Nemesis 7 Colbrook Roofing 3

Frid. 21\10\11. 11.15. This week we beat Colbrook Roofing 7-3. We got off to a bad start when Wendy Newman came back from 0-2 down to beat cold-ridden Brian. Yet in the end they only snatched a point with a doubles win.

That doubles was weird: Wendy with her “funny bat”, Andy Watts and his deadly spin serves, and our Dennis with his lobs. I was the only “normal” player taking part! They had just too much guile for us.

Dennis won two singles: off the mark at last. Brian got 2 too. And I took 3 after some more “scares”.

Against Wendy I found the more I “mixed” things and moved her about, the more mistakes she made with that peculiar combination bat of hers. Andy got some nasty serves in on my F\H wing but otherwise I returned well. Jean was just as lively as ever, but doesn't like spin.

Yesterday I played a chap called John Coe (Franklin, D4) at Thursday Practice. He was a steady penholder. Talking of which, Steve Higgins came to practice again. Dave and Tony Roberts (unrelated) were there too! And George Tyler. Ken Harrison was sharp again ahead of our Cup encounter. Nuff Said. Out.

26th October: Right now I'm 2nd in the Division Three Averages to Billy Wong! Have won 8\9. Not all results are in, however. To be honest I expect Billy and his mate Leo Tsang to beat me comfortably next week. They have won 12 points out of 12 so far. Last year Leo defeated me in our one match. Against Billy, I took the first match and he took the second. They are full of energy and improving rapidly.

28th October PS - Well I really set my stall out there^^^^^^^^^^^^^!!! Yet I do not want to bust a gut this time round against those Chinese lads. I will play at a decent level and if that's good enough then fine. If that's not enough then tough.

Before then we have to play Ray Corke's side...

NALGO D 5 NEMESIS 5

Frid. 14\10\11. 15.30. On Tuesday we drew with NALGO D. Brian Ashwell was the nemesis of Nemesis I’m afraid. I played him tight and disciplined but he still got those swiping wide kills in. In fact he took very high risks, but they paid off. I lost 5-11 in the 5^th and wondered what had happened! In retrospect I was beaten by greater mobility and aggression. Next time my own Plan A will have to involve much more movement and attacking. Plan B will be to close things down again.

Mo Kayali tried to contain himself but it didn’t work. He curbed his big left-handed forehand hit. Dennis was 3 good kills away from beating Roger. Mr. Deboick was his usual steady self. However, in his final match Dennis reopened a calf tear! Hope he’s okay for next week. Anyway, Brian and I fought back from behind in the doubles to snatch a draw.

However, I personally had an amazing comeback in my final game against Roger: back from 6-10 down! Overall, our draw felt like a win!

Our next opponents are Jean Ashwell and Company (Colbrook Roofing). I thought we were playing the Chinese lads, but I miss-read the script. In fact our match with “Urban Juice” has been put back a week owing to half-term.

Highlight of Thursday Practice was another doubles lesson from wheelchair users Colin Woodford and Kath Fisher. Nice to see Aaron Chaplin practising again. Nuff Said. Out.

From My Journal

Frid. 7\10\11. 14.35. Yesterday I took a game off Steve Carter and generally pushed him close. I 1) returned his serves well and pushed them about effectively, 2) varied my service placements to good effect, 3) blocked well. There is no need to do flicked returns except maybe against topspin. What matters is placing those returns where the opponent least expects them. I'm learning!

Will have to get my F\H drives going more, if my back will allow this! It is still a good idea to practice flicked topspin returns: another weapon for the armoury. But it’s what you do with all your returns that counts.

Also spent lots of time working on Dennis’s backhand drive. Actually Dennis has a good attack on both wings but is loath to use this. He prefers to lob. His drives and hits are wild too, but that can be corrected. See how we do on Tuesday against Brian Ashwell and company. They surprisingly lost to Jean’s team last week. A wounded animal... Nuff Said. Out.

Sat. 8\10\11. 15.50. Been thinking. Back in the good old days my team-mates Dave Wagstaff and Richard Wilson played a very solid push\chop game. I followed suit but with slightly less consistency. I was more of a flair player. Anyway, it was enough to give us a couple of 2^nd Division titles. Perhaps I need to revert to some push play, at least as my opening gambit in the lower divisions.

