Sport / Top table tennis talents double up for Christmas competition
SHETLAND Table Tennis Association wrapped up its winter leagues with its annual Christmas doubles competition on Tuesday.
The 42 players were split into three competitions and seeded in order of ability, with the highest seed paired up with the lowest seed, to give everyone a fair chance of winning.
The division six and seven category played a round-robin event, with each match played over the best of seven ends.
Kayden Shing and Matthew Ross were pushed all the way by the strong partnerships of James Robertson and Koll McConnachie, as well as Aidan Gilbertson and his two partners Jamie Page and Aaron Kennerley.
However they were too consistent in the end and took the title.
Next up was the division four and five tournament, which was just as competitive, and involved four young players from Brae, two secondary players from Aith and two seniors.
Every match went to the wire with the most exciting and longest match going to five ends.
Chris Percival and Laynou Paton raced off to a two set lead, but youngsters Terry and Ryan Peterson pulled one back in the third end.
Percival and Paton moved 3-1 up but this did not deter the Brae brothers, who responded by bouncing back to win the next two ends to level the game.
All four were firing on all cylinders and reached an 11-11 shootout in the final end, with experience overcoming youth as Percival and Paton sealed the next two points to win.
They could not relax with Aith youngsters Bobby Forrest and Heidi Dickie up next, with the title up for grabs for the victors.
Percival and Paton proved too strong on this occasion, winning comfortably to lift the trophy.
The last competition was for division one, two and three players, with 26 players competing. Four initial groups saw the top two move into the quarter-finals, with the others moving into a plate competition.
Progressing through to the last eight after topping their groups were Aleks McKay and Stephen Clark, Piotr Drozdowski and Orri Smith, Gordon Anderson and Fiona Graham, and Irvine Tait and Brian Hill.
Dawid Niesciur and Sam Laurenson, Juan Brown and John Smith, Connor Burgess and Mos Farmer, and Tony Li and Robert Bennet joined them in the quarter-finals after finishing second.
In the plate competition, it was the pairs of Dylan Ritch and Farhad Irvani and Peter Kiss and Stacey MacGregor who met in the final. Kiss and MacGregor dug deep to win the plate title.
Back in the main competition, the quarter-finals produced a series of hotly contested matches. Brian Hill and Irvine Tait took on Mos Farmer and young Connor Burgess, with the match soon tied up at 2-2.
In an exciting final end, it was Burgess and Farmer who came through to seal a place in the semi-finals.
Also progressing through were Aleks McKay and Stephen Clark, Tony Li and Robert Bennet plus Piotr Drozdowski and Orri Smith.
McKay and Clark beat Farmer and Burgess 3-1 in the first match, while Li and Bennet saw off Drozdowski and Smith 3-1 in the second semi-final.
The final saw uncle Robert come up against nephew Aleks, and the familial match-up did not disappoint.
The first two sets were shared, McKay and Clark winning 12-10 before Li and Bennet levelled it up with an 11-9 score.
McKay and Clark moved one set from the title after winning end three 11-3, with Li and Bennet roaring back to make it 10-all in the fourth set.
However McKay and Clark were able to win the next two points to ensure they were crowned Christmas doubles champions.
Table tennis development officer Joan Smith thanked the Clickimin staff for allowing them to complete the matches after the booking time, and gave a big thanks to sponsors EnQuest, Dragon House, Table Tennis Scotland and the coastal community fund.
The winter league starts again on Tuesday 6 January, with a few spaces left in division seven. Anyone who would like to give it a try should contact Joan Smith at joansmith663@gmail.com.
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