Posts in category: Masters

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

The Veterans Leinster Open took place on the 15th of October in Palmerstown Sports Centre. A great event took place, with plenty of exciting table tennis!

Well done to all the players, coaches and officials for a very successful 2022 Veteran’s Leinster Open.

Report available below:

Ladies  

The ladies competition was divided into 2 groups. In Group A Oksana won all her matches in straight sets. Ger Green beat Sharon in a closely fought 4 sets.She also beat Renata in 4 sets. Sharon beat Renata and Chui Lin in straight sets. Renata beat Chui Lin in straight sets although set 3 was won in duece. Group B was closely fought. Rita had wins over Teresa, Renata and Ann-Marie in straight sets but against Susan it went to a 4th set. Susan won in straight sets against Renata and Teresa. Her match with Ann-Marie went the full distance with Susan winning set 5 in deuce. Teresa had a 3 sets win against Renata. In the semi final Oksana proved too strong for Susan and won in 3 sets. In the other semi final Rita was too strong for Ger and also won in 3 sets. In the final Rita and Oksana met for the second time on the day and this occasion Rita got the upper hand and won in a very close 5 sets. 

Mens 40’s 

In the round of 16 Pat McCloughan won in 3 sets over Phil Wallace. Oksana and Rita met again and Oksana proved the stronger and won in 5 sets. Robbie Gavin beat Dermot Tierney in 4 sets. Tibor also had a 4 sets win over Paul Gallagher. Eduardo beat Mark McAlister in 5 sets. In the Qtr’s Oleg beat Pat in straight sets. John Bowe had a hard fought 4 sets win over Oksana. Tibor proved too strong for Robbie. It was similar for Eduardo who beat Rory Scott in 3 sets. In the semi final Oleg again won in straight sets, this time against John Bowe. Eduardo won in a closely fought 3 sets over Tibor. Oleg beat Eduardo in 4 sets in the final. 

Mens 50’s 

In the round of 16 Dave Gibbons won in 3 sets over Gus Agnew. Philip Shaw beat Branko in 4 sets. Pat McCloughan won easily in 3 sets over Tommy Fitzgerald. Sean McAnaney also won easily over Yuri Pavlon. Mark McAlister won in 4 sets over Kieron Burke. Paul Gallagher also won in 4 over Jeremy Lappin. In the qtr’s Tibor beat Dave Gibbons in 4 sets. Pat beat Philip in 4 sets but sets 1 and 2 were very tight. Sean beat Mark in 4 close sets. Paul beat Des Flanagan in a close 5 sets in the battle of Donegal. In the semi final Tibor met Pat but Tibor proved the stronger to win in 4 sets. In yet another Donegal clash Sean beat Paul in a very tight 4 sets. This set up a rematch in the final between Tibor and Sean. On this occasion Tibor was too strong and won in 4 sets. 

Mens 60’s 

Kieron won in 4 sets over Brian Finn in the round of 16. Torsten had a closely fought 4 sets win over Brandan O’Fiach. Tommy Fitzgerald also won in 4 sets over Jeremy Lappin. Fergal O’Hagan beat Ken Peare in 4 sets. In the qtr’s Tommy Caffrey again met old rival Kieron Burke but on this occasion Kieron reversed the result of the last competition to win in 5 sets. Philip Shaw won in a very closely fought 5 sets over Torsten. Sean McAnaney beat Tommy Fitzgerald in 3 sets. Fergal caused a bit of an upset with his 5 sets victory over Terry Dolan. In the semi final Philip won easily in 3 sets over Kieron. Sean was too strong for Fergal and set up a final against Philip. Sean looked very much the winner and raced to a 2 sets lead but Philip fought back to gain a well earned win in 5 sets. 

Mens 70’s 

In the qtr’s top seed Brian Finn beat Albert Coulter in 3 sets. Shay O’Reilly proved too strong to win in 5 sets over David Jacobson. Jack O’Meara caused an upset with a deserved 4 sets win over Jim Storey. Tommy Caffrey won in straight sets over Norman Nabney. Brian continued his good form to win his semi final over Shay in 3 sets. Jack gave Tommy a fright but Tommy came out on top in 4 sets. 

Brian and Tommy met again in the final and similar to the last competition it went the full distance with Brian again proving the stronger to win a very tight 5 setter. 

Ladies Round Robin 

This competition was played with a lot of high quality and a series of closely fought matches. Geraldine beat Sharron in a tight 4 sets and followed this up with wins over Ikuko, Renata and Ann-Marie. She suffered her only defeat against Teresa in a very tight 5 set match. Teresa also had wins over Renata, a very tight 3 set match with Ikuko and an even tighter 15-13 5th set win over Sharron. Her only loss was to Ann-Marie, again in 5 sets. Ikuko came out on top in another 5 set win over Sharron and she followed this up with a win over Renata.  

The final standings were 1) Geraldine 2) Teresa 3) Ann-Marie 4) Ikuko 5) Sharron 6) Renata 

Mens 40’s 

In the top half of the draw Rory Scott had a 3 set win over Paul Gallagher in the quarter final. Daryl Strong won in 4 sets against Mark McAlister with the first 2 sets being extremely tight. Rory and Daryl met in the semi’s. This match was very close and Rory held a slight advantage in the 5th when we experienced an electrical power failure. When the match recommenced, Daryl ( no pun intended) was the stronger and gained victory. In the bottom half of the draw Pat McCloughan had a straight set win over Dave Gibbons. Robbie Gavin who is getting back to form had a close 4 set victory of Dermot Tierney. After a close 1st set Pat progressed to the final with a straight sets win over Robbie. The final was won in 4 sets  by Daryl. 

Mens 50’s 

In the top half of the draw Pat had a straight sets win over Des Flanagan in the quarters. Mark McAlister also had a straight sets win over Philip Shaw. Pat and Mark met in the semi’s and Pat came back from 2 sets down to force a 5th set. Mark on this occasion sealed the victory 11-6. 

In the bottom half of the draw Branco had a close 3 set match with Paul Gallagher. Dave Gibbons won in 4 sets against Dave P. In the semi final Branco had a straight sets win over Dave Gibbons and followed this up with a 3-0 victory over Mark in the final 

Mens 60’s 

Branco won a close 5 set match in the quarters with Sean McAnaney . Brian Finn had a straight sets win over Keld. Brian and Branco had a 5 set classic with Branco coming back from 2 sets down to win a close 5th set in the semi’s. In the bottom half of the draw Terry Dolan had a straight sets win in the quarters over Fergal but due to the electrical power issue, he had to give a walkover in the semi’s. Philip Shaw in the quarters came back from 2 sets down against yours truly to show greater strength and win in 5 sets. Branco and Philip met in the final and Branco showing the top form that saw him reach 2 finals on the day, won in 4 sets. 

Mens 70’s 

In the quarters Shay O’Reilly had a 4 set victory over David Jacobson. In the bottom half of the draw Sean Moran rolled back the years and had a shock win over Jim Storey. Sean followed this up with a semi final victory over Ken Peare. Brian Finn had a straight sets win over Shay in the semi final and he followed this up with another straight sets win over Sean in the final. 

All Results Downloadable Below: