World Class Table Tennis

(Picture Credit Grimsby Telegraph - from Left: the late Phil Welby with my NALGO team - Richard Wilson, Dave Wagstaff and myself - other pics are around somewhere showing more)

The following is taken from my Table Tennis Journal, with some tweaking of course:

“We (here in Grimsby, UK) are into our second day in Covid Tier 3 now. It started a day earlier than I expected. No difference: still Zero TT. All I can do is Think about our beautiful game.

The recent World Cup and WTT Event have both shown us the best players in the world. The WTT, by the way, is the “commercial” arm of the ITTF – the world governing body. They are trying to promote the game better, to elevate it from being a “Minor Sport”.

We can all do much worse than trying to emulate these top players. They play an exciting brand of TT. Most of them are Chinese or otherwise Asian of course. They take their TT very seriously in that part of the world.

I NB that most of these players use very thick sponge – obviously for speed. No doubt their “bat-surfaces” are the fastest and “spiniest” that technology can produce. In addition they are marvellous athletes. All their play is about setting up and executing explosive Attacks. “All Out Attack” indeed. It’s The Way to Play!!!

What more need I say? Well, it’s also worth pointing out that these players also have a great “Short Game”. They use excellent touch-push shots at the beginning of rallies. This can be practised in “Routines” of course. Occasionally they throw in some fast, long pushes too. But they “Open Up” ASAP.

NB also that many young players employ quick Backhand Flicks, especially when receiving serve. I am ahead of the game here! (The B\H Flick is my best shot).

All in all these are exciting times. I can’t wait to get back into action, (but will have to be very patient I think). (Bring It On!)…Nuff Fer Now. Out.”

Nuff Said Indeed.

PS Sadly I have also to report the passing away of Grimsby former players Matt Sheader (90) and Phil Welby (69). Matt was reputably Grimsby’s greatest ever player, being a World Veteran Doubles Champion amongst other honours. I recall Matt shouting to me at a Humberside Open Tournament: “Watch him – he’s ranked number 150 in England!” (Before I played someone called Bole, from Surrey and got about 5 points each game).

My NALGO team (Richard Wilson, Dave Wagstaff and myself) had lots of battles with Phil Welby and his team (Phil Bodsworth and Elaine Blastland). Indeed we pipped them to a league title once (2^nd or 3^rd division). Matt and Phil were both great blokes who were very popular around our locality. May they RIP.

 PPS my team Nemesis are willing to give Ma Long a Trial at his convenience. Haha.

Paul Butters

© PB 3\12\2020.

Champions 2020

 

I write this in September 2020, the year that the UK was hit by the worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic. Table Tennis was hit more than most sports, being mainly an indoor game. But we are playing again so I don’t want to dwell on that. Rather, I want to focus on the 2019-20 season.

First, however, a bit of local Cleethorpes\Grimsby Area history. As I have often said, in 2009-10 my team (then) NALGO F won the old Division 2 (since renamed Division 1) by winning all 16 of our matches. Sean Ward and Jack Blyth, then “kids” (if they don’t mind me saying) led the way and I pulled my socks up a bit. Or rather, they pulled me along to better things. Incidentally, there was no fist pumping or gamesmanship or crying or cheating from us. We set out to avoid relegation then coolly built up steam. This here moron maybe used an Oxymoron there with “coolly” and “steam” by the way.

Before long we expected to win so doing so was “Just another day at the office”. Sean and Jack remain great role models of course…Successful too. Extremely.

But at the end of that golden season we went our separate ways. I ended up joining a “Pipefit” team in Division 3. Sadly their bright and cheerful Welshman Eric Williams – a picture of health and vitality – suddenly passed away, so I took his place. That wonderfully sporting gentleman Brian Lomas became “Mon Kapitan”. What a phlegmatic philosopher! Organised us so well too. I’d like to think we didn’t let him down too often.

In 2011, when new team-names were the rage, I came up with the team-name Nemesis. I am an unapologetic Trekkie of course. Other teams chose to call themselves “The Old Swingers” (later “The Untouchables”), “The Has Beens”, “Cudabins”, “Greenhorns” and God knows what. And of course a group of young kids titled themselves the “Centurions”! Young Jack Blyth played for “Swingers\Untouchables” without even knowing what those names were about.

Anyway, lobber Dennis Burgoyne teamed up with Brian and myself under the Nemesis name. Then Phil Sharpe provided our defensive spine in 2014\15. Dennis left in 2015. We went on to win The Cup (Handicap) and the “new” Second Division by 8 points. Then we finished bottom of Division One after keeping above that “wooden spoon” spot most of the season. Wolds Wanderers made a late surge to skip over us while Phil was on holiday abroad (towards the end anyway). Finishing bottom didn’t mean we were crap.

