Medway Table Tennis League’s Annual Championships 2009 Over 100 players contested the Medway table Tennis League’s 2009 Championships over the weekend at the Howard Table Tennis Centre, Rainham.  The main honours at both Senior and Junior levels went to the Howard Club with their players taking advantage of playing at their home venue.  Mark Buckley took the Open Singles title at the 3rd attempt, having been beaten finalist in 2005 and 2006.  Second seed Buckley had to come back from behind in the final against top seed and defending champion Martin Hewett (Sturdee) to clinch the title for the first time.  After losing the first two legs he then went 1-5 down in the 3rd and looked down and out before staging a magnificent comeback with an array of attacking shots that eventually overwhelmed Hewett 10-12 7-11 11-6 11-8 11-9.  Both players had made fairly comfortable paths to the final though Buckley was taken to 4 legs by Simon Forest (Sturdee) in round one before then despatching Richard Carden (Sturdee) in the quarter finals and Alan Longhurst (Howard) in the semis in straight leg wins.  In round one Hewett was also taken to 4 legs before beating Clubmate Neil Le Milliere and then had to work a tad harder before overcoming the Howard’s Richard Farthing 7-11 7-11 11-7 11-7 11-5 at the quarter final stage.  Hewett’s semi final opponent was the Howard’s unseeded Lesley Waller who was beaten 11-4 11-5 11-5.  Waller’s consolation came when she was awarded the organiser’s giant killers trophy for knocking out her 13th seeded Clubmate Phil Thomas in the initial group stage.  She then went on to take the Ladies Singles and, with Clubmate Ron Osborn, Mixed Doubles titles and the Consolation Singles as well.  Others of the top seeds who didn’t make it to their allotted place in the last 16 after being beaten in round 1, were Graham French, beaten by Riverside’s Bob Cox, and Wayne Youngs (Sturdee), beaten by Clubmate Steve Bannister.  Sturdee’s 16th seed Scott Friday didn’t make it past the group stages as he went down to Le Milliere.  Friday, though, did manage to successfully retain the Open Doubles title along with Clubmate Chris Marr.  Seeded at 3 the pair’s only real difficulty came in the final itself when the 4th seeded Howard pair of Alan Longhurst and Steve Waud were beaten 11-13 10-12 11-9 11-9 11-9 in a thriller.  The top seeds, Buckley and Clubmate Ian Gordon, were beaten 11-7 12-10 11-9 in the semis by the Longhurst/Waud partnership while the 2nd seeded Sturdee pair of Graham French and Hewett went down to the eventual winners at the same stage 9-11 12-10 11-7 15-13.  In the Ladies Singles final, 2nd seed Waller beat Clubmate Jackie Williams 11-7 11-6 11-3.  In the Ladies Doubles final Williams went on to partner Sturdee’s Jill Shipton to a 11-7 11-3 11-6 success over Howard pairing Lauren Beaumont and Rosie Waud 11-7 11-3 11-6.  In the Mixed Doubles final Waller and Osborn, seeded at 2, were made to fight for the tile by top seeds Waud/Williams who were eventually edged out 7-11 12-10 11-5 15-13 in an excellent final.  By far the hardest of Waller’s finals was the Consolation Singles, for players outside of the top 16, where she eventually overcame Osborn 11-7 5-11 14-12 6-11 11-7.  Bob Cox (Riverside) made it to the final of the Over 60s singles where he beat French.  French and Riverside’s Dennis McConkey took the Doubles title at this level with a final success over the Rainham 83/ Riverside pairing of Peter Baker and Barry Skates.  French made it to 3 other finals where he had better success.  He won the Over 50s singles from Clubmate Mick Ling and then partnered Ling to the Doubles title with a final win over the Riverside/Chatham pairing of Skates/John Martindell.  French then partnered Gordon to a Doubles success at Over 40 level where Longhurst/Waud were the beaten finalist.  Longhurst also made it to the Over 40s singles final but lost out to Marr. As expected all of the Junior events contested were taken by Howard youngsters.  Alex Blow took the Under 18 singles title from Paul Welsh, 11-8 11-4 8-11 12-10, and then added the doubles as well by partnering Sam Driver to a straight legs success over Walderslade Vikings pair Michael Benson and George Horne.  The Beaumont family, comprising Sam and Lauren, took the Under 15 titles.  Sam beat Joseph Hartland 16-14 11-3 6-11 11-9 in the singles final and then teamed up with his sister to take the doubles 11-9 9-11 11-6 11-3 from Stephen bell and Adam Blackwell. In the Divisional events only one top seed secured their title when Chatham’s Sean Weddell took the Division Four singles with a 11-8 11-8 4-11 11-13 11-7 success over Walderslade Vikings’ George Horne.  First Division favourite Mario Zambas (Rainham 83) lost out in the final 11-7 8-11 13-11 11-8 to the unseeded Denny Hose (Chatham).  4th seed Rob Staines (Walderslade Vikings) took the Division Two title 9-11 18-16 11-8 11-9 from Clubmate David Hopkins in another excellent final.  Their Clubmate, and top seed, Gary Hentschel, lost out in round 2 to Lauren Beaumont.  2nd seed Bob Rooke (Rainham 83) took the Division Three title from Joel Shopland (Chatham) 4-11 11-6 11-9 11-9.  Shopland had earlier ended the challenge of top seed Doug Murray (Rainham 83) at the 2nd round stage.

PETER STOKES