Impact Challenge Shield

Introduction

This event is an invitation team knockout competition restricted to the top sixteen available teams participating in the current league season. A draw is made for each round and there is no seeding. Other regulations and player eligibility are as circulated to the captains of invited teams.

This event is sponsored by IMPACT.

2009/10 IMPACT Challenge Shield

Impact Shield Final 2010
Kingfisher A made it a League and Cup double by beating Our Lady of Peace A 5-1 in the final of the Impact Challenge Shield. Liam McTiernan got the OLOP side off to the perfect start by beating Mark Banks 12-10 7-11 11-5 11-8 in a nervy opening encounter, but Steven Munson’s 11-3 11-9 12-10 victory over Daniel Moses and Hari Gehlot’s 6-11 11-5 11-8 11-8 win against Liam put Kingfisher in command. Mark Banks then defeated an out of sorts Daniel Moses 11-5 11-6 11-6 leaving Steve to clinch the trophy by beating young Daniel McTiernan 12-10 11-9 8-11 11-8. Daniel played exceptionally well in the third game and had looked like making it 2 games all before Steven used all his experience to close it out 11-8.

Semi-Finals
Tidmarsh A - 0 Kingfisher A - 8
Kingfisher B - 2 OLOP A - 5

The top two teams in the Reading league will meet in the final of the Impact Challenge Shield after both won their semi-final contests last week. Kingfisher A beat Tidmarsh A 8-0 with Hari Gehlot, Ramesh Gehlot and Mark Banks all unbeaten on the night, while Our Lady of Peace A managed a 5-2 win at Kingfisher B. Stuart Williams kept Kingfisher B in it early on, levelling the match score at 1-1 after a marathon 12-10 11-6 8-11 9-11 11-1 victory over Michael Childs and then making it 2-2 with an 11-5 11-5 9-11 9-11 14-12 victory against Daniel Moses. However the OLOP side then pulled clear to eventually clinch the match thanks to a fine Liam McTiernan success over Stuart 11-8 11-6 8-11 11-3.

Rounds 1 and 2

In the first round of the Impact Challenge Shield a two man YMCA A side just held off the valiant challenge of Division 2 side Kingfisher E to win 5-4. Niall McGrane managed a fine 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9 victory over Bob Davis to put Kingfisher 4-0 up, but a Dave Streak maximum that included a 3-straight 11-5, 11-9, 13-11 success over McGrane just about saw YMCA through.

Kingfisher D of Division 2 put up a good fight before going down 5-4 to Our Lady of Peace D. Ivor Hardman managed excellent wins over Mike Burrow and Julian Telford for the Kingfisher team, but Raphael Jack’s 11-3 11-7 4-11 5-11 11-8 victory over Trevor Organ in the final set of the night saw OLOP home.

Our Lady of Peace C beat Sonning Common & Peppard A 7-2 thanks to trebles from Clive Banham and Mark Hancock, Kingfisher B beat Kingfisher F 5-2, while Kingfisher A, Polish B and Tidmarsh A all won through after their opponents conceded.

Results - Round 1:
OLOP C 7 (Banham 3, Hancock 3, Johnson 1) Sonning C& P A 2 (Maltby 1, Berry 1, Turton 0)
Tidmarsh A 9 Our Lady of Peace B 0 (Match Conceded)
Kingfisher D 4 (Hardman 2, Organ 1, Morris 1) OLOP D 5 (Telford 2, Jack 2, Burrow 1)
YMCA A 5 (Streak 3, Davis 2) Kingfisher E 4 (McGrane 1, Mitchell 0, Chard 0, +3 Conceded)
Kingfisher A 9 Polish A 0 (Match Conceded)
Wokingham A 0 Polish B 9 (Match Conceded)
Kingfisher F 2 Kingfisher B 5

Results - Round 2:
Our Lady of Peace A v Polish B
Our Lady of Peace C 0 Tidmarsh A 9 (Match Conceded)
YMCA A 3 Kingfisher A 6
Kingfisher B v Our Lady of Peace D

2008/09 IMPACT Challenge Shield

Kingfisher A won the Impact Challenge Shield for 2009, beating a gallant Tidmarsh A side 5-1 in the final staged at Sonning Common TTC in a repeat of last season's final. Tidmarsh captain Lee Calcutt put up a great show in the opening set before eventually succumbing 12-10 4-11 8-11 9-11 to Mark Banks. Ramesh Gehlot then won a crucial match with John Barclay 11-9 6-11 11-5 11-7 before Hari Gehlot won the clash of the titans against Ian Packford 9-11 11-8 11-5 12-10 where both players played some extraordinarily good table tennis.

Mark Banks and Hari Gehlot were never troubled in the next two sets against John Barclay and Lee Calcutt respectively to give Kingfisher an unassailable 5-0 lead. Packford then gained some consolation with an 11-8 11-5 13-11 triumph over Ramesh Gehlot to leave the final match score 5-1 to Kingfisher.

Kingfisher had reached the final after defeating YMCA B 6-1 in their semi-final, Hari Gehlot and Stephen Munson winning twice while Mark Banks earned a good 11-7 11-6 11-8 victory over Andy Misseldine. The Tidmarsh team's path to the final saw them beat Our Lady of Peace A in a closely fought semi-final contest. Ian Packford scored a maximum that saw narrow wins over Krasimer Ivanov 11-6 6-11 18-16 11-2, Clive Banham 7-11 11-3 3-11 11-6 11-6 and Mark Hancock 8-11 11-5 11-7 3-11 11-7, while John Barclay also won a hard fought tussle with Hancock 11-7 6-11 10-12 11-4 11-6 after beating Clive Banham 3-straight.

Nigel Maltby

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