Herefordshire County Table Tennis Senior Championships – 21st March 2010 – at Queen Elizabeth School, Bromyard.
From 9 a.m. to after 6 p.m.on Sunday saw a day of continuous table tennis matches played at Queen Elizabeth School Bromyard with forty one players competing for a total of ten titles. Of these two were played to a finish but the rest, together with those of the four Veteran and several Junior finals will be played on Friday (26th March) at the same venue when admission will be free and play will start at 7.30 prompt and spectators are very welcome.
Thirty three men took part in the Men’s Singles and all the eight seeds won through to the quarter finals with straight wins except for two sets. At this stage No.1 seed, Ola Andersson, beat Alan Salisbury by 11,8,-9 and 5, No 2 seed, Mark Owen, beat Lincoln Franklin by 4,-9,3 and 6, No 3 seed, Michael Owens, beat Chris Martin by -10,6,5 and 9, and No 5 seed, Dave White, beat Toby Eckley by 4,7 and 9. The Semi-finals will be played on Friday night between Ola, the current holder of the title, and Michael and Dave and Mark. Both Michael and Mark have played in the finals – facing each other across the net on 15 occasions. Mark has won the title 23 times and Michael 6 times but Michael had several breaks in playing and last competed in the championships in 2002.
The Ladies’ Singles final will be played between Ann Barnes and Sue Segust and the Ladies Doubles will be a straight final between Ann Barnes and Gillian Davies and Sue Segust and Margaret Shock. The Mixed Doubles final will be between Ann Barnes and Dave White, the holders, and Sue Segust and Chris Martin.
The Men’s Doubles No 1 seeds, Ola Andersson and Toby Eckley lost their first round match to Dave White and Alan Salisbury, who went on to beat Chris and Adam Martin to reach the final. At the bottom of the draw Michael Owens and Mark Owen had two four game sets and reached the final by beating Nigel Foreshew and Lincoln Franklin by 9,-5,6 and 9.
The Second Division players’ competition has the two seeded players ,Bob Marshall and Mark Conod, in the final and the consolation part of this event was played to a finish and Huan Davies won by 6,4 and 9 over Dan Hughes.
The Restricted Open Singles seeded players all won through to the quarter finals except for one player who withdrew and again the top seeds played in the semi-finals where Toby Eckley (1) beat Steve Knight (3) by 9,-8,-10,4 and 5 and Lincoln Franklin (2) won by 11,-9,9 and 8 over Alan Salisbury.
The Singles for players not in the league’s top 10 had a few upsets on the way but by the semi finals the committee had got it right and Alan Salisbury (1) beat Harry Jutle (3) and Steve Knight (2) lost to Mark Stubbs (4) but both these matches were long five game sets.
The Handicap Doubles event had, as should happen, some very close sets but the final on Friday will be between Chris Martin and Dan Hughes and Steve Knight and Margaret Shock.
The Audrey Lawrence Memorial Handicap is always a popular event and this year the handicappers were very good. Out of the 31 matches played here were 3 tied matches, four with only 1 point difference and another 6 with 5 points and under separating the players. The eventual winner was Colin Dolding over Harry Jutle.