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BVTTC
News May 2001 Issue |
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INTRODUCTION Welcome once again to BVTTC News! A review of the Club for the season 2000/01. The start of the 21st century also represents the start of the second decade of this newsletter. And you will be interested to know that not only is our club stable but it is also growing. A new century a new decade and new challenges and opportunities await us; not least is our accommodation. It is in serious need of upgrading if it is to continue to be fit for purpose of a progressive club. But enough of that, for now let us look back over the past year. Last year we reported on the visit to Baddow of the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA) Regional Development Officer, Sandra Collins. And the consideration which the Club management were giving to applying to join the ETTA PremierClub scheme. You will probably all by now know that, not only did we in the end apply, but were also successful in that application and have been accepted by ETTA as a PremierClub. The only club in Chelmsford area that is currently a member of that scheme. It has brought us fresh contacts and opportunities to be in direct touch with information and assistance from ETTA headquarters, and we are proud to be able to display the PremierClub logo. One immediate tangible benefit is that it has recently given us the opportunity to apply, with support form the ETTA, for funding from the Sports for All awards scheme for finance to carry out much needed renewal of equipment. We now wait the outcome of that application. You never know we might yet have some new nets!
We have been delighted to welcome newcomers into our club again this year - although we are sorry to have lost one or two in the process. Particularly encouraging has been the growing band of youngsters now regularly attending, and becoming full Junior Members. We were even able to run a youth team last year in the new CLICK competition launched by the League in September. By my reckoning we now have 9 juniors on our books - and this is still growing. Talking of our juniors; many of you will know young Martin Chattey - who won the Ted Harris Trophy last year in its inaugural season. He has had to stop playing table tennis for the moment - but we hope this will only be temporary - as his Dad has been quite seriously ill and so unable to transport him to his sports activities. Colin was a good supporter of Baddow Village and we wish him well and sincerely hope that he will be able to come and visit us again soon. On the playing front it has again been a mixed year, as you will see from the team reports. But our teams have all been extremely competitive and very well ran by the team captains. The highlight was the fact that the Club reached the final of two of the League KO Cup competitions. A terrific 5:4 semi-final win in the Mixed KO Cup (Jon Hill, Waseem Qureshi & Diane Pitt) placed us in the final against the might of Elmtree Graphics. And what a final it was, just going down 5:4. Our Men’s team also somehow managed to reach the final of the top KO Cup competition after an excellent semi-final win over a first division Danbury side by Jon Hill, Neil Gooday and Duncan Elloy. In the final however we faced the top Danbury side, headed by the legendary Stuart Gibbs. Despite excellent efforts from Waseem, Adrian & Duncan we went down 5:0 - but we were far from disgraced in an enjoyable match.
Other developments this year have been the start of our new annual rental agreement with our landlords, under which we now have the hall for 3 nights of the week throughout the year. We need to consider seriously how we are going to use the premises through the summer if this arrangement is to be cost effective. And you may have noticed that the Club is now on the world-wide web at www.bvttc.org. The site is in its infancy but we will be developing it, including regular updates and articles about the club activities. Would you like to contribute? The Club has also continued to play an active part in the management of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League, of which it is a member, with Graham Turner continuing as the League Divisional Secretary. Thanks to all team captains and club officers who have ensured that the Club’s administration has proceeded quite smoothly. We should not however be complacent, there is always room for improvement and fresh ideas are needed if we are to progress.
