DIV 3 HANDICAP

Yesterday i had the pleasure of being at the 3rd division handicap final,
here is a short review of what went down, I dont have the scores here with
me so this is from my memory:

The Players for each side were:

Coldhurst A:

G Hollins (19), M Corbin (97), P Altham (109)

Uppermill:

H Meadham (60), S Hanson (67), G Kershaw (99)

This gave Uppermill a very slender 3pt lead.

Coldhurst won the toss and elected to play as the home team.

Match 1 : G Hollins (19) vs S Hanson (67)

In the two previous meetings this season Geoff had triumphed with reasonable
comfort and this possibly played on S Hanson's mind as Geoff romped the
opener to five. Hanson gathered his composure in the second and played some
fine table tennis but was unable to defeat the more experienced Hollins.

Result : Hollins gained approximately thirty points.

Match Status : Coldhurst up by twenty seven points.

Match 2: P Altham (109) vs H Meadham (60)

The first was tight for long periods with one player edging ahead and then
the other clawing back and so on. Eventually with the game just a few points
from its conclusion some nervous serving was punished by Howard and the
result was to seventeen. In the second again for a while this was a tight
one but in the end Howard played some fine stuff and pulled away a little
and won to thirteen.

Result : Gain of eleven for Meadham.

Match Status : Coldhurst Lead by between seventeen (ish) points.

Match 3: M Corbin (97) vs G Kershaw (99)

This was between two players who like to hit, and i mean hit. At times you
couldnt see the ball - rarely was either competitor drawn into a pushing
rally. The first was close but in the second Gary - aware that his side were
slightly behind secumbed to the pressure and missed a few points at crucial
times, resulting in the Coldhurst triumph.

Result: Dont remember - it was about ten gained i think.

Match Status : Coldhurst lead by between twenty five and thirty points.

Match 4 : P Altham (109) vs S Hanson (67)

With Hanson aware that the lead was growing and Pete keen to keep the
scoreline as it was their was a slightly cautious approach to this encounter
and at times it became a bit of a 'pushfest'. Both players played very some
disciplined TT and whilst not the greatest spectacle this was a very crucial
encounter. In the end it finished one a piece with Pete making a slight gain
for Coldhurst.

Result : slight gain for Coldhurst.

Match Status : Coldhurst move just over thirty ahead.

Match 5 : G Hollins (19) vs G Kershaw (99)

For a while this game looked as though a shock would be produced as some
thunderous returns of service by Gary early on gave him a quick lead.
However Geoff is a wily old sod and in the end his experience dragged him
through the first with a narrow win. In the second Gary lost his composure a
little after a huge stroke of bad luck saw consecutive net cords work
against him and Geoff scored a comfortable win.

Result : fifteen (ish) gain for Coldhurst.

Match Status : Coldhurst starting to edge away now and are approximately
fifty ahead.

Match 6 : M Corbin (99) vs H Meadham (60)

As previously mentioned Murray is no stranger to a hit and Howard is an
excellent defender from deep so this was an outstanding spectacle. Both
games were tight for periods of play but in the end Murray served out both
games terrifically to increase the Coldhurst advantage. To watch this was
the one of the games of the night though.

Result : small gain for Coldhurst.

Match Status : Coldhurst sixty (ish) up.

Match 7 : P Altham (109) vs G Kershaw (99)

Whilst mathematically this game was not over all concerned knew that
Uppermill needed the tide to turn and early in this game it turned in
spectacular style as Gary hit some incredible strokes to build a quick lead.
However the net cord had been against the big man all night and it wasnt
about to suddenly change allegiance. Any player would have struggled to keep
their composure in this situation and Pete clawed his way back in. Even as a
Coldhurst fan you had to feel for Gary as he played magnificently but lady
luck was against him throughout.

Result : Small Coldhurst gain.

Match Status : Coldhurst sixty nine up.

Match 8 : M Corbin (97) vs S Hanson (67)

The finishing line was in sight for Coldhurst and there was no let up. Both
players hit some truly awesome strokes but again when the game got tight the
serving of Murray pulled him through. Both sets were great spectacles though
and this was a very enjoyable encounter.

Result : Coldhurst gain thirteen.

Match Status : Coldhurst Eighty Two Up.

Match 9 : G Hollins (19) vs H Meadham (60)

Coldhurst needed just two points to lift the cup and this was achieved in
the first few points. Both teams decided to continue regardless, which
reflected the spirit that had been showed in the occasion. With the pressure
of the match now lifted this proceded to be a quite sensational match.
Howard was a man possessed in the opening exchanges (he could have hit a
moving target from a mile away) and quickly wrapped up the first to eleven.
Despite the match no longer being a contest Geoff is not a man who takes
kindly to defeat and in the second played a wonderful ATTACKING!!! game to
take victory to eleven.

Result: Dead level (great spectacle).

Match Status : Coldhurst have won the cup.

Match 10 : Doubles : G Hollins and P Altham vs H Meadham and S Hanson

The match was over but both teams were enjoying the evening and just carried
on playing. Occasionally there were some fine rallies with all four players
just trying to hit the spectacular. This match reflected what table tennis
should be about - just having fun. Uppermill triumphed in tight matches but
it was the spirit which impressed throughout this game.

Result : Uppermill Victory

Match Result : Coldhurst triumph by approximately seventy points.

In conclusion:

What a really good night, thanks must go to Werneth for allowing their
facility to be used. Geoff aside none of these players averages reflected
their abilities as all are much better than their handicap scores suggest.
The game was played in a great spirit, Uppermill in particular deserve
credit for their attitude and approach even when the game was no longer a
contest. Gary Kershaw was exceptionally unlucky with the net against him at
crucial times. Had the net have been unbiased and the toss been won by
Uppermill this game could well have gone the other way. A really enjoyable
night to Howard, Stuart, Gary, Geoff, Murray and Peter thanks for
entertaining me and congratulations to both sides - sportsmanship was the
winner here.

On a biased note for Coldhurst:

In november an article in the newspaper said 'Coldhurst Start to improove'.
The basic story behind this article was OK Coldhurst arent going to win the
title but they are starting to build a foundation. Five months later
Coldhurst have two divisionally champions in their midst and two league cups
won and have been awarded good marks in just about all of their games for
their sportsmanship. This is down to hard work by all concerned at the club
but really it is down to one man:

John Greenwood

This man should win a knighthood. The amount of work he does for Coldhurst
both as a community and for the TT club is unbelievable. He is completely
selfless in his approach often sacrificing his own practise time so as to
assist others and if the same players had been playing for other clubs there
is no way we would have achieved the same results. I know for absolute
certain every single player at the club looks up to him and he is a great
leader of our club and an outstanding example of a man for any person to
follow. It was said in that newspaper article that Coldhurst has good
foundations - John is the reason for that without any doubt at all. As a
club full of young players we hope we can build on the platform he has
provided us - thank you John, Coldhursts success is down to you.

Last Updated on 25/01/03
By J REDIKIN