News & Views from the Colchester Table Tennis League
with Press Officer Martyn Green

4th March 2008
COLE PUSHED ALL THE WAY BY ANDREWS TO RETAIN MEN’S TITLE

Dave Cole successfully retained both his Colchester Men’s Singles and Veteran’s (Over 40) titles at the Rowhedge Table Tennis club at the weekend as expected. However, Cole did not have things all his own way in the final as the search was on for someone to threaten Cole’s three year reign. Twenty-year old Michael Andrews was the man who stepped up to the plate and truly came of age with a mature display of controlled aggression in beating the tricky style of Dedham ’s Richard Goodhand in the semi-final. It was in the final that Andrews impressed after losing the first set 11-7 he found himself 8-4 down in the second. Cole seemed to take his foot off the gas and Andrews exploited the faltering trade mark Cole loops with a powerful range of forehand drives himself to take the set 11-9. Cole retained control in the third with a series of fierce drives pumped down the youngsters backhand to win the end 11-5. Once again Andrews refused to lie down serving extremely tightly as he had throughout and forcing Cole to lose control of his loops as Andrews powered through 11-7. It was at this point that a weary Cole drew breath and came out very positively in the last set to open a 7-2 lead at which point the pair enjoyed the rally of the night, with Andrews on the attack caught out of position on the forehand side still managing an incredible backhand smash that Cole somehow managed to retrieve only for Andrews to miss and with this his spirit was finally broken going down 11-5. This was Cole’s ninth success surpassing ex-team mate Rik James achievement of eight wins as the pair have dominated for the past fourteen years without another winner.

Earlier Cole had beaten Antony Greenwood 13-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5 in a close semi-final with Andrews taking out Goodhand 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8.

Essex number two junior Holly Stubbings is one of the youngest girls to reach all four major finals and unfortunately for her she missed out on all of them! In the Ladies Final she was up against Suffolk county representative Sian Cooke whose combination bat enabled her strong forehand to dominate a three straight set win 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 as was the case in the Juniors. In the semi-finals Cooke accounted for Janet Faiers whilst Stubbings ended Sue Welham’s five year winning streak with an incredible five set win that saw her come back from 10-6 down in the final set to win the last six points to take the match.

Holly Stubbings played with another junior, Greg Green in the Mixed Doubles final and was up against last season’s champions Sue Welham and Gary Young from St Mary’s who proved too strong in a crucial second set coming out on top 11-4, 14-12, 11-8.

Holly’s former mentor Marlene Smith was the star of the Ladies` Doubles with a string of searing forehands as she partnered Welham to a 11-5, 11-7 12-10 win over Stubbings and Eleni Manolitsaki appearing for the first time in a final.

David Cole completed an excellent weekend’s work taking the Men’s Doubles with Fred Button against the evergreen John Andrews and David Moss 11-2, 10-12, 14-12 11-9.

Mike Shore produced a blistering display to retain the Junior Boys title as he overcame Andrew McEwan in a one sided final. Ironically McEwan had beaten Shore the day before in the group stages that put Shore up against number one seed Greg Green in the semi-final which he won in four sets.

Mark Smith beat reigning Cadet champion Andrew Harvey, coming back from two sets down to win this years title, a feat he repeated in the Division Four singles whilst Greg Green and Andrew McEwan beat Daryl Lott and Dale Young in the Junior Doubles final.

David Cole beat David Moss in the Veteran’s 40+ Singles whilst his doubles partner John Andrews won his first singles title in the 50+ competition after being two sets down against holder Ian Whiteside who was again unlucky to be runner-up in the 60+ event. Alan Burgess was the victor after a hard weekends work for him.

Sian Cooke, Steve Noble and Mark Smith won the Second, Third and Fourth Division Singles events respectively.

COLCHESTER CLOSED TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Men’s Singles Semi-Finals:

David Cole bt Antony Greenwood 11,-7, 10 & 5

Michael Andrews bt Richard Goodhand -7, 5, 8 & 8

Ladies Doubles Final:

Sue Welham & Marlene Smith bt Holly Stubbings & Eleni Manolitsaki 5, 7 & 11

Veteran’s 40+ Final:

David Cole bt David Moss 7, 8, -4 & 11

Mixes Doubles Final:

Sue Welham & Gary Young bt Holly Stubbings & Greg Green 4, 12 & 8

Junior Boys Final:

Mike Shore bt Andrew McEwan 5, 7 & 4

Men’s Doubles Final:

David Cole & Fred Button bt John Andrews & David Moss 2, 10, -12 & 9

Ladies Singles Final:

Sian Cooke bt Holly Stubbings 6, 3 & 4

Men’s Singles Final:

David Cole bt Michael Andrews 7, -9, 5, -7 & 5

Event: Winner: Runner Up:

Cadet Singles Mark Smith Andrew Harvey

Junior Doubles Greg Green & Andy McEwan Daryl Lott & Dale Young

Junior Handicapped Singles Andy McEwan Mark Smith

Junior Handicapped Doubles Andrew Harvey & Grant Donaldson Brett Angel & Tom Lewis

Handicapped Singles Daniel Farrow Michael Andrews

Handicapped Doubles Jimmy Farrow & Daniel Farrow Antony Greenwood & Phil Smith

Division 2 Singles Sian Cooke Fred Button

Division 3 Singles Steve Noble Daniel Farrow

Division 4 Singles Mark Smith Andrew Harvey

Veteran’s 50+ Singles John Andrews Ian Whiteside

Veteran’s 60+ Singles Alan Burgess Ian Whiteside