NEWS

  

Senior British League, 2023/24

DDTTA entered a team into the Senior British League for the first time this season. This is quite a costly exercise involving several weekends away in venues in the north of England and demonstrates the commitment and enthusiasm of some of the Association’s top players. We were very grateful to SP Automation and Robotics (and DDTTA member Lee Nixon in particular) for sponsorship which helped with team shirts and some travel expenses. The squad consisted of Ryan Docherty, Andrew Nimmo, Callum Riddoch, Peter Aird, Matthew Craig, Jacob Munro and Grant Williams, and they all performed very creditably finishing as runners up in Division C1. See photos below and a screenshot of final league standings.

               

1^st round of fixtures: Callum Riddoch, Andrew Nimmo, Matthew Craig and Jacob Munro         Grant Williams in action

 

 

                    

Andrew Nimmo in action                                                                                                                       Final round of fixtures: Grant Williams, Peter Aird, Ryan Docherty, Andrew Nimmo                                          Final league standings

 

Gillis Cup 15^th April 2024

Congratulations to Ian McLagan who justified his top seeding and won the Gillis Cup at Ward Road Gym. The tournament is a singles event for players registered to 3^rd division teams and there were 10 entrants. It was organised once again by David Sim and he was assisted throughout the night by John Anderson and Bill Beattie. The field was initially split into three groups for a round robin format.

In Group 1, Ian Maclagan was drawn with Rob Fortheringham and Lachlann Henderson and won both matches to top the group. But Lachlann ran him close losing 12-10 in the 5^th set and finishing second in the group.

All matches in Group 2 were very tight but second seed Jill Milne won against Dave Beveridge and Stewart Clark to win the group, and Dave edged out Stewart in  the 5^th set to finish as runner up.

In Group 3, which had 4 players and Craig Smith as the seed, Craig and Eric Brown won their first two matches against Rhona Payne and Anthony Hughes to set up a decider which was won 3-1 by Craig. Rhona won against Anthony to finish 3^rd in this group.

Jill and Ian went straight to the semi-finals and we played two quarter-finals in which Craig won a very tight 5 setter against Lachlann and Eric won 3-1 against Dave.

In the semi-finals Eric went 2-1 up on Ian but lost in the 5th, Craig prevailed over Jill by 3 sets to 1.

Ian won the final against Craig in straight sets but only thanks to some excellent play to get back from 10-6 down in the 2^nd set.

We also ran a consolation event for players who did not qualify for the quarter finals. This was won by Stewart Clark who beat Rhona in the semi -final and then Rob Fotheringham in the final.

Thanks to everyone for taking apart and especially to David, John and Bill for giving their time to run the event. Apologies to Ian McLagan for not remembering to take a photo,  (scroll down for older photos of this serial winner clutching other trophies)

 

Halliday Trophy 8^th April 2024

The Halliday Trophy, an exclusive “invitation -only” event for 3^rd division teams, took place at Ward Road Gym on Monday night. It is designed as a fun tournament with an unusual format and the invitations went initially to the 6 lowest finishing teams in the 3^rd division. With Duffers and Letham B unable to participate we were able to extend the field to include the big-hitters from Prefects and Telecoms. We’re talking here about players such as Dave Beveridge and Stewart Clark.

After a random draw, two groups played a round robin format. Each match consisted of a single set played to 61, with teams rotating their players on to the table for a minimum of 3 consecutive points and a maximum of 10 consecutive points.

In Group 1, Squires blew away Sputniks 61-40 and then lost narrowly to Telecoms 58-61. Sputniks made a better effort against Telecoms but still lost 61-56, so Telecoms won this group and went into the final. In Group 2 Prefects beat Missiles 61-47 but then Lairds also beat Missiles 61-43 to set up a decider between Prefects and Lairds, a great match in which Lairds came from behind to win 61-59.

The final was an entertaining and strategic affair in which Stewart Clark opened for Telecoms, stayed on table for 10 points and established a significant lead. Telecoms then gradually built on that lead to get to something like 55-45. Then Craig Smith came on for Lairds and won 9 or 10 points. Suddenly it was very close but Telecoms regrouped to win 61-56. The 3^rd/4^th play-off match was won by Prefects and the 5^th/6^th play-off was won by Sputniks therefore the 2024 Halliday Trophy Order of Merit is as follows:

1.Telecoms

2. Lairds

3. Prefects

4. Squires

5. Sputniks

6. Missiles

 

Thanks to everyone for taking part in such good spirit, and also for helping out with umpiring – a task which calls for a lot of concentration under this format – and putting equipment away at end of play.

 

 

2024 Halliday Trophy winners Telecoms (Stewart Clark, Anthony Hughes and Rob Fotheringham)

 

Plebeians TTC Club Championships, Sunday 17^th March

The Plebeians Club Championships were held at Forthill on Sunday 17th March and one could be forgiven for thinking it was the Nathan Mu show !

The early stages of the premier competition i.e the Club Championship was played in groups of three with two of the winners Grant Williams and David Sim progressing straight to the semi finals while the winner of the third Nathan had to fight it out with the three group runners up for a semi final spot. In the quarters Nathan managed to defeat Pete Yearworth in three well contested games while Gary Lowson took care of Richard Tough and the stage was set for two interesting semis. In the first semi top seed Grant had the setback of a third game loss to overcome against Gary winning eventually in four. In the other semi Nathan was never ahead against David until the final two points in game five. After that the final just had to be an epic and so it proved with Grant recovering from losing the first 2 games to force a final game decider. Every game was decided by only 2 points and eventually Nathan edged home 11 - 9  for a triumph in a match where both players excelled !

The Handicap event saw Ian Hunter return to the Plebeians fold after spending the early part of the year in the heat of Cyprus before in recent times forging a new career in Pickleball ! The break didnt seem to have done him any harm (or any good for that matter !) and he managed to progress to the semi finals where Ping Xu put an end to his hopes in two straight games. In the other semi man of the moment Nathan recovered from losing the first game against Pete Yearworth to triumph 21 - 18 in the third and deciding game. This set up a fascinating final which ebbed and flowed before Nathan edged both games 31-30 against Ping. A match on a knife edge however it proved to be Nathan's day.  

The drawn doubles provided a fun aspect to the day and something a little different. In the final Nathan (again) and Sandy Bertie triumphed in three close games against Pete Yearworth and Lachlaan Henderson.

An enjoyable event - thanks to everyone who umpired, played and provided refreshments and a big congratulations to Nathan on a special day for him. 

            

Nathan and Grant. And a passer-by!                               Nathan and Sandy, winners against Lachlann and Peter                           Nathan and Ping, Handicap Cup finalists

 

DDTTA Closed Championships, Saturday Feb 24^th

The closed championships took place on Saturday with a strong field which included nearly all of the district’s top players. A total of 10 tournaments were organized expertly by David Sim. Arthur Pritchard was setting up tables at 8am, umpiring continuously and putting tables away at 6.30pm, and thanks also to participants such as Ian Mclagan and Jill Milne and Bill Beattie who umpired many matches unrelated to their own competitive efforts.

We began with round robin groups for the Men’s Singles. Group winners were Robert Toth, Andrew Nimmo, Ryan Campbell, Ryan Docherty, Matthew Craig and David Hay. This led to very high standard semi-finals in which Andrew beat Robert in 5 sets, and David beat Ryan Docherty in 3 sets. In the final, also very high standard, Andrew led early in each set but David won 3-0.

