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Munster Open 2015: Report

by National EventsTTI News

Tony Higgins reports…

Cork’s Northside welcomed back the Munster Open, but to a new venue just a mile from its old home in Gurranebraher. Until this weekend, Neptune Stadium was most famous for Basketball, but if the Munster Open 2015 is anything to go by, table tennis could be back again!

Full results and slideshow available here.

Senior Winners

Despite the inclement weather, play got under way before 6 o’clock, and with 20 tables the Group stages of the Senior Singles went without a hitch. The withdrawal on the eve of the tournament of Irish No. 1 and fifth seed Vladislavs Agurianovs opened the door for some new blood in the quarter finals, and Charlie Fitzgerald (U.C.D.) stepped up to the plate with a win over team-mate Conor Gallagher. But with such high quality in the field, it was going to be very tough to progress further, and top Scot Gavin Rumgay was waiting for him in Saturday’s quarter finals. Eighth and ninth seeds John Murphy and Ryan Farrell battled it out in the last-16, and it was a triumph of youth over experience that earned Ryan a duel with his namesake, the Welsh Wizard Ryan Jenkins.

The senior singles were played to the quarters in the men’s and the semis in the ladies’ before attention turned to the doubles. Munster’s Alan Walsh partnered Darius Knight and they overcame Robinson & Maguire in the semi-final to earn a shot at the top seeds Jenkins & Maguire, and in the ladies’ the seedings turned out to be spot on, with Carey & McGlone (Katie) against Timlin (Sarah) & Lynch-Dawson on the card for the staged finals.

On Saturday, an early start in frosty conditions did not keep people away, and the Cadets started promptly. Owen Cathcart beat Dylan Grace in the final, despite losing the opening set, and Kate Whelan lived up to her seeding with a win in the Girls’. There was great excitement in the Hopes event, great to watch from the balcony, with beginners mixing it with very experienced players who would also shine in the older age groups tomorrow. Both Hopes events saw Leeside players on top at the end, Adam Buckley and Silke Heinen.

The Welsh duo of Jody Bevington and Dave Wetherill proved formidable combatants in the Class II singles, and only Mark White saved the home fans’ disappointment with a 3-1 win over Dave in the final. A well-earned title for Mark and his ever-present coach Conn Higgins, who started his table tennis career just up the road from Neptune!

In the doubles, there were wins for Maguire & Carey in the Mixed, and both Men’s and Ladies’ titles went to the top seeds, Jenkins & Murphy and Carey & McGlone.

In the warm-up to the staged finals, we were again treated to the spectacle of four simultaneous Men’s Quarter Finals, an idea hatched last year by John Murphy. First up were the two Ryans. Jenkins, a previous winner of this event, wasn’t going to slip up and eased past Ryan the Younger to set up a meeting with Gavin Maguire. Gavin had a huge win over top seed Miroslav Horejsi in his quarter, all the way to deuce in the fifth set, only to lose in straight sets against Jenkins. Ashley Robinson put up a great fight against the mercurial Darius Knight, taking the match all the way. But Darius was unstoppable, and after his close encounter with Ashley, upped his game to win 3-1 against Rumgay (who was too strong for a brave Charlie Fitzgerald) and then won a pulsating final against Jenkins by the same margin.

In the ladies’ event, there were Welsh players at top and bottom of the draws, defending champion Charlotte Carey had a tough semi- against Katie McGlone, but upped her game in the final to beat Hannah Lynch Dawson in straight sets (and in doing so, Charlotte completed her treble of titles). Hannah had to overcome old rival and local favourite Chloe O’Halloran and number two seed (last year’s beaten finalist) Cherith Graham on her way to the final.

Day three, and this time the weather was a minor factor, with some players unable to travel and a number missing through illness. The Junior Girls’ was fairly predictable, just Zofia Wawrzniak sneaking into the quarter finals outside the top seeds, and the final saw Katie McGlone beating Chloe O’Halloran. No surprise to see Zak Wilson meeting Brian Dunleavy in the Boys’ event, either. 3-0 to Zak.

