MALVERN'S Mark Hubbard and his partner Neil Smith caused a major upset when they defeated world singles champion Harry Foster and Mark Hue Williams to win the Lacoste World Doubles Championship in rackets, the ancient forerunner of squash.
The pair went into the deciding leg at Queen's Club needing just one more game to take the title, after a stunning 4-0 first leg victory in New York.
They snatched the tense opening game of the de-cider 18-16 to claim the championship, Hubbard's first world doubles crown and US-based Smith's fifth.
Despite spirited opposition from Foster and Hue Williams, Hubbard's fluent stroke-making and fine serving from Smith, a former world singles champion, proved decisive.
Hubbard, the British Professional Champion, played near-faultless rackets throughout, his deft volleys often opening up the court for the rangy Smith to put the ball away.
As arguably the most naturally talented player in the game, Hubbard has sometimes suffered from a fragile match temperament but there was no evidence of this during the closing stages, as he kept his nerve and went boldly for his shots.
He stayed calm on the big points, even when he suffered the frustration of seeing the amateurs save the first match point with an untouchable miss-hit from Foster Hubbard, grew up in Malvern and attended Malvern College where he first got a taste for the ultra-fast sport.
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