Southport Table Tennis Club

Wednesday 24th June

Thursday 2nd July

…then every Thursday until September.

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Congratulations to the ‘D’ team juniors on gaining promotion as Division 3 winners! They achieved this feat in only their 2nd season of competitive play, and dropped a mere 18 points out of 180. Their total of 162 points was the highest for any winning team, in any division, in the last 4 years, and their margin over the 2nd placed team was also the biggest.

At this year’s League AGM, the juniors of Southport ‘D’ received a very well deserved trophy as Division 3 Winners. click the pic

The achievement was all the more remarkable when you consider that the very same squad ended the previous season in 7th position. This improvement was no accident: the whole team has put in a lot of time and effort, has turned up regularly for practice sessions at Formby Table Tennis Centre and has competed at weekends for Merseyside Schools.

I think we also need to recognise the vital contributions made by people other than the boys, and we would like to thank the parents for their encouragement and support throughout the season; Dave Graham of Formby TTC for his coaching; captain and coach Paul Lunan for so much more than the points he gained for the team; members of the League management committee for organising the league and cup competitions; other members of Southport TTC for helping out in the practice sessions; and even opponents for providing the competition and for their helpful words of encouragement.

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From 21st May, through to the end of August, we will have a simplified arrangement for weekly practice:

• Thursdays will be the only practice night, and I have booked the sports hall from 7pm till 10pm
• the session will be split to ensure that players get the most appropriate training
  • the period from 7pm till 8pm or thereabouts will be reserved for non-league players and weaker players who would appreciate more intensive coaching; given that we are a table tennis club, rather than a social club, the aim of these practice sessions is to improve the “newcomers” so they are able to compete in the lower division of the League from September onwards
  • the period from 8pm till 9.45pm will be reserved for those of higher playing strength; the aim here is to hone the skills of the rapidly developing younger league players and to retain the skills and fitness of the older players.

There is one exception to the Thursday bookings: the hall will not be available on the 25th June, so the practice session will be on Wednesday 24th June instead.

Alan Nolan

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The juniors of Southport ‘D’ celebrated their win over Formby Holy Trinity ‘C’ in Tuesday’s Gunson Plate final, pictured here with coach and manager, Paul Lunan.

The match was keenly contested, but played in a very friendly atmosphere, and both teams had plenty to smile about afterwards. First Division team Formby HT ‘C’ gave away a 180-point advantage to their Division 3 opponents, and such a margin proved too great for the more experienced team against the agility and confidence of the youngsters.

At the half way stage, Formby had clawed back only 70 points and still needed to recover a further 110 from the remaining 4 games to draw level. Southport ‘D’ had not looked like dropping this many points at any stage, and indeed dropped only another 40 points to give a winning margin of 70.

The match was played throughout in a great spirit, and it was a treat to see so many of the parents there to support their lads.

Ray Hibbs kindly gave up his evening to officiate and to umpire all the games. Both teams were indebted to him and to St Teresa’s for once again allowing the use of their club for the venue.

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The lads of third division Southport ‘D’ team (average age 14) will play first division Formby Holy Trinity ‘C’ (average age somewhat more than 14 ) in the final of the Gunson Plate handicap on Tuesday 24th March at St Teresa’s.

In the semi-finals, the juniors beat a strong Formby HT ‘E’ by just 4 points, after allowing for Formby’s 60 point advantage, whilst Formby HT ‘C’ easily overcame a 140-point handicap to beat Southport ‘C’ by 31 points.

We have now learned that the juniors will start with a 180-point advantage so perhaps the balance has swung in their favour, but it’s still going to be a close match with youthful exuberance pitted against guile and experience.

Don’t miss it - tonight at St Teresa’s CMS Club.

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Two of our teams continued their run of form in the final months of the season. The ‘C’ team ended a dismal season with their joint-second best performance (ignoring an earlier walkover), losing 6-4 at Deyes High to finish bottom of Division 2 with a measly 41 points. In marked contrast the ‘D’ team, consisting of Paul Lunan (captain, coach and manager), Danny Houghton, Jonathan Cummins, Danny Woods, Ollie Valentine and Jamie Wordsworth, finished off a superb league season with two 9-1 and three 10-0 victories to end with a points tally of 162 out of a maximum of 180. Looking back over the last 5 years, I cannot find any other team winning promotion with a 90% average. Well done, the lads!

After losing key players for much of the season, the ‘A’ team has recovered somewhat to finish around mid-table in Division 2, and the ‘B’ team looks as though it may also hang onto Division 2 status for next year.

In Division 3, the ‘E’ team has done really well, and currently lies in 2nd place, though it is likely to be overtaken by Formby HT ‘E’ if they play their outstanding matches. The very young ‘F’ team has certainly not been disgraced, and would probably have finished third from bottom if Argyle ‘C’ had not had 1st Division standard Ben Aitken playing for much of the season. Most of the lads are not yet 13½ years old, and will surely make great strides next season.

The final league tables should be available within the next few weeks, so look out for the next instalment.

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Anon Cup Semi-final Draw

Anon Plate Semi-final Draw

Matches to be played in the week commencing 9th March 2009.

Gunson Cup Semi-final Draw

Gunson Plate Semi-final Draw

Matches to be played in the week commencing 9th March 2009. Handicap points shown next to the team receiving the advantage.

Home team captains to contact opponents and offer two possible dates.

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St Teresa’s once again hosted the finals night of the Southport & District Closed Championships, and what a night it turned out to be. Four of the nine contests went to 5 sets, in each case the last set being won by only 2 points. Throughout the evening, there was a high standard of table tennis, mainly of the attacking variety, and we were privileged to witness some amazing rallies.

Here’s a quick run down on the matches played:

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The hall will be available for Junior Practice on 3rd February, Adult Practice on 5th February, and for general practice on 19th February. The original practice dates of 12th and 26th are cancelled.

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These will once again be held at Formby Table Tennis Centre (Formby High School), and will be on Sunday, 15th February. A downloadable entry form, listing the events and entry fees, is available from the Southport & District website.

I enjoyed the day last year, and have entered again - not expecting to do any better, but simply for the enjoyment and experience of playing different (and often better) opponents.

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