New Table Tennis Champion Paul Martins Takes Crown

A record entry of 16 competitors lined up last Sunday afternoon in the annual Club Towers Table Tennis Championships. 

The competition ran in a Monrad format where all players are guaranteed a set number of matches and a final ranking.  Unlike a knockout tournament, no player is eliminated, and instead, players are paired against opponents of similar ability in subsequent rounds based on their previous results.  This produced some very tightly contested matches as players vied for places on the ladder, all played in a great spirit.

The early rounds passed quickly as players found their feet (some having not played since their Corfu holiday in 1988!) but by the third round, the pairings were starting to even out and some cagey battles ensued!  There was a war of attrition in the first of the semi-finals between number 1 seed, Paul Martins and the 2023 runner up, Athar Ahmed. Athar took the first game, rattling Paul with his mixture of disguise and patience.  However, Paul quickly found his range with some excellent attacking loops to take the second and subsequent two games to reach his first final; 3-1 to Paul.

The second semi-final featured reigning champion Ian Thomas against the 2022 runner up Dave Albone in a real see-saw match.  Both players showed their attacking instincts in the early stages, with never more than a couple of points between them so with the scores level at 2-2, the scene was set for a nail-biting finish.  Ian raced to a 4-0 lead but was pared back by Dave who won the next 6 points by making full use of the table.  With 2 match points at 10-8, the crowd fell silent, but Ian dug in and managed to level back to 10 all.  Sadly for Ian, it was to no avail as Dave managed to hold on, coming out an eventual winner 13-11.

So, onto the final matches which is where the competition really started to heat up!  A family affair saw Sri Sreedhara matched against his son Riddha for the 9^th/10^th play off place with Sri claiming family bragging rights in an epic 3-2 battle!  Another close match featured Paul Armstrong against a clearly experienced and talented Joe Wille, which saw Paul emerging the 3-2 winner to claim 5^th spot – well done Paul.

At the top end of the ladder, the 3^rd/4^th play off saw a replay of the 2023 final, with Ian Thomas and Athar Ahmed resuming their closely fought rivalry. Ian just managed to pip Athar 3-1 in four very close games.

And so, onto the final between newcomer Paul Martins and the very experienced Dave Albone.  Like all top athletes, Paul kept himself warm between the semi-final and final by playing half an hour’s tennis while Dave quietly meditated courtside .  Some excellent shots and defensive blocking ensued with both players showing their attacking instincts. Gradually, Paul’s slightly better movement and devastating loops started to pay dividends as he took the first game by no more than a couple of points.  By that point, however, Paul had really started to find his range and stepped up his attacking game to take the next two sets, despite some valiant defensive work by Dave, to win the match and his first championship 3-0.  Well done, Paul!

Congratulations to all participants. We hope for a great entry again next year.  Massive thanks are due to Ian Thomas, who did a fabulous job of organising the event – thanks Ian!

Don’t forget racquets members can book the table tennis table on weekend afternoons from 2pm on squash court 4. Please remember you must wear clean, indoor sports shoes. Your outdoor trainers must not be worn on the squash courts.