CLUB MEMBERSHIP You are reminded that Membership Fees are due by the end of July. It helps the Clubs cash flow if Members pay up promptly! The membership fee for 2001/02 will again be £35 (Juniors and those in full time education £5) for the year. This is the eighth successive year that we have been able to maintain this level of membership fee and it represents very good value for money for the opportunity to use the Clubs facilities for 50 weeks a year and represent the Club in the local league. For those wishing to play league table tennis registration fees will be a further £15 (Juniors £10) - again no increase. A total of £50 (Juniors £15). League teams will also be charged a "match fee" which covers the cost of rent for match nights. The amount will be notified to the team captains at the start of the season and is to be paid in full before the season ends. It is hoped that for the next season the cost of this may be a little less than this year (where it averaged around £1.50 per match) but much will depend on the number of players and teams. CHELMSFORD &
DISTRICT LEAGUE The Club entered 8 teams into the Chelmsford & District League for the 2000/01 season, the same number as last year and were represented at every level of the league We have again been pleased to welcome new players this year. The return to Baddow of Mark Patman has added a certain zest to Friday evenings, but we were delighted that he decided to bring with him son John and daughter Francesca - although Frankie has since decided that perhaps there are other things to life than table tennis - something we find hard to believe. We have also welcomed David Gatheral, Richard Jennings, Allan Playle, Paul Pitt (Adrian’s brother), Ralph Turbin and new juniors David Russell, Rykki Vansertima, and Philip Twite. And more recently further prospective members in the form of Ron Arthur and Samantha Duce. As well as the league competition the Club entered teams in all 6 Knock Out Cup competitions. Here at least we had some cause to celebrate, reaching two finals as reported. TEAM REPORTS A Team (Div 1) Members: Waseem Qureshi (Cap't), Jon Hill, and Ian Wright
As a 3 person team the last thing you can afford is to lose one player just a few weeks into the season. But that was exactly the fate of the A team, when Ian decided after just 5 matches without a win to retire from the team. Hardly surprising therefore that the team struggled. It looked for a while as if the team might have to be withdrawn, but the B team did a fantastic job in providing cover to see them through the season. A tremendous effort was made in the second half and for a moment it looked as if the team might survive. But the gap proved too wide. Jon Hill was by far the best player achieving an average of 57% to show just how much he has progressed. And on this form he really needs to continue playing at the highest level. B Team (Div 2) Members: Adrian Pitt (Cap't), Neil Gooday, Richard Jennings, and Alastair Piper
Overall a much improved performance from last year where we nearly got relegated. This year we finished 5th. Neil has continued to improve during the season and is starting to regain his previous form - shame it's the end of the season, but no doubt with some coaching he will peak ready for the new season. Alastair continues to provide quality support throughout the season and had some notable successes and I am confident that he can further improve on this for next season. The team's cause was also helped by the services of Richard Jennings who joined us early in the season and provided excellent support for both the A and B team. Despite having four players to call on there were occasions when we still turned out with 2 players and on 2 of those occasions we won the matches - perhaps this is something we should consider for the future. Only one real low for the season - no pub visit achieved. Team captain, Adrian, also made an impression in the Chelmsford Championships where he finished runner-up in the 2Down Competition. And his picture even appeared on the official league Internet site as a result - why not look it up (Picture News 14)! C Team (Div 3) Members: Graham Turner (Cap’t), Alastair Brown, Duncan Elloy, Andrew Skues
One point less than last year and two places lower, it’s not looking good. A disappointing second half left the team struggling to avoid the relegation zone. Continuity and consistency weren’t helped by Andy having overseas business trips and injury to the captain. It was therefore left to Duncan to pull the team out of the fire and he duly obliged, returning an average of 74%. An excellent achievement in what turned out to be a very strong and hard fought division, where 1 win or defeat could move teams several places up or down the table. Perhaps the team are starting to feel their age, so maybe it’s time for a change to halt the slide. D Team (Div 4) Members Steve Back (Cap't), John Barrett, Frank Neill and Bill Wall