Last August (2019), however, I managed to persuade seven year absentee Craig Kendall to make a big comeback and then join us. He has pedigree, having won some Men’s Doubles Titles for example. At first he was very rusty, as expected, but some great shots were still there. As many surly opponents later remarked, those winners rang out all over the place. Haha.

So it became another season at the office for my team in the “newer” (third tier) Division Two. Craig took 100%, Phil 85% (2^nd best average in this division) and I was disappointed to finally drop down to 67% by losing all three to Colin Woodford’s team at the end. Colin’s lot always beat me straight after I’ve won something!!! Kapitan Brian weighed in with a decent 53%.

Sadly Coronavirus Lockdown cut the season short with two matches left to play. The league was frozen and we were declared Champions. Played 19 Won 19. I was hoping to put my Average right but… Tough at the top lol.

Orsted A (Colin W, Charlotte “Rampling” Ashford and Derek Elmhirst) and Zebras Mark 3 (Dave Mitchell, Sam Saywell, Bill Bygott) also had great seasons, each of them only losing 4 matches all season. We of course inflicted 3 of those on both teams. Meanwhile Immingham Club A (Dave Hall, Millie Smith and the Dimblebys) won 17\18 in Division Three. Stuart Pollard (Greenhorns) scuppered them by taking all 3 and thus helping force a draw.

4Matic Engineering (featuring youngsters Luke Nimmo and Isaac Gibney) finished top of the pile in The Prem of course. They were unbeaten in open play. Nudge-nudge. And “Team of Many Names” Woodfield WM (Chloe Lingard, Jack Chambers, Colin Grey, Simon Burniston) went unbeaten to take the D1 Title. I’d better mention that our Craig Reserved for both 4Matic and Woodfield WM. He is very choosy who he plays for.

Lots of stats and names here I see. Not my thing to be honest. Let’s not forget all the great table tennis being played throughout the league. I feel sure the game has progressed overall. As new Chairman John Hancock remarked, there was an awful lot of defensive play around here in the past. Good defenders are thin on the ground these days, whilst fast-bat attackers are flourishing. Sean Ward is still top of the shop now, closely followed by John Hancock. Jack Blyth is up there too. John says he was more defensive early on, but I don’t recall that. Attack is the way now. 

Must mention, sadly, that Brian Lomas has found the inactivity of Covid Lockdown rather debilitating, if I may say so. He is unsure about what level he can play at so is seeking a team in D2. Craig is our new captain. Must say that Brian will be a very hard act to follow. The man is a legend, as I hinted at earlier. Brian will be greatly missed, but I hope he does well, wherever he goes. On a brighter note…

Congratulations to our Craig for being at least one of the youngest Vice Chairmen we have ever had, following the recent AGM. His work as Media Officer is outstanding too. By comparison this blog is “Dinosaur Times”, written on papyrus with a quill. Craig’s young son might be impressed though: he loves Dinosaurs!

And with that thought I bid you all Adieu.

Paul Butters

 © PB 7\9\2020.

They Came From Another Galaxy...

(Picture Credit - Monsters in Motion)

They came from another galaxy. Descending upon Grimsby Table Tennis League Premier Division like a mighty alien invasion. 4-Matic Engineering! Their young scouts smote all before them, including twice-in-a-row champions “The Untouchables”. Then, to ensure their utter Domination they brought down two of the best from the National League Whirlpool Galaxy. Their first of two complete Championships was secured.

Their young bloods were Thomas Armitage, Isaac Gibney, and Luke Nimmo. Luke was indeed from another galaxy: Immingham! They had scores of youth trophies between them. Sadly Thomas went away studying. Isaac got long-term injured falling off a skateboard.

But not to worry: in came the mighty Thor with his Hammer – John Hancock, alongside King of the TT Gods Odin – Sean Ward. (John now has 10 Grimsby Men’s Singles Titles and Sean 6). Sean is still in his twenties I think. They have had great success in The National League etc.

The vanquished Champions – The Untouchables – for the record, included the likes of Rob Sampson, Ian Pooler, Russell Hayes and Ray Simpson. Jack Blyth was with them before he went off to Lincoln Uni. Gary Usher (1 time Men’s Singles Winner) before that.

But now 4Matic had become the Manchester City AFC of Grimsby TT (with all due respect to Liverpool since). World Domination.

I will now go off on a tangent. For while this was all happening my own team Nemesis were winning Division Two by 9 points an improvement of 18 points from the previous season. I of course wrote an entry on here about it (scroll down the blog for that). Even had two readers: Phil Yang and Neil Drewery!!!

Only a few months back Phil remarked that I had stopped writing these entries “since your successes have dried up” (I paraphrase). Well actually, they didn’t dry up. In season 2018-19 we did not disgrace ourselves in Division One, against the likes of Chloe Lingard, Mike Lamberton, Paul Heald, Aaron Dorey (for a while) and other Premiership-Class players. 

