_{Daniel Tibbetts and Joe Abbott in the final of ADTTA Ping Pong Tournament 2023}

Check out the gallery with the best photographs from the event

6^th edition of ADTTA Ping Pong Tournament took place last Sunday at Woodbank Sports Centre. That was the third time we had an exclusive use of this excellent facility. Prior to that two editions were held at the Westburn Centre and one at the Aberdeen Sports Village. Many thanks to our host Dave Curry and to Alison Woods for all the help at the top table during the event.

12 players competed in the tournament this time around. The day started with 45min warm up followed by a group stage of the main event, 4 groups of 3. Top two players from each group qualified to the quarter final while 3^rd places formed a separate competition.

In the group stage, Daniel Tibbetts and Dennis Oon, seeded 1^st and 2^nd respectively, didn’t disappoint and won their groups. Although for Daniel it seemed effortless enough, Dennis needed to survive two crucial 14-14 (sudden death) situations. In Group 3 Joe Abbott came on top, having troubles with Murray McKay but not with Gregor Ksiazek, while in Group 2 Jakub Krzyzostaniak shined, beating Uwe Petermann 15-11, 14-15, 15-12. Both Joe and Jakub appeared in the Ping Pong Tournament for the first time and their exceptional performance was most welcome.

In the consolation plate, played as round-robin, Amir Jabali was undefeated. Murray McKay unfortunately had to leave early and could only complete one match out of planned three. I would certainly be a tough match for both if Murray had a chance to face Amir. In the group stage Murray proved to be a worthy opponent, taking a game from Joe Abbott and marginally losing in the 3^rd.

Back to the main event: Daniel Tibbetts, Jakub Krzyzostaniak, Joe Abbott and Dennis Oon survived the quarter-finals knocking out Paul Doney, Gregor Ksiazek, Uwe Peterman and Rob Tanner. In the semis Daniel dispatched Jakub in strait 2 games although the match was way more close-run than the score suggests. On the other table Dennis won the first game against Joe (Dennis’s another 14-all that day) but then Joe proved to be more steady, taking remaining games 15-12 and 15-11.

Joe did what he could to stop Daniel in the final but it just wasn’t enough. Daniel didn’t lose a game up until now and he was adamant to keep it that way. At 2 games up and 14-12 in the 3^rd, Daniel attempted to win the tournament with a behind the back shot, a truly noble effort! Joe defended well against this trick-shot and closed the gap to 14-13 The next point went to Daniel, the new ADTTA Ping Pong Champion.

Last year Daniel gave us a truly great show in the Ping Pong final against defending champion Charlie Matthew. Even though Charlie couldn’t play this year due to injury, Daniel has certainly integrated lessons from previous encounters with Charlie and his own use of pips-out rubber during league play. Joe did an excellent job in his first appearance in our local tournament and we’re looking forward to seeing how much damage he’ll do at the national event in Dundee.

The 2023 Scottish Classic Table Tennis Championships – incorporating the Ronnie Turnbull Quaich - will be held on SUNDAY 17^th December 2023 at Ward Road Gym, Dundee. International Classic Table Tennis Federation (ICTTF) is holding the Ping Pong World Cup in Mexico City on January 4^th 2024, in Hotel Casa Blanca.

_{Dave Curry and Amir Jabali}