Art McLaughlin reportedly wanted to train on Christmas Day, and his dedication was enough to see him reach the Cadet’s final, a five-setter against favourite Thomas Joyce in the semi-final. Dillon Byrne also had a good win in his match against David Taylor, so the final was all Donic, with Art beating his friend 3-1. Mia O’Rahilly-Egan came third in Saturday’s Under-15s, so it was no surprise to see that no-one could touch her in the younger age group, with Natasya Barry the best of the rest.

The last titles to be claimed were the under-21s, with Kerry O’Mahony beating Claire Heller in the Ladies to take another title for Munster. The Men’s final was a carbon copy of the Junior Boys’. At the other end of the spectrum, perennial Philip Shaw won the Veteran’s event.

Another great Munster Open tournament for players and spectators, a new venue which was well up to the task, and a new Men’s Singles Champion to join Charlotte Carey on the winners platform. Highlights of the weekend? On the table, Gavin’s great win against Miroslav in the men’s quarters, and some great sportsmanship shown by many players, not least Shane O’Connor, Donie Mullally and Gavin Rumgay. Off the table? Maybe the pizza delivered to the top table by John Murphy and Mark O’Flynn before they left… Thanks lads!

Thanks to all who helped in the running of the event, at Top Table, in the canteen and behind the scenes. Con (our referee) was tireless, and ably assisted by his colleagues Joe, Cecilia and Tom. The staff of Neptune Stadium (the two Pauls) went out of their way to make us feel at home. The support of our sponsors and donors is much appreciated.

Tony Higgins

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Hungary Mini-Cadet Open Report

by International EventsTTI News

John Murphy reports from Budapest…

Irish Squad

Mia Egan,Natasya Barry, Owen Cathcart, Thomas Joyce

Coaching Team – Amy Barry, John Murphy

A young Irish team travelled to Budapest, Hungary over the weekend 9-11 of January. For most of this young squad it was there first time to take part in a European level event. The competition started with boys and girls team event on the Friday with singles Saturday and Sunday.

Team Event

The girls were placed in a tough group with Hungary and Bulgaria. Both Mia and Natasya performed well against Hungary although losing 0-3 they both showed signs that they could compete with the strong table tennis nations.

Against Bulgaria the girls stepped up again to plate with a good performance unfortunately losing 1-3 this time, with Mia picking up a very impressive singles win. This left the girls competing in the consolation event. This was where the girls really showed great potential for the future. Having been given a bye in the first round the girls recorded impressive wins; 3-1 over Hungary and 3-2 over Sweden to set up a final encounter against Germany. At this stage the girls were tired but they put up a good fight against a strong German team, in the end they lost out 0-3.

The Boys were placed in a tough group with Sweden, Germany and Hungary. First match against Hungary the boys won 3-1 with 2 wins from Owen and a doubles win. This happened again in the second match against Germany which set up a group decider against Sweden – unfortunately the boys lost out in a close match 2-3 with Owen winning 1 single and again the boys proving there worth winning the doubles. With the top 2 teams going through to the main draw, all was not lost.

They quickly regrouped and beat Romania in the last 32 with the usual scoreline 3-1; again Owen winning 2 and combining with Thomas to take the doubles. In the last 16 the boys faced a strong German team and although giving it a real go they lost out this time 1-3. Losing there first doubles in this match was a crucial moment. Still a very good performance from the boys especially as Thomas is only 2004 so playing two years over his age – huge potential for this team.

Singles

Mia O’Rahilly Egan

Played in the 2002 singles. Placed in a group of 3, Mia lost her first match 3-1 against a Slovak girl but won her second match 3-0 against a Hungarian. With the Hungarian beating the Slovak in the other it meant that Mia won her group on count back. The reward was a place in the main draw. In the last 32 Mia lost 3-0 to Phan of Hungary but had good chances in the first two sets. Good performance from Mia in her first international event.

