Only a day prior to Lucia and Evie leaving Melbourne for South Australia, a hotel quarantine worker tested positive for Covid. The repercussions for beach players from Victoria, heading to Adelaide was immense.
Late afternoon Thursday, on the SA/Vic border, the girls were informed that they would be required to have a negative test result in order to compete. That test had to be administered in South Australia. Given results usually have a 24 hour turnaround, and their first qualifier was at 1:50pm the following day, meant there was a strong possibility they would have to forfeit the opportunity to push for Division 1. They were willing to risk it… anyway, they still had unfinished business in Division 2, having lost the final in Cobram two weeks earlier.
Adelaide airport were testing until 8pm; they arrived just in time. Unfortunately though, their negative results arrived about 30 minutes after their qualifying game had been called… forfeit.
The opening rounds of Division 2 were held in what felt like the centre of a tornado… but coming from Melbourne, the sisters were always going to deal with the elements better than their opponents.
Their first round C clash, against former Australian Junior representative Sabine Mills and her partner Maria Podnar, finished in two sets, winning 21-15, 21-19. The ‘pool winners’ match was another hard one, against the QLD/SA pairing Coco Farrow/Sofia Soderberg. The sisters winning through to a direct quarter final 21-16, 21-14.
As a show of the strength of pool C, three teams would place in the final 8. only one though, would break through to the semi-finals: Team La Terra. It came by way of a close, three-set victory (18-21, 21-16, 15-12) over one of the best teams in SA – and regular division 1 contenders; Gudrun Schober/Lucy Ambagtsheer.
Their semi-final opponents – SA pairing Isabella Homes/Lucy Knight- were just as strong, pushing the sisters in another tight three-setter 17-21, 21-17, 15-13.
A run of hard games across what felt like a lopsided draw, seemed to ensure confidence was high going into the Gold medal match. A game the girls won 21-11, 21-12.
The last Australian National tour event, in Cobram, two weeks prior saw a silver medal in Division 2… now they have GOLD!