Overall, a good season for the D team helped by being able to field a consistent team. We only needed a substitute once this season. The consistent level of play from all 4 players has been reflected in our table position. Against very good opposition this year we have only lost home & away to one team, Hatfield Peverel D, who won the division. The doubles often helped to decide matches & the pairing of Bill Wall & Steve Back resulted in played 11, won 10 - better than 90% success. The amazing defensive play of Frank and the 'clonk' coming from Bills mahogany hard bat was a decisive feature of many games with John Barrett’s defeat of Neil Freeman 31-29 in the third, which stopped play on the adjoining table so they could watch, making a memorable evening. Thoroughly enjoyed the season which included a lot of fun and entertainment as well as hard work. E Team (Div 4) Members Colin Gooday (Cap't), Geoff Morris, and Allan Playle
We started the season badly, partly because we were playing the better teams in the league and partly because we hadn't got into the swing of things. In short we hadn't played in the summer months. We lost five of the first six matches and just drew the other one. We then had some wins and won the last four matches of the season. Allan agreed to step in to fill the missing player spot, although at a level slightly higher than he might have liked on his return to league play. And the teams overall position in the division improved on last year. Teams like Hatfield Peverel and Writtle were however too strong for us. Can we mention "funny rubbers". The long pimples are enabling players we would previously beat easily, to now win. There is also no enjoyment in playing players who use these rubbers because you get beaten entirely by the bat and not the skill of the player. Next season we are tempted to concede games to those players using such bats unless the ETTA or Chelmsford League do something about it. This is a last resort measure but consider that if the players using such rubbers failed to play a game they would soon stop using them. The enjoyment of playing the game is going. F Team (Div 5) Members Richard Upson (Cap't), Hil Dowsett, Gordon Fairchild and Mark Patman
Prospects for the season looked good with a squad of five players, but one dropped out within a week....and then there were four! The team struggled in a strong division unless Hil was present, normally guaranteeing at least 2 wins or more often a max. The Dowsett "bat change mid match" strategy was introduced to great effect whenever trouble threatened, which was not often. In the second half of the season, Hil’s appearances dropped off due to work commitments. John Patman, Diane Pitt and Fred Henwood all stepped into the breach to provide much appreciated support. Mark was comfortably the second strongest player in the team, and his inimitable style baffled many an opponent. There were some amusing incidents in his matches, with the extremely rare beast, the "Patman Forehand Drive" producing most laughter with it's unpredictable trajectory! The highlight of his season was surely a 2-1 defeat of Nick Gough of Danbury in the penultimate match, coming from 15-20 down in the third to win! Gordon demonstrated true commitment, making the journey from Braintree most weeks, which was appreciated, particularly with the unavailability of other team members. Gordon’s matches produced some nail biting affairs, often going deep into the third leg. Highlight of the season were fine wins over Sun Life's Mick Robinson, and in the last match of the season, the highly rated Tony Lambert of divisional champions Writtle C. For Richard, the first half of the season was poor, but improved somewhat in the second. Some games which should have been won slipped away due to inconsistency or impatience against defensive players. Better performances generally came against the more attacking players. The team rallied in the latter stages, with some key results being enough to avoid relegation. G Team (Div 6) Members: Ray Clements (Cap't), Frank Harris, Fred Henwood, and John Patman
The captain was unavailable for the first two games so our long serving stalwart, Frank Harris took charge of the team. A rather up and down season with no real surprises and finishing half way was about the best we could hope for. Fred played with his usual flair with one or two left handed winners to baffle the opposition and finished up with an average of 48%. Ray with 60% and Frank 45% only having played 7 games. The big bonus was the way John Patman improved as the season progressed winning 15 singles out of the last 7 matches (with an overall average of 55%) and figuring in 10 doubles wins out of 16 played. John also put in a tremendous effort in the Chelmsford Championships finishing runner-up in the 6Down Competition beating higher ranked players en-route. For this achievement he was awarded the coveted Charlie Wheeler memorial Award at the League AGM. Many thanks to Frank for filling in at short notice and also to Diane for chipping in against Danbury. The untimely death of Geoff Baker overshadowed the second half of the season, but the decision of the Writtle team to carry on was most commendable and we wish them well. H Team (Div 6) Members:
