Successful event puts Blitz on the table tennis map

More than 50 competitors from around the country took part in a national event hosted by Gainsborough table tennis club Blitz.
Luke Hyde of Blitz TTC with head coach Paul Johnson.Luke Hyde of Blitz TTC with head coach Paul Johnson.
Luke Hyde of Blitz TTC with head coach Paul Johnson.

The national 2* competition was held at Gainsborough Academy, where Blitz is based.

A club spokesman thanked everyone who took part and helped out on the day for making the tournament a great success.

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He said events like the tournament continued to put Blitz TTC and Gainsborough on the table tennis map nationally.

Blitz player Luke Hyde took part in his first rated competition, tackling the under-11 boys’ event.

Hyde, 10, aquitted himself well in the group, winning one match and just failing to make it out of the section against more experienced opponents.

In the under-11 plate, however, Luke won a well deserved runners-up trophy, losing an epic final in the deciding set 3-2 against James Anderson.

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The boys’ under-11 final was won by Jake Hewitt, who defeated Luke Hodgson.

In the girls’ under-11 and under-13 plates, the same players —Lucy Gent, of Cleveland, and Lucy Bridle, of Lincolnshire —fought out the finals.

The highly-rated Gent came out on top in both to crown an impressive day’s play, winning two titles.

Another girl to complete a double was Cleveland’s Erin Greensmith.

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She swept aside all before her in the cadet girls’ event to take the title with victory over Kirsty Maull.

In the junior girls’ section, Greensmith faced Blitz player Amy Gittings in a close final.

Gittings had earlier topped her group with victories over Viki Christoforou and Makanee Warburton, defeating the latter in a decisive fith set.

In the semi-final, Gittings dominated against Katie Christoforou to win 3-0.

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The final was taken by Greensmith 3-0, despite close sets that could have gone either way ,to complete a cadet and junior 2* double.

The junior girls’ plate went to Natasha Johnson, who beat Viki Christoforou in the final.

Blitz’s Tom McIntosh had mixed fortunes. In the cadet boys’ event, after cruising through his group as group one winner, McIntosh came up against an in-form Rowan Jones in the quarter final.

McIntosh fought hard, but Jones had the edge and won in three close sets.

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Jones carried on his good form in the later rounds, defeating Luke Nimmo and then Jamie Blair in the final to take the title.

The junior under-18 boys’ event saw McIntosh back to his best. He put the earlier disappointment behind him to remain unbeaten thtroughout and lift the title with a hard-working victory over Jamie Blair in the final.

Another local winner was Redlands TTC player Marlynas Riauba, who took the junior plate, triumphing in the final 3-1 with good attacking play.

Other winners were Che Gouldbourne (under-13 boys); Luke Hodgson (under-13 plate); Mukmanee Warburton (under-13 girls); and James Bowner (cadet plate).

Anyone interested in giving table tennis a try should see the Blitz TTC website or Facebook pages for more information and contact details.