Element Takes A Hat-Trick Of Titles
Richard Element has once again won the final open the Open Singles, a competition that he last won in the 2016/17 and the 2014/15 seasons. At the first of the league's Championship Finals Nights held at Stanley Street Club, Element was up against Ernest Mpundu who has also won the event on two previous occassions and has now featured in the last five finals. Element comfortably took the first game 11-5 but did't have it all his own way in the second as Mpundu started to find his form and ran Element close before eventually losing it 11-9. Element showed his class once again as completed the win by winning the third game 11-1 to be once again be crowned Open Singles champion.
Element also featured in the final of the Open Doubes with his partner Andy Lee but if his victory in the Open Singles was a comfortable one, the Open Doubles final was anything but! Element and Lee were up against Clowne TTC pairing of Roy Bowes and Joe Zygadlo who soon got into their stride an took the first game 13-11. Element and Lee hit back in the next to win it 11-9 and followed that up by winning the third game 11-8 to go 2-1 in front. Bowes and Zygadlo wouldn't lie down and they levelled the contest at 2-2 by winning the fourth game 11-7 to take the match into a deciding set. Element and Lee got into an early lead which proved to be vital as they kept it all the way through the decider and eventuall won it 11-8 to take the Open Doubles title.
Mpundu also featured in the final of the Over 40's Singles competition were he was up against Steve Fox who he had lost to in the league earlier in the season. Mpundu made sure that history would not repeat itself by winning the contest in straight sets but the match was much closer than the score line suggested. Mpundu took the first game 11-9 which he followed up by taking the second game 11-8 and he completed the win in the third set but not before Fox pushed him all the way before Mpundu eventuall won it 13-11.
Roy Bowes but the disappointment of losing both the Open Doubles and Over 50's finals behind him by beating his club colleage Kartik Lakhanin in the final of the Over 60's Singles. Lakhani started off well by winning the first game 11-9 but soon fell 2-1 behind as Bowes won the next two games 11-8, 11-5. The fourth game was a close affair and went to deuce at 10 all before Bowes won the next 2 points to win it 12-10 and take the title.