Posts in category: Masters

A comprehensive series of events has been arranged within Ulster for both 40s and 60s, and
ranking lists in each category will be produced after each event. The final ranking positions
will be taken from the best 7 of the 10 tournaments plus points gained in the 40s and 60s
categories in the 2 Irish Masters events held in Ulster, the Glenburn and the St. Anne’s Ulster
Masters.

Ranking points will be awarded to Ulster players participating in each of these 12 events on
the following basis (non-Ulster players will be excluded from points) –
Winner 150
Runner-up 100
Semi 75
Quarters 50
Last 16 25
Last 32 10
Last 64 5

Rankings will be updated after each event by Norman McBride, and all organisers are asked
to email Norman at [email protected] with full results urgently.

The overall winner in each category will receive a perpetual trophy to be retained for one
year, the winners and runners-up will receive a memento.

The Ulster Closed 40s winner will also receive the Frank Spalding Memorial Trophy.

The Interpro Teams will be selected shortly after the Ulster Closed, which will be the last
event to count for selection. It is intended that 4 men and 2 ladies will be selected, subject to
participation in relation to ladies. The selectors are Norman Nabney and Norman McBride.

Selection criteria –
2 men will be selected from 40s rankings, the number 1 in the Ulster 40s rankings and the
Ulster player highest in the Irish 40s rankings. If the same player qualifies from both ranking
lists, the number 2 in the Ulster 40s rankings will gain the second automatic place
The selectors will then pick 2 wild cards. The criteria to be considered for these selections
will include Irish and Ulster rankings, results this season against likely Interpro opponents
(particularly those from Leinster), previous performances in Interpros and tournaments, and
events missed primarily through illness or injury.

For the ladies we have a very small pool, and we will select according to tournament results
and availability.

The last – and most prestigious – event of a season which started last August was held in Palmerstown on 22nd April, and as always it was very well supported. Finishing time was almost 11pm, but all the events were played to a conclusion.

40’s

Daryl was favourite for the 40s but had a low seeding position due to earlier injury and illness. He had probably the hardest possible draw but duly made his way to the final with wins over Rita Kacsandi (in his group), second seed Phil (who had lost to Marcus in his group), Rory in a tough 5 setter, and top seed Tibor 3-0 (12-10, 11-3, 11-8). In the bottom half Rita prospered, taking out Pat, Paul Gallagher, and then Marcus in 5 sets (15-13, 7-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4).

The final was a classic. Daryl won 11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6, after Rita had saved match points in the third. Both players attacked and counter-attacked with style and quality, Rita’s punched backhands and difficult serves were a constant threat, but Daryl was a worthy, though tired, winner of his sixth Irish 40s title.

There was only likely to be one winner of the Ladies’ event. Rita, proficient as ever, won her group without dropping a game, with Anne Marie runner-up. Ikuko was third and Renata Gadula fourth. In the other group Susan beat Ger 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, to win the group, with Sharon third and Joanna Zeweld was fourth.

In the crossover semi-final matches, Rita dropped a game to Ger, winning 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, and Anne Marie overcame Susan 11-9, 11-6, 11-9. Rita was ruthless in the final, beating Anne Marie 11-6, 11-7, 11-6.

50’s

The 50s, which was the last event of the day, produced surprises, shocks, and fireworks. In the pick of the last 16 matches, Rod McKirgan beat Philip Shaw deuce in the fifth (11-7, 8-11, 11-2, 10-12, 12-10), Paul Gallagher beat Mark McAllister 11-9, 11-6, 11-7, Des Flanagan had a titanic struggle to beat Tommy Fitzgerald 3-11,11-6, 16-18, 11-9, 12-10, and Sean McAnaney was taken to a close fifth by Dave Pemberton,11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7.

There were no shocks in the quarters as Tibor beat Des, Sean beat Paul, Daryl beat Dave Gibbons, and Pat McCloughan beat Rod, with only Pat dropping a game. In the semis Daryl overpowered Pat while Sean was leading 2-1 when Tibor conceded.

Daryl was a heavy favourite to win the final, his twelfth match of the day – Sean was also in his second final – but Sean had a straightforward game-plan. Defend for his life, and if he had an opportunity play an occasional aggressive shot. The redoubtable Derry player has improved immeasurably since our sport recommenced after the enforced covid break. Last year he won the National 60s, this year it was the 50s. It was a hard-fought 3-1 victory, crucially he won the third with an uncharacteristic forehand winner; he then recovered in the fourth from a 2-6 deficit to lead 10-6 and was able to close it out for an unexpected but popular win – a fitting end to the last match of our season.

