The Grimsby Division Two Individual Championship 2016

 (Picture Credit - Andrew Baggaley)

 
The 2015-16 season was quite satisfactory for my table tennis team: Nemesis. Brian Lomas, Phil "The Swerve" Sharpe and I finished 4\7 in a highly competitive Division 2. The Green Horns Old Boys pipped Colin Woodford’s Carrera Engineering to the League Title.

For me personally, it was a disappointing league campaign however. I finished 12th in the ratings with 47.17%. A run of 9 individual defeats near the end of the season didn’t help. Yet as a reserve in Division One I beat Individual Champion-to-be Pawel the Pole during my bad patch! That was nearly as good as Jon Daly defeating our young Grimsby Lady Champion Chloe Lingard in a Division Three match.

On the 6^th of March I took part in The Closed Championship. I decided to “have a go” by switching from my “Goldilocks” Sriver 1.7 MM bat to my much faster Mark V. Because I use 11 different bats in practice, there is a myth about: that I constantly change bats. Wrong. Switching to Mark V was a rare event for me in competitive play. 

Anyway, I put on a decent show in that Closed, even against Premiership players Rob Sampson, Mike Bailey, Brian Allison and Stewart Dean. In fact I knocked Stewart out of the Vetts with some great blocking.

So when I entered the D2 Tournament on the 9^th of March I went in using my Mark V. I knocked up with Michael Louca and afterwards joked, “See you in the final”. Coincidentally I made a similar joke at the Huddersfield Poly Closed in 1971 and actually reached that final (to be outclassed by a good pusher).

I later learnt that I was seeded 6\8 for this D2 tournament based on league averages. Would have seeded myself accordingly to be honest. But hey, I was there to “have a go”.

My night started really badly. In our group I lost my first match 2-3 to my own team-captain Brian!!! Some of his blocking was amazing. I got out of breath trying to beat him, to no avail. Final score:  12-10, 10-12, 11-8, 5-11, 5-11 to him.

Afterwards my mind went back to that Huddersfield Poly tournament: then I’d lost the opening match in a shock defeat, but later beaten one of the favourites to get out of the group (thus eliminating that favourite too). Could I do it again?

Next up, I got thrashed in the first game with Paul Heald. But then I had a stroke of genius. I was still using my Mark V bat. And the last time I used a similar bat in the league against Paul I got wiped out. Clearly he loves facing pace. So I softened my hands and tried to play plenty of gentle, floaty shots. He fell apart. In the final game I led 6 or 7 nil but then survived a big comeback to nick it. 3-11, 11-8, 11-4, 12-10 to me.

Paul actually kicked a barrier in frustration at the end. Tim had earlier kicked my bag in a fit of temper after losing his first game to Paul. (He thought it was his bag)!

Tim beat Paul in the end. But I defeated Tim 3-0!!! Found Tim tough early doors as he played a very tight push game. 12-10, 11-8, 13-11 to me.

The group phase ended with Tim narrowly beating Brian to reach the Semis. That left me top of the group! Had Brian beaten Tim then he would have topped the group on the “head to head” rule.

Anyway, Tim faced Terry Simister in his Semi and beat him. Terry had won the “other” group, even beating 2^nd placed Colin. Mark “Deadly Serve” Gibney and Michael Louca were eliminated in that other group.

In my semi I did okay against Colin in my first 2 games but lost them “convincingly”. But then I nicked the 3^rd from 3-7 down! Could I repeat that? Yes I could!!! I got off to a great start in the 5^th but Colin came back before I found the shots to clinch it. I won 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7. An extremely rare win for me over Colin.

At the end of my semi I was thoroughly knackered. The final against Tim was a hard slog. My legs were very heavy, presumably with lactic acid. So I had to try to win with skill. I took a 2-1 game-lead, but the bugger hit back.

Tim set off well in the deciding game. But I clawed my way back and then broke clear. Tim hit back again. The match finished with an edge from me not far from the far left corner from my viewpoint. I’d won 11-8!!! Final score: 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8.

Tim was runner up again having lost in the D3 Final last season. Okay, so a lucky finish from me, but overall I felt I deserved it. Echoes of my D3 Title win in 1999: there I beat chop-defender Braithwaite in the final having defeated him convincingly in our group. But this time I was utterly shocked at what had taken place. I could hardly credit it. 

In 2011 Leeds Rhinos finished 5^th in Super League (Rugby) but won the Grand Final against St. Helens: my performance was comparable. Not quite a Leicester City but still… My first reward: a massive blood-blister on my left big-toe and very sore muscles etc.

Even now I can scarcely believe what happened. But I’ll take it. Tim actually attacked me more in that final. Unlike me, he was able to beat Colin’s team-mates Mark and Tom Parrott in the league. And he walked away with the team league title trophy.

The D2 Tournament was easily the most competitive of them all. This was borne out by the fact we finished way after all the other “divisionals”.

This coming season I will defend my title. Colin, Mark, Tim etc. will be playing in the Division One event however. I think that underlines what an upset it was this year. As I say, I’ll take it.

Paul Butters

Defensive Player Vs Good Defender

(Picture Credit - Matthew Syed by Rollingstone com)

This is from my TT Journal today. I tried to post it as a Note on Facebook but it wouldn't cut and paste so...

Been thinking. A “defensive player” is something quite different from a “good defender”. A classic defensive player plays very steadily, usually with chop\slice or lob and waits for his opponent to make mistakes. A more modern version is someone who blocks everything, allowing his opponent to make all the running and generate pace. On the other hand a “good defender” is a player who is simply good at blocking and retrieving when necessary. Such a player may be an all-out attacker, but when he or she gets into trouble s\he can defend well. These are two very different animals, though both will be “good defenders” for sure. Nuff Said.