The Women’s Singles event had 5 participants and was very closely contested with most matches going to 4 or 5 sets and all players winning at least one match. Fiona Kinloch won 4/4 to take the trophy. Tanya Kapelyukh and Jill Milne each won 2/4 with Tanya runner up thanks to her head-to-head win over Jill. Shirley McKay and Rhona Payne were the other competitors and each won 1/4.

 

                                                                 

David Hay: Men’s Singles winner and Youths winner                                                                            Fiona Kinloch: Women’s Singles winner

 

Next we started on doubles, and there were some incredibly close matches, not just in the closing stages. In the semi-finals of Men’s Doubles David Hay and Andrew Nimmo were 0-1 down and 1-2 down to Callum Riddoch and Jacob Munro but won 3-2 in the end. Likewise Rober Toth and Stuart Halliday were 0-1 down and 1-2 down to Ryan Docherty and Nathan Mu, but came back to win 3-2. The final followed the same pattern: David and Andrew won the first and third sets but the tournament was won by Robert and Stuart, 12-10 in the 5^th.

The Women’s Doubles final was on less of a knife-edge with experience telling for Jill Milne and Fiona Kinloch who beat Rhona Payne and Shirley McKay in straight sets.

The Mixed Doubles event had 5 teams and a final which could hardly have been closer: Stuart Halliday and Shirley McKay beat Ryan Docherty and Fiona Kinloch 14-12 in the 5^th set.

                                                                   

Jill Milne and Fiona Kinloch, Women’s Doubles winners                                                                     Shirley McKay and Stuart Halliday, Mixed Doubles winners

                                                                                                                                                                      (Stuart also clutching Men’s Doubles or Silver Bat prize)

 

After that age became a factor as we started on our Youths and Vets tournaments. The Youths tournament was organised as a round robin between David Hay, Jacob Munro, Andrew Nimmo and Lachlann Henderson – hopefully a good learning experience for Lachlann who is approximately 5 years younger than the other three and who performed creditably. The tournament was won by David Hay but Jacob and Andrew ran him close. David beat Jacob 3-1 including 12-10 and 15-13. David beat Andrew 3-1 including 11-9 and 13-11. Jacob was runner up after beating Andrew in straight sets.

In the Vets Singles, the final was contested by Iain Martin and Aaron Robertson after semi-final wins over Bill Beattie and Gary Lowson respectively. Iain seemed have the upper hand leading two sets to nil and also 9-4 in the 4^th but Aaron staged a remarkable come-back to win that 4^th set and go on to win the trophy with an 11-5 win in the 5^th set.

The Vets Doubles did not finish until after 6pm which was unfortunate as the final was a spectacular match missed by most with Derek Mitchell and Aaron Robertson playing David Sim and Iain Martin. Derek and Aaron went 2-0 up but couldn’t get over the line. David and Iain won the last three sets 19-17, 11-9, 11-4.

                                                                        

Aaron Robertson: Vets Singles winner                                                         David Sim and Iain Martin: Vets Doubles winners                                  Gary Lowson and David Hay: Ballot Doubles winners

The two other events which took place were the Ballot Doubles and the Silver Bat. The Silver Bat is open to players who did not make the semi-final stage or runner-up position in the main singles events. Matches in these events were scheduled during the afternoon whenever tables and players became free. The format of the Ballot Doubles matches was a single set played to 21, and the Silver Bat was best of three sets to 11. In the early rounds of Ballot Doubles the pairings seemed remarkably well matched with 21-17 the clearest win up until the semi-final stage and three matches ending 21-20. However in the semis Matthew Craig and Fiona Kinloch beat Grant Williams and Bill Beattie 21-12, and David Hay and Gary Lowson beat Ryan Docherty and Ian McLagan 21-11. David and Gary went on to win the final 21-12.

In the Silver Bat semi-finals, Stuart Halliday beat Aaron Robertson 2-0 and Jacob Munro beat Callum Riddoch 2-1. The final was won by Stuart 12-10, 11-9.

Thanks to all competitors for taking part and congratulations to all winners.

 

 

 

 

St Andrews TTC Shirt Sponsorship Partnership

St Andrews Table Tennis Club is delighted to announce a shirt sponsorship partnership with Cupar based firm, The Rug Washers. The arrangement will operate at least until the end of season 2024/25.

Founded by 14-year-old Alix Pearson, and following in the family footsteps, The Rug Washers represent the next generation in the cleaning and restoration industry. Alix is the youngest individual in the UK to be trained by the WoolSafe Organisation in rug restoration and repair and she brings a fresh perspective to the industry. The firm has a strong client base in St. Andrews and throughout Scotland. The Rug Washers are a dedicated laundry for deep cleaning, decontamination, repair and restoration of area rugs from around the world.  Follow @therugwashers on social media or visit www.rugwashers.co.uk for updates and insights into their innovative approach.

Club treasurer, Dave Beveridge, stated that ‘St Andrews Table Tennis Club's collaboration with The Rug Washers underscores our dedication to supporting local talents and businesses and we wish Alix the very best in her first business venture’.

              

 

Lower division closed championships  and Fowler Handicap Cup

The lower division closed championships, Hardy Ballot Doubles and Fowler Handicap were held at Ward Road Gym on Saturday 27^th January. 17 players took part and the tournaments were organised expertly (once again) by David Sim with help from Arthur Pritchard. Sadly we were not able to run the Under 25s Singles event due to lack of entrants. This meant that Lachlann Henderson did not get the opportunity to defend the title he won last year but if you read on you may not feel too sorry for him!

First off was Over 25s Singles tournament, a straight knockout. Murray Johnstone beat top seed Fiona Kinloch in a 5-set semi-final and then won the first set of the final against Ian McLagan. However Ian rallied to win in 4 sets.

After that the D2 Trident Challenge Singles and the D3 Challenge singles ran simultaneously. With smaller fields we used a group format. In the division 2 tournament Murray Johnstone beat Bill Beattie in a 4 set semi-final to set up a rematch against Fiona Kinloch who came through the other semi-final by beating Knut Radner. This time Fiona won in 4. The division 3 Challenge tournament was won by Lachlann Henderson who only came second in his group after losing to Craig Smith. However he went on to beat Eric Brown in a quarter final, Ian McLagan in his semi-final and then Jill Milne in the final, in each case by 3 sets to 1. 

The draw for Hardy Ballot Doubles threw up some strong pairings and the final was contested by Fiona Kinloch and Ping Xu against Murray Johnstone and Lachlann Henderson. Fiona and Ping won in straight sets, the luckless Murray was a beaten finalist for the 3^rd time.

Finally the Fowler handicap took place and with highly ranked 1^st division player Andrew Nimmo taking part all other players received high handicaps. Lachlann Henderson won his second trophy of the day beating the likes of Andrew Nimmo and Fiona Kinloch by wide margins on his way to a final against Sandy Pearson. Sandy had reached the final with notable wins against Ping Xu, Ian McLagan and fast-improving Rhona Payne but was not able to stop Lachlann retaining a trophy he won at this event last year.

 

 

Cup Day – 9^th December - Ward Road Gym

As is tradition, ‘cup day’ was played at Ward Road Gym on Saturday 9th December this year. 10 eager teams made the journey to battle it out for the silverware, and ultimate bragging rights, in 3 of our cup competitions (Secondary Shield, Consolation Cup and Excelsior Cup). The day kicked off with semi-finals of the Secondary Shield and the Consolation Cup, and the final of the Excelsior Cup. It was a close fought battle in many of the matches with both semi-finals in the consolation cup going right down to the wire! Prefects and Comets progressed to the final of the Consolation Cup with Swots and Chieftains progressing to the final of the Secondary Shield. There was some fantastic table tennis on display throughout the day from all teams but ultimately there could only be one winner in each competition. Congratulations to Swots, Comets and Knights who were this year’s winners of the Secondary Shield, Consolation Cup and Excelsior Cup respectively.

Secondary Shield Cup Winners : Swots	Consolation Cup Winners : Comets	Excelsior Cup Winners : Knights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ron McMillan

Ron McMillan died on 1^st November. Ron was a co-founder of The Ferry boys and The Pensioners who played table tennis in The Scout Hall in David Street, Broughty Ferry until 2007, participating in DDTTA leagues up until that date.

He was the backbone of the club, always willing to help with his time and resources as well as playing his part in the successes of the team.

Ron will be remembered fondly by his team-mates Chic Barrie, Jim Howie, David Johnston, Thorsten Lauterbach and all who knew him.

Our sincere condolences go to his wife Sandra, his two daughters and their families.

 

Ron pictured above, first from left.

 

 

Paul Rawling Jackson

(the following from Richard Tough)

It was sad to hear the passing of our good friend Paul Jackson who lost his battle against cancer on Friday 20^th October.

Paul, sometimes known as “action Jackson”, was a great ambassador for table tennis in our area as well as all across Scotland. His boundless enthusiasm and his will to try anything to help improve the sport was infectious. I got to know Paul when he started to play tennis at my local club where he talked me into playing table tennis at his club at Ancrum in the 90’s. Paul organised the teams at Ancrum for many years and when circumstances changed our teams moved to join the Dundee College club. After a long period at the college we then moved to Forthill as the Dundee Hecklers in 2014, thereafter joining Plebeians tt club in 2019. Paul was active in all the clubs, playing and organising, and playing over a period for the Rollercoasters, Defenders and Tigers. Paul then moved to Spain where his last season playing in the leagues was in 19/20 season. However there was no stopping him – he started a club in Spain.

On top of his involvement with the clubs and his full time job as a College Sports Lecturer, he contributed to DDTTA as Coaching Convener, and was a non-exec director of Table tennis Scotland from 2010 to 2019. Taking on the role of Coaching Director, he organised and delivered coaching courses across Scotland, and managed to fit in umpiring at international competitions. He took on all these responsibilities on top of his full time job as a College Sports Lecturer, and as well as being a loving father, grandfather and husband.

Paul always wanted to make a difference in whatever he did and I know that he enjoyed the coaching side, not only with Table Tennis but with many other sports that he was involved with, and he motivated many to improve our sports clubs and improve participation.

Sport and family were his life.

We will always remember Paul as a positive, supportive, fun guy and a good friend to many. He was a man of action.

Our deepest sympathy to all his family.

We will miss Paul.

RIP Paul “Action” Jackson

Richard

 

Mylnefield Club Championship – 29/08/23

On Tuesday 29th August, 14 keen Mylnefield players headed down to WRG once again to battle it out for the title of Mylnefield Club Champion 2023. The competition began with an initial knock out round. Winners progressed to groups playing for positions 1-7 with all other players heading to groups competing for positions 8-14. The knockout was fairly straightforward, with decisive 3-0 victories for most of the advancing players. As always, the group stages resulted in many closely fought and interesting matches with lots of 4 and 5 set battles. Final positions were as follows:

1.       Andrew Nimmo 

2.       Callum Riddoch 

3.       Emma Riddoch 

4.       Fiona Kinloch 

5.       Bill Beattie 

6.       Jim Tawse 

7.       Stewart Mason 

8.       Shirley McKay 

9.       Scott Wishart 

10.   Eddie Dougan 

11.   Tanya Kapelyukh 

12.   Heather Gunn 

13.   Rhona Payne 

14.  Winnie Stein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          Runner up – Callum Riddoch               Winner – Andrew Nimmo

Thanks go to Ian McLagan for organising and running the event yet again this year, it is greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the players for making it such an enjoyable night of friendly yet competitive table tennis which was played in good spirits all round. Onwards and upwards to the 2023/2024 season.

Emma Riddoch 

 

Ex DDTTA Player Ian Johnston to play in the ICTTF Classic World Cup.

ICTTF representative Marek Zaskodny presents Ian with his Qualification Certificate at the UK Open

In Early January Ian will be representing Scotland in the inaugural ICTTF World Cup in Mexico City. When the ICTTF announced the World Cup Ian was given a retrospective qualifying spot as the current Scottish Sandpaper Champion. In addition to the qualifying spot the ICTTF awarded Ian with a $500 subsidy to help towards his costs. Ian qualified a second time by winning the wood (Wooden blade only with NO covering) division of the Czech Repubic’s qualifying event.

As well as the Sandpaper and Wood events Ian will also take part in the Hardbat (Wooden blade with rubber but no sponge) and the “Choice” (Wooden Blade with the player choosing their covering from Sandpaper, Wood (no covering) and Rubber (no Sponge).

 

Plebeians Club Championships - 2023

The Plebeians Club Championships were held at Forthill on Sunday 12th March 2023.

In the Club Championship itself, players were divided into three groups of 3 with top seed and holder Grant Williams receiving a bye to the Quarter finals. Matt Craig made serene progress from his group (Jill Milne – runner up) straight in to a semi final spot however 3rd seed David Sim was made to work very hard by Sandy Bertie who won the first game of their clash and was very unlucky to lose the fourth game 12 – 14 after David fought back with games 2 and 3. In the other group favourite and 4th seed Ian Hunter was beaten in straight games by Glenn Christie who won the Group. In the Quarter finals the three group runners – up were all beaten in straight games setting up a semi final clash between Grant and Glenn. After Grant suffered the shock of losing the first game to 7 he hit back strongly to win in 4 games although it is fair to say Glenn put up a hell of a fight. In the other semi final Matt proved too strong for teammate David and we look forward to the prospect of a mouthwatering clash between Matt and Grant in a few weeks time (details later).

The Handicap Event was straight knockout with three preliminary round matches, the most notable of these being a deciding game 26 – 25 win by Glenn over Lee Nixon. In the Quarter finals Fowler Handicap winner Lachlaan Henderson came within a whisker of upsetting Grant Williams. After winning the first game comfortably he just lost out in a nailbiter 30 – 31 and 29 – 31 to allow Grant to progress to the semi finals. In the first semi final Ian Hunter rolled back the years (or the Handicapper was too kind !) to beat Grant Williams in straight games. It was Ian’s dogged defence that managed to frustrate Grant’s attacking instincts. In the other semi Matt Craig continued his tremendous recent form to overpower Glenn and set up a clash with Ian in the final.

To complete the evening there was a Ballot Doubles competition with some promising partnerships coming out of the draw none more so than Lee Nixon and Matt Craig with Lee providing an effective foil for the in – form Matt on their way to the final. It was probably something of a surprise then when Grant Williams and Jill Milne won the final in three well contested but straight games nevertheless. Easter came early at Forthill when the prizes for the winners and runners up were the same choice of easter eggs (??)

The Finals of both the Handicap Cup and Club Championship were played at Forthill on Monday 17th April from 7 p.m. with the Club AGM taking place at their conclusion.