Natasya Barry

Played in the 2002 singles. Placed in a group of 3, Natasya lost out 3-0 against a strong Slovak girl in the first match. Second match playing against a Hungarian girl Natasya was down 0-2 before fighting back to lead 9-7 in the 5th but unfortunately lost out 11-9. In the consolation Natasya lost again the one of the many strong Slovak girls 3-0. The tournament was a good experience for Natasya who has another year at this level.

Owen Cathcart

Playing in the 2002 boys singles, Owen who is very experienced at this level was in a group of 4 and he showed his talent, beating a Swede 3-1, Hungarian 3-1 and Bulgarian 3-0 to top the group.

In the main draw Owen progressed to the last 8 with impressive wins over Malakhhau of Belarus 3-0 and Hammerfeldt of Sweden 3-0. In the last 8 he faced the German, Rinderer. The level of the match itself was very and high although Owen lost out 1-3 he was right in there with a chance. It has to be mentioned that the German went on the win the title. Good performance from Owen in every aspect over the 3 days. 

Thomas Joyce

Playing in the 2004 singles, Thomas won his group with a 3-1 win over a Hungarian and a 3-0 win over a Czech player. In the main draw, Thomas had a bye in the last 32. In the last 16 he faced Drenea of Romania. In a very close match Thomas lost out 1-3. This event will have been a great experience for Thomas who is so young.

On a whole the overall results were very good. As the coach on duty I was very impressed with how professional these young players conducted themselves at the tournament. If they learned something from the event its to continue to practice as much as they can at home to hopefully make these results even better in the future.

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Old Crofton TTC Re-Union Report

by TTI News

Dara Melinn reports…


Recently there was a re-union of the Old Crofton TTC in the Bankers pub in Trinity Street, Dublin where ex members and friends met up.  This venue was where the not so serious players gathered for refreshments after play and sometimes in between knocks, before the club folded in the early seventies. The late Jim Langan began his early career there and went on to become Irelands number one player, helped along the way by the late Ken O’Riordan,  Jim beat many top internationals in his day but his greates disapointment was never winning the Irish Open (he won this title as a poker player) – he was beaten in two finals, once to the English international Stuart Gibbs and once to Tommy Caffrey in straight sets in Omagh ’67. Incidentally this was Tommy’s second title (some achievment!).

It was a super day in the Bankers with lots of blasts from the past including Tommy and his wife Eileen, lots of stories were told with even a song thrown in by Brian Doyle. It was a fun day and praise the good Lord we can make it an annual event

D.Melinn

Photo – Kieran O’Mara, Dara Melinn,  Joe Clarke,  Gerry Lonergan ( ex hockey international) Brian Doyle, Michael Gibney

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Power NI Ulster Open Report

by National EventsTTI News
Mens Winner Miroslav Horesji and Women’s Amanda Mogey

Carlow-based Miroslav Horesji (Czech Republic) showed brilliance in taking the Men’s title and the coveted £1000 cheque at the Power NI Table Tennis Championships, with impressive victories over Chris Doran (England), top seed Gavin Rumgay (Scotland) and finally Ryan Jenkins (Wales), winning 3-2 in an enthralling men’s final over top UK star Jenkins (Wales)

Amanda Mogey returned to her winning ways in Lisburn after a prolonged period of injury prior to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with impressive victories over Dublin’s Katie McGlone (quarters), fellow G2014 team players Ashley Givan (semis) and Hannah Lynch Dawson (final), the latter two matches being won in close 5 set encounters.  

Ulster players made a big impact in this new Power NI Ulster Open, with 200 competitors in action. Ulster’s High Performance Coach and title holder John Murphy was taken out in a close five-set match by Peter Graham (QUB), and Zak Wilson (Civil Service) as leading Junior, stepped up a gear before loosing 3-2 to top seed Gavin Rumgay (Scotland) in 5 sets (scores -5, -8, 9, 5, 5 to Rumgay).  Peter was then beaten in straight sets in the quarter-finals by top Irish player Paul McCreery.

