NEWSLETTER - June 2016
CLUB SESSIONS
Apologies to all for the disruption to our sessions over the coming weeks. The Sports Hall is laid out for exams until Monday 27th June. We will continue our sessions on both Friday nights and Saturday mornings in the Dance Studio adjacent to the Hall, but will be restricted to 6 tables.
As last season, if numbers remain high we will continue the club sessions right through the summer.
As a reminder to all: our Club Sessions run from 7.00 – 10.00 every Friday night and 9.00 – 12.00 every Saturday morning throughout the year. When you pay for a session (after your first free trial session) you automatically become a ‘member’ of the Club, there is no fee. You just pay a session fee of £2.50 students and £3.50 adults, with reductions for families. Coaching is available, although limited on Friday nights during the season.
With over 100 names on the Club’s attendance register the club is continuing to grow. Although a great deal of this newsletter is about competitive table tennis a good number of us just play socially, to keep active and for enjoyment. If you wish to progress and to ultimately play in the League, do let us know, and we will work with you to hopefully achieve this goal. We are fortunate to have 3 current Table Tennis England accredited coaches: Lead Coach Dennis Gibbs, Nick Halse and Kevin Nicholls. Both Tony Halse and Sonja Ryland also have coaching certificates and we have several other volunteers who would be happy to help.
SOUTH DEVON AND TORBAY TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE
Another great season for Newton Abbot TTC teams entered in the South Devon & Torbay Table Tennis League. NA Batmen just missed out on the First Division title, finishing runners-up; their team of Nick Halse, Dennis & Shaun Gibbs all featured in the top 10 of the First Division averages.
NA Buzzards topped the Second Division with Ed Crawford & Mike Dummett finishing 1st & 2nd in the averages, with their third player Charlie Usher not far behind.
NA Buzzards, 2nd Division Champions – Ed Crawford, Mike Dummett, Charlie Usher
NA Hawks just got pipped for the runners-up spot in Division 3 with team captain Mike Coxhead leading the Third Division averages.
NA Kestrels just beat clubmates NA Kites to the runners-up position in Division 4. Peter Tarjan was third in the averages, with Richard Salt & Luke Robins 5th & 6th. NA Owls just lost out in the Dyment Shield Doubles Cup Final, losing 3-5 to Torbay Academy 6.
NA Owls collect their Runners-Up trophies at the League’s AGM from League Sponsor Sonja Ryland (Albany Florists) – Dylan Bayliss, Sam Hiles, Rob Bayliss & Ross Embury
12 juniors have taken part in League matches this season, and fared extremely well; special mention should go to Archer Snow, Richard Salt, Luke Robins & Harry Usher, who all had averages over 60% in the Fourth Division.
My thanks go to all the team captains who sorted out teams and fixtures, helped with transport, supplied refreshments etc. and also thanks to all the players and parents for their involvement. It was another really good year for Newton Abbot Table Tennis Club in the South Devon & Torbay Table Tennis League.
SOUTH DEVON AND TORBAY CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dennis Gibbs failed to win a 14th successive Veterans title, being knocked out by clubmate Kevin Nicholls however he did retain the Super Veterans trophy. Dennis teamed up with Kevin for the Men’s Doubles but could not defeat Kris Piwowar & Patrik Cincala in the final. Kevin Nicholls did however win the Mixed Doubles final with Sonja Ryland.
Rowan Bayliss, in his first ever competition, was runner-up in the Under 11 event.
Dennis Gibbs – Super Vets Champion
Kevin Nicholls & Sonja Ryland – Mixed Dbls
Rowan Bayliss- U11 runner up
SINGLES SUPER LEAGUE
Kevin Nicholls took the 1st division crown. Regular visitors to our club, Mark Smith & Rod Sugden took the 2nd & 3rd Division titles and Archer Snow won the 5th Division.
CLUBMARK CHALLENGE FOR THE DON BLATCHFORD CUP
After the group rounds Lewis Short and Archer Snow headed to the semi-finals unbeaten. Archer Snow came through his semi-final in a close encounter with Luke Manuell, but Lewis Short was beaten in another tense, close match by Richard Salt. So the final was between Archer Snow & Richard Salt who had met in the group stages. Richard took revenge on Archer, who had beaten him in the group stages, winning in a hard-hitting, exciting contest 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 10-12, 11-9 to lift the Don Blatchford Cup.
In the CLUBMARK shield competition, the final was between the Bayliss brothers, Dylan beating Katie Thain and Rowan beating George Hilliard in the semi-finals. Older brother Dylan won the final 11-7, 12-10, 11-6.
Competitors in the CLUBMARK Challenge with Chairman, Dennis Gibbs
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held in the Foyer of the Sports Hall at Teign School on Friday 1st July at 7.30. This will be a brief meeting which is open to all, where there will be a short report on the year, a financial statement/report and election of officers. There will also be a discussion on possible teams for the 2016-17 season.
LEAGUE SEASON 2016-17
Although we have to see the summer off first, we will shortly be trying to draft out teams for the next season in the South Devon & Torbay Table Tennis League. Please let Tony, Nick or Dennis know your wishes for 2016-17 and we will do our best to fit you in to your preferred team & Division.
For those new to the League - With league and cup matches there will be approximately 20 matches in the season Oct – Apr. All home matches will be played on a Friday night at Teign School 19.00-22.00, while away matches could be any night of the week in places such as Dawlish, Brixham & Torquay. You require 3 players for each match, and I would hope to have teams of 4-5 players to ensure all fixtures can be fulfilled when individual players are unavailable. You may also get an opportunity to play as a reserve for a higher-ranked team in a higher Division. There is a small financial commitment for registering with Table Tennis England and the League, last season it was a one-off payment of £13 for juniors & £22 for seniors, plus match fee of £5/home match, we are not expecting an increase this coming season. It may be necessary for parents to help out with transport for the juniors to away matches.
EQUIPMENT / SHIRTS
I have made up some bats with blades and rubbers from China, that are good quality and very reasonably priced. The bats, priced between £14 - £25, are ideal for those yet to purchase a bat and hoping to improve their skills. Nick can also get hold of any bats and equipment from Bribar (Table Tennis Suppliers) and save you the postage!! We also have a number of Newton Abbot TTC shirts for sale in various sizes at £25 each.
GUIDELINES / POLICIES
The Club’s Guidance notes, Codes of Conduct for coaches, players, members and officials, child protection and equality policies, together with the Club’s Constitution, can be found on the Club’s website - www.tabletennis365.com/newtonabbot or in the noticeboard folder at Club sessions. The Club’s Welfare Officer is also our Chairman and Lead Coach, Dennis Gibbs. Please speak to Dennis if you have any welfare issues regarding the Club.
Enjoy the summer holidays, and don’t forget Friday nights and Saturday morning sessions continue, so please come along and join us for practice, coaching, competitions and friendly matches throughout the holiday period.
