Ken Page Christmas Cup – Saturday 8 December 2012
Saturday 8 December saw the first playing of the Ken Page Christmas Cup. The tournament gives the opportunity for the island’s newest junior players at U12 and U14 level, with only junior league experience or limited senior league experience.Both age groups played round robins, best of five ends, ensuring as many games as possible for each player.
The U12 newcomers wasted no time in recording victories with Oliver Ashe and Kerenza Baker, our only female player available on the day, both posting straight set victories over Billy Coulter and Rory MacLeod respectively. Harry Walters beat Juan Moore in a marathon match which ended 15/13 in the fourth end. Moore won his other matches including a straight set victory over Archie MacLeod. However, it was Walters’ win over Moore which in the end proved crucial as it secured the championship for Walters with Moore taking second place.
In the U14 competition the newcomers pushed some of the more experienced players to the limit: Carl Blatcher taking a five set thriller against Nathan Evans 11/6 in the fifth end; the U12 competition winner, Harry Walters, narrowly lost in five sets to Henry Hyde 8/11. Wael Kassim started with a straight set win against Phin Jones and continued his good form, while Pedro Cardoso maintained his excellent league form recording a number of wins. Kassim and Cardoso became the front runners pushed all the way by Henry Hyde but in the end Kassim, who did not lose a match, won the tournament with Cardoso claiming the runner up spot.
The standard from all players was extremely high and certainly ensures the island has a new crop of juniors coming through the ranks who will move to the senior league and be able to compete in off island tournaments.
The Table Tennis Association would like to express its thanks to the family of the late Ken Page for donations made to Junior Table Tennis. These enabled us to run this competition and to provide the trophies. Ken was a founder member of the Ramsey Club and was also involved with junior table tennis coaching.
Ken’s daughter, Sylvia Kennaugh, came to watch the concluding matches and to present the winners and runners up with their trophies. She had the full attention of the players, tournament organisers and spectators alike, as she enthusiastically recounted stories of her family’s playing days, shared photographs, and told of a tournament involving all manner of strange bats; now there’s an idea for next year!
Finally thanks to Maggie Mulhern, Andy McLarney, Tim Baker and Malc Lewis for their help in running the tournament and to Gwen Watterson for opening the venue, Centre 21, and making coffee to warm up the spectators.
MALC LEWIS