60’s

The 60s is becoming more competitive each season, and there are now several potential winners, with no-one standing out as clear favourite. It was great to see former Irish international Jimmy Robinson taking time out from conquering the ice-cream world and we hope that his comeback will continue next season.

Highlights in the early knockout stages included Tommy Fitzgerald beating Dave Pemberton 3-0, Terry Dolan worked hard to beat Connacht team-mate Kariem 3-1, Des Flanagan coming from behind to beat Fergal O’Hagan 11-8 in the fifth, and Jeremy Lappin beating Keld Jaksland 3-1. Most of the last 8 matches were relatively straightforward, with the semi-finals resulting in Sean beating Terry 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7, and Des overcoming Philip 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6.

So the stage was set for a final with more than a title at stake. This was the fifth time in 3 tournaments that Sean and Des, travelling companions and team-mates in the Omagh club, had met, and while Sean was already confirmed as Irish no.1, Des needed to win to secure his place on the Irish team. He did so in fine style, 11-4, 12-10, 4-11, 11-4.

And so to the 70s, keenly contested as always, except for those who had the misfortune to run into Tommy Caffrey, who sailed into the final without being troubled by Ken Peare or Albert Coulter, runner-up last year. Title-holder Norman had a nightmare in his group, losing 3-1 to Albert. In the three games Albert won, he dropped only six points in total! Norman was then pitted against perennial rival Brian Finn, just emerging the winner 11-9 in the fifth – about an average score when those two meet. Norman beat Jeremy Lappin 3-0 in the semi, but in doing so by common consent he used up an entire season of nets and edges! The first game in the final was close 11-9, but once Tommy had that one under his belt he won the next 2 11-6, 11-5.

It has been great to note the increase in numbers this season. Given that the Nationals is an event restricted to players who are qualified to represent Ireland, there is a slight drop in the number of competitors, but the figures stack up well – 40s 24, 50s 27, 60s 25, 70s 13, Ladies 12.

Finally, sympathy for the organisers who have to deal with ever-increasing pressure to finish at a reasonable hour. A big thank you to these organisers, particularly Dave and Sharon Gibbons, and Dave Pender. The assistance from Ger, Anne Marie and Jim was invaluable. The contribution by Viv and Teresa at the top table is greatly appreciated. It was also good to see TT Ireland President Tony Martin paying us a visit and presenting some of the awards.

The Vet’s hosted a very successful Veterans Tournament on Saturday the 11th of March in Dungannon. St. Anne’s (Dungannon) was a very successful venue for the latest in the Irish Masters events, with competitors travelling from all 4 provinces. With the advantage of a relatively early start and the use of 12 tables, play concluded by 7.30pm. Consolation singles and playoff matches were also played, which gave competitors additional games.

The morning started with the 40s, where there were few surprises. Kudos to Rory who had flown in from GB, to be told that his hire car was not available, so he travelled from Aldergrove by taxi. His reward was a quarter-final win over Phil 3-0 but was then blitzed by the invincible Ukrainian Oleg whose path to the final was untroubled. In the bottom half Mervyn Taylor made it through to the last 8, losing 3-1 to 2^nd seed Tibor. Daryl, in an unaccustomed low seeding position after illness, beat Pat 3-0 to reach the semi, where he and Tibor played the match of the day. Daryl lost the 1^st and 3^rd games, the 5^th was neck and neck, and eventually Daryl won it 12-10. So often Daryl finds a way to win the tight matches. This was a great advertisement for Masters table tennis. Oleg then beat Daryl 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10. Everything Daryl threw at him Oleg returned, frequently from back at the barrier, and often with his very powerful backhand. Daryl had a chance to take it to a 5^th but in the end Oleg was just too ‘strong’(sorry!).

Daryl was favourite in the 50s, though having only qualified for that age-group in January he was unseeded. Top seed was Tibor, and the shock of the day was when he lost in the last 16 to Craigavon’s vastly improved Fergal O’Hagan in 4 games. Dave Gibbons then disposed of Fergal 3-1 but lost in the semi 3-0 to Daryl. 2^nd seed was Pat McCloughan who duly reached the semi with a 3-1 win over Des Flanagan. Meanwhile local hero Rod McKirgan battled through to the semi with a last 16 win over Sean McAnaney 3-2 and a 3-0 victory over Mark McAlister. Rod excelled himself by reaching the final with a 1^st ever win over Pat 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9. Daryl won his 2^nd consecutive 50s with a hard-fought victory though he did drop the 1^st game, scores were 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-3.

