Lyon Roars On Championship Finals Night!

Global Marble's Steve Lyon added the Over 40's and Over 50's Singles titles to the Over 60's title that he won three weeks previously to become the first player in the League's history to hold all three Veterans titles at the same time.
Lyon's opponent in both the Over the 40's and Over 50's finals was his fellow Global team mate Kalpesh Bhatt and with both players knowing each other's games so well it was always going to be a tight affair. In the Over 40's final Lyon soon raced into a 2-0 lead but back came Bhatt to win the next game but he couldn't repeat the feat in the next game with Lyon taking it 11-8 and the match 3-1 to take the title.
In the Over 50's final Bhatt was hoping for a change in fortunes and hopefully strike it lucky by playing a more attacking game and he was soon hitting a hot spot as he comfortably took the first game 11-6 and when he took a healthy lead early in the next set it looked like he was on his way to reversing the result of the previous encounter. However, Lyon managed to claw his way back into it and despite Bhatt having a number of chances at deuce to win it he couldn't take them and Lyon won the set 16-14 to level the match at 1-1. Lyon took his good form from the latter stages of the previous set into the next two sets to comfortably win them both to add the Over 50's title to his collection.
Another player who had cause for celebration was Jayden Budworth who had made it into two finals in her debut season in the Worksop League. In the Ladies Singles Final Jayden, who plays in Division Three was up against Lea Dickinson who is Division Two's top ranked player this year and who was the firm favourite to win the title she last won four seasons ago. The first set was true to form as Dickinson comfortably won it 11-5 but the next two sets both went to deuce with Budworth claiming both of them to take a 2-1 lead going into the fourth set and she soon raced into an early 4th set lead, a lead that she never relinquished taking it 11-4 to win the match 3-1 and be crowned Ladies Singles Champion.
In the final of the 3rd Division Singles Budworth found the going a little easier than her previous match as she overcame Daniel Cutts in straight sets. Despite his best efforts Budworth just didn't allow Cutts to get his attacking game going and eventually won the contest 11-6, 11-5, 11-1.
Lea Dickinson who had earlier surprisingly lost the final of the Ladies Singles wasn't going to make the same mistake again in the final of the Division Two Singles. Dickinson faced Kyle McIntosh who himself had enjoyed an excellent season in Division Two but he could do nothing to nullify Dickinson's attacking prowess going down in straight sets to Dickinson who has been the best player in the division all season.
Two players from Division One and two players from Division Two were represented in the final of the Draw Doubles and as quite often happens in these situations when the draw was made the two Division One players were drawn out to play against the Division Two players! Richard Wesley and Kalpesh Bhatt soon took the first set 11-6 but to their credit Jack Kirkland and Lea Dickinson from Division Two played extremely well in the next 2 sets and can count themselves a little unfortunate to lose them both 13-11 to give the Wesley & Bhatt the title which ironically they won last year.
The final of the 3rd Division Doubles had to be postponed due to holiday commitments meaning that the last final of the night was the final of the Plate Singles between Alan Wilson from Division Two and Adam Hamilton from Division Three. Wilson soon got into top gear taking the first two sets 11-5 and 11-2 never allowing Hamilton to get his attacking shots going and despite an improved performance in the 3rd set from Hamilton he could do nothing to stop Wilson winning it 11-8 and taking the title.
On a separate night the final of The David Hooton Trophy which is the handicap cup competition for Division One sides took place between last year's winners DTH Redlands Roosters and MBE. The Roosters started 65 points in front due to the handicapping system which reflected the gap in their respective league positions and when MBE's Mark Stanfield beat the Roosters captain Dave Gascoyne by 24 points it looked like MBE were going to make short work of reducing the deficit. However when both Steve Johnson and Rick Harris the other Roosters players both beat Mick Bell the match took on a different direction altogether as the Roosters increased their initial lead and despite the doubles pairings of Stanfield and Dave Marsh and then Bell and Marsh both making gains on the Roosters it was looking like it wasn't going to be enough to claw the lead back going into the last two matches of the evening.
Rick Harris took on Dave Marsh in the last singles match and Harris played some great table tennis to win it by 17 points and when Gascoyne and Johnson beat Bell and Stanfield by 13 points the Roosters victory was secure finally retaining the trophy by 511 points to 464.