Ashley Robinson, home from his professional club in Sweden, led Ryan Jenkins 2-1 and had his chances for a win, but lost the fourth set 11-9, leaving the match balanced at 2-2.  However Jenkins demonstrated why he is a 50 Grand Prix Winner, easily taking the final set.   Robinson’s Irish partner, Paul McCreery (Crossgar) was the next to succumb to Welsh wizard Jenkins in the Semi-Final, with Jenkins reaching the final in a straight sets victory.

Meanwhile, the other half of the draw saw Scottish Champion Gavin Rumgay face Vladislavs Agjuranovs (Latvia), and many will remember Vladislavs defeating Rumgay in a recent Munster Open.  This time it was not to be, with Rumgay pulling out all the stops to win a close encounter 8, -8, 9, 9 and set up a Rumgay v Horesji Semi Final. Horesji, former WR171, was imperious in this match, defeating No 1 Seed Rumgay in three straight sets.

The stage was then set for a Jenkins v Horesji Final, and it did not disappoint the many table tennis fans who had gathered to watch the quality matches.  When Horesji raced to a two set lead 11-8, 11-8, it looked all over.  But Jenkins had other ideas, and managed to turn the match around with some superb backhands.  Buoyed up by the support of the crowed, he won the next two sets 11-9, 11-7.  You could have heard a pin drop as each took their turn to serve in the final set, and Miroslav Horesji took a lead which he held to the end, winning 11-6 in final game.

The Men’s Doubles was won by Jenkins/Murphy who defeated McCreery/Robinson 3-1 in the Final, after defeating Chris Doran/Mark O’Flynn in the Semis.  Ryan Farrell/Sam Logue had a close quarter-final encounter with Doran/O’Flynn losing   12-10 in the 5th set.

The Ladies’ Doubles saw two close Semi-Final matches with Hannah Lynch-Dawson/Sarah Timlin beating Chloe O’Halloran/Deirdre Murphy 11-7 in the 5th set, while the McGlone sisters Katie and Elayna had a huge struggle to defeat Amanda Mogey and Ashley Givan 12-10 in the 5th.

In the Under 21 Men’s event, Ryan Farrell beat Brian Dunleavy over five games, while Zak Wilson only lost a set on the way to the final, to Alan Walsh.  Zak raced to a two set lead, but Ryan kept his head to take the next three games and the Power NI Ulster Open U21 Title.

The Under 21 Ladies’ Title went to Chloe O’Halloran who defeated Rebecca Finn in a close encounter 11-9 in the 5th set.

Philip Wallace combined photography duties with playing, and won the Restricted Singles, beating Luke Dempsey in the Semis over 5 sets, and Kevin Devaney in four, in the Final.

The Masters’ Singles was won by Pat McCloughan who defeated Wallace Mahaffy in the Semis over four sets, and Willie Cherry in the Final.  Willie had once again had an epic battle over team-mate Norman Nabney in the Semis, winning 11-8 in the final set.

Conor O’Callaghan took the Junior Standing Disability Title, Paddy Vaughan took the Senior Standing Disability Title, while Greg Keogh won the Senior Wheelchair event.

The Junior Boys (U18) Title was won by Zak Wilson, with Tom Davis 2nd and Owen Cathcart (still only 12 years old) finishing 3rd.    The Junior Girls Title was won by Hannah Lynch-Dawson (Ladies Singles Finalist), with Kate Whelan 2nd,  Chloe O’Halloran 3rd, and Katie McGlone 4th.

The Cadet Boys (U15) title was won by the irrepressible Owen Cathcart, after a 5th set scare in the quarters with Ethan Duffy.  James Kelly finished in 2nd place, Dylan Grace in 3rd, with local player James Magrath in 4th place.   The Cadet Girls title went to Kate Whelan in straight sets over Marie Williams, while Mia O’Rahilly Egan finished 3rd, and Grainne O’Rourke in 4th place.

