The Lions were led by their captain junior Georges Chabbert and were competing in the cup final for the first time.
The first match saw Richard Parker (10) pitted against Steve Doidge (1)., Steve had 9 points to catch up on Richard which in the first game he did at 15 all, however, the game got really tense with Steve and Richard trading points until Steve finally grabbed the deciding point to win 21-20. The 2nd game followed a similar pattern as the 1st with Steve winning 21-17. 1-0 to the Lions.
Next up, Rob Hansen (0) took on the talented left hander Claudio Sabau (4). This has been Claudio’s first season of competitive table tennis but there were no sign of nerves in the 1st game with Claudio winning a very tight game 21-19. In the 2nd game Rob was not able to overhaul Claudio who won 21-14. 2-0 to the Lions.
In match 3 Dave Hunt (-2) played Georges Chabbert (6). Although there were some exciting rallies Georges showed his top form to win the 1st game 21-11. The 2nd game was a much closer affair with Dave using all his experience to get the score level at 20 all only for Georges to grab the deciding point and the match. 3-0 to the Lions.
Match 4 was Rob Hansen (0) against Steve Doidge (1). Steve walked the 1st game 21-10. Rob Hansen came out fighting in the 2nd game to win 21-17. As often happens, the deciding game was cat & mouse with neither player dominating, however Steve eventually took it 21-19. Lions now 4-0 up.
The 5th match pitted the unorthodox style of Richard Parker (10) against junior Georges Chabbert (6). In the 1st game Georges was able to overcome Richard’s lead to win 21-16. The 2nd game Georges changed tactics to mimic Richard’s blocking style and ultimately cap a cropper losing 15- 21. In the deciding game Georges reverted to his usual topspin attack style and ran out the winner 21-16.
N&B Lions win 5-0!
The cup was presented to the worth winners by League Chairman Dave Grounsell.
The table tennis was good as were the refreshments.
The match capped off an excellent season for the Lions who finished 3rd in Division 1 of the WSM and District League and now Archdale Cup winners, not bad for their first season and with a junior player as their captain!
John Ratajczak
Archdale Cup Organiser
