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Tournament Report
Sun, 02/14/2010 - 15:38 — jpsnelson
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Guildford Table Tennis – Tournament Report
It was a great weekend for the Godalming club at this seasons Guildford Table Tennis League annual tournament as they claimed both the Open Singles and Ladies Singles crowns.
The open singles final was a superb encounter with Godalmings Michael Chan taking on the reigning champion from Burymead, Matt Pernet. Chan, an ex-England Junior International eventually winning in four tight sets, the match being described by many as the highest quality final they had seen in the history of the league. Despite his many accolades this was the first time Chan had won the Guildford championship.
The semi-finals were equally impressive affairs with Chan overcoming Merrows Marc Burman at deuce in the deciding set. Chan had looked to have the upper hand through the majority of the match but Burman hung in well and towards the end of the fifth set looked like he might clinch it as for the first time Chan looked slightly hesitant. However Chan’s determination saw him fall over the line with some stunning final points. In the other semi Pernet had overcome another Godalming star in ex Mauritian Olympian Alain Choo-Choy in a tight game in which Pernets consistency saw him through.
The Ladies final was an all Godalming affair between the two Juniors Feifei Pei and Lucy Burks. Things had not looked good early on for Pei as she scraped through her group as runner up, losing out to Challoners new player Sally Ciminotti, and then coming through a tight five setter with Ash’s Jackie Rice to secure second place. However in the semi final Pei began to find her feet defeating the reigning champion Maria Taylor Woodward in five legs. Woodward looked in control over the first few legs but in the decider Pei got off to a strong start and grew in confidence to take the match.
In the other semi final Burks, who had also been a slow starter losing to Woodward within her group, showed real quality to defeat Ciminotti who could not quite reach the heights of her group win over Pei. The final itself was a straights sets win for Pei, claiming the title for the second time following her success in the 2007/2008 season.
On the high of their singles wins Michael Chan and Feifei Pei teamed up to take the mixed doubles crown in four sets against Merrows John Robinson and Maria Taylor Woodward. Godalming were not to have it all their own way though as in the Open Doubles Pernet gained some revenge over Chan as he and his fellow Burymead partner, Richard Tanner, combined to defeat Chan and Choo-Choy. Normal order was restored though in the ladies doubles as Pei and Burks combined to comfortably take the title over Woodward and Merrow’s Carole Ingram. Woodward and Ingram just doing enough to take the runner up spot coming from 10-4 down in the deciding leg against Ciminiotti and Ash’s Margaret Thornton to clinch the game 12-10.
Barrie Gilbert of Broadmoor was the star of the show on Saturday, the Veteran defender showing his supreme fitness to reach five finals. Taking the Veterans title late in the evening, deuce in the fifth against Godalmings Keith Falconer, who despite losing played some extremely impressive table tennis. The tournament schedule was so badly affected by Gilbert’s numerous successes and close matches that two of his finals, the Masters Singles and Veterans doubles, could not be completed on the day and will be rearranged for a later date!
Much earlier in the day the junior titles had been contested. As expected FeiFei Pei was head and shoulders above the opposition. However the junior boys threw up a real interesting scrap between the brothers Ollie and Dominic Carpenter and Scott Gotham. The U18s title was won by Scott with Dominic taking the runners up place. Dominic gained revenge though in the U15s category by reversing the order. The U11s was won by George Helling but he was given a big scare by newcomer Malcolm Harkness who is a real prospect for the future.
There were wins also for Ross Saxby, Sally Ciminotti, Tony Harrild and Tom Taylor Wooward for the Premier, 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisional singles events respectively. The leagues attention now shifts towards a special anniversary tournament on the weekend of March 20th / 21st to celebrate 75 years of the Guildford Table Tennis Association.