Each competition, Wilmott Cup and JM Rosebowl, was drawn into 2 groups of four teams. Bristol Ladies, the number 2 seeds, were top seeds in there group……conversely the men were 8th seeds…out of the 8 men's teams!
Bristol Ladies started well with a 4-1 win over Brighton, but unfortunately Round 2 resulted in a close 3-2 loss to North Herts (Who impressively went on to claim 2nd place overall!). The 3rd Round of Group matches resulted in a 3-2 win over Warrington. With the group being decided on countback unfortunately Bristol finished 2nd in there group and so were now playing for 3rd place against Tamworth. Bristol proved there class in this match, winning 3-0, with a great win for Emily Standing over veteran player Diane St Ledger. So a hard earned 3rd Place for Bristol ladies with great performances from Emma Rose, Michelle Reeves and Emily Standing.
On to the men……
The Men started off the campaign against highly rated Sheffield, the number 2 seeds. Great performances from both Dave Reeves and Martin Gunn resulted in an impressive 4-1 win……even more impressive given that Sheffield eventually went on to win the Wilmott Cup! Round 2 saw Bristol take on Central London B. a close match unfortunately resulted in a 3-2 loss. The 3rd Round saw the men take on Guildford. A 3-2 win in this match would have resulted in Bristol topping the group! But with only having 2 players, Dave Reeves and Martin Gunn, and the long day now beginning to take its toll, Bristol again suffered a close 3-2 loss. With the group going to count back for all 4 teams, Bristol, after an amazing start unfortunately finished in 4th place in the group. They were now playing for 7th and 8th place. The final match was against Leeds, 2 seasoned veteran players in Simon Pugh and Richard Smith. Bristol got off to a great start with Martin beating Simon Pugh. The second singles went the way of Leeds after an extremely close match. This was also followed by a very close loss in the doubles. At 2-1 down, and with fatigue taking a firm hold on the Bristol team Dave Reeves narrowly lost to Simon Pugh. At 3-1 down our fate was sealed…….8th place for Bristol Men.
A great weekend of very close games and matches for both ladies and men’s teams. We would like to thank the Bristol and District Table Tennis Association for allowing us to represent the league in this national competition, the country’s oldest. We look forward to representing Englands oldest league once again in 2016.
