VITAL STATISTICS
Date: Saturday, June 7th, 2008
Location: Coleman Park, Seattle
Winners: Brian S. Johnston III
Length of Match: 2 hours
“Mr. Fantastic” added to his ever-growing trophy case, as he and partner Brian S. Johnston III staged a stirring come-from-behind win to capture the their first LCC Doubles Championship as a team at the 2008 Gary Coleman Memorial Team Challenge, held at Coleman Park on the shores of Lake Washington.
Johnston and Sutton, who led for an early segment of the two-hour match, found themselves precariously close to defeat at the match’s end. They lost their lead at the mid-way turning stake, as the team of Kristina Johnston and “King of Qualifying” Tom Carmony leaped from third to first with a commanding run of shots, while BSJIII and Sutton found themselves entangled off the course, stuck in a concrete wall.
Carmony and Johnston continued their dominating play throughout the second half of the match, until they ran into difficulty staking out at the surprisingly difficult closing wickets. This allowed BSJIII and Fantastic the opportunity to close the gap, despite interference from Gepner and Farrell, who declared kamikaze late in the match. BSJIII and Fantastic even managed to fight back from a ricocheted shot that left them at the bottom of a hill, more than 100 feet from the closing wickets. Johnston managed to clear them from a shrub and Sutton nailed a stellar uphill shot to jettison them back into the thick of the race.
The action continued back and forth until Sutton made a tough-angle shot to clear the first of the final wickets, them rolled on to stake out and capture the victory.
“Despite what Kristina and Tom might tell you, this one was NEVER in doubt,” claimed Brian S. Johnston III at the post-match press conference. “As soon as Mr. Fantastic and I were drawn as partners in the pre-game draw, we were clearly the favorites. This was destiny, my friend, destiny.”
Johnston and Sutton’s victory also helped both edge out other potential competitors from a guaranteed spot in the finals of this year’s Champions Cup. The winner of each “major” (the Triple Steak Trifecta of Death, the Gary Coleman Memorial Team Challenge, the Independence Invitational and Poison) earns a guaranteed spot in the final round, as does the defending Cup winner. Sutton, the winner of last year’s Cup, is a lock for the finals, and Johnston already qualified by winning the Triple Steak two weeks ago.
The 2008 Coleman Challenge, held annually to crown the LCC’s Doubles Champions, was staged for the first time at (previously known to LCC Officials) Coleman Park in Seattle’s Mt. Baker neighborhood. The scheduling of the event was up in the air all week, as the forecast called for rain throughout the weekend. The day proved to be gray and blustery, but relatively dry, allowing the event to go off without a hitch.
View a slideshow of images from the 2008 Coleman Challenge on Flickr
Final 2008 Coleman Challenge Results
1. “Mr. Fantastic” Kevin Sutton and Brian S. Johnston III
2. Kristina Johnston and “King of Qualifying” Tom Carmony
3. Jenn Farrell and “The Franchise” Jeff Gepner
