County News 27th Nov 2021
In the wake of Storm Arwen, the 6 counties competing in Division 2C of the Senior County Championships bravely made their way to Wallace House, Evesham (home of JLM) on November 27th. I was making my debut as Captain of the Worcestershire County Senior Table Tennis team. It was a bitterly cold day and in spite of that, all the players put on a great exhibition of table tennis. The competing counties were: Avon, Cornwall, Hampshire, Somerset, Wiltshire and of course Worcestershire.
First up Worcestershire faced a strong Somerset side. Worcestershire were represented by Jamie Cartwright, Hawley Ellicott, Craig Witheford, Laura Horton and young Beth Pye (making her debut).
Somerset came out on top in a tight match 6-4. This could have gone either way with both Laura and Beth losing in 5 against Julie Byrne. Jamie won 1, Hawley 1 and Craig 2. The team were a little disappointed at the end of the match, as it seemed like an opportunity missed.
Our second and final match of the day was against Wiltshire in which we were victorious 10-0. Jamie showcased his power hitting, Hawley his array of strokes, Craig his efficiency of stroke and movement, Laura in true Horton family style, grit and determination and Beth the promise of a bright future in the game.
In fact, the biggest cheers of the day were reserved for Beth when she won both her matches in 5 against Wiltshire. One of which after being 2 sets to 1 down and 8-2 down in the fourth.
Results on Day 1
Cornwall | 3 | 7 | Wiltshire |
Avon | 6 | 4 | Hampshire |
Worcestershire | 4 | 6 | Somerset |
Somerset | 3 | 7 | Avon |
Wiltshire | 0 | 10 | Worcestershire |
Hampshire | 9 | 1 | Cornwall |
At the end of the day, Avon were group leaders as the only county to win both matches, Worcestershire are second on ends won. The provisional date to play the remaining matches is 26th March 2022. Our first opponent on the day will be Avon so we still have all to play for.
Thank you to JLM for the use of the facilities, Luke Moffat, Steph Mytton and particularly Johnny Lyons for setting up the hall.
Thanks to Super Steve Horton for not just supporting the team but offering coaching advice and encouragement. To Margaret Dignum and Lynda Reid for umpiring, helping and guiding me throughout the day. Also to Bernie Leech and Helen Pye for supporting the team.
Vince Ellicott