The U13 Boys Title was won by Thomas Joyce in straight sets over David Taylor, with Dillon Bryne and Art McLaughlin 3rd and 4th respectively.  The U13 Girls Title went to Mia O’Rahilly Egan with a four set win over local player Lucy Craig, while Natasya Barry and Saoirse Jordan finished 3rd and 4th respectively.

A guest appearance by Toonie the bear added to the fantastic atmosphere throughout the weekend, and the quality play enjoyed by all players and spectators made this combined Ulster Open/Ulster Junior Open an event to remember.

Table Tennis Ulster is indebted to the sponsorship and financial assistance from Power NI and Lisburn City Council, as well as the team-work from all the volunteers, including those from Volunteer Now and Disability Sport NI who also gave support to the event which involved many weeks of preparation and planning.  Chair of TTU Arnold Morgan paid tribute to all who had worked so hard at the first joint event in Ulster, while President Tony Phillips MBE paid special tribute to the McConkey family who had organised the event so well over the weekend.

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Latest Blog Entry written by Colin Judge

by ParaTTI News

My 2nd Blog


Hi everyone! I have been very busy since my last blog. This week I will talk about my preparation for the French Open and how I got on in the competition. I will also tell you a little bit about my plans for the future and my training for the big year ahead. I practiced really hard during September and October. I trained five times every week and got 1:1 coaching with John Murphy and Mick Cunningham. We worked on everything but focused mainly on the weaker aspects of my game. These sessions were very constructive and very beneficial and as a result I found that I had a lot more confidence in my game during the French Open last week. I also found that my teammates in IWA contributed a lot to my training in the weeks before my competition. I was able to practice what I had worked on with John and Mick against all the different members of my team. I think it is very important to play with different players and I believe that there is something to be learned from everyone. So I felt that my preparation for the French Open couldn’t have been any better but I was very well aware that preparation could only take me so far. I travelled to Nice with my friend and teammate, Des Ryan, on Wednesday the 23rd of October. When we arrived at the airport we got the bus to Hyéres just outside of Toulon. We practiced at the training facility that evening and then went back to the hotel for dinner and an early night. The competition would start early in the morning.

My first match was against the world number one, Fabien Lamirault. He played very well and beat me in straight sets. However, I knew that I could not let this defeat knock my confidence. I had a very important game later that day which would determine whether or not I made it out of the group stages. I played Gianni Verzino later that day and won the match 3-1 which meant that I had qualified for the quarter finals.

The next day I faced Stephane Molliens, the world number 6 from France. He won a very close first set but I found form in the second and third set and had a 2-1 lead going into the fourth. Stephane then came back very strong which meant that we would go into a fifth and final set. Stephane continued to play at the top of his game right until the end and won the match 11-9 in the fifth. This defeat was really hard for me to take but I didn’t feel disheartened. Stephane is, in my opinion, the best player I’ve played in an international competition and I felt that I had played very well in the singles event overall. There were many more matches to be played over the next few days and I knew that there was still a big chance for me to turn things around. My luck would change in the team event! 

I won seven from eight singles matches in the team event. I played some very good table tennis and got great wins against some very highly ranked players.

I had to play Fabien Lamirault, the world number one, again in the opening match of the team event. I was eager for revenge but knew that this was going to be a very difficult game.  I played very well in the first two sets and managed to win them both which meant I was 2-0 up going into the third set. It was a great start for me but I didn’t want to get complacent, I knew Fabien would come back strong. He won the third set 11-3 and the fourth set 11-4 which meant we were going into a fifth set. The momentum was with him so I needed a big performance in this final set. A big crowd began to gather and my heart began to beat. I had been in this situation so many times before and lost so I knew this time that I needed to do something different. I needed to play how I practice and not let my fear of losing ruin my chance of winning. This is what my coach, Tibor Pofok, who helped me so much throughout the week, told me during the timeout. On this occasion I took my chance and I beat the number one in the world. I was over the moon! My best international result ever. 