More from today's TT Journal:

About Focus. When playing a point you should just watch the ball, opponent and target (net\table). You should not be thinking about anything else. It’s as simple as that. Any tactical\strategical thinking should be done before the match and between points, not during a point. Be alert and ready for anything. Just concentrate. Just focus. Don’t daydream or think over the last point. Play every point as though it’s the one and only point. Focus.

My Table Tennis Brag Sheet

(Waldner)

Here are the main TT Successes, Titles, Finals and Semis I've taken part in: 

Huddersfield Poly Singles R\U 1972.

Doncaster D4 Champs 77 (Team League Title No. 1), D3 R\Us 78, Lower Div Singles Semi 78. (For Thorne YC with C Noakes, J Noakes, M Orpwood, P Hammond, later A Andrews et al)

All below Grimsby League Run Competitions unless stated otherwise

 Grimsby D5 Winners 84 (2) (For NALGO with Don Keightley, Dave Gregory, Roy Lea and Angie Gorrod?)

D3 Winners 88 (3), D2 Winners 90 (4), 95 (5). (For Cleethorpes NALGO with Richard Wilson and Dave Wagstaff plus (95) John Whitfield).

3\86 Played 1st Tournament: East England 2 Star, Grimsby.

14\2\87 Played Yorkshire 2 Star in Huddersfield (Disqualified: frayed bat edge).

Centre Parcs Singles Bronze July 1991 (bad defeat in semi).

Cup Semis 89 (To Ross D: Dave Roberts, S Higgins, J Whattam?).

Beaten Finalists 94 (Wilson, Wagstaff and I) (To YMCA B: S Blow, Ian Nicholl, Matt Barker)

Winners 2000 (Richard Wilson, Matt Dean and I) (Bt NALGO A: Ken Blow, Jerry Leaning, Norman Hames).

D3 Winners 99 (6) (With Richard and Paul Watkinson and anyone else?). Singles Winner 99 (beat Braithwaite in Final).

(In early 2000s I played 4 matches for Grimsby Men’s Vetts 3^rd Team (Unless it was late 1990s))

D3 Winners 2007 (7) (For NALGO F with Ken Chesman, Trevor Winslow, Terry Smith and Bob Want).

D4 R\Us 2009 (For NALGO M (MK2 - MK1 being Ben Anderson, Aaron Chaplin et al)) with Don Newton, Jack Blyth and John Holmes).

D2 Winners 2010 (8) (For NALGO F (MK2) with Jack Blyth, Sean Ward and Reserve Aakash Limbu). Singles R\U 2010 to Sean.

(Lincs Closed regular now).

Men’s Doubles Semi Finalist 2011 with Sean Brown.

D3 R\Us 2012 (For Nemesis with Brian Lomas and Dennis Burgoyne).

Vetts Men’s Semis 2013 losing to eventual winner John Hancock.

CUP WINNERS 2015 (For Nemesis with Brian Lomas, Phil Sharpe).

2016: D2 Individual Title (Beat Colin Woodford in the Semi and Tim Smith in The Final).

Ken Chesman Plate Semi Finalist (lost to Luke Nimmo 8-11, 8-11, 8-11).

2017: Jack Bond Shield Winner (beat Tim Smith in Final!), Men’s Doubles Semi (with Brian Lomas - losing to Mike Thornley and Mike Bailey), D2 Singles Semi Finalist (Lost to Winner - Paul Heald) and Don Newton Hard Bat Trophy Semi Finalist (beaten by Mick Corry).
 

2018: D2 Winners (For Nemesis with Brian Lomas, Phil Sharpe), D2 Individual Semi Finalist (lost to Winner - Sam Dean), Don Newton Trophy Quarter Finalist (lost to Winner- Jon Corry) and Jack Bond Semi Finalist (lost to Runner Up Mark Gibney).

2019: Cup Semi Finalists (with Nemesis: Brian Lomas & Phil Sharpe). 4Matic Engineering (Sean Ward, John Hancock & Luke Nimmo) kept us down to average 21-5 to win by 73 but we did well to get there to play the Man City of Grimsby TT.

2020: D2 Winners (Our team Nemesis (Craig Kendall, Phil Sharpe, Capt. Brian Lomas and myself) Uncatchable but League Ceased with Coronavirus Pandemic – Pl 19\21 W 19, Semi Finalist Ken Chesman Plate (beaten by team-mate Craig Kendall – eventual winner), Semi Finalist Jack Bond (beaten by Sean Brown for 2^nd year in row), Semi Finalist D2 Individual Tournament (Beaten by eventual winner Craig Kendall).

 

2024: Finalist, R\U Don Newton Hard Bat Tournament “Plate” (for group losers) – Winner was Tom Claypole.

2024-5 (Dec 24) Semi Finalist in Christmas Handicap (Beaten 18-21, 16-21 by eventual winner Ian Pooler (Prem), who defeated Mike Bailey (Prem) in Final. Other Semi Finalist was Rob Sampson (Prem when he plays here). 

2025-6: Finalist Jack Bond Shield (beaten 1-2 by Russ Hayes (Prem), Semi-Finalist Closed Men’s Doubles with John Aberra (Prem-ALS) (beat Russ Hayes and Dave Mitchell (Prem) in Quarters then lost to Regular Winners John Hancock and Sean Ward (both Prem-ALS) & Won End of Season Doubles Eve with Tim Smith (D1) (26+ players involved) beating Steve Cragg (Prem) and young Harrison Devaney (D2) in Final.

(Total League Titles - 10). (Gry D2 -5, D3 – 3, D5 -1; Donny D4 -1).

Paul Butters

© PB 18\8\2015 (Copied to Word from my blog 13\9\15). Updated 14\6\2024. And 6\1\25.