Diane Pitt (Cap't), Martin Chattey, David Gatheral, Russell Hodge, and
The `H` team started the season in good spirits with what appeared to be a fairly strong squad. Including two newcomers David and Paul (Adrian’s brother) and two promising young players Russell and Martyn. Having won our first three matches, things were looking good. Unfortunately, we then lost the services of both Russell and Martyn due to work commitments and family circumstances. We continued gamely with our three-person-squad with a good win over OC`s F but were always struggling against other teams, notably Writtle E, ECC M and Danbury K. The season did seem to drag on with us picking up a few points here and there, until the final match against Excalibur C (Messrs. Cheessman and Co.) in which we excelled ourselves in winning 6-4. (The fact that they had only two players is unimportant!). Despite our teams performance, we all decided we had enjoyed our season of table tennis and some of us might even go as far as to play again next year! Be Warned!!! J Team (CLICK) Members: Thomas
Hill, Francesca Patman, Sam Pitt, Haydn Upson and
For the first time the Club were able to enter a youth team in the League’s brand new introductory competition, CLICK. Although just about the youngest team in the competition they displayed tremendous determination and by the end the improvement in their playing standard was clear to see; finishing with a magnificent 4:1 win over Boswells A. Richard Upson kindly undertook the management of the team and did a splendid job. Thomas showed the full extent of his improvement finishing with an average of 68%, ninth overall. And Sam is not far behind. When he can bridge the occasional concentration gap he has the potential to take on the best .... and win. An excellent start from all. We are sorry Frankie has decided not to continue, but we look forward to hearing more about the rest next year. CLUB TOURNAMENT 23, 24 & 27 APRIL 2001 We broke from tradition this year running the tournament over 3 days, with the Singles on Monday, Doubles on Tuesday & the new Youth trophy, together with semi-finals and finals of all events on Friday. Each evening was very well supported and it was particularly encouraging to see a good crowd staying on for the finals on Friday evening. Above all it was a great social occasion, plenty of nibbles and drinks, good company and well organised. We even went computerised for the first time, and tried out a new handicap system. The Tom Burns Trophy Unlike previous years we ran a straightforward knockout with a wooden spoon event for those eliminated in the first round. In the hope of making the games shorter we used a positive handicapping system which worked very well. There were anomalies, mainly called Waseem. For the first 4 rounds he came up against players from lower divisions giving handicaps of typically –26 to +8. To his credit he won through 4 rounds which meant Waseem had to win a massive 500 points!
Notable fallers at the first fence were Jon Hill, to Mark Patman, Adrian Pitt to Graham Turner, Neil Gooday to Steve Back, and Alastair Brown to David Gatheral. We ended up with a semi final of Norman Purkiss v David Gatheral, Norman winning 25-23 in the second. Followed by Waseem v Robin Armstrong. This went to Robin deep in the third, so after winning all those points to get there, Waz was out as well. The Final was hard fought with Robin giving away a handicap of –11 to +3 which was just too much against an inspired Norman. Giving Norman his first ever singles triumph.
The wooden spoon Final was between Alastair Brown and the other half of the devilish doubles duo, John Robinson. With a triumphant Norman cheering John along he came through to win 21-0, 19-21, 21-19, the +3 to –19 handicap only just defeating Alastair. Would this be John & Norman’s year to take a clean sweep of all the trophies? The Purkiss Robinson Trophy
The Ted Harris Trophy This was very much down to the organisation (or was it organised chaos) of Graham and Neil Gooday. Five juniors contested the trophy, all playing against each other on a handicap basis with the top two going through to the final. There were some tight tussles, notably Sam Pitt v David Russell which just went to Sam 22-24, 24-22, 21-14. The big surprise was that favourite Tom Hill dropped all four matches, narrowly failing to overcome the handicap - he had his mind set on the doubles, the final of which would immediately follow the group games. All the players had good matches and enjoyed this second Ted Harris trophy. In the end it was Sam Pitt and Philip Twite who contested the final. And what an excellent match it was. Philip took Sam very close but couldn’t quite topple him. Sam winning the trophy 20, 19. A worthy final. As in previous seasons the events were well attended with everyone entering into the spirit of playing hard to win but enjoying themselves and making all 3 nights a pleasure to run. We also finished before midnight on all 3 nights. Now that’s definitely a first! The trophies for all three events were presented by club chairman Peter Revell at the AGM. |