I was unfortunate to have missed out on the medals at the French Open but I was delighted with how I played and with the games I won and I think that this is more important. I was also very happy to see my good friend and roommate, Tom Davis, play so well throughout the competition and get some great wins against some very highly ranked players. It just goes to show that anything is possible if you work hard. I still have a lot more work to do before my competitions in 2015 but it was nice to end the year on a high. I am back in Dublin now and I am very keen to continue training hard. I will go to a squad session next weekend and a Paralympic training camp in Athlone the following weekend and I am looking forward to getting back to it. I know now what I need to work on and I am determined to work on all aspects of my game in the coming months. Every session counts ahead of the biggest year in my table tennis career.

The next time I will talk a bit about my preparation for the Irish National Championships and my international competitions which follow afterwards. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment at the end of the page and I will respond to your questions on my next blog. Thank you very much for reading and for all the support.

Until next time!

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Judge Lays Down the Law at French Para Open

by International EventsParaTTI News

Colin Judge and Tom Davis, two of Ireland’s fastest developing para table tennis stars returned recently from the Cote d’Azur Open in France, with some big performances and big results under their belt.

Davis, competing in the Class 10 Para classification, recorded a win in the singles event group stage over French player Grasset in straight sets. Davis went into the event at World Rank 31 and had Daybell of Great Britain and Glazov in Russia as the seeds in his group, Daybell is WR: 7 and Glazov WR: 14, so a tough ask for the Donic player. He pushed Glazov all the way and had chances, but eventually lost 1:3, followed by a straight sets loss to Daybell. 

In the Team Event, Davis first faced Class 9 opponent Nozdrunov who is World Ranked 3 in this class, a class which many observers feel is Davis’ true class. Tom played fantastic table tennis, dismantling his opponent in straight sets – a significant victory for the always improving Irish junior international. He followed this up with two wins against Brazilian opposition and a win over Great Britain’s Facey-Thompson. He will take significant positives from this event as he becomes more experienced on the international stage – watch this space for big progress in 2015 as Tom strives towards Rio 2016 qualification. 

Judge has been threatening a breakthrough all season as he slowly has moved up the ranking list without ever recording that big win against a top 10 player. He has invested significant time and energy into his training and that all came to fruition at the French Open. He qualified through his group despite a tough 0:3 loss to Lamirault, the recent World Champion and current World Number 1, gaining a win over the Swiss player Verzino to progress. In the Quarter Final stage, he faced World Ranked 7 Molliens of France, and at one stage had a 2:1 sets lead and was looking to cause a huge shock. Molliens recovered however and eventually progressed in a 5 set thriller, where home advantage and home support definitely counted – all four semi-finalists were France internationals. 

Judge had to wait for that shock result but it came in a fashion that not even his most optimistic supported could have predicted. Going into the team event, he again faced Lamirault, who has been dominant at this level for a number of years and has a 2012 London Games medal in his collection. Judge performed heroically, racing into a 2:0 lead before being drawn back to 2:2 in a match that attracted huge interest in the hall. Judge showed huge composure to drive home in the last set for a massive breakthrough victory over the World Number 1, claiming the last set 11-8. This win sparked a flurry of wins, with Judge claiming 7 of 8 in the Team event, also defeating Bedos(WR:25), Michaud(WR:38), Barukh(WR:40), Nigri(WR:68) and Nazirov(WR:48) and another unranked Russian. Post event, Judge was understandably elated as his international season closes off for 2014:

“I am really happy with my performance in the French Open this week! I missed out on the medals but I beat the world number one!! My best international result ever. I also got some other great wins throughout the competition. Delighted that all my hard work has paid off. Can’t wait to play more competitions again next year. Thank you all so much for the support!” 

November World Rankings have yet to be published, but Judge now should be just inside the top 40 from a starting position of 53 – a huge jump and on a huge confidence boost ahead of 2015, while Davis should also see a bump in his rankings into the top 30 ahead of pre-Paralympic Games qualification year.