Monday 17th April 2023

The action resumed after a 5 week hiatus with the Handicap Singles final between Matt Craig and the evergreen Ian Hunter buoyed by some recent successes in Perth. The format was a best of three games with Matt starting on 2, Ian 10 playing to 21 points.  The first game proved somewhat straightforward for Matt with Ian struggling to get into any sort of attacking mode. In the second game Matt again clawed back quickly most of the deficit however Ian suddenly got more on the front foot and the game went to a one point decider at 20 – 20. Unfortunately for Ian he quickly stuck the ball in the net and the title was Matt’s.

Matt Craig    21 – 16     21 – 20      Ian Hunter

The primary event was the Club Championship Final between Matt again and Grant Williams a multiple previous winner. The first game was terrific and went to juice with one rally in particular sticking in the mind with amazing defensive returns from Grant. Matt however edged the game 12 – 10 and this ultimately proved decisive with Grant unable to raise a fightback and Matt winning the next two games in fairly straightforward fashion. A great night for Matt and after the presentation it was on to the more sedate business of the Club AGM.

Matt Craig    12 – 10     11 – 8   11 - 6    Grant Williams  

 

2022/23 presentation of prizes

The 2022/23 prize-winners lined up with their trophies after the presentation evening in Forthill Sports Club on 27 April 2023

 

Interleague 2023

At the weekend Dundee competed in the Scottish interleague tournament at Bells Sports Centre in Perth.

The Dundee men’s A team of Andrew, Callum and Robert all had a good weekend and a solid team effort meant that they finished runner ups to a very strong West of Scotland team. A fantastic result in such a strong competition.

The Dundee men’s B team were a man down due to illness so Ryan and Jacob had to fight extra hard. Good individual wins throughout the weekend but the lack of players meant they couldn’t get a team win in the end.

The Dundee vets team A also had a great weekend finishing runners up on a three team count back. Paul, Iain and Peter played well throughout the weekend but 3 5 set losses against Edinburgh meant that they couldn’t finish any higher.

The Dundee vets team B also played very well with most the team not playing national tournaments for a long time. The team of Derek Mitchell, Aaron and Derek Beaton managed to get good wins and compete against the stronger teams.

A successful weekend for Dundee competing against lots of very strong regions. A big thanks to all who competed, organised the event and cheered us on.

Callum Riddoch

Gillis Cup -10 April 2023

Finalists Jill Milne and Bill Beattie with umpire, Steve Wilson

The Gillis Cup took place on the evening of Monday 10th April at Ward Road Gym. This is a scratch competition for players from any of the 3^rd division teams and there were 12 entrants limbering up at the start.

The format was 4 groups of 3 players and it was fair to say results didn’t go as expected in all cases! In Groups 1 and 2 the top seeds were successful with Bill Beattie and Jill Milne progressing to the Quarter finals along with the two runners up, Charlie Ross and Dave Beveridge. In Group 3 top seed Carol McLean ran into two very doughty opponents in Lachlann Henderson and Steve Wilson losing convincingly to both. If that wasn’t enough of a shock the top seed in Group 4, Eric Brown, lost out to both Ian McLagan, who topped the group and Shirley McKay

The Quarter Finals threw up relatively straightforward wins by the 4 Group winners and it was on to the semi-finals and an epic clash between two old warriors, Bill Beattie and Ian McLagan. Ian was fast off the mark winning the first two well contested games to 8 and 9.  Back came Bill and when he managed to overturn a deficit in game 3 to win to 8 that seemed to turn the tide and he edged the contest in the deciding game. In the other semi experience triumphed with Jill Milne out-hitting young Lachlann Henderson for a straight-games win in an entertaining clash.

The final proved a little one sided and although Jill did rally a little in game 3 she couldn’t land a significant blow and Bill took the prize – many congratulations Bill.

The Consolation Event was won by Carol McLean beating Eric Brown in 5 tight games.

An excellent night of competition – thanks to all the players who contributed to a friendly but competitive spirit in the Hall.

Gillis Cup Final tie:       Bill Beattie 11- 4; 11-4;  11-8  Jill Milne

 

Halliday Cup – 3 April 2023

Lilian Horton (New Kids) receives the Halliday Cup from trophy convener, Stuart Halliday

The Chris Halliday Cup was contested on the evening of Monday 3^rd April at Ward Road Gym. The competition is for 3^rd division teams other than the top two – all the other six participated with the exception of Duffers – players from the Community Group took their place.  The format is teams of 3 playing to 61 points – the players have a set order and can play a maximum of 10 and a minimum of 3 points on any one visit to the table. It is a fast and furious way of playing and totally unique to anything else we do in Dundee.

In Group 1 Sputniks, Squires and Comets squared up to each other – all the matches were close but Comets with a 61 – 57 win over Squires and 61 – 55 win over Sputniks took top spot while Squires edged out Sputniks to achieve the runners up spot.  In the other Group the wins were fairly emphatic with New Kids from St Andrews TTC remaining undefeated. The Community Group had a notable scalp seeing off Missiles 61 – 51 for 2^nd spot.

The battle of the Group 3rds saw clubmates Sputniks and Missiles slug it out with the former winning 61 - 57 in a tight tussle.  In the battle of the 2nds Squires won fairly comfortably against the Community Group 61 – 46.

That left the way open for the final and it didn’t disappoint going to the wire despite New Kids building up a double figure lead in the early stages. Chris Wroniecki was a strong player for New Kids ably backed up by the evergreen Charlie Ross and Lilian Horton. Comets faced with the big deficit however didn’t throw in the towel and eventually managed to pull level at 59 all with Ian McLagan in particular hitting a purple patch of form. At 59 all however Chris attacked and put away Ian’s serve and with the next point going the same way that was it.

An excellent night of competition – thanks to the umpires Stuart and David, the players who took their turns as umpire’s assistants and lastly to all the participants whether successful or not.

A reminder regarding the Gillis Cup this Monday (10^th April) at Ward Road Gym at 7 p.m – simply register on the night – all 3^rd division players welcome and eligible.

1^st / 2nd                  Comets 59 – 61 New Kids

3^rd / 4^th                    Squires 61 - 46 Community Group

5^th / 6^th                    Missiles 58 – 61 Sputniks

DDTTA Closed Championships – 25 February 2023

Over 20 players assembled at Ward Road Gym to contest the 2023 version of the Dundee and District Closed Championships with most in good time for a prompt 9.30 start. A busy day was expected with all the major singles and doubles titles up for grabs along with the Ballot Doubles and the Silver Bat Consolation event.

The initial stages of the Mens Singles was contested in four Groups of 4 with the top two from each qualifying for the Quarter finals while the bottom two had the consolation of the Silver Bat. One particularly notable result from the initial skirmishes was the comfortable defeat of No 1 seed Robert Toth by Paul Monteith who as a result topped the Group while Robert progressed as Runner Up. At the Quarter Final stage there was a nerve shredding encounter between Matt Craig and Ryan Docherty. Ryan somehow managed to stave off defeat in the fourth set winning 17-15 before finally succumbing 11 – 9 in a tense decider. The first semi final was one of fine margins with Robert Toth looking in trouble at 2 sets to 1 down against Andrew Nimmo who has been in magnificent form in the local leagues this season. Perhaps being over the course before stood Robert in good stead. However despite this he needed to pull out all the stops to edge out Andrew in the final set. The other semi final saw Matt Craig progress at Callum Riddoch’s expense despite the loss of the 3rd set.  Things looked good in the Final for Matt when he won a tight first set 14 – 12. You write off Robert at your peril however and he fought back to take the next three sets (two deuce sets) and the title for the umpteenth time !! Whatever happened to Robert’s conqueror from the Group stage Paul Monteith I hear you say ? – well he lost in the quarter finals to Callum Riddoch and bowed out – at least he can say he beat the Champion !!

