Latest News
League Formation -2023/24 Season
Following the continued growth of the League - bucking national trends! - we have seen an increase in teams for the forthcoming season from 28 to 31. This is excellent news for the League and a good indicator of the strength of the game in the Worksop area.
After much discussion and consideration the League Committee have approved the following formation for the League for the 2023/24 season.
Div 2
Div 3
To All League Members
The 2023 European Para Table Tennis Championships will be held in Sheffield between 4th-9th September.
They will require lots of volunteers to ensure that the event runs smoothly. If you are interested in helping out, please fill in the following online form: https://form.jotform.com/231662318434050
Summer League Report
Yesterday evening saw the culmination of this year’s Summer League.
Five weeks ago 24 players from all three divisions and all ages joined the Summer League which this year was played on an individual basis using a handicap system to account for the varying abilities of players. Two pools of 12 players competed on Monday and Thursday at St. Pauls Church Hall, home of Spin Table Tennis Club. All players played each other in a single game to 31 and at the end of four weeks the top eight players won through to a finals tournament.
The finals Tournament had players from both the first and third division and they competed in two Pools on the same basis as outlined above. Once all players had completed their matches they were positioned first to fourth in their Pool. The fourth players in each pool then had a play off for 7th and 8th place, the third in each group for 5th and 6th place and so on.
The top two players in each Pool were Sam Batty and Kerry Harvey. Although Sam had a handicap advantage it was difficult to see from the standard of play who was the more experienced player with Sam playing some outstanding table tennis for such a young player. Sam’s game proved to be too good for Kerry and he took the first place spot and with it a cash prize of £50!
Congratulations to all who have played in the Summer League this year and especially to the eight players who won through to the Finals Tournament. All eight finalists won prize money ranging from £5 -50 but the experience gained by all players was probably more important than any monetary gain.
The final position of each of the finalists was:
1st Sam Batty
2nd Kerry Harvey
3rd Simon Chatterton
4th Mark Fisher
5th Harrison Holland
6th Harry Clarke
7th Kartik Lakhani
8th Glenn Gillgrass
Once again congratulations to Sam Batty on his win and what a confidence boost as he prepares to compete in the First Division this coming season.
Season’s Round-Up
League Ups and Downs!
Congratulations to players Chris Cattell and Terry Emmerson of Welfare A who won the League and became Division 1 champions taking it by 4 points from the Hodthorpe squad of Simon Chatterton, Kerry Harvey, David Kelly, Ronan Kelly and Jack Fieldsend, who pushed them all the way.
At the other end of the table the combined experience and youth of Andy Lee and Harrison Holland secured their Division 1 status over Harriers X who are relegated to Division 2 after just one season in the top tier.
The Division 2 title went down to the wire with the last game of the season seeing Harriers D win the final match against fellow title contenders Manton Tigers 4 sets to 1. This tied both teams on 70 points, but as the squad of Nigel Stent, Dennis Learad, Paul Linfield and Adam Hamilton of Harriers D had a better ratio of sets against the Manton Tigers squad of Bill Bateman, Steve Beeston, Ron Firth and Dave Bowns in their three matches, they are Division 2 Champions and can look forward to playing next season in Division 1.
At the other end of the table the Harriers B squad of Neil Fisher, Dave Lyus and Aziz Saiepour just manged to hold off the Manton Sports squad of John Lowde, Alan Wilson and Keith Swift, by one point to secure their second division future.
The Division 3 title was also a closely contested affair with the youngest squad in the league of Sam Batty, Ethan Houghton and Oscar Thompson of Blits Redlands Bats taking the title and promotion to the second division by four points from Mark Fisher and Jim Booth of Spin Devils.
Congratulations to all players in all teams across all three divisions for what has been a highly competitive season.
Divisional Trophies
Congratulations to Blitz Redlands Avengers who defeated Hodthorpe in the final of the Dave Hooton Trophy by 421 to 361
The Second Division Reg Wilcox Trophy was won by Manton Sports who defeated Manton Tigers in the final by 531 to 434
Finally, congratulations to Harriers C who won the third division trophy by defeating Happy Valley Ping Pong Real Deal by 480 to 451.
