NEWSLETTER - June 2017
CLUB SESSIONS
I am pleased to say that the disruption with the Sports Hall being laid out for exams, should now, after the first weekend of chaos, be sorted and we will be in the Sports Hall on the two badminton courts, free of exam tables, at the near end of the hall. So we will have 10 tables available, without restrictions during the exam period, we will just be at the other end of the hall from normal. Apologies to all for the disruption last weekend. Those that had their session cut short last Saturday due to the fire alarm can expect their next session free of charge.
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 Jon Cheung is awaiting the next TTE coaching course. We also have several other senior player 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 missed out on the First Division title, finishing runners-up; their team of Dennis & Shaun Gibbs, Kelvin Cheung and Nick Halse finishing 15 points behind Kris Piwowar’s Torbay Academy 1. Dennis Gibbs & Kelvin Cheung were 3rd & 4th in the averages.
NA Buzzards were struck by injury in the second half of the season but still finished in a creditable 4th place.
NA Eagles were pipped at the post in the 2nd Division, finishing runners-up to Torbay Academy, just 6 pts behind. Jim McIvor, Andy Tyrrell & Ed Crawford were all in the top 7 of the averages. The Eagles also reached the final of the Dyment Doubles but lost out to 4-times winners Torbay Academy 1.
Challenge Cup Final – Greg Wojtowicz, Jim McIvor, Kris Piwowar, Andy Tyrrell, Alan Tyrrell, Patrik Cincala
NA Hawks team of Mike Coxhead, Ben Swettenham, Doug Morgan & David Doxsey won the 3rd Division, by just one point. Doug Morgan was 2nd in the averages with Ben Swettenham 6th.
Division 3 Champions – NA Hawks, Ben Swettenham, Doug Morgan, Mike Coxhead, David Doxsey
NA Falcons had a difficult season in the 3rd Division, but battled well towards the end with some excellent wins to keep them safe in mid table. They also had a great run in the Challenge cup just losing out in the semi-finals.
NA Ospreys started well, but could not stay in touch with the top two teams as they brought in experienced players to add to their squads, and finished third. They also had a good run in the Cup and worried Torbay Academy 1 in the semi-final of the Dyment Doubles, but eventually lost. Dale Fabian finished 3rd in the averages with Luke Robins 7th.
NA Owls improved massively during the season and finished well to claim 4th place. The Bayliss family, ever present at all our sessions, finding that practice pays!
NA Kites had a mixed season, struggling with injury and availability issues, finishing in 6th place.
SOUTH DEVON AND TORBAY CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIPS
Several Newton Abbot players took part in the recently held Closed Championships. The successes being;
Super Veterans Champion – Dennis Gibbs
Mixed Doubles Winners – Jon Cheung + Naomi Jackson, Runners-Up Dennis Gibbs + Sonja Ryland
Mens Doubles Runners-Up – Dennis Gibbs + Jon Cheung
Ladies Singles Runner-Up – Sonja Ryland
Ladies Doubles Winners – Sonja Ryland + Naomi Jackson
Veterans Runner-Up – Dennis Gibbs
Division 4 Winner – Dale Fabian
Under 13 & Under 11 Runner Up – Rowan Bayliss
Mixed Doubles Finalists – Dennis Gibbs, Naomi Jackson, Sonja Ryland, Jon Cheung
CLUBMARK CHALLENGE FOR THE DON BLATCHFORD CUP
This cup competition is for juniors who regularly attend our club sessions and will take place on Saturday 17th June, commencing at 9:00. Competitors will play each other in groups and there will be a plate competition as well, so everyone should get plenty of games. Please do your best to attend.
Competitors in the CLUBMARK Challenge 2016 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 7th 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 2017-18 season.
PROPOSED SUMMER LEAGUE
There is a proposal on the table from Brixham TTC for a Handicap Summer League, probably running through July / August. This will be less formal than our winter league with no registration restrictions. So anyone from any club can form a team and enter (you can be from different clubs).
This will not be restricted to existing league players and it will be handicapped so it would be a good opportunity for those looking to progress to the more serious stuff to get a feel for competitive table tennis.
A team of three will be required for matches, but as it is right through the holiday period I would suggest 5-6 players would be required to ensure you can fulfil fixtures. Matches will be played similarly to our normal league in that they will be home and away and consist of 10 sets (Details can be found on the League website). Any teams based at Newton Abbot will be playing their home matches on a Friday night in the main hall. Away matches could be any night of the week at venues such as Dawlish, Brixham & Torquay.
If you would like to be involved and haven’t yet expressed an interest, then please let me know ASAP. The interest to date has not been great, so it may not happen. If it does not happen, we could run something similar from our club with all the matches being played at Teign School on a Friday / Saturday.
LEAGUE SEASON 2017-18
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 or Dennis know your wishes for 2017-18 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 at the moment are 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 £15 for juniors & £24 for seniors, plus match fee of £5/home match. It may be necessary for parents to help out with transport for the juniors to away matches.
Following successful negotiations with Teign School, I have managed to extend the times for League matches next season until 22:30. We also have the opportunity to hire the Dance Studio for League matches on a Tuesday night, 19:00-22:30, which should give teams the opportunity to choose between playing their home matches on a Tuesday or Friday night. This will be subject to enough Newton Abbot teams entering the League.
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.
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A link to this newsletter is sent to all those players who have attended our practice sessions at Teign School in the last few months. If you do not wish to be included on my circulation list please let me know. tonyhalse@hotmail.com
Link to South Devon & Torbay Website for all fixtures and results in the local League www.tabletennis365.com/southdevonandtorbay
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.
