Leinster

SULKOWSKI STEALS THE SHOW – Leinster Masters 2012

by MastersTTI News

Pawel Sulkowski made a very successful foray into the Leinster Masters at Lucan, winning two titles on his debut, while Ros Carpenter continued her excellent early season form. Some new faces also emerged on a busy day, with 52 entrants altogether.

Istvan Kozak and Robby Davis registered good wins in the group stages of the Over 40s, Istvan winning narrowly on countback. Some anomalies in the seedings led to high quality, high octane encounters in the early rounds of this event. Spectators were treated to some excellent matches featuring Kevin Mackey, Pat McCloughan, Keld Jaksland, Tibor Pofok and Kevin Devaney. Indeed Pawel Sulkowski had to overturn a 1-2 deficit to beat Mackey in the fifth set of a sharp, high tempo duel! However, the final produced a real clash of styles between aggressive topspin and durable anti-loop defence when Pawel faced maestro Tommy Caffrey. Having succumbed to Pawel’s consistent, powerful topspin strokes in the first two sets, Caffrey changed tack. From the start of the third set, Tommy engaged in more counter hitting and blocking close to the table. Those still in attendance were treated to several high class extended rallies, and Caffrey levelled the match at 2-2. Pawel made a determined, powerful start to the fifth to lead 5-1, and he closed the match out 11-4. A worthy winner.

Ros Carpenter won the Ladies title, beating Teresa Devaney 11-4 in the fifth set. Her consistent stroke play defied the more exuberant ploys which Teresa tried. However, Teresa confessed to being a little jaded after Stockholm, Cardiff, Belek and Wolverhampton in recent weeks!! Sharon Gibbons won an important victory over Gillian Richardson to finish third. This event provided  good preparation for all concerned prior to the Colleens appearance at the British Veterans League in November. We wish them well!

The Restricted 40s event featured some interesting clashes, notably between  Devaney and Sulkowski. The outstanding match here was Pat McCloughan’s semi-final victory over Tibor Pofok, 11-9 in the fifth. Pawel beat Pat in the final.

The 50s saw Ferenc Szeles overturn an earlier loss in the group stages to beat Brian Finn in the final. His unusual aggression with anti-spin rubber proved most deceptive at critical stages. Finn had won a hard fought semi-final with Keld Jaksland 11-9 in the fifth set. Tommy Caffrey triumphed in the 60s, beating Finn 10, 5, 4 in straight sets in the final. Nobody in this category was any match for Caffrey’s resolute defence. Mike Nash accredited himself well with decent performances here against Caffrey and in the 40s against Kevin Mackey.

Eleven competitors played in the 70s event. This meant that the usual Round Robin could not be engaged in. It is heartening to know that these campaigners wished for more action instead of the restricted number of matches this time around! Hopefully these shortcomings will be addressed next time out. Ted Mahaffy beat old friend and rival Ronnie Drain in the final. Now their thoughts begin to stray towards Bremen in May 2013 for the European Championships. Bring it on!!

Alan Lyons, Krzysztof  Karczewski and Ken Ridsdale won consolation events. In the first doubles event for many years, Caffrey and Pofok triumphed over Szeles and Kozak in straight sets in the final.

Our thanks to STIGA for their generous support at all of our events.

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Butterfly National Senior Rankings

by National EventsTTI News

The ITTA Ranking Committee has today published the Butterfly National Senior Rankings following the Connacht Open.

In the Men’s section, its as you were at the top as Paul McCreery remains Ireland’s No.1 ranked player. Big movers up the list include Tibor Pofok, who is up 7 places to No.6 on the list. Further down the list Marcus McDonnell makes huge strides following a strong performance in Breaffy House – he is now at No.21 from No.36 on his return to the sport.

In the Women’s list, as expected Na Liu retains her top spot, although Ashley Givan is not far behind on points and moves into 2nd position. Further down the list, Marta Zareba makes the biggest leap up to 14th from 26th.