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Leinster Grand Prix 2014 Report and Results

by National EventsTTI News

The 2014-15 Leinster Grand Prix took place last weekend in DCU, with many of Ireland’s top players in action in the 3rd Butterfly Senior Ranking event of the season.

In the Men’s Singles, initial groups generally went with the seeding, with top seeds Murphy and Agurjanovs looking in good form. One notable exception was in Group C where 3rd seed slipped up against Mark O’Flynn who certainly got his return to competitive action started in fine style – a good win for the former Eastpoint TTC player.

O’Flynn then had an epic 5 setter against Tibor Pofok, eventually emerging into the Quarter Final after a 12-10 win in the final set. Apart from O’Flynn, the QF line-up had a familiar feel to it, with most of the seeds still battling it out for the Leinster title. Top seed Agurjanovs defeated rising star and club-mate Tom Davis 3-1, Ryan Farrell went 5 sets with Leeside’s Alan Walsh before progressing in a very tight encounter, John Murphy defeated Sweden based Ashley Robinson in thrilling 5 setter, while Zak Wilson continued his charge up the rankings and ended O’Flynn’s campaign with a 3-1 victory.

In the semi-final, Farrell had a real chance against Agurjanovs, but the top seed showed significant composure and all of his experience to eventually claim a 3-2 win.  In the other half of the draw, youth prevailed, with Wilson claiming a fine win against John Murphy to set up an Agurjanovs v Wilson Final. Wilson took a set from the top seed, but Agurjanovs looked a little too strong on the day to claim his 2nd domestic title of the season.

In the Banded events, Tom Davis claimed the Band 1, Matthew Haynes claimed Band 2, James Joyce had a really good performance for such a young player to claim the Band 3 and Thomas Mueller claimed the Band 4.

In the Women’s Singles, again the country’s top players were in action battling for a title. Newcomer He Yu Ting playing out of Leeside TTC caused an upset in the group stages, with a straight sets win over Marta Zareba of Dundrum TTC. Chloe O’Halloran had a good win in the group stages as well with a 3-2 win over Sarah Timlin to progress. Indeed O’Halloran looked to be in top form with a 3-1 win over Katie McGlone in the Quarter Finals, while Rebecca Finn ended He Yu Ting’s debut Irish event to progress to the last 4. On the other side of the draw, Zareba had recovered from her earlier slip up but could not get past Sarah Timlin who took a fine wine over 5 sets to progress.

O’Halloran continued her good form, this time defeating Finn to progress to the Final where she faced off against Sarah Timlin. Timlin claimed the first set but after that O’Halloran stepped up a gear and was a dominant force claiming all 3 of the next sets to claim her first senior domestic ranking title.

In the Women’s banded events, He Yu Ting announced her presence on the Irish scene with a win in both banded events.

In other events;

Vets: 1. P McCloughan 2. P Shaw

Restricted Singles: 1. J Dennis 2. R Scott

U-21 Mens: R Farrell

U-21 Women C O’Halloran

Please download the Mens Singles results here

Please download the Womens Singles results here

Please download the Mens Singles top half draw here

Please download the Mens Singles bottom half draw here

Please download the Mens Final here 

Please download the Mens Band 1 here

Please download the Mens Band 2 here

Please download the Mens Band 3 here

Please download the Mens Band 4 here

Please download the Womens Band 2 here

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Plastic Ball

by TTI News

The Board of Table Tennis Ireland has approved a number of matters relating to the implementation of the new plastic ball for Irish domestic events. See here for full statement.

The plastic ball shall be used for all competitions taking place at the Munster Open 2015 (16-18 January 2015). 

Following completion of the Munster Open 2015, the plastic ball shall be used for competitions taking place at all :
– Irish ranking events both Junior and Senior. Where any other categories of competition (e.g. U21/Restricted/Veterans/Para etc.) take place during an Irish Junior or Senior ranking event, the plastic ball shall also be used for those 
other categories of competition.
– Interprovincial events
– Team events and other competitions sanctioned by Table Tennis Ireland

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New Blog:50 years in Table Tennis

by TTI News

FIFTY YEARS IN TABLE TENNIS

Recently I was asked to write an occasional blog for Table Tennis Irealand, and immediately I had a few thoughts.  The first was that I would love to do it.  Next I wondered if anyone would actually read it, given that some of the younger players probably don’t even know who I am, as I don’t play many Open events now.  Lastly, I decided that I would give it a go, but if I don’t get any feedback, comments, or “likes”, this will be my first and last blog!

