Match Report
The Rainford Table Tennis Club flagship team (Storm) took on the Young Pretenders (Spin) this week in an epic derby encounter at The Hut of Dreams. Storm went with their PPK line up of Pye, Peat & Koudelik ... whilst the opposition went with their www.spin.comline up ... Williams, Williams & Winder.
This was a tense Division 1 derby in front of a full house (three of a kind plus a pair of Williams’s) ... bets had been placed all day ... BetGed had set out his stall ... Storm were odds-on favourites ... and Spin were 5-1 outsiders ... which looked like pretty generous odds to me.
But BetGed knows the score ... and by the half way point the Storm boys had wrestled control ... the electronic scoreboard at The Hut of Dreams lit up ... STORM 13 v 8 SPIN ... BetGed was paying out early as the result was in the bag for Storm.
The Williams Brothers won the doubles but it was too little, too late. Then a little ray of hope when Williams Jnr played the cagey Pyeminister in a fabulous five setter ... Williams Jnr winning for Spin. But then Czech-mate Josef won for Storm ... and the home crowd relaxed. Storm were leading 19-15 with two to play. BetGed’s early pay out was a smart decision.
Williams Snr v the wiley old fox (aka Ozzi, The Pyeminister, The Pyatollah and just Geoff) ... Stephen changes tactics and adopts a pushing game ... it surprised everyone ... had he been tutored by Dodgy Bat Davies? It was slowly working and he took it in straights ... Storm 19 ... Spin 18 ... with one to play ... surely the impossible comeback couldn’t happen ... Stephen had done his bit and he handed the baton on to his brother John.
The two unbeaten players took to the table ... Williams Jnr for Spin and Robbie Peat for Storm ... game on ... and when John took the first BetGed start to hyperventilate ... it was 19-19 on the night ... surely this was a dream ... or a nightmare if you were a Storm fan ... then with two 11-9 wins John only went and won the match for Spin.
Yes you heard it right ... Spin won 21-19 ... John Williams was man of the Match ... both teams went to The Star afterwards where they shared a pint ... or two ... and chatted randomly about the meaning of life.
This was a tense Division 1 derby in front of a full house (three of a kind plus a pair of Williams’s) ... bets had been placed all day ... BetGed had set out his stall ... Storm were odds-on favourites ... and Spin were 5-1 outsiders ... which looked like pretty generous odds to me.
But BetGed knows the score ... and by the half way point the Storm boys had wrestled control ... the electronic scoreboard at The Hut of Dreams lit up ... STORM 13 v 8 SPIN ... BetGed was paying out early as the result was in the bag for Storm.
The Williams Brothers won the doubles but it was too little, too late. Then a little ray of hope when Williams Jnr played the cagey Pyeminister in a fabulous five setter ... Williams Jnr winning for Spin. But then Czech-mate Josef won for Storm ... and the home crowd relaxed. Storm were leading 19-15 with two to play. BetGed’s early pay out was a smart decision.
Williams Snr v the wiley old fox (aka Ozzi, The Pyeminister, The Pyatollah and just Geoff) ... Stephen changes tactics and adopts a pushing game ... it surprised everyone ... had he been tutored by Dodgy Bat Davies? It was slowly working and he took it in straights ... Storm 19 ... Spin 18 ... with one to play ... surely the impossible comeback couldn’t happen ... Stephen had done his bit and he handed the baton on to his brother John.
The two unbeaten players took to the table ... Williams Jnr for Spin and Robbie Peat for Storm ... game on ... and when John took the first BetGed start to hyperventilate ... it was 19-19 on the night ... surely this was a dream ... or a nightmare if you were a Storm fan ... then with two 11-9 wins John only went and won the match for Spin.
Yes you heard it right ... Spin won 21-19 ... John Williams was man of the Match ... both teams went to The Star afterwards where they shared a pint ... or two ... and chatted randomly about the meaning of life.
Written by: Martin Machin
