(Picture - Mickael Maze by speculos, wiki)
We
are just about a third the way through the main table tennis winter season in
Grimsby. This is a personal take on proceedings.
Last table tennis season Brian Lomas, Dennis
Burgoyne and I entered a new team into Grimsby League Division Three. I
personally titled us “Nemesis”, once again showing I watch too much “Star
Trek”. Anyway, we did very well, finishing second in the league to “Urban
Juice”. We also reached the Cup (Handicap) Semi Final.
Now in the 2nd Division, our objective is
to avoid finishing bottom. The second objective is to keep out of the bottom
two and escape being relegation candidates completely. Well so far so good. We
are 5th out of 9 teams, 8 points above Parkside C (surprise bottom
markers) and 7 ahead of Pipefit. Way above our expectations.
Personally I have punched well above my weight so
far. All season I have trialled my fastest bat: a carbon-fibre attacking blade
covered by fairly thick Butterfly Tenergy rubber. I say “trialled” because I
still prefer my “Goldilocks bat”: Stiga All Round (wood) blade with Butterfly
Sriver L (medium thickness sponge). Bats are extremely important in table
tennis and I can get obsessive about them. These days I’m simply trying to
“take it to my opponent” more by attacking as early as I can. Having won 11 out
of 15 personal matches played (73.3%) I have excelled myself so far at this
level.
Actually our season started very slowly. Kingsway
Printers dropped out of the league through player-injury etc. before we could
meet them, and our “first” scheduled opponents Pipefit requested a postponement
owing to holidays. So our first match saw us beaten 3-7 by Parkside B. We were
happy that this gained us a point in the league table (you get 2 points for a
draw, 3 for a 6-4 or 7-3 win, 4 points for 8-2 or better).
Personal highlight against Parkside was a rare win
for me over Stewart Dean. He too is on 73.3% now. I came charging out of the
blocks and blew him away. He reckoned I hardly missed a hit! The ever-winning
Kev Cooper put me in my place however with his well placed spin serves and
mighty hits. Kev can hit a winner from almost anywhere. Earlier I beat
Stewart’s son Sam, but he went on to defeat both my colleagues. Captain Brian
and I beat the Deans in the doubles to snatch a point.
Next up we beat Pipefit 6-4. Highlight here was our
Dennis beating the ever strong Pete Calvert. Pete clearly did not relish being
“lobbed”. Tom Garrett had flu yet was far too clever for me. But for once I
beat high topspinner Les Gagg. Overall a very valuable win for us.
NALGO B shared a tight draw with us. I beat Dorothy
and Angela but the legendary Mick Corry was too clever for us all. Dennis got
another key win over Angie and Brian refound his usual consistency against the
girls.
Our next opponents were YMCA, including my old
captain Ryan Wadham. But the highlight for me was beating his Dad Duggie for
the first time ever. Duggie was a top first division player for many years.
Against me he tried using anti-loop on his backhand, instead of long pimples.
Against Brian he reverted to pimples. Okay so I beat Duggie 11-9 in the 5th
with an edge, but I did lead most of the way. I handled Ryan’s serves better
too, but Ryan seems to have found some consistency. Beating Mike Twidale of
vicious forehand loop was another good scalp for me. We gained another point,
losing 3-7.
Early in November we went to Oasis Academy,
Immingham to play “Wild Birds Direct” (AKA Immingham TT Club) in the Cup
(Handicap). This is their first season in a league. We played each other 2
games first to 21 and overall they had 200 start. In other words we had to keep
them down to 21-8 to win comfortably. Scott Dimbleby lost about 16-21, 19-21 to
Dennis so we had to be even meaner. We won by 35. It felt like a Championship
football team playing an FA Cup tie at a Conference North Club. They get kicked
out at 9PM so have to play most of their individual matches on two tables.
A highlight for me was when one of them asked, “Why
is the ball going dead on me and dropping into the net?” Afterwards I explained
about my use of “chop”...
On the 12th November we beat Parkside C
8-2! Luckily their best player Pete Heys was on a cruise but even he couldn’t
have saved them. I beat Tony Roberts, whom I usually lose to, very well. Also I
beat heavy chopper Dave Roberts (no relation) and big hitter Neil Drewery. Hard
to think such a solid side are now bottom. Dennis bamboozled Tony completely
with his swirling lobs. And Brian kept winning consistently.
Last Saturday I took part in the Scunthorpe One Star
Tournament. Both looper Clive Mitchell (in the Vet’s) and long pimple expert
Brian Allison beat me 3-11, 3-11, 7-11 (the latter in the “Compensation”
event). Brian went 9-0 up in the first game! In the Vet’s Hon Kau Choy
(Nottingham) beat me 5,4,5. Will Hornsey (Scunthorpe), a very fast 14 year old,
thrashed me 2-11, 5-11, 11-8, 7-11 in the Men’s Group. I did better when I
realised he was left handed and served to his backhand. I came second in the
group by beating Lloyd Pearson (Wakefield, 13) 11-2, 11-7, 11-5.
In this tournament our Jack Blyth was runner up in
the Junior Boys and Sean Ward reached the Semi Final of the Men’s. I think
Brian at least reached the Semis in the Vets, where he played Choy. Jon Corry
and Eileen Allison had good runs in their events. John Aberra had a similar day
to myself: mixed fortunes.
Let’s not forget that on a Thursday morning I’ve
regularly had good practice with the likes of Ray Simpson (D1), Steve Carter
(D1), Ken Harrison (D1), Stewart Dean (D2), Brian, Dennis, Tom Marland (D2),
Brian and Jean Ashwell (D3), Trevor Broughton and a whole host more players too
good for divisions three and four. Not
forgetting ex D2 player Phil Wressel and stalwarts like Val Wilmore, Alf
Evardson and Don Ellis.
Tonight we play Clee Sports C: Tom Marland, Tom
Spencer and probably Sam Saywell – a good side. Which will make all this
history of course.
Paul
Butters
Tags: Grimsby Table Tennis, ping pong if you
must, table tennis bats, Scunthorpe One Star, Immingham Table Tennis, Nemesis,
Paul Butters table tennis
©
Paul Butters 26\11\2012 in Humberside.
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