 

Mens singles champion, Robert Toth, was presented with his trophy by Association treasurer, Dave Beveridge

The Ladies Singles Final was contested by Fiona Kinloch and Emma Bissett. Emma got off to a fast start winning the first two sets leaving Fiona in the last chance saloon. Fiona however fought back well managing to change the momentum of the match in her favour, reeling off the next three sets fairly comfortably and claiming the title again.  The Ladies Doubles final saw Elaine Forbes return from retirement to competitive action and it seemed like she had never been away. The final itself was a topsy turvy affair with Fiona and Emma winning the first and fourth sets bookending second and third set wins by Elaine and Shirley McKay. In the decider Elaine and Shirley powered ahead never to be caught and victory was their’s.  For Shirley this followed up her win in the Hardy Ballot Doubles last month – not bad for her first year playing competitive table tennis !!

Shirley McKay and Elaine Forbes (womens doubles champions).

The Mens Doubles threw up some interesting pairings none more so than Andrew Nimmo and Matt Craig. Their partnership however almost came unstuck at the very first hurdle against the Brechin duo Derek Mitchell and Aaron Robertson who were 1-0 and 2-1 up in sets before finally losing 13 – 15 in the deciding set. Aaron even managed the trick of colliding with and damaging the side wall while still winning a point ! After that scare their passage to the final was relatively straightforward while their opponents Robert Toth and Jacob Munro had to win a tricky 5 setter against Callum Riddoch and Stuart Halliday. It looked like plain sailing for Matt and Andrew in the final until Robert and Jacob edged the 3rd set 13 – 11. The fourth set was keenly fought but Matt and Andrew held their nerve to win 11 – 9 and lift the title.

Andrew Nimmo and Matt Craig (mens doubles champions)

The Veterans Singles was played as a knockout with Derek Mitchell progressing to the final courtesy of two 4 set wins, firstly against his teammate Aaron Robertson in the quarter finals then repeating the dose in the semi – finals against Iain Martin. This set up a fascinating clash with the in – form Paul Monteith and so it proved with every set a prisoner and the only surprise being the absence of the need for a deciding set. Congratulations to Paul for a hard fought and deserved win.

After their exploits in the Mens Doubles which were highlighted earlier a prominent showing in the Veteran’s Doubles might have been envisaged from Derek Mitchell and Aaron Robertson. This came to fruition and they matched up to Paul Monteith and Iain Martin in the Final. A stumble in the 3rd set caused some alarm before an 11-9 success in the 4th saw Derek and Aaron lift the Dave Groombridge trophy.

The Mixed Doubles was played in a Group of 3 with every match won in 3 straight sets. The impressive winners were Callum Riddoch and Emma Bissett with Paul Monteith and Fiona Kinloch as the runners up.

There were four entrants for the Under 21 Swilinski Young Masters Singles with Andrew Nimmo meeting Jacob Munro in the Final. The first two sets were reasonably clear cut for Andrew before an 11-8 win for Jacob in the 3rd brought some jeopardy into proceedings. Andrew kept his nerve however with an 11 – 2 triumph in the fourth set.

The Ballot Doubles returned to the old fashioned format of one set playing to 21. Unusually the day saw only two multiple winners and one of these was Paul Monteith who with partner Ryan Campbell of New Kids beat Dave Beveridge and Matt Craig in the Final. The Silver Bat (Consolation Singles) rounded off proceedings with Stuart Halliday beating Iain Martin in the Final.

An excellent day with the prizes spread fairly evenly. Thanks to all the competitors, most of whom willingly umpired, congratulations to the winners and thanks to the organisers.

Prize Winners

Mens Singles :        Winner - Robert Toth.  Runner Up – Matt Craig              

Ladies Singles :       Winner – Fiona Kinloch.  Runner Up – Emma Bissett

Vets Singles :           Winner – Paul Monteith.  Runner Up – Derek Mitchell

Under 21 Singles :  Winner – Andrew Nimmo.  Runner Up – Jacob Munro

Silver Bat :               Winner – Stuart Halliday.  Runner Up – Iain Martin

Mens Doubles :      Winners – Andrew Nimmo & Matt Craig.  Runners Up – Robert Toth & Jacob Munro

Ladies Doubles :     Winners – Elaine Forbes & Shirley McKay.  Runners Up – Fiona Kinloch & Emma Bissett

Mixed Doubles :     Winners – Callum Riddoch & Emma Bissett.   Runners Up – Paul Monteith & Fiona Kinloch

Vets Doubles :        Winners – Derek Mitchell & Aaron Robertson.  Runners Up – Paul Monteith & Iain Martin.

Ballot Doubles :        Winners – Paul Monteith & Ryan Campbell.  Runners Up – Matt Craig & Dave Beveridge.

 

Scottish National League 2022/23

L-R Stewart McGowan (TTS), Ryan Docherty, Stuart Halliday, Paul Montieth (Dundee B)

The Scottish National League concluded on Sunday 5th February at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth. Dundee and District had 4 teams all battling for promotion but with such strong divisions it was no easy task!

Dundee A had Andrew, Robert and Callum playing in a very strong division 2. The day started with a good 5-1 win against Murrayfield C with Charlie Ellis securing the win for Murrayfield beating Callum with some well disguised forehand play. Afterwards Dundee A played JK Carnbo in the battle for 2nd place and promotion into division 1. In the end, Dundee lost 5-1 with some very high quality matches that went to the stronger team in the end. Callum got the one win against Darius 3-0.

Dundee B had Paul, Stuart and Ryan who all managed to secure the big wins and get promoted from division 3. The day started off with a solid 5-1 win against a very steady Edinburgh International. Marek Domagala got the one win against Paul in 5 sets with lots of long rallies. Then Dundee B played North Merchiston who had previously beaten Dundee C. There were lots of 5 set matches but with the whole team being on top form and up for the match they managed to make it a convincing 6-0 in the end.

Dundee C had Mathew, Grant and Iain playing for them and they came into the weekend in 3rd place with an outside chance of promotion. It was a hard start to the day against a strong North Merchiston team. Mathew got the one win against Geoff Hunter with some strong play against defence. The final match of the day was against West Lothian, Dundee C came out on top with a good 4-2 win to finish in 3rd place in division 3.

Also from the area competing was Letham who just missed out in promotion in division 4. The only matches they lost were to the two teams that got promoted which gives high hopes for next season.

At the end of the day all teams had a great season and should all be very proud of their performances. Thank you to everyone involved in running the event and to all the competitors for making these days so fantastic. Here’s to next season!

 

Lower League Closed Championships

The Lower League Championships took place as planned on Saturday 28th January at Ward Road Gym with all entrants in attendance for a prompt start.

 

The Division 2 Trident Challenge was effectively a league of 5 which culminated in both hitherto undefeated players, Peter Aird and Fiona Kinloch, clashing in the final game. Despite Fiona’s best efforts to cling onto her title and a 3rd set which saw her 10-3 ahead the pre-tournament favourite Peter came out on top in straight games.

