'Men's and Ladies Singles, Doubles and Junior Table Tennis titles settled'
It was a busy schedule for the top table tennis players in the Island recently, where the Island Championships were held, and various titles played out. There was some exciting play on display for those lucky enough to have witnessed the matches. This year the finals were played on a separate evening to showcase the talent and provide the opportunity for others to watch.
Men's Singles
Sean Drewry won his 4th Men's Singles title in spectacular style. Winners of the round of 16 were Sasha Thomas, Tim Baker, Chris Holland, Duncan Alexander, Malc Lewis, David Parsons, MikeTamarov and Drewry. Unfortunately, fellow top-ranked player Scott Lewis had to withdraw due to illness, as did John Magnall. Both players would have likely been a threat in this tournament. Nevertheless it was good to see a number of entries from juniors who clearly have grown in confidence and feel that they can compete with the senior players, which surely bodes well for the near future. The quarter finals saw Drewry beating Tamarov in straight sets, Parsons beating Lewis, Baker beating Thomas, and Alexander receiving a walkover after Chris Holland sadly withdrew. In the semi finals, Drewry beat Parsons in straight sets, and Alexander beat Baker in the 4th end. In the final, Drewry decisively beat Alexander 11/5, 11/6, 11/7. By all accounts he played extremely well throughout the tournament, and had some tremendous defensive rallies against Alexander in the final, combined with some breathtaking counter hitting rallies. Sean will be looking to add his 5th title next year, but I sense there will be some young pretenders lining up to challenge his dominance very soon.
Ladies Singles
The Ladies event was also sadly blighted by illness, with last year's winner Khayee Vinas having to withdraw due to illness. Great credit therefore goes to young star Wilma Dalugdugan when she took the title, beating Sonja Shaw in the final with some impressive play seen by both youngsters. The match was closely contested with Wilma prevailing 11/5, 8/11, 11/9, 11/9.
Under 14’s
This was a round robin with 4 players, and was won by 10 year old Ryan Holland, with Dan Levine as runner up. Some tremendous counter-hitting play from these two talented, and promising youngsters.
Under 16's
Ege Niyazi beat William Dalugdugan 12/10, 11/7, 4/11, 11/6 in the final with his controlled attacking play being the decisive factor.
Under 18's
Will Shooter beat William Dalugdugan 4/11, 11/9, 11/4, 11/7 in the final. Will has been playing really well all season in Division 1, as has William, and on this occasion was able to outplay his skilled young opponent, with the final 2 games being decisive.
Men's Doubles
Sean Drewry and John Shooter beat Julian Briercliffe and Andy Patterson 12/10, 11/2, 11/4 in the final. Drewry commented that he 'greatly enjoyed pairing up with John for the first time' - and indeed it was intriguing to watch these 2 past champions from different generations coming together to achieve doubles success for the first time.
Ladies Doubles
Mum and daughter combination Lisa & Francesca Lord beat Lisa's other daughter Megan Lord and Wilma Dalugdugan in the final in what was a rather close match in the end. They managed to squeeze past with some impressive combination play 11/4, 11/9, 11/13, 11/9.
Mixed Doubles
Wilma and William Dalugdugan beat Maggie Mulhern and Chris Holmes in the final, with some aggressive and pressing counter-hitting table tennis.
PIcture : Wilma Dalugdugan, winner of the Ladies Singles title