On reflection I was maybe too gung ho last week. Sometimes you have to play within your limitations. I’m not exactly a spring chicken. Indeed I’m still carrying a nagging back injury. Last week was generally difficult too. Mum had had an acute illness (thankfully she is okay now). There were many distractions. Just the right time to ease my way in. As it was, my play was very patchy. Regular Thursday practice can unfortunately get you into bad habits if you are not careful. Duly noted. Will be much steadier this coming Tuesday. Nuff Said. Out.

Nemesis 7 Clee Sports H 3 (Grimsby League)

Wed. 5\10\11. 22.30. Last night we beat Clee Sports H 7-3. I won all 3 but only just! Dennis and I took the doubles from 0-2 down! All in all it was a tough match.

Clee’s new man Alan Walton proved quite a handful. I couldn’t cope with his serves! His all-round attacking game was very good too. Having fought back to 2-1 up in games, I let the 4^th game slip 15-13. Then I was 6-1 down in the decider but came back myself to steal it 14-12!

Pete Dyson and Keith played well too. I noticed for the first time, however, that Pete runs his finger down the middle of the bat. That gives him extra power but reduces his flexibility. Keith Farmery is a left-hander with a big F\H hit – so just be ready for the unexpected! Serving to his B\H did not work much!

Brian took his 3 convincingly but Dennis could not find his lobbing-range, until the doubles!

BTW “Urban Juice” are those Chinese lads: they must be strong favourites for the league title. Good to see John Hancock back in D1. Mike Bailey is also back, alongside Sean. Nuff Said Out.

Season 2011-2012

(Pictures of Waldner are by Guano on Wiki)

Our league Treasurer Colin Woodford says my new team Nemesis will play in Division 3 this season. This will give Dennis Burgoyne a fair chance at a successful comeback. We also have a good veteran – Sharpe – on standby as a reserve. Our Captain Brian Lomas is a leading player at this level and was well taught by outgoing Captain Colin Tyas. Colin drops to Division Four where he aims to start winning again. Matches commence in October or late September.

I have now stopped trying out various bats and started to hone my game into competitive shape. My Goldilocks bat is back in full commission. Thoughts of using the carbon-fibre have been dismissed.

Something to consider is the importance of the service and return in match play. I have a good variety of spin serves but need to find the extremes of shortness and long-length. Mostly I return very well with a bat-laid-back push. Few spin servers really trouble me. However, gentle pushes like this can be very easily attacked by good players. Perhaps I should try topspin-flicking my opponent’s topspin serves, just like I topspin the topspins in rallies. Could even flick some chopped serves, though I will have to lift them more. Perhaps by varying my returns more, I might put my opponent on the back foot, and discourage him or her from attacking. Plenty of scope here for personal development.

Let's hope I can stay healthy and get fit for the new season. Nuff Said. Out.

My latest Triond article:

"As the 2011-2012 table tennis season approaches, it is time to revise our approach. I remind myself that my game is based on a system I employ called Countering. It is a consistent approach for both beginners and advanced players.

The 2011-2012 table tennis season starts in October. For me that means 18 league matches, ending around next April or May. So I am starting to hone my competitive game into shape. On reflection I acknowledge that much of my game is based on a system I call countering. This system is very useful for beginners, and is often used almost subconsciously by advanced players."

For more go to:

http://sportales.com/sports/table-tennis-the-consistent-countering-game/

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http://www.wikinut.com/table-tennis-rocks%21/1yhexb37/_osqskjz/

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The Future of Table Tennis, also known as Ping Pong

(Picture is Waldner by Guano from Wiki)

(My article, as published on Triond):

Table Tennis is called Ping Pong in the USA. In Britain, however, the local leagues are shrinking. The game is only televised on Eurosport. The Americans held a Ping Pong World Championship with sandpaper bats recently. Where is the game going?

When I joined the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Table Tennis League in 1982 we had seven divisions. (I started in Division Six). Now we have Four. We also had about twenty venues. Now, again, we have four. The league keeps shrinking. I’m pretty sure other local leagues are the same.

