Roman Marches To Cadet Singles Title

DTH Redlands Tarr Babies Roman Rosser was crowned Cadet Singles Champion on the first of the League’s two Championships Finals Nights held at Stanley Street Club. Rosser was up against fellow Division Three player Michael Candy and in a tight first game it was Rosser who managed to pinch it 12-10 to take a 1-0 lead. Rosser then upped his game and took an early lead in the next game, a lead he never let slop and he eventually took the game 11-5. The third game saw a repeat of the second with Rosser playing some good attacking table tennis to take it 11-5 and with it the Cadet Singles title.
The final of the Division Two Doubles looked on paper to be an intriguing contest and so it proved to be as Nigel Stent & Pete Hodgson were up against Rob Vaughan & Steve Elkin. Stent & Hodgson comfortably took the first two games, but Vaughan & Elkin started to play more of an attacking game and took the next to pull it back to 2-1. Stent & Hodgson re-grouped for the fourth game and despite Vaughan & Elkin taking an early lead they clawed their way back and eventually won it 11-4 to be crowned Division Two Doubles winners.
Valentinas Riauba defeated George Makrakis to take the Junior Singles title and whilst doing so, never looked in any trouble. Riauba played some controlled table tennis and was never really troubled despite Makrakis showing glimpses of his attacking prowess and he eventually won the contest 11-3, 11-4, 11-5.
The Draw Doubles Final had a different look to it this year as for the first time in a few seasons Kalpesh Bhatt wasn’t in it! Instead it was left to Ernest Mpundu, Pete Hodgson, Helmuth Osborne and Kartik Lakhani to contest it. When the draw was made it paired up Mpundu and Lakhani whilst Hodgson and Osborne were drawn together. On paper, Mpundu and Lakhani looked slight favourites but with the awkward style of both Hodgson and Osborne it wouldn’t be an easy contest and so it proved to be as Hodgson and Osborne took the opening game but Mpundu and Lakhani hit back to take the next two to get their noses in front. That lead didn’t last long as Hodgson and Osborne levelled the match at 2-2 to take it into a deciding set and when Mpundu decided to step up a gear the writing was on the wall for their opponents and he and Lakhani duly won the decider 11-4 to clinch the title.
The first ever 18-40 Singles final was fought out between Ben Crapper from Division Two and Terry Emmerson from Division One and it proved to be a great contest of attacking table tennis. Emmerson soon stamped his authority on the match by taking the first game 11-5 which set the tone of the contest in which he looked in control from start to finish despite some flashes of fabulous hitting from Crapper. Emmerson took the second game 11-8 and took a commanding early lead in the third game before closing the game out 11-7 to take his first ever individual title.
The next final of the night saw Ernest Mpundu attempting to defend his Over 40’s Singles title against Chris Cattell with the match promising to entertain from start to finish and both Mpundu and Cattell didn’t disappoint the watching spectators. Mpundu took a close first game 11-9 and followed that up by taking the next 11-4 to take control of the match but Cattell hit back to take the third game but Mpundu wasn’t going to be denied and once again put his foot on the gas and raced away to take the 4th game 11-3 and with it the Over 40’s title.
My personal favourite contest of the night was the final of the Division Three Singles between  Sparken Hill Hawks team mates Neil Penny and Luke Barraclough. The match was a close affair with both players playing attacking table tennis with Barraclough also playing some superb defence away from the table. Penny took the first game 11-6 before Barraclough started to find his range and subsequently took the next two games 11-6, 14-12 to get his nose in front. Penny through his attacking play then started to force Barraclough further and further back from the table which opened up more opportunities for him which he duly took and won the next two games 11-6, 11-8 to run out the winner.
In the last match of the night the Over 50’s Singles final had a familiar look to it as yet again Peter Eyre had made his way through to it were he was up against an in form Chris Cattell. In an intriguing attack versus defence contest Cattell took the first game 11-6 before Eyre levelled the match by winning the second game 14-12. Cattell then upped his game by winning the third game comfortably 11-4 to take a 2-1 lead. The fourth game ebbed and flowed with Eyre’s defence at times nullifying Cattell’s attacking play, but Cattell was not going to be denied and he went on to win the game 11-8 and with it the Over 50’s Singles crown.
This week also saw the culmination of the Carnation Cup competition with both the semi-finals and final being played on the same night and what a night it was as every match was won by the same 3-2 score line!
Erlands Skels and Neil Penny just managed to squeeze past Chris Cattell and Scott Lee in a tight match with Neil Penny doing the damage foe his pairing as he beat both Cattell and Lee and then of course had a hand in winning the doubles with Skels.
In the other semi-final Clive Eden and Luke Barraclough held a 2-1 lead against Kartik Lakhani and Perry Bradford but when Bradford beat Barraclough 21-16, 19-21, 21-20 it set up the game which would decide the match between Lakhani and Eden and it was Lakhani that triumphed 21-20, 21-15 to make it through to the final.
In the first game of the final Skels beat Bradford 2-0 before Lakhani beat Penny to level the match which meant they went into to the pivotal doubles game level pegging. The doubles was a close game which Skels and Penny just managed to win 2-1 to make the match score 2-1 going into the final singles games. Bradford once again played well when it mattered, and he defeated Penny 21-17, 21-15 to level the match and to leave Skels and Lakhani to do battle to decide the winners. Lakhani took the first 21-16 but in the second Skels upped his game but it wasn’t quite enough to win it and Lakhani eventually won it 21-18 to win the match and for himself and Bradford to be crowned Carnation Cup winners 2017.