Cup Matches
Carnation Cup
Congratulations to the pairing of Mark Cooper and Sam Batty who defeated Jeff Reay and Harry Clarke 3 sets to 2 in the final of the Carnation Cup (See separate match report).
Mike Tunningley Shield
Congratulations to Mark Short, Sarah Short and Will Short of Blitz Redlands Avengers who defeated Dan Saul, Harrison Holland and Issy Saul of Spin Wizards by 378 to 338.
Worksop Masters
Mark Short defeated Steve Fox and Sarah Short in the round robin knock out to secure a place in the final against Dave Kelly who defeated defending champion Chris Cattell and Adam Gittings on his way to the final.
In the final the skill and experience of Mark Short proved to be too strong for his opponent, taking the Worksop Masters title 3:0.
Second Finals Night Results
On Tuesday of this week the remaining finals from the Annual Championships were played at Stanley Street Sports & Social Club in front of a very good number of spectators.
The first match to the table saw youth versus experience in the Second Division Singles match between Adam Hamilton and Dilip Malkan. A nervous start by Adam saw Dilip take the first game easily 11:2. However, the second and third games were much more closely contested but on this occasion the experience of Dilip proved to be too strong and he took the title 3 games to 0.
The Veterans 50+ was between Chris Cattell and Jeff Reay. Chris was on good form and he proved to be too strong for Jeff as he took the title 3 games to 0.
The Open Doubles saw the father and son duo of Mark and Will Short take on the experienced duo of Phil Walton and Terry Emmerson. This could have been a match where the less experienced Will might have found the pressure too much. However, the opposite was true and he played extremely well and, ably supported by Mark, they took title 3 games to 0.
In the next match it was another case of youth versus experience in the Handicap Singles. The youngster, Sam Batty, who had already shown his quality taking the Cadet Singles, 3rd Division Singles and Doubles titles, had an 8 point advantage over his first division opponent Farrel Anthony in a best of three match to 21 points. In the first game it looked as if Farrel would take the game as he clawed back the handicap and almost drew level with Sam. However, Sam remained calm and played some excellent points to take the first game 21:17. Taking the first game clearly gave Sam the confidence to go for his shots in the second game and he took it comfortably 21:12 and his fourth title to cap off a very impressive season as he and his team are looking odds on to win the 3rd Division title and promotion to Division 2.
The Veterans 40+ brought husband and wife Mark and Sarah Short to the table. In a quality match Mark proved to be too good for Sarah and he took the title by 3 games to 0.
In the Division 2 Doubles the pairing of Nigel Stent and Adam Hamilton proved to be just too good for the pairing of Neil Penny and Greg Snape taking the title winning 3 close games to 0.
The penultimate match was the Veterans 60+ match between Phil Walton and Farrel Anthony. Phil took the first game 11:7 only for Farrel to comeback and take the second 11:6. The third game was the longest of the evening in any of the matches played and was eventually won by Farrel 18:16. Farrel then went on to take the fourth 11:9 and the title 3 games to 1.
The final event was the Open Singles match between Mark Short and Terry Emmerson. The match was very closely contested with some excellent play by both players. Terry took the first game 11:9 and at 9:6 in the second looked to be on for a two game lead. However, Mark had other ideas and he fought back and eventually took the game 13:11. The third game went to Mark 11:5 and another closely contested fourth game went to deuce before Mark took it 13:11 and the title 3 games to 1.
Thank you to Pete Eyre and Mark Sansom for setting up the court for both nights.
Thank you to all our finalists, across both nights, for providing spectators with some excellent table tennis which without exception was played in a very sporting manner and was a great advert for table tennis in Worksop and District.
Congratulations to all of the winners of the 15 different titles from the Annual Championships and we look forward to celebrating their success at the Annual Presentation Dinner later this year.
Divisional Results Update
As we enter the final week or two of matches the race for the divisional champions couldn’t be closer and the same can also be said for teams trying to avoid possible relegation.