See Rankings for full lists.

Connacht

Paul McCreery and Hannah-Lynch Dawson Crowned Connacht Senior Open Champions 2012

by National EventsTTI News

At a superb Stiga Connacht Senior Open last weekend, Paul McCreery and Hannah-Lynch Dawson beat all competitors to take Connacht Senior Open titles home with them. The Open was held at Breaffy Sports Arena, Castlebar, Co Mayo and proved to be one of the more memorable Open’s hosted by Connacht.

In the Women’s event, Hannah-Lynch Dawson defeated Ashley Givan in a 5 set thriller. Dawson won the first set 12-10 but Givan responded by winning the next 2 sets 13-11 & 11–8. Dawson fought back to take the 4th set 11-9 to bring the Women’s Open decider to a 5th set. Dawson’s composure got the better of her Ulster rival on the day taking the 5th set 11–8 with some outstanding play. It was a fantastic performance from Dawson who showed from the Irish Senior Women’s classification signs of posing a serious threat this season. The 3rd / 4th place playoff went to the 5th set with Jean Wyse the eventual winner over Marta Zareba from Pionners TTC, Dublin.

In the Men’s event, Paul McCreery defeated John Murphy in three straight sets. However, the first two sets proved to be a tight affair with McCreery winning 13-11 and 12-10. Spectators were anticipating a comeback from Murphy in the 3rd set but that wasn’t to be case with McCreery reinforcing his dominance at the event by taking the 3rd set 11-4. It is without doubt that McCreery has all the attributes of a National Champion and this could come sooner rather than later! Ashley Robinson proved too strong for Tibor Pofok on the day winning 3rd / 4th place playoff in three straight sets: 11-8, 11-9 and 11-5.

Before the Staged Men’s and Women’s Final, a special presentation was made to Kevin Devaney by our President Joseph Hickey and Irish Table Tennis legend Tommy Caffrey. Pictured above is the ‘Tommy Caffrey Trophy’ being presented to Kevin by both Joseph and Tommy for his performance at this year’s Senior Interprovincial Championship. Kevin was selected by the President(from a list nominated by NPCs) as ‘Player of the Championship’ for his performance on and off the table. Well done Kevin you have done Connacht proud!

The weekend kicked-off with the Men’s and Women’s doubles. With the Men’s top two seeds forming a partnership, it was inevitable that they would go all the way to the final. Both Kevin Mackey and Artur Lewanczuk have to be commended for their performance knocking out tough opposition on their way to the final only to be defeated by Murphy and McCreery. The Women’s doubles proved to be a tighter affair with Hannah-Lynch Dawson and Sarah Timlin taking the Women’s Doubles Title in a round robin format. They finished ahead of Ashley Givan and Annalise Walker which proved to be a close encounter! 

Saturday afternoon saw the Mixed Doubles Players taking control of the arena which proved to be a popular and exciting event. Marta Zareba and Dariusz Zatylny battled their way to the final to set up an encounter with hot favourites Ashley Givan and Ashley Robinson. The two Ashley’s were on fire and breezed through the opposition to be crowned Connacht Open Mixed Doubles Champions 2012. 

Class II started the proceedings on Sunday with Brian Devereux, Marcus McDonnell, Terry Dolan and Kevin Devaney progressing to the semi-finals. The two semi-finals produced 5 set thrillers with both Marcus and Kevin overcoming Brian and Terry respectively. Marcus McDonnell was in fantastic form defeating Kevin Devaney in the 5th set 11-9. This is a major achievement for Marcus considering his absence from the Irish Table Tennis circuit for some time. 

In the Men’s U21 Conor Beades defeated Ryan McConkey in the Final. McConkey put in a good performance but experience got the better of the Junior. In the Women’s U21 event Sarah Timlin secured her third  Connacht U21 Open Title by beating her younger sister Orla. Orla Timlin has made a welcome return to Table Tennis and a player destined to follow her older sisters footsteps.

The Masters Final brought an exciting end to the Connacht Senior Open with some superb table tennis. The Final turned out to be the ‘match of the weekend’ with Connacht rivals Terry Dolan and Kevin Devaney battling it out for the Connacht Open Masters Title. It was sweet revenge for Dolan having been beaten by Devaney in the Class II semi-final. Devaney took Dolan to the fifth set but Dolan held his nerve and recorded yet another Open Title.

The Connacht Branch would like to thank both Joseph Hickey and Ken Strong for their valuable advice leading up to the event. Without the support of the ITTA, this event would not have been possible!

Full results available here.

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Veterans News: Turkish Delight

by International EventsMastersTTI News

Picture: Vivienne Barry (IRL), Larissa (RUS), Teresa Devaney (IRL)Teresa Devaney continued her run of successes at the Turkish Veterans Open in Belek, Turkey last week.Teresa matched the scorching weather with some great wins over top players from England,  Germany, Denmark and Russia to claim Gold in the over 60’s singles.She then teamed up with the Russian finalist to win gold in the Women’s doubles, and was runner-up in the Mixed, taking Silver.

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First Irish No. 1s of the season announced in new Underage Rankings!

by TTI News


The new Irish Underage rankings following the first Irish Junior Ranking tournament have just been announced by the Ranking Committee.

The new No. 1’s are:

Junior Boys:           Ryan Farrell

Junior Girls:            Chloe O’Halloran

Cadet Boys:           Zac Wilson

Cadet Girls:            Katie McGlone

Under 12 Boys:    Owen Cathcart

Under 12 Girls:     Kate Whelan

The Board thanks Mr. Tommy Keenan for his work in compiling these. The rankings are available here.

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Progress in Midlands

by TTI News

Irish Midlands Table Tennis Academy based near Mountrath Co Laois is a new initiative that has been set up to provide advanced training for developing provincial and national tournament players from the midlands area.
The initiative is initially being funded through the Women in Sport programme so the emphasis is on identifying young female players with the potential to progress. This is putting a more formal structure on the process already in place which has seen the development of clubs like Mounthrath and Ballyroan over the last few years and the progression of players such as Kate Whelan from participation player to top ranked Cadet . 
The academy also runs a talent ID programme or B squad.  The purpose of which is to find, and develop the playing skills of young children (8-12) who are showing ability for the sport and who have the potential, with sufficient progress and competition, to progress to the A squad.
The pathway includes talent spotting through schools and clubs. Coaches, Parents, Teachers and community leaders may nominate young players who are playing at home, school, or in youth clubs and are showing signs of talent at table tennis.  There is also opportunity for older children (13-16) who do not already attend the academy to be invited through club selections and performance at competitions. 
Club coaches may contact project leader Jimmy Hayes (086 86 84 693) for further information or to nominate a player. 
Five times Irish senior Men’s Champion and Level 2 coach John Murphy will be the lead coach for both squads.  John has much experience in coaching Irish squad camps and in working with Irish teams abroad.  He has spent much of his playing career training in Sweden and China and no doubt will bring an innovative approach with him to the academy.  He will be assisted by other ITTA qualified coaches,  all who have completed essential Garda vetting and Code of Ethics training.
The Academy will run on Friday evenings with B squad from 6pm-8pm and A squad 7pm -9pm.
Spaces will be limited and will be filled in order of selection. Players who participate in training must also enter ITTA events such as STIGA Junior Challengers, Provincial or National competitions throughout the province as they continue to develop and reach the necessary standard.  

Ulster_TT (1)

Ulster Senior Closed Report and Results

by National EventsTTI News


Peter Graham (Glenburn) grabbed his first Ulster Senior Closed Men’s title with a tactical and sometimes explosive 4-set victory over Tyrone protégé Ashley Robinson.

Law graduate Graham (24 years), displayed composure gained from experience as an Irish junior and senior international, but was conscious that he has to be in top gear to overhaul the Clogher player who has already graced world events as Irish No. 4, and will soon take up a semi-professional position in the British League with the Gareth Herbert School in Peterborough.

Missing from the Ulster’s line up in the Valley Leisure Centre were current Irish No. 1 and UK Grand Prix winner in Liverpool was Paul McCreery, soon to return to studies in Nottingham and Keith Knox who was on French club duty. Nevertheless the Knox family were well represented by elder brother Gervis, finishing 4th ahead of Polish immigrant Pawel Sulkowski (Ballymoney).

Emma Ludlow, also Glenburn, showed why she has caught the eye of the Ulster Junior Selectors by winning the Class 2 event ahead of Mark Gordon (Ballyclare).

Once again the round-robin format, designed by Ulster President Tony Phillips, has the players’ approval.

Ulster Senior Closed Championship Final Places:

1. Peter Graham; 2. Ashley Robinson; 3.Gervis Knox ; 4. Pawel Sulkowski; 5. Pat McClaughan; 6. Jack Porter; 7. Stephwen Slater; 8. Kris Foster; 9. Zak Wilson; 10. Philip Jamison; 11. Hannah Lynch-Dawson; 12. Gary Crawford.

Class 2: 1. Emma Ludlow; 2. Mark Gordon; 3. Andrew Loane; 4. Patsie Gallagher.

For full results please click here

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Veterans 6 Nations

by International EventsMastersTTI News

The stunning success of our Ladies Over 50s team propelled the Irish Veterans to a tremendous medal haul at the 2012 Six Nations Tournament in Cardiff. Early on Saturday afternoon, Teresa Devaney, Jenny Harrison and Helena Dennett retained their title in emphatic fashion! Against England B, Teresa saved several match points when defeating great friend and rival Marilyn Bawden 16-14 in the fifth. In the crucial match, the combined strengths of Jenny and Teresa were too much for England A, whom they defeated 4-1. Notably, Helena won all of her matches.

The Gents Over 70s team of Ted Mahaffy, Ron Drain and Tom Burke won silver medals, with a notable victory over a depleted England team. In fact, Ron lost some tight five set encounters by the narrowest of margins. George Evans  expressed enormous satisfaction in finally securing a team gold medal for Wales on home territory! The Over 60s Mixed team, astutely captained by Martin Pickles, won silver also. Audacious Audrey Robinson, vivacious Viv Barry, evergreen Tommy Caffrey, and multi-tasking Brian Finn along with Martin all contributed handsomely to a splendid team effort. Indeed, England’s Maurice Newman, despite emerging victorious over Tommy in five close sets, confessed to suffering from exhaustion. Topspin can exact a heavy toll when forced into overindulgence!!!!

The Gents Over 40s team won bronze, while our other Ladies and Gents team members gained valuable experience competing against highly skilled opposition.

The medals awards were celebrated in fine style at the Presentation Dinner at the SWALEC Centre on Saturday night. The cabaret was most enjoyable, but the festivities were over all too soon!

On Sunday, Teresa and Jenny picked up where they had left off, winning the Over 50 Ladies Doubles title in fine style. Teresa then crowned a scintillating tournament by winning the Over 60s Ladies Singles event. After exchanging tense opening sets in the final against Penny Perry, Teresa found her rhythm in the third set. She closed out in the fourth set, hitting several forehand winners with a relaxed freedom. Her tremendous performance just confirms the consistent progress she has made throughout an exceptional year.

Tibor Pofok, making his debut in the Over 40s Singles event, played superbly when losing a tremendous tussle with Richie Venner 11-8 in the fifth set. Constant microphone interruptions did not help either player during this absorbing match. In the Gents Over 50s singles semi-final, Kariem Sabir put in a feisty performance against Mark Romano. Having been 2 sets to 1 up, he lost narrowly in the fifth. Earlier, he had completed a remarkable comeback to beat Geoff Hunter of Scotland in an enthralling encounter.

Speaking today about the success of the team, ITTA President Joe Hickey stated;

“Our Veterans are deserving of enormous praise for their great success at the 6 Nations last weekend. Most of our medal winners have been ever present on Irish teams for many years but Teresa Devaney is truly the ‘golden girl’ of vets tt. Brian Finn is also deserving of enormous praise for the work he has done since taking on the role of managing vets tt and he will be even busier in the year ahead, with the organisation of the event in Ireland in 2013 ! “

It now falls to Ireland to host the 2013 event. The achievements of Steve Eades and his hard working Welsh organising committee will be a hard act to follow. Our thanks to STIGA for their generous support of our efforts! 

umpire tnail

ITTA UMPIRE AND REFEREES ASSOCIATION – Yellow Cards

by TTI NewsUmpires & Officials

ITTA UMPIRE AND REFEREES ASSOCIATION

NOTICE FOR PLAYERS AND COACHES

The following is a list of offences for which Yellow Cards will be issued:

1.       KICKING TABLE OR SURROUNDS

2.       THROWING BAT

3.       HITTING BALL DELIBERATELY OUT OF COURT,

4.       SWEARING

5.       DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOUR TO UMPIRE, REFEREE OR CONTROL TABLE STAFF

6.       VERY LOUD SHOUTING WHICH DISTURBS PLAY ON OTHER COURTS

7.       DIRECTING SHOUTING OR FIST PUNCHING TOWARDS THE OPPONENT

8.       DELAYING RETURN TO TABLE AFTER SET/TIME OUT

9.       SUPPORTERS OR COACHES HECKLING/DERIDING/SHOWING DISRESPECT TO OPPONENTS OR OFFICIALS.

10.   SPITTING

A warning may be given for a first offense, except No. 10 which will be an immediate Yellow Card.

Condition of Bats will be checked and any Bat found to be illegal or damaged will not be allowed.

In some circumstances the player may be allowed to use such a bat, on condition that the bat may not be used again.

A record of such bats will be kept.

Vivienne Barry

Chairman

17/10/2012

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Irish Junior Classification Day 2 Results

by National EventsTTI News

Summary of the Results from Day 1 of the Irish Junior Classification 2012

Cadet Boys

Champion – Zak Wilson (Glenburn TTC)

2nd – Brian Dunleavy (Kilkelly TTC)

3rd – Evin McGovern (Club Donic)

4th – Donie Mullally (Club Donic)

5th – Alex Gillen (UCD)

6th – Gearoid O’Donoghue (Leeside TTC)

7th – Karl Walsh (Leeside TTC)

8th – Daragh Egan (Kilkelly TTC)

Cadet Girls

Champion – Katie McGlone

2nd – Rebecca Finn (Glenburn TTC)

3rd – Chloe O’Halloran (Leeside TTC)

4th – Kate Whelan (Ballyroan TTC)

5th – Valentina Poutkazyze (Kilarney TTC)

6th – Kerry O’Mahony

7th – Jessie Hayes (Mountrath TTC)

8th – Brielle Brady (Kilkenny TTC)

Under 10 Boys 

Champion – David Taylor (Collooney TTC)

2nd – Art McLoughlin (Club Donic)

3rd – Tommy Ngugen (York Road TTC)

4th – William Hou (Club Donic)

Under 10 Girls

Champion – Jackie Xue (Club Donic)

2nd – Mia Egan (Club Donic)

3rd – Sophie Kenny (Carlow TTC)

4th – Natashya Barry (Athlone TTC)

Plate Events:

Cadet Boys Plate

1st – Bernard O’Sullivan (UCD)

2nd – James Doyle (York Road TTC)

Cadet Girls Plate 

1st – Justyne Fabian (Carlow TTC)

2nd – Yasmine Barry (Athlone TTC)

Under 10 Boys

1st – Ravi Seth (Club Donic)

2nd – Cillian Mullaly (Club Donic)

Under 10 Girls

1st – Grace Hodgins (Collooney TTC)

2nd – Orlagh O’Toole (Yotk Road TTC)