Reading District Table Tennis Association

Archived News Section

18-April-2010 - Knockout Cup Final

KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL – WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010

The final was played between Reading Resource and Sonning Common and Peppard F with Resource winning 5-0. Star attraction was three times Commonwealth Champion, Matthew Syed, playing for Resource. Derek Brook-Wavell, the Sonning Common & Peppard ‘F’ captain said the rest of the team 'were dying for the chance to try their skills against Matthew' and welcomed his involvement ‘not only to produce an attractive display of table tennis but to raise its reputation and draw more young people into the sport’. Paul Jarvis was the referee for the evening. Resource captain and coach, Andrew Syed, fielded brother Matthew, Neil Havard and Maureen Allchurch and Sonning Common & Peppard F captain Derek Brook-Wavell fielded himself, Jacek Krzyzanowski and Anthony Reeve.

One of the defining matches of the evening, was between Neil and Derek. This season, Neil has been stretched on many occasions in Division 5 of the Reading league and had been taken to 5 sets on 9 different occasions and twice in the Knockout Cup. Derek was hoping to replicate an outstanding five set victory against Neil earlier in the season but on this occasion it was not to be but nevertheless he played with distinction and pushed Neil very hard in the first two games losing 11-9, 11-9.

The third match was a big upset. Anthony, an orthodox defensive player who has averaged 75% in the league, was pitted against Maureen who has averaged around 40%. Both players traded push to push which made the game long and intriguing to watch. At 9-9 in the fourth game, the longest point of the match was contested which Maureen took. In the best match she has ever played for Resource, Maureen came out the surprising winner in four tight games, 11-9 in the fourth. This victory had the effect of Resource racing to a clear victory.

After the final, Andrew introduced Matthew to the audience to take on all comers after which they were treated to a quite magnificent challenge match between Matthew and youngster Liam McTiernan. The audience were enthralled by the remarkable rallies between the attacking style of Liam against Matthew’s rock solid defence. Liam hit balls all over the hall with Matthew retrieving. Matthew, in his hay day, was regarded as one of the best retrievers and lobbers in the world and came through to win. Summing up, Andrew said he was ‘delighted that the evening had been such a success and was especially pleased that Nigel Maltby, Chairman of the RDDTA was able to attend and also Alan Dines who was recovering from illness and wished him a speedy recovery’.

Andrew Syed.

05-March-2010 - Reading Closed 2010

Please note that the date of this season's Reading Closed Championships was amended earlier this season, as was the closing date for entries.

The Closed Championships will now be held on Saturday and Sunday 17 and 18 April 2010.

The CLOSING DATE for receipt of ENTRIES is Friday 19th March 2010.

Entries are to be sent to Charlie Goddard –
Please note that Charlie has a new address to that on the entry form and entries should now be posted to Charlie at

30 Noel Close, Hopton on Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 9RT.

Please see the Reading Closed web page (under the Tournaments Menu item) for further details, including Entry forms which can be printed.

10-October-2009 - Team Handicap Draw

The draw for this season's Team Handicap has been made.
See the Tournaments Menu item Team Handicap for full details.

The draw for this season's Knockout Cup has also been made.
See the Tournaments Menu item Knockout Cup for full details.

Team captains have been sent full details of the their opposition, handicaps for their team and their opponents and the date by which matches should be played.

06-June-2009 - Memories of John Cunningham

After hearing of his death today, I feel compelled to write to the RDTTA Family.

Where do I start??

John was always amazing at OLOP, from when I was very young, the rivalry between Kingfisher and OLOP was prevelent, but John always seemed to rise above it and made the decision that table tennis was far more important than any local club rivalry.
He was always so great with all of us kids at the time who will all be very saddened upon hearing this news.
The juniors at the time will always have a big place in my heart and I'm sure Johns also, Martin O'Donovan, Kashif and Ali Subhan, Gemma Schwartz, Isabell Walker to name but a few, all benefited greatly from John's passion and drive towards the sport.

Ben Johnson

Having just returned from visiting my son Ben in California, one of John's proteges, I felt compelled to write a brief note of appreciation of a life well served.

Never having written an obituary I can only say that, in the thirty odd years I've known John, my respect for this warm and considerate man has increased year on year. His only faults appeared to be his often convienient lack of knowledge of Table Tennis rules (a trait to which I heartily confer) and his apparant insistance on drinking Guiness.

An incomparable individual whom I have been proud to call a freind.

Geoff Johnson.

A personal memory of John Cunningham
I write this memory of John as a dear friend, an OLOP club player, the parent of two youth players and a fellow Reading & District Association Committee Member.

It was three years ago when I first contacted John Cunningham by letter to ask if I could bring my sons (Liam and Daniel) down to OLOP as they were outgrowing the small collapsable table I had bought for them the year before. We received a very enthusiastic response and were invited to come along the following Sunday morning. When we arrived John was there to greet us, introduce us to the other youth players (who all seemed so accomplished) and with the help of Mary Allen, they were both given an hour's one to one coaching which they enjoyed immensely.

We retreated to the bar around lunchtime and John bought me a pint as we chatted about table tennis and life in general with that hint of ironic humour that I came to love. It transpired that he and his lovely wife, Beryl, shared the same names and were the same age as my own parents and that Beryl had taught Liam at St Dominic Savio School just a few years earlier. As an ex Maiden Erlegh pupil, John know a number of my former school mates who had done so well as youth players in the 1980's.

Needless to say, we had found a new home in OLOP Table Tennis Club and embraced it over the forthcoming months and years where we spent many happy hours. John and Alan Dines made a formidable partnership both on and off the table and I know that Alan will feel John's loss more than most of us. Together they nurtured the boys natural talent and over time they became the best young prospects in Reading. This season has been a break through with both Liam and Daniel winning a number of ETTA open tournaments, which has catapulted them up the national ranking lists.

The last time I meet John was in the Royal Berkshire Hospital on a Wednesday about six weeks ago. He was still trying to run the club single handily, typically making calls from his hospital bed on other peoples behalf. I spent about 15 minutes on my own with him and we looked at the Evening Post together where the top news was our Team Handicap victory (OLOP's fourth in succession). He knew he didnt have long to go and told me so but was determined to make his time productive and to keep his faith. He kept his pride in tact and his enthusiasm never deserted him despite being dealt such a cruel hand in health terms.

Some months earlier John had been instrumental in Daniel's inclusion in the England Primary School Team that took part in the British Primary Schools International in Blackburn. I brought Daniel's silver medal to the hospital to show him and as he opened the presentation box his smile was as broad as a child who had just won their first medal, such was his joy. John was never happier than seeing a young player develop and fulfil their potential.

When I left that day