Through sickness etc. we had to play without key players, especially towards the end of the season. Only at the very end did “Wolds Wanderers” overtake us, by just two points. So we ended with the wooden spoon, but only just. I played most players twice for an Average of 45% but missed a third of the season through a strange Migraine-like illness so didn’t make The Handbook as a “Top Tenner”. Phil got 54%+ to finish 8^th in the D2 “Averages”.

And we had a great Cup run. Our first big win was over D1 high flyers Lighthouse FA (as they were then called (they change their name weekly lol): Colin Grey, Simon Burniston and our constant Lady Champ Chloe Lingard. My Big Brag from that match was beating Chloe 21-20 in our first game. But I also took 2 games from Simon and a 21-9 from Colin. Phil took games from Simon and Colin and Brian Lomas one from Simon.

Then we beat Carrera Engineering from The Prem (Mark Gibney, Tom Parrott and Dave Hanks) in the Quarter Finals. That was on the 18^th February. Dave was carrying an injury to be fair. Our Phil Sharpe won 5\6 games!!! Actually I was using my Anti-Loop-Both-Sides bat at this time and they didn’t like it much.

So who did we draw in The Semi? Why, 4Matic of course! With a start of 215 so needing 9 per game. Many said the handicap wasn’t enough. The lads were far from confident. I relish taking on the best, but the others do not.

In their quarter finals 4Matic had kept a decent Immingham Club side down to 101 points. That was Dave Hall and the Bellamy brothers I believe. They troubled young Luke with chop for a while until “Mr. X” Master Coach John Bray took the young man to one side… Sean Ward had played all three of his matches at the beginning and then gone to work: blitzing the opposition before he went!

He did the same in The Semi against us. That was on Tuesday 26^th March (a long time after our quarter final). First he beat a bewildered Brian 21-1, 21-1 (!). Then he defeated our No 1 Phil 21-2, 21-1. Shocking! No way could Phil play his usually solid chop\lob game against Sean. Phil blocked well and even tried hitting (!) but to no avail.

I was not brimming with confidence as I faced Sean. But I picked up a few early points somehow. The lads remarked I had already just about matched their totals. But Sean was unrelenting. I ceased up in the second game to go down 5-21, 2-21. They say Sean beats good, seasoned Premiership players this way too. Indeed I have seen him do it since.

But could we make a miraculous comeback??? Well…….No! I lost 5-21, 5-21 to John Hancock and 7-21, 7-21 to Luke. This was Luke who had recently lost in the league to Chloe! Brian got a 10 against Luke and even a 12 against John. And Phil took an 11 against Luke. But we were beaten by 73. Kept down to 5, with a total of 90. (Less than Immingham! Evenly distributed amongst us).

I did think about using my Anti-Loop bat against 4Matic. But in the end I opted for mid-speed Sriver, as I had against Chloe in The Cup. Earlier the Anti-Loop had proved useless against Chloe and others in the Division One Individual Tournament (which Chloe won, beating Mike Lamberton in the final). Indeed Chloe and Mike were both in my group on that occasion. Most would say that not using the Anti-Loop in the Semi was the right decision. Whatever, it’s now history.

I went to watch The Cup Final. 4Matic met new Division One Champions Louth B (old sea dog Sam Saywell, with relative youngsters Sam Dean and “Raddy” Radoslaw Bierko – rumoured to be Polish!). They played on Monday 13^th May. I cannot imagine a higher quality final. Raddy and Sam Dean play a modern 3 ball attack game, just like 4Matic. Sam Saywell, on the other hand, usually defends doggedly like our Phil. Never score games between Sam Saywell and such as Phil, Colin Woodford or Pete Calvert! They are marathons. But Sam could only block and retrieve against 4Matic.

In the end, Louth B (handicap 200) beat 4Matic 378 - 372 (!). This time Sean did NOT play his 3 at the beginning, which might have cost them. The scores:

Sean V Sam Saywell 21-4, 21-7;

Luke V Raddy 21-8, 16-21 (!) *

John V Sam Dean 21-9, 21-5

Luke V Sam S 21-9, 21-13

Sean V Raddy 21-8, 21-8

Luke V Sam D 21-17, 20-21*

John V Sam S 21-8, 21-3

John V Raddy 21-7, 21-12

Sean V Sam D 21-7, 21-11.

Louth actually got 178 points, nearly twice as many as us in the semi. Sorry Luke, but the first * marks the turning point for me. And Raddy was the hero in my book. He had never played these players before, he remarked. Fast learner! But the whole Louth team did incredibly well. And yet again a top Premiership was thwarted in the final.

Since that final we have played all but two weeks of Season 2019-20. Sadly the Coronavirus Pandemic brought us to an abrupt halt. More about “this” season later: while it lasted it was a belter. Watch out for the next instalment.

Paul Butters

© PB 31\3\2020.