The preliminary stages of the Division 3 Event were fought in two Groups, one of 3 and another with 4 players. In the Group of 3, Bill Beattie overcame both Josey Francks and Jill Milne, dropping only one set in the process. The Group of 4 was well contested and the eventual victor, Murray Johnstone, needed to show some real battling qualities to first beat Charlie Ross in 4 sets then his club teammate Steve Stranock in a tight 5 setter. Charlie progressed to the semi finals as runner up by virtue of an excellent 4 set win over Steve. In the semi finals both Murray and Bill had reasonably untroubled passages with straight set wins over Jill and Charlie respectively and this set up an interesting final. The final was an absolute cracker with first Bill looking in command then Murray fighting back. Bill finally edged the deciding set 11-8 and took the title.

 

The Hardy Ballot Doubles threw up some interesting pairings with the smart money initially being on Steve Stranock and Jill Milne to come out on top. They didn’t however realise what an effective partnership Fiona Kinloch and Shirley McKay would form. In the final every point was a prisoner and after two tight and well contested sets Jill and Steve found themselves trailing 0 – 2. They then threatened a comeback winning the 3rd set 11-7 before Fiona and Shirley stepped on overdrive again to win the 4th.

 

The Over 25 Singles was played as a knockout with the admirable Murray Johnstone reaching his 2nd final of the day. Unfortunately for him he remained the eternal bridesmaid as it was Peter Aird he was playing and despite a good fight he couldn’t prevent Peter adding this title to the Division 2 Trident Challenge he won earlier. In the Under 25 Singles Lachlann Henderson beat Josey Francks in three well contested sets to lift the title.

 

The Fowler Handicap was played in the afternoon and it was great to welcome 1st Division players Ryan Docherty, David Hay and Andrew Nimmo into the fray. As would be expected, a tough question was asked of these 1st Division players giving sizeable leads to their opponents, nevertheless both Andrew and Ryan survived into the Semi Finals. In the first semi Andrew gave the very much in – form Murray Johnstone 19 points of a start - target 31. After a slow start Andrew slowly chipped away at Murray’s lead eventually giving a tactical masterclass of how to play on the edge and still come out on top winning 31 – 28 in the process. In the other semi Lachlann Henderson and Ryan had a great tussle with Lachlann going for the big shots and with Ryan defending and counter hitting it was great for the spectators. This time the player with the start came out on top and fortune definitely favoured the brave tactics adopted by Lachlann. In the final Andrew gave Lachlann 23 points of a start – target 31. Another great encounter with Lachlann again going for his shots while Andrew won a lot of points with his serves although when the score reached 29 – 19 there seemed no way back for Andrew. Agonisingly for Lachlann, Andrew continued to chip away at his lead and with the score precariously poised at 30 – 29 you might have thought caution would be the watchword. Lachlann was having none of that and one crashing forehand later he had secured the Fowler Handicap – hats off to both players for rounding off the day in style.

 

On now to the Closed Championships at Ward Road Gym on Saturday 25th February 2023.

 

Super Saturday winners – 10 December 2022

   Knights – Excelsior Cup winners 22/23

   Barons – Consolation Cup winners 22/23

   Defenders – Secondary Shield winners 22/23

 

 

Mylnefield Club Championships – August 2022

David Hay

Tuesday 23rd August 2022 saw 12 eager players dust off the cobwebs and battle it out for the prestigious title of Mylnefield Club Champion at WRG. 

The competition began with a knockout round of seeded players versus non seeded players. Winners progressed to two groups followed by a final playoff match between 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each group to determine final positions 1-6. Losers of the knockout stage progressed to two groups followed by a final play-off match between 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each group to determine final positions 7-12. Needless to say, there were no major upsets at the knockout stage with all 6 seeded players progressing to the winners groups and the non-seeded players heading to the ‘consolation’ groups.

David Hay and Andrew Nimmo found themselves comfortable winners of their groups and were happy to progress to the final to compete for the silverware with David taking the trophy after an exciting final match. There were close matches in the consolation groups with 5 set battles in each. Emma Bissett and Mugil Vettrivelou were both lucky to win their 5 game matches to see them finish 1st in their respective groups and compete for positions 7 and 8 with Mugil taking the 7th place spot.

Winners and runners up in both the top and bottom half of the draw were presented with medals with David Hay receiving the Mylnefield Club Champion title, trophy and bragging rights for the year.  Final positions were as follows:

1-David Hay

2-Andrew Nimmo

3-Robert Toth

4-Callum Riddoch

5-Stuart Halliday

6-Jacob Munro

7-Mugil Vettrivelou

8-Emma Bissett

9-Fiona Kinloch

10-Bill Beattie

11-Scott Wishart

12-Winnie Stein

Well done to everyone who attended and thanks to Ian McLagan who organised and co-ordinated the event. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead in the DDTTA league for all Mylnefield players.

Emma Bissett

Car, Boat, Bus & Plane – August 2022

 

L-R Ian Farquhar, John Anderson, Andy Crawford and Aaron Robertson

A group of Dundee and District players, through connections with Andy Crawford, were invited to Shetland for a weekend to help with their preparations for The Island Games.  

The Island Games was unknown to me prior to the weekend but is a fantastic set up and would best be described as the Olympic Games for small islands.  Participating countries include The Falklands, Greenland, Bahamas, Faroes and Saint Helena off South Africa, best known for being the exile location of Napoleon.  An idea of the setup is shown at the attached link which details the structure and professionalism of the organisation.   https://guernsey2023.gg/the-sports/table-tennis/

Andy Crawford, Aaron Robertson, Ian Farquhar and John Anderson set of on a drive to Aberdeen preceding a 12 hour overnight ferry to Shetland.  Up bright and early, well early anyway 6am!, on Saturday morning the team set off to find their accommodation and get in the zone which entailed a massive fry up in the New Harbour Café, highly recommended by the way.  Fuelled up they headed for the Clickimin Leisure Complex where the matches would take place.

Saturday was a team event against 4 of the top players from Shetland.  Format was 16 singles matches and 2 doubles which when concluded had a clear 14 – 4 win for the visitors though in reality the games were a whole lot closer than the score might indicate.  The sheer enthusiasm from the Shetland Association was superb, we had a crowd, we had the press, we had dedicated umpires for every match.  Brilliant day closing out with both teams going out for a meal in the evening and a few refreshments. 

Based on the success of Saturday the team unanimously agreed that another massive fry up might be the catalyst for another successful day, Aaron was so convinced he had two!!! 

Sunday was an open doubles competition with 24 players playing in 2 groups of 6 teams.  At least half were Juniors and Cadets which was fantastic to see.  Andy and John had the top two Shetland players in their group, Dawid and Ian, who had both won matches in the singles event, however a good 3-1 victory allowed them to top their division.  Ian and Aaron possibly had the easier half of the draw and won their division comfortably but still with a couple of tricky matches.   In the crossover semi finals Andy and John had a 3-1 victory to put them in the final.  Ian and Aaron were up against Dawid and Ian and were possibly the underdogs losing the first set quite heavily.  However they dug deep and turned it around for a very good 3-1 win.  So the visitors were set for the final which turned out a bit of a damp squib with a pretty clear 3-0 win for Andy and John, Ian and Aaron having put everything into their semi-final win.

 Big shout out for John Anderson who never lost a match, singles or doubles, the whole weekend.

 A quick tour of the most scenic parts of the island and then back to Sumburgh for the flight home.