Why me? A good question – after all I’ve never played for Ireland, never got a senior interpro cap (though I may have been close a couple of times), and probably those two ambitions are beyond me now at the age of 63. Memo to selectors – I’m still available! I suppose I’ve had such enjoyment and fulfilment out of the sport that I love, and perhaps I have some wisdom – and hopefully some wit – to pass on.

So where did it all begin?  Apparently in the summer-house of a large guesthouse in Greystones, Co Wicklow, when I was on a family holiday at about age 5.  My dad played a little, with pen-hold grip, and he told me years later that that was when I first had a bat in my hand.  I say “bat”, we are talking about a dilapidated Barna-type hard bat with the rubbers hanging off.

My interest was re-kindled at about 12, we played in the Art Room of Grosvenor High in Belfast putting three tables together and using books as nets.  Amazing ricochets happened when the ball hit the crack where two tables joined, but there were no “lets” in these games!  Around the same time I joined 24th Boys Brigade in Bloomfield Presbyterian.  They had an actual proper table, and a team which played against other BB companies.  This was my first introduction to competition.

By then I was playing with a proper Barna bat, I had never been coached, I knew nothing of tactics or techniques, I knew I could win points with a back-hand drive/kill/flick.  Years later I was foolish enough to describe my back-hand to the revered coach Colin Senior as my Barna back-hand.  He looked at me pityingly and just said “don’t ever say that again.  Victor Barna would turn in his grave if he heard you describe that shot in that way”.

A school friend brought me to Mountpottinger YMCA, home of many international players.  I had never seen a proper club, I was not put off by the fact that my friend said that we were not good enough to get into their bottom team, I went with the attitude “I’ll show them”.  I can still remember walking in and seeing two internationals Carroll McBride and Jean Johnston knocking up.  I immediately realised that I was little more than a beginner.  I went to a sports’ store – no internet then – and invested £2 in the “Johnny Leach Japanese Wonder-bat, the antidote to all spin”.  This was the answer!  Possibly if Johnny Leach himself had used it, the results might have been spectacular, but not for me.

I played in a few boys’ tournaments, with general lack of success.  I scraped onto the Ulster Schools team in 1968, playing in the old Crofton Club in Dublin against a very strong Leinster team which included Tony Langan.  We lost that match 8-1, but at least I had the consolation of sharing in our sole victory, in the doubles. A highlight of that day was coming back on my own on the Enterprise train (Child Protection?!), being met at the station at 7.45, getting changed in the car on the way to school, and arriving just in time to walk onstage as Claudio in “Much Ado About Nothing”!

Although I was not ranked in the top four in Ulster U-17 level, I managed to win one boys’ tournament, the County Antrim Open, when it was held in Ballymena Town Hall.  I beat future full international Jimmy Wilson in the semi-final, and the talented Errol Wilson in the final, recovering from a game and 9-13 down. The local weekly paper gave the tournament a full page, my victory was dealt with at some length (I still have the cutting), it described Errol as one of Ulster’s most promising juniors, said I was not normally in the same class, and dismissed my victory as Errol being overawed by the hall filling with spectators.  Afterwards I was euphoric, an Irish International headed over to us both, ignored me totally, put his arm round Errol, and told him that he had played well.  Many years later when we were on a trip to England together, I reminded Tommy Caffrey of this, he denied any recollection of “blanking” me that night! Tommy – some things are embedded deep in the memory!

So that was the end of a fairly undistinguished “career” in boys’ events.  What happened next?  You’ll need to wait to find out, and if you don’t respond i