Hastings League players once again featured prominently at the Eastbourne & District Table Tennis League Closed Championships, played on Saturday at Shinewater Community Centre, with 75% of the major finalists playing in both leagues.
David Rayment and Tina Beaney (both Bexhill) took the Closed Singles titles.
The hard-hitting Rayment, seeded fourth, returned to the sport only three years ago and won the Division Two Singles. This time, he achieved significantly more, gaining a semi-final win over top seed Rory Scott before beating number three seed Andrew Martin 8-11, 11-1, 12-10, 11-3 in the Men’s Singles final.
Top seed Beaney retained her Womens’ Singles crown in a marathon final against second seed Sheila King (Hollington Academy) 2-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7 in a repeat of the 2017 final which King won.
Beaney, who has struggled with a shoulder injury all season had to overcome Pam Winter (Bexhill) and Alison Jordan (Monarchs) on her way to the final.
In a repeat of last year’s father and son Men’s Doubles final, Paul Barry and Ryan Heselden (both Hollington Academy) won another epic final against Robert and Ryan Warner (Bexhill) 10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9 to retain their title.
Barry and Heselden overcame Rayment and Bob Lowe (Monarchs) in the semi-final while the Warners beat Martin Kellaway (Bexhill) and Anthony Sidoli in another marathon at the same stage.
King and former Womens’ champion Leanne Bentley took the Womens’ Doubles, beating Beaney and Gaynor Hartnell 11-3, 11-4, 14-12. King has won this event for the last five years with three different partners.
Beaney and King met in a third final on the day and it was Beaney who won out overall, partnering Robert Warner to the Mixed Doubles title 11-9, 11-7, 13-11.
King was partnered by Martin, with whom she won the title two years ago.
Heselden’s disappointment at early elimination from the Men’s event may have been slightly tempered by winning the Consolation Singles, beating Scott Bills (Hollington Academy) in straight games in the final.
The tournament was organised by Martin Kellaway and Pam Winter with assistance from Malcolm Barber.
