THE Southend and District Table Tennis League Championship finals saw new men’s and ladies champions being crowned.
Dan Young overcame reigning champion Mark Mulley and Barbara Chabior beat Dawn Baldry as no less than seven finals and two semi-finals were played during some four-and-a-half hours of table tennis.
The final of the vets doubles set the tone as Duncan Taylor (Rayleigh Mill) and Kevin Read (Rawreth) took on the Jacob brothers, Simon and David (Brand Identity), which eventually saw the seasoned pairing of Taylor and Read come back from 2-1 down to win.
The mixed doubles final between Debbie O’Neill (Matchpoint) and Les Hoey (Basildon) and Stanford pairing Tina Hutchinson and Mitchell Jones turned out to be one of the shortest matches of the evening as Hutchinson and Jones won easily 11-4, 11-5, 11-8.
The vets over-40s final pitched doubles partners Taylor and Read against each other and the script was probably pre-written here as they produced a long and intriguing five-set encounter eventually won 15-13, 10-12, 12-10, 8-11, 11-9 by Read.
The ladies doubles final saw Barbara Chabior (Wakering) and Tina Hutchinson (Stanford) take on Matchpoint pair Debbie O’Neill and Hannah Harbour. Yet another five-set match saw Chabior and Hutchinson come back from two sets down to take the title.
Taylor stepped up for his third final of the night, the men’s doubles, this time partnered by Daniel Bronziet (Rawreth) against Mark Mulley (Hadleigh Forum) and Ian Wall (Basildon). It turned out to be a successful partnership as well as, after exchanging the first two sets 12-10, they edged the next two 11-7, 11-8.
In the ladies singles first-time finalist Barbara Chabior took on the experienced and former winner Dawn Baldry (Mapledene).
The bookmakers would probably have put their money on Baldry for this one but Chabior got off to a winning start taking the first set 11-6 and then successfully came through a tight second set edging home 16-14.
Baldry got her attacking game going in set three and won another close set 11-9 but unfortunately, she could not maintain this recovery losing the fourth set 11-6.
The men’s final completed the evening between reigning champion Mulley and 21-year-old Young (Rawreth). It featured some tremendous hitting but, in the end, it was Young’s steadier defensive play that made the difference.
He could not have had a better start winning the first set 11-3 with Mulley making far too many mistakes in his attacking game.
He recovered in the second to push Young all the way but just lost 14-12.
Mulley came back brilliantly in the third set taking it 11-4 and leaving the crowd with high expectations of another five set match.
It proved not to be however as Young triumphed 11-7 to take his first men’s singles title.
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