We then moved to the 60s which was always going to be a very open event. The 2 finalists from the Connacht event, Des and Sean, were drawn in the same group as amazingly they had been at Connacht! Sean was top seed, Des beat him in the group and then progressed to the final with a semi win over Dave Pender 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4. The top 2 seeds were now in the bottom half, Sean had a surprisingly straightforward last 8 victory over Philip Shaw 11-7, 11-4, 11-8. Jeremy Lappin reached the semi with a nail-biting win over Fergal 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10. Sean beat Jeremy 3-1 and met Des for the 4^th time in 2 tournaments. Des reversed the Connacht final result, winning 10-12, 11-9, 11-4, 11-4, this was Des’ 1^st Irish event 60s title.

The last men’s event was the 70s. Brian Finn moved steadily in to the final. Tom Donnelly – great to see him back – gave him some trouble before succumbing 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6. The 3^rd game was crucial when Tom was unable to close out a 10-8 lead. Barry Dickson had a very tight 3-2 win over Albert Coulter before losing in the semi to Brian 11-5, 11-9, 11-9. By contrast Norman Nabney lived dangerously all day! He got crunched 3-0 by Barry in his first group match, then beat Liam Perris 3-2, dropped the first game to Jeremy, and in the semi gave away 5 match points to David Jacobson at 2-1 and 10-5, before again winning 3-2. And so to Brian v Norman – friends and practice partners but both determined to win. Brian took the first 2 games at deuce, Norman made a Houdini recovery to win the next 3, scores were 14-16, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6, 11-7. Still friends!

The ladies’ event was hard-fought as usual, though none of the matches went to 5 games. In the battle for 3^rd and 4^th place Paula beat Sharon. The sole Ulster representative Ruth McGilligan competed with spirit, Galway’s Teresa finished 5^th just above Renata, but the highlight was the final match for 1^st and 2^nd place between Ger and Anne-Marie, with Ger coming out on top 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12. A fine match, with a difference of only 2 points in each game.

And finally, many thanks are due to the host club, the first time they have held an Irish Masters event. Adrian Brown refereed excellently, helped by Jay McAllister and tournament co-ordinator Susan Irwin. Here’s to 2024!

Tournament results can be downloaded below:

The Vet’s hosted a very successful Veterans Tournament on Saturday the 18th of February in Palmerstown.

Connaught Vets Open 18th February 2023  

Mens 40’s 

In the round of 16 Eduardo Da Silva won in 3 sets over Rodney McKirgan. Phill Wallace had a very easy 3 sets win over Rory Scott. Susan Hanlon won a close 5 setter over Anthony White. Oleg Biletsky had a very easy win over Dave Gibbons. Pat McCloghan had an impressive 3 sets win over Rita Kacsandi. John Bowe also had a straight sets victory over Dermot Tierney. The returning Daryl Strong won a close 3 sets match against Oksana. Tibor met a familiar opponent in Mark McAlister and Tibor won in 4 sets. In the Qtr’s Eduardo beat Phil 3:0. Oleg beat Susan in 3 sets. Pat beat John in a close 4 sets. Daryl had a tight 5 sets win over Tibor. In the semi’s Oleg had an easy 3 sets win over Eduardo. In the other semi final Daryl won in 3 sets over Pat. The final was a very closely fought match that went the full distance with Oleg winning 11:9 in the 5th. 

Mens 50’s 

The qty’s saw Tibor winning in a tight 3 set match with Des Flanagan. Daryl playing in his first 50’s competition, beat Philip Shaw in an easy 3 sets. Mark McAlister beat Dave Gibbons in a close 4 sets. Pat yet again met Sean McAnaney and again it went the full distance with Pat being the victor. In the semi final Daryl beat Tibor in straight sets. In the other semi final Pat beat Mark in a close 4 sets. Daryl proved too strong ( no pun intended) for Pat in the final and won in straight sets. 