Yet where is the inspiration to take up the beautiful game? Table Tennis (Ping Pong in America) is rarely televised and then usually on specialised channels like Eurosport. Even then the spectacle is questionable. We only play an eleven point game now, instead of twenty one. No doubt to cater for short attention spans. The dominant playing style is “Three-Ball-Attack”: spin-serve, return, fast topspin loop. Often that loop is the final ball of the rally.

The Table Tennis Forum

Actually I have recently joined the UK Table Tennis Forum and discussed these matters there. Here is the forum link:

http://www.tabletennistalk.co.uk/forum/content.php

I asked whether the “Countering” or “Rallying” game could still be effective against good three ball attack. Can players block and counter-hit consistently enough to beat all-out attackers. Top ranked Lincolnshire player Andy “Wiggy” Wignall says that ralliers can win given the right conditions, including a non-slip floor. Grimsby’s Sports Hall is too slippery for Wiggy’s liking and he employs three-ball more there.

In “lawn” tennis rallying or countering players like Nadal and Djokovic rule the roost. Yet in table tennis it is more the aggressive Pete Sampras types who rule. Carbon-fibre blades and fast rubbers (and glues!) give all-out attackers more than an edge.

Equipment

Playing equipment plays a crucial role in Table Tennis. In cannot think of another game where this is so marked. Your racket (or bat) covering is crucial. Butterfly, Stiga and many other manufacturers produce faster and faster “rubbers” (bat coverings). I have some “Tenergy” rubber but hear there are much faster rubbers out now.

Recently the Americans held a “Ping Pong World Championship” in Las Vegas. In that tournament players had to use large-looking “paddles” covered with sandpaper. The game was much slower, allowing a fair amount of defensive “chop play”. It was a throw-back to the 1950s when “Hard Bats” were used. I remember those rackets: no sponge and (short) pimpled-out coverings. Classic “Barna Bats”!

I gather most Table Tennis players feel that the Americans took this latest Ping Pong experiment too far! Those bats were poor quality and simply too slow. Even for a $100,000 prize!

However, maybe bats could be standardised to a nice happy medium spin and speed. Long-pimple “effect rubber” players might not welcome such a move though. The ball could be made larger (again) for a slower game. Is the net height right? And the table height? Perhaps each game could be 15 points? Much to ponder here.

Perhaps we should not put so much reliance on television. Maybe we should accept that most of our spin variations are not visible to the spectator. This is not Snooker or Pool, after all. We need to nurture the “grass roots” of the game. Whatever happened to Youth Clubs? To me a table tennis club is like a family. I will be practising as usual on Thursday. How about you?

Paul Butters

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Our Local Men's Doubles

Humberside. Wednesday 4\5\11. 22.10.

Tonight I was paired with Sean Brown (D1 player) in the local Men’s Doubles. Sean had not picked up a bat for weeks. We reached the Semi Finals!

There were 6 entries split into 2 groups of 3. Against the powerful Allison and Thornley we led 5-2, only to slip away about 8-11. 2^nd game they thrashed us. Then 3^rd game we ran them close again.

Next up was the reigning Men’s Singles Champion Ben Anderson, and the well established D1 player Jack Blyth. We were unlucky to lose the first game 9-11, but then we turned things round completely. They got very rattled and tense, especially Ben, and worsened as we kept pressing. We won 3-1! Shaken by this shock defeat, the lads were no match for the other pairing, and duly lost 0-3.

In the semi we were well beaten by Sean Ward and Craig Kendall 3-0. We might have nicked the second game, but it was not to be. Congratulations to Sean and Craig, who went on to win the Final. They beat Jonathan Corry and Pete Heath 3-2 after letting a 2-0 lead slip away. That was the same Sean Ward who shared the Second Division League Title with Jack and I last year. It was Craig's second Men's Doubles title in two years.

Thursday Morning Practice tomorrow. Men’s Veterans on Friday night. Nuff Said. Out.

See also :

http://paulb.quazen.com/shopping/the-future-of-table-tennis-also-known-as-ping-pong/