Fabulous finals day for South Devon Table Tennis

With the conclusion of the Torbay and South Devon Table Tennis League last week, it was time for the end of season tournament, which was again held at the Torbay Leisure Centre.

An excellent entry of 66 local players took part in 12 separate events, with many of the finals being held back for the Finals and Awards Night later in the week staged at Stover School.

The events played to a conclusion at the Leisure Centre saw Blake Bellham win the Under 11 competition and Gustaw Adamczak win the Under 13 event, which were the two free to enter open competitions aimed at youngsters new to the game.

The division four competition was won by Lewis Lavery, who defeated Eve James in the final. The third division champion was Martin Dilkes, who beat Chris Garner. The super veterans was again won by Dennis Gibbs, who defeated Clive Banham.

The remaining seven finals were held back for the showpiece event of the season held at Stover School later in the week.

An excellent men’s singles competition with an entry of 36 competitors saw group wins from Dennis Gibbs, Kevin Nicholls, Shaun Gibbs, Simon James, Ross Saxby, Dan Webster Hall, Curtis Sage, Jim McIvor and Rhys Lush.

In the semi-finals, Ross Saxby knocked out Simon James and Shaun Gibbs defeated his father Dennis.

So, the current holder of the Burton Cup, Shaun Gibbs was up against Ross Saxby, making his first appearance in the South Devon Closed Tournament.

The ladies singles event saw favourites Naomi Jackson and Sonja Ryland win through to play for the Knight Cup. Those two names will also be appearing in the Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles finals.

Sonja Ryland, with Jackie Whitehorn and Issy Brown, joined Naomi Jackson as they both won through to the Ladies doubles final, while Kevin Nicholls joined Sonja Ryland and Shaun Gibbs teamed up with Naomi Jackson to battle out for the mixed doubles cup.

Familiar names will also be involved in the Men’s doubles final, as Shaun and Dennis Gibbs meet Kevin Nicholls and Simon James. The Veterans Cup will have a new name on it, as 20-time champion Dennis Gibbs lost in the semi-final to club colleague Kevin Nicholls, who faces Simon James in the final. Simon is competing in the tournament for the first time.

The final event held back to play at Stover School was the Division Two cup between David Davies and Joseph Edwards.

With the finalists now known, it was onward to Stover School, which provided an excellent setting for this prestigious event. As well as the seven finals taking place, all the season’s awards were handed out.

First match up was the Veterans singles, which pitched NA Buzzards’ team-mates against each other. An excellent game, which set the tone for the night, as defender Kevin Nicholls defeated hard hitting Simon James.

The ladies doubles was up next and a new pairing, Naomi Jackson and Issy Brown, got the better of the experienced Jackie Whitehorn and Sonja Ryland to lift the Reg Spooner Cup.

Youngster Joseph Edwards won the Division Two singles with the only straight sets win of the night, defeating David Davies.

The next three finals were all-Newton Abbot affairs, as the club’s top two teams battled it out. The mixed doubles saw victory to the Batmen, as Naomi Jackson and Shaun Gibbs defeated Sonja Ryland and Kevin Nicholls.

The Buzzards fought back with their pair, Kevin Nicholls and Simon James, defeating the Batmen’s Dennis and Shaun Gibbs in the men’s doubles final in a classic five set match.

The ladies singles final was also a top quality confrontation that could’ve gone either way, the Batmen’s Naomi Jackson finally prevailing over Sonja Ryland 12-10 in the fifth.

A fitting finale, playing for the Burton Cup, saw Shaun Gibbs defeated by Ross Saxby, who lifted the Burton Cup in his first South Devon Tournament.

In between all the matches, the League’s awards were presented by league sponsor Sonja Ryland of Albany Florists.

The evening concluded with a special award for the retiring treasurer Maurece Travis. He first joined the committee as an eighteen-year-old and has decided to call it a day after 65 years service to local table tennis, an amazing achievement.

That wraps up the table tennis season for another year, although many clubs continue playing throughout the summer, so if anyone is interested in joining the TT family then drop me an email tonyhalse@hotmail.com and I’ll put you in touch with your nearest club.