Mens 60’s 

Sean McAnaney yet again met Norman Nabney and Sean won in 4 sets. Tommy Fitzgerald after an epic 5 sets win over Brian Finn in the last 16’s continued his good form to beat Des Flanagan in the qtr’s. Dave Pender beat Paul Norgrove in 4 sets. Philip Shaw beat rival Dave Pemberton in 4 sets. 

In the semi’s Sean beat Tommy in 4 sets and it was the same result in the other semi final with Philip beating Dave. The final was a straight forward match with Sean winning in 3 sets over Philip. 

Mens 70’s 

In the qrt’s top seed Brian Finn won in 4 sets over Jim Storey. Ken Peare had a straight sets win over Liam Perris. Jeremy Lappin won a closely fought 3 sets match against Norman Nabney. Tommy Caffrey proved too tough for Shay O’Reilly over 3 sets. In the semi’s Brian beat Ken 3:0. Tommy beat Jeremy in 3 sets. Yet again Brian met Tommy and as usual it went the full 5 sets but on this occasion Tommy won in the 5th. 

Ladies 

The ladies competition was split over 2 groups. There were a number of closely fought matches involving Renata, Ruth,  Geraldine, Ikuko, Paula. In the first semi final Rita had a 3:1 victory over Susan. In the other semi final Oksana had a comfortable 3 set win over Anne Marie. In the final Rita was back playing at a high level and beat Oksana in straight sets. 

Ladies

The ladies competition had 10 entrants split into 2 groups and produced some high quality matches. Susan beat Sharon in a very close 5 sets. And Paula produced a good performance against Rita. In the semi final Rita proved too strong for Ikuko and won in straight sets. In the other semi final Anne-Marie yet again met Susan. On this occasion Susan proved the stronger to win in 3 sets. In the final Rita, back to some of her best form, beat Susan in 3 sets.

Mens 70’s

The competition was very open as both Brian Finn and Norman Nabney were absent. In the qtr’s, Jim Storey gained some revenge over Jack O’Meara and won in a close 5 sets. Shea O’Reilly beat Tom Donnelly in another close 5 set encounter. In the semi’s Tommy Caffrey beat former clubmate Jim Storey in 3 sets. Shea continuing his good form, beat Ken Peare in a close 5 sets. Tommy proved to be the class of the competition to win in straight sets over Shea

Mens 60’s

In the round of 16’s Philip Shaw met Kieran Burke and Kieran won this encounter in 3 sets. Jeremy Lappin beat Fergal O’Hagan in  very close 5 sets. Branco won in 4 sets over Tommy Fitzgerald. In the battle of the defenders Sean McAnaney beat Tommy Caffrey in 4 hard fought sets. Dave Pender won in 3 over James Gillanders. Paul Norgrove beat Jack O’Meara in 3 sets. Terry Dolan won in 4 sets over Jim Storey. Des Flangan proved too strong for Shea O’Reilly. In the qtr’s Kieran beat Jeremy in straight sets. Dave beat Paul in 4 sets. Des had a 4 sets win over Terry. Sean won in 3 sets over Branco. In the semi’s Sean proved too strong for Kieran and won in straight sets. Des beat Dave in 4 sets to set up a final against Sean. Yet again Sean proved his will to win after yet again losing the first 2 sets to come back and win in 5 sets.

Mens 50’s

In the last 16’s Tibor beat Dave Gibbons in 3 sets. Dave Pemberton had a hard fought 5 set win over Des Flangan. Mark McAlister also had a 5 set win over Torsten Jentsch. Tommy Fitzgerald won in 3 sets over Lusci Alder. Pat McCloughan won a closely fought 3 setter over Kieran Burke. Branco beat Philip Shaw in 4 sets. Paul Gallagher had an easy 5 set win over Dave Pender. Sean McAnaney won in 3 sets over Fergal O’Hagan. In the qtr’s Tibor beat Dave Pemberton in 4 sets. Mark beat Tommy in straight sets. Pat won in straight sets over Branco. The match of the round saw Paul race into a 2 set lead over Sean but he fought back to win in 5 sets. Pat and Sean yet again had a very closely fought match but on this occasion Pat came out on Top. Tibor beat Mark in 3 sets to set up a final against Pat. Although all sets were close,Pat won in 4 sets.

