice and themselves went to 6/3 and then to game in their next service run. Mark and Neil had by now got the measure of their opposition and were placing the ball better in the rallies and were able to blunt the firepower of Tim and Guy even though at times Smith seemed to see the ball later than he used to but still occasionally pulled the trigger to better effect than anyone else on court. This judicious use of pace was all the more effective for being un telegraphed while his partner was able to blunt the hitting of Tim and Guy for most of the match. Photo Dowling In what proved to be the final game Mark and Neil once again took an early lead only to see Tim and Guy fight back first from 3/7 and then from 7/12 but although they reached 10/12 they were unable to prevent the first professional win in 14 years. Draw Other Links ....................................................................................................................................... Read About The History Of Rackets From its roots of a game played outside taverns, through to the modern game. About The Past Champions The past and present leading players of the game. Find Out The Latest Results In The World Of Rackets All the results, fixtures and draws for the UK game.