 A fantastic weekend was had by all, one which we intend to reciprocate in March 23 just prior to the Inter League event in Perth.

Ian Farquhar

 

Summer league finale – August 2022

L-R Myke Keirnan, Andrew Nimmo and Charlie Ross

DDTTA’s summer league drew to a close with a flourish at WRG last week when 14 eager competitors battled it out in a final celebration evening.

The format of the night was a doubles competition with players paired up from different teams to keep things interesting and ensure a competitive evening for all. There was a group of 4 and a group of 3 battling it out for ultimate summer league doubles kudos with many close and exciting matches in both groups.  Andrew Nimmo and Heather Gunn won the group of 4, with Jie Guo and Shirley McKay coming second.  Andy Hughes and Val Kidd were champions of the group of 3, with Bill Beattie and Billy Liddle coming second. Pairings then headed to the semi finals or the consolation group depending on their initial group positions. After an incredibly close match with Andy and Val, Jie and Shirley were delighted to head to the final where they faced tough competition in Andrew and Heather, who had just fought off Bill and Billy to secure their place in the final. Despite their best efforts, Shirley and Jie ultimately lost out to the impressive Andrew and Heather who were both on top form.

All players competed in the friendly and enthusiastic manner we have come to expect from our summer league stalwarts and the night ended with a small presentation of prizes. The runners up and victors of the evening were presented with sweeties and the league winners (Andrew Nimmo, Charlie Ross and Myke Kiernan) and runners up (Sandy Pearson, Jie Guo and Lilian Horton) were presented with trophies.

Well done to everyone for making the summer league a success yet again and a big welcome to the DDTTA league to the summer league players making the leap to competitive league play this September. Here’s to another fab year of table tennis ahead and bring on summer league 2023!!

Emma Bissett

 

DDTTA Cadets Tournament

A healthy nine entrants ensured a tough, competitive evening of table tennis at Ward Road. Three sections of three players ensured two games for each player involved followed by two further singles games for each competitor with each section winner competing for the title while each second and third placed player played each other.

 

In Section A Lachlann Henderson emerged as winner but did so by the skin of his teeth following a fifth set comeback against Logan Hill before clinching the set 15-13. Mathew Milne also gave a good performance.

 

In Section B Josey Francks won a very tight four setter against Finlay Stewart with three sets going beyond eleven prior to emerging as winner. Pok ( a year younger than all other entrants ) also showed much promise.

 

In Section 3 Alex Hill saw off Thomas Morgan and Logan Clark prior to Thomas clinching second place in the group.

 

The winners group of three then produced three excellent matches with Alex defeating Josey and then Lachlan to win the trophy with Lachlann edging out Josey to take the runner up spot.

 

All players involved showed a lot of promise and special thanks must go to Guthrie Park who brought four youngsters down, all of them a credit to the Development work undertaken at the club.

 

Finally thanks to Emma Bissett who umpired and presented trophies, Andrew Nimmo, Ken Head and Callum Riddoch who umpired throughout the evening.

 

Chris Halliday Cup

Six teams gathered at WRG on Monday night for the last event of the senior season.

Split into two groups of three for the preliminary stage, Buccaneers trio of Steve, Stewart and Murray got the better of Squires and WRoGues while Duffers and New Kids couldn't halt the progression of Sputniks' Eric, Lee and Ian to the final.

In the play off for top position, the Guthrie Park side showed greater mastery of the fun scoring system to be first to reach the magic figure of 61 points .

Sputniks and Guthrie Road

 

Gillis Cup

A good turnout of eleven Division Three players signed in for this season's Gillis Cup at WRG on Monday night.

Having been organised into two groups of four and one of three, Carol McLean, Bill Beattie and Steve Stranock emerged unbeaten to reach the semi finals. Finishing second in the groups of four, Rich McLaren and Eric Brown played off  with Eric emerging to take the fourth slot in the semis.

With Bill beating Carol and Eric getting the better of Steve, the final was the second meeting of the two in the evening as they had been drawn in the same initial group. First time round, Bill had won a tight encounter 11-9 in the decider but by the final he had played himself into top form and didn't give Eric the opportunity to bring his strong forehand topspins into play.

Attached photo shows Eric and Bill demonstrating the great camaraderie shown by all the competitors on the evening.

 

Plebeians Club Championships

The Plebeians Club Championships were held at Forthill on Sunday 3rd April 2022.

In the Club Championship itself, players were divided into groups with seeds Pete Yearworth, David Sim, Grant Williams and Gary Lowson emerging to contest the semi finals.  The Holder from 2020 Pete Yearworth beat David in straight sets although he had to survive game points in the third. In the other semi Gary managed to win the 3rd set and make Grant work hard for his victory in four. In the Final it all looked plain sailing for Grant when he won the first two sets albeit they had been well contested. That notion however was quickly dispelled when Peter roared back into the match winning the next two sets to 4 and 9. In the decider it was 9 – 9 when Pete’s return agonising hit the net cord and bounced back on his side. Grant took advantage and sealed the deal with the next point – an excellent match with some great rallies – full credit to Pete for his tremendous fightback and to Grant for winning another Club title.

The Handicap Event was straight knockout with the first semi final contested by Sandy Bertie and young Alex Hill playing in his first competition. The match was played best of 3 sets and Sandy needed a final set to see off Alex’s determined challenge. Alex performed with great credit on his first appearance and impressed the assembled company. In the other semi the not so young Ian Hunter edged past Eric Brown winning the 2nd set 31-30 to stay in the contest before triumphing in the decider. The final was a tense affair with plenty cagey play and caution replacing adventure but there was a lot at stake. The first two sets changed hands both 26 – 24 before Sandy held his nerve to edge out Ian in the decider – many congratulations Sandy.

To complete the afternoon / evening there was a Ballot Doubles competition with some promising partnerships coming out of the draw. The final pitched Eric Brown and Gary Lowson against Sandy Bertie and Pete Yearworth and a well contested match saw the latter triumph 11 – 5 in the deciding set. That obviously completed a notable double for Sandy and added to his collection of Easter goodies.

A sociable afternoon was enjoyed by all with refreshments provided – I am glad to report that the bottles of beer were untouched and returned to their owner. Who said Plebs players liked a drink ??!!

Club Championship   Winner – Grant Williams                             Runner Up – Pete Yearworth  

Handicap Singles       Winner – Sandy Bertie                                 Runner Up – Ian Hunter

Drawn Doubles          Winner – Pete Yearworth / Sandy Bertie   Runner Up – Eric Brown / Gary Lowson

Sandy and Grant with their trophies

 

Tribute to Kong Wan

St Andrews Table Tennis club (SATTC) members were hugely saddened to learn of the death of Kong Wan on 26 February after a short illness. Kong (pictured) was the club’s longest-serving member and was still playing in the league at the age of 81. A leading expert in quantum mechanics at St Andrews University, Kong joined SATTC in 1982/83, represented the club’s teams with distinction in the Dundee League for forty years and served on the St Andrews’ committee for most of this time. His pen-grip style, his sportsmanship and his friendship will be greatly missed.

Judging by the messages of condolences received from other members of the DDTTA community it is evident that Kong was highly respected by his opponents and renowned for his fast and furious style of play.

 

 

Closed Championships

A good entry for the Closed Championships at WRG on Saturday 26th February saw the players enjoy  not only a high standard of table tennis but also the catch up with friends, last year's event having fallen victim to Covid restrictions.

Men's singles  : Robert Toth                                                    Runner up :  Andrew Nimmo

Men's doubles : Andrew Nimmo and David Hay                   Runners up  :  Robert Toth and Stuart Halliday

Veterans' singles : Peter Aird                                                   Runner up : Andy Crawford

Veterans' doubles : Peter Aird and Aaron Robertson Runners up : John Anderson and Andy Crawford

U'21 singles : Andrew Nimmo                                                 Runner up : Jacob Munro

Ballot doubles : Grant Williams and Andrew Nimmo          Runners up : Howard Lee and Callum Riddoch

Silver Bat Consolation Singles : Ryan Docherty Runner up : Pete Yearworth

 

Division Two and Three Championships

The Division Two & Three Championships played at Ward Road Gym on Saturday saw Fiona Kinloch hold off the challenge of all-comers to win both the Division Two and Over 25 titles. Martin Turnbull won the Division Three title and overall there was a good spread of winners from local clubs.

D2 Trident Challenge :    winner Fiona Kinloch ( Mylnefield)             r-up   Louis MacLeod ( St Andrews)

D3 Challenge                 : winner Martin Turnbull ( St Andrews)            r-up    Andy Reid  ( Plebeians)

O'25s Champs                : winner Fiona Kinloch                                        r-up   Bill Beattie ( Mylnefield)

Fowler Handicap            : winner  Steve Stranock ( Guthrie Park)         r-up    Andy Reid

Hardy Ballot Doubles     : winners Sandy Pearson (St Andrews)& Bill Beattie       r-up Jill Milne (Plebians) & Martin Turnbull

 

 

 

Congratulations to the DDTTA team who travelled to Derby at the weekend to complete the second series of matches in the British Junior League.

Adrenaline for the event actually started midweek when David Hay had to withdraw through injury and reserve Euan Steel was unavailable to step in at short notice. With dad's Neil and Peter and Treasurer Dave combining frantically on the admin front, Nathan Hogg from Ayrshire was registered as a late substitute so that Andrew Nimmo and Jacob Munro did not have to play short handed ---- and indeed it proved a great move as Nathan went through the weekend unbeaten.

In five matches, the team won four and drew one and when these were combined with Series One results, DDTTA were clear winners of Division Six with 17points, three ahead of their closest rivals. Over the two weekends, as well as Nathan having 10 wins from 10, David won 9 from 10, Andrew won 14 from 20 and Jacob won 10 from 20--- a tremendous performance in their first outing in this event.

 

Jacob Munro earns a place to Represent Scotland at British Schools, two other great Dundee player performances Scottish Secondary Schools Championship – 5^th Feb 2022

Saturday 5th February saw 3 young players from the Dundee area compete in the Scottish Secondary Schools Championship at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth.

Jacob Munro ( St John’s) and Euan Steel (Arbroath High) played in the under 18s category and Lachlann Henderson from Monifieth High competed in the under 14s.

The top 4 players in each age category get the opportunity to represent Scotland at the Schools Home Internationals weekend in June. All players put in good performances with Jacob Munro finishing second place in his morning group with one win and one loss. This saw him progress to a round robin where he was competing for positions 1-4.

Euan Steel also put in a good win in his morning group to finish 3rd. This saw him progress to a round robin to compete for positions 5-8.

 The round robin for positions 1-4 was incredibly close ending up in a three way count back to determine positions 2-4. After a hard fought 5 set win against Ryyan Khalid, Jacob lost 3-0 to Charlie MacGowan which saw him finish 4th. This means Jacob has qualified to represent Scotland in the under 18s B team. Congratulations Jacob!

Euan Steel put in good performances in his round robin and finished a respectable 5th. This means Euan is first reserve for the u18 boys teams for the Home Countries Internationals.

In the under 14s category relative newcomer to Scottish tournaments Lachlann, put in impressive performances as he held his own at this level and lost two close five setters in his group. After finishing last in his morning group, Lachlann showed excellent composure as he went on to win a match in the consolation event. All youngsters performed well and were a credit to themselves, their schools and the DDTTA.

We wish Jacob the best of luck when representing Scotland and look forward to closely following his progress at the British Schools event and beyond.

 

Final round of Scottish National League fixtures – 6^th Feb 2022

Sunday 6th February saw four determined teams from the area gather at Bell’s Sports Centre once again for the final round of SNL fixtures. With all still to play for from the previous rounds it was make or break time for the teams in their final two matches of the season.

In Division 1, Dundee A were fighting hard to avoid relegation. Despite many chances and close five setters they were disappointed to lose 4-2 to a tough Murrayfield B side. Robert Toth and Andrew Nimmo each contributed a win against Gordon Muir and Charlie Ellis respectively to bring the match score to a nail biting 3-2 going into the final match. Callum Riddoch and Charlie Ellis put on a fantastic show for their supporters with a close fought five setter that ended with a 15-13 win for Charlie. Unfortunately, the points continued to elude Dundee A in their second match of the day against North Ayrshire B with a 5-1 loss. Andrew Nimmo was undisputed star of the match with his impressive five set victory against Ryan Hendry. Teammates Callum and Robert were frustrated not to join him on the score board as they both lost close five setters against tricky opponent Andy MacPherson. Dundee A finished the day in 7th place, second bottom of the division and firmly in the relegation zone. No doubt they will be looking to dust themselves off and fight for promotion from Division 2 next year.

In Division 2, Dundee B had a similar fight on their hands to avoid relegation. They managed to pick up a point against Stirling in their first match of the day with a 3-3 draw. Paul Montieth was once again star of the show winning both of his matches with teammate Stuart Halliday contributing a solid 3-0 win against Brian Hunter to secure the draw. Unfortunately, there were no points to be had in their final match of the day against ultimate Division 2 winners Glasgow South A. Jacob Munro and Paul Montieth were both disappointed to lose out in five sets to Cameron Hussain as the Dundee side struggled to get any wins under their belt. Even more crushing was the final match of the game which saw former league mate Mark Lundberg defeat Paul to bring the Glasgow score to 6-0 and doom the Dundee side to relegation. Dundee B finished 7th place and were devastated by the fact that only one more win would have seen them safe in division 2.

Things were once again a lot sunnier in Division 4 with Dundee C unlucky to miss out on promotion finishing 3rd place. They started their day with a respectable 3-3 draw against Murrayfield E. Ryan Docherty was star of the match winning both of his matches with teammate Iain Martin contributing a win against Leandro Golinski to secure the draw. Youngster Euan Steel was unlucky to lose out 18-16 in the final match of the fixture against Jamie Toner. Dundee C had a strong finish to their SNL campaign with a convincing 6-0 win against Drumpchapel C.

Guthrie Park had a mixed final day finishing 4th place just 2 points behind Dundee C. They got off to a rocky start with a 4-2 loss against a strong Drumchapel B team. John Anderson and Ian Farquhar each contributed a win with Aaron Robertson unlucky to lose in five sets in each of his matches. Their fortunes changed in the afternoon fixture with a 5-1 win against Nuffield Health Milngavie. It was a great team performance with all players contributing wins and Aaron more than making up for his close losses of the morning with two strong wins. Both teams competed brilliantly in a strong division and will no doubt be looking to push for promotion next year.

Despite the ups and downs it has been a good all-round season for Dundee with all players happy to return to competitive table tennis at a high level. We look forward to next year with teams hopefully competing in Divisions 2, 3 and 4.