Mens 40’s

In the round of 16’s Eduardo and Rita produced a high quality tightly fought match with Eduardo just coming out on top in the 5th. Rory scott proved too strong for Dermot Tierney. Dave Gibbons won in 5 sets over Arnaldo Donoso. Mark McAlister won in 3 sets over Adam Koscielski. Tibor beat Kusci in 4 sets. Paul Gallagher beat Susan Hanlon also in 4 sets. Rodney McKirgan won in straight sets over Peter Zagrapan. Pat beat David Noonan in 3 sets.in the qtr’s Eduardo yet again won in 5 close sets over Rory. Mark beat Dave in 3 sets. Tibor also won in 3 sets over Paul. Pat had a good 3 set victory over Rodney. In the semi final Eduardo won a close fought 3 sets match against Mark. On this occasion Tibor got the better of Pat to win in 3 sets. In the final Eduardo proved too strong for Tibor and won in 3 sets..

The results for the event are available below:

Almost 50 players entered the event this year, with by far the largest number in the 50s. All the events were very closely contested, and even in the absence of a couple of likely seeds the standard of play was impressive.

The “blue riband” event, the 40s, saw the third seed Phil Wallace in the “group of death” – there always seems to be one! After losing 3-0 to Pat McCloughan he qualified for the knockout stage with a win over Paul Gallagher (both these players had beaten him in the previous tournament and briefly the organisers weren’t “fast Phil’s” favourite people!) He met perennial winner Daryl in the last 8, beat him 11-6 in the fifth, and then disposed of Rod McKirgan 3-1in the semi. In the bottom half Eduardo came through with 3-0 wins over Pat and Tibor. The final was nip and tuck, a classic, Eduardo’s Penhold grip and heavy spin were a complete contrast to Phil’s “see ball hit ball” style, though to be fair Phil interspersed his power shots with some deft touches. It was difficult to pick a winner as the tide ebbed and flowed, but eventually Phil was a worthy champion -5 5 -5 8 8.

The 50s had its share of titanic struggles and with an entry of 25 it looked as if we could be playing until Sunday morning – not recommended for a church hall! The quarter final match between Mark McAlister and Paul Gallagher was only 4 games, but there was never more than 2 points between them at the end of each game, and the third was 20-18, Mark eventually emerging victorious, only to lose to Tibor 3-0 in the semi. Tibor had beaten Philip Shaw 3-2 in a bruising encounter and said afterwards “How does he slap those balls from everywhere! It’s just not possible.” Pat made his way to the final with 3-0 victories over Fergal O’Hagan and Sean McAnaney. In a pulsating final Tibor won 3-2, recovering from a 2-1 deficit.

The 60s began at 9.30am, Norman started in his usual fashion with two 5-setters (lost deuce in 5th to Sean and beat Jeremy Lappin 9 in 5th) but had no answer in the semi to PhilipShaw 0-3. Dave Pender beat Sean 3-1 in the semi and then had a tremendous hard-fought win over Philip in 4 sets. His smile was as wide as the Lagan as he said he didn’t care about the prizemoney, this was only the second Masters event he had ever won (he still accepted the winner’s envelope!).

Brian Finn always looked like the 70s winner, dropping only 2 games in 5 controlled matches. In contrast Norman staggered through with 2 more 5-setters against Ken Peare and Albert Coulter, but after losing the first in the final Brian had too much consistency. At 12-12 in the 4th Brian hit a sumptuous backhand winner of which Norman would have been proud and closed out the match 3-1, emerging an emphatic winner. Brian has now won all three 70s events this season, a tremendous record.

The ladies’ event had 9 participants and played off in 2 groups. In group A Ger had an incredible struggle with Sharon Gibbons, dropping the first two games, winning the third 19-17, the fourth 13-11, and the fifth 11-5. Sharon in turn dropped the first and third to Renata Gadula before coming through 11-9 in the fifth. Annmarie won all her group matches 3-0, Paula O’Neill was made to fight hard for second place, being taken to 5 by Galway’s Teresa Egan (11-9) and by Ikuko Mototani (11-6). In the crossover semi-finals, Ger beat Paula 3-0, while Annmarie beat Sharon 3-1. Ger had an unusually comfortable win over Annmarie in the final 3-0.

The top table was manned very efficiently all day by Glenburn’s Herbie Ross and Neil Magrath, though it was noted that Neil skived off briefly with the pathetic excuse of going for his Covid booster.

As a club we appreciated the support given by the players and the fact that we were able to give Dave and Sharon Gibbons a break from their normal duties and concentrate on playing.

NORMAN NABNEY