In Division 1, Welfare A have a three point advantage over Hodthorpe so need just three points from their final match against Blitz Redlands Chargers to take the title. Hodthorpe will be hoping for a Welfare A slip up and that they can take all the points from their match against Welfare B to snatch the title away from the Welfare A team.
At the other end of the table the fight to avoid relegation is between Harriers X and Spin Generation. Just one point separates the two teams but Spin Generation do have a game in hand. However, the final match of the season sees both teams playing each other in what could be the decider as to which team faces the drop!
The Division 2 title race is also too close to call. Manton Tigers currently lead the division by six points over their closest rival Harriers D, but they have played one game more. As with the Division 1 title it could all come down to the last game of the season when the two title contenders play each other in what is likely to be the title decider.
At the bottom of the table Manton Sports and Harriers B are both on 26 points but Harriers have a game in hand. The penultimate game of the season will see both sides playing each other and this could well be the match to decide who finishes bottom and at risk of relegation.
Division 3 is also closely contested with the young players of Blitz Redland Bats needing only three points from their remaining fixture against Spin Particles to take the title ahead of Spin Devils who need to take all the points from Blitz E-Originals if they are to have any hope of taking the title.
A fantastic season with many closely contested matches played in good spirit and how good it is that even at this stage title and relegation outcomes still hang in the balance.
Annual Championships First Finals Night
Yesterday evening saw the first six finals from the Annual Championships played at Stanley Street Sports & Social Club.
In the first event, Cadet Singles, there was a very close match between Sam Batty and Harry Clarke. Sam just managed to edge each game winning 12:10, 11:9, 11:8 to take the title.
Next to the table were the four finalists for the Draw Doubles. On the night the pairings were drawn and it was Tom Ogley and Terry Emmerson who took the title with a three games to one win over Pete Eyre and Harrison Holland.
In the Ladies Singles there was a very close encounter between two excellent players. Sarah Short took the first game 14:12 only for Lea Dickinson to come back with a spirited fight back and take the second game 12:10. In the next two games Sarah proved to be just too strong and won 11:8 and 11:9 to take the title.
The Division Three Doubles saw the finalists from the Cadet Singles, Sam Batty and Harry Clarke, unite to become surely the youngest winners of this event by defeating the father and daughter team of Dan and Issy Saul.
In the next match the League's two best juniors took to the table for what proved to be a tense and close encounter in the Junior Singles. Harrison Holland took the first game 11:8 only for Will Short to come back by taking the second game by the same score. The third game went to Harrison 11:8 and then in the fourth there was never more than a point or two between the young players with the game eventually going to Harrison 13:11 for him to retain the title he won last year.
The final match of the night was one of high quality play between Lea Dickinson and Terry Emmerson in the 18-40 Singles. Lea took the first game 12:10 but Terry proved to be just too strong taking the next three games and the title by three games to one.
Congratulations to all the finalists on providing an entertaining night of table tennis.
The second finals night will be on Tuesday 14th March, also at Stanley Street Sports & Social Club. All are welcome to come along and support the finalists and enjoy a great evening of table tennis at a superb venue.
Mike Tunnigley Shield Semi-Finals Results
Last evening the semi-finals of the MTS took place at St Paul's.
Blitz Redlands Avengers defeated Spin Demons and in the other semi-final Spin Wizards came out on top against Real Deal.
Congratulations to the players of Blitz Redland Avengers, Mark Short, Sarah Short and Will Short and the players of Spin Wizards, Harrison Holland, Dan Saul and Issy Saul who are all now looking forward to playing the final within the next few weeks
Ken Monk's Funeral Arrangements
Please be advised that Ken's funeral will be at St John's church in Carlton-in-Lindrick S81 9EG on Tuesday 7th March at 2.00pm for any one that would like to attend.
Nottinghamshire County Honours
Congratulations to Will Short who has been selected again to represent County Juniors in March and to Sam Batty for his first selection to represent the County Cadets also in March.
Both players have worked very hard this season to improve their game and are now reaping the rewards for all of their efforts.
A fantastic achievement for two local Worksop players!