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Liverpool and District Table Tennis League

  2010-2011Season

 The Fawley Construction Closed Championships

 

Finals Night

 

Referee -:

Dave Cochrane

Referee's Assistant

Russell Thornton

 

Tournament Secretary

  Arthur Garnett

 

supported by

City Leisure Services Directorate

 

held at the

Wavertree Tennis Centre

Sunday February 27th

 

Organising Committee

 

Arthur Garnett, Russell Thornton

Don Davies, Rob Davies,  Mike Power, Graham Rollinson

 

 

 

Sunday's Events

 

 

 

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Eleven events were contested at Wavertree when after nine hours of play, the successful players' booked their place in the Finals night's programme. Although CADWA is a new venue for the Finals event, Lancashire and Cheshire League cup finals have been staged and won here by the Liverpool men's team while League table tennis has been played here since the late 1940's and the club holds the record for the longest continuous single home venue in league history, for any club. The Association was formed in 1944 for the Welfare of Residents' in the Chelwood and District area, hence the name, CADWA.  Four Closed men's singles champions' were members here, Wally Allanson, Gordon Birch, Keith Williams and Kevin Dolder while Judy Crafter, Justine Thomas and Natasha Williams won a combined total of eight Ladies' singles titles while with the club.

On to the tournament, Kevin, with nine singles titles under his belt, cruised into the semi's without dropping a game which included wins over two Cadwa men, the club where he started as a thirteen year old.  Last year's runner-up Jonathan Taylor together with Paul Hutchings, the champion in 1986 and 2003, also qualified for this stage with unblemished records - Stewart Mudie completing the last four line up.  Of the thirteen players appearing in the 2010 finals' only four have made it to Finals night -Stewart and Jonathan both made the semi's before losing to champion Tomasz Rzeszotko, the latter, in the final.  Keith Williams, the runner up to Tomasz in the vets' final a year ago, didn't enter since he was on county duty where he helped Lancashire veterans' force a draw with champions Leicestershire, leaving the way open for Kevin to draw level with him on ten singles victories should he triumph on Finals night.   

In terms of numbers, it was again, a poor ladies' singles entry with just four of the twenty registered bothering to enter. The quartet, headed by holder and four times champion Cherith Graham was completed by last year's runner up England ranked 31 Junior, Janay Gibson plus Terri Anne Nolan and Sue Hughes.  For the third time in four years, the event was played as a Round Robin, with Cherith and Terri Anne emerging as finalists' with two wins each - Cherith appearing in the final for the fifth consecutive year.

An encouraging Junior entry of 14 provided a tremendous competition with a number of them, receiving regular coaching around the Merseyside area by Keith Williams, Dave, Sylvia and Cherith Graham, Clare Langford and Jordyn Layfield plus a number of others, I'm sure, thanks to them, the future of junior play is looking good, although, more coaches and venues are urgently needed.
 
In the lead up to the championships, the League endured a worrying time following the Council's decision to dispense with their Paul Street depot which has been home for our tables since leaving the Police club.  We were fortunate, just last week to obtain a suitable store room at the Gymnastics Centre of Excellence just off Park Road in Liverpool 8. Fifteen tables and other equipment were transported from the city to Wavertree to be set up on Saturday, dismantled on Sunday and delivered on Monday to Park Road. This involved committee members' plus a handful of 'helpers' or 'shifters' as they have become known.  Without the assistance of those non-committee members', some of whom have no connection with the sport, the tournament would be in doubt. To all who may have helped in any way however, may I on behalf of the Committee, thank them, most sincerely for their time.  I make no apology for using this message to request help at our next event, the City of Liverpool GP in August, all being well, at Wavertree.  This brings me to Richard (Dick) Johnson, Head of Sport Development for the City.  He is singularly responsible for the League being able to stage not only the Closed but, the Grand Prix and the Junior 4 star open in October, all, free of charge. Not many leagues' in the country stage two open tournaments in the same season or, have the wherewithal to do so. With the continued assistance from Richard, the Liverpool League will endeavour to continue with these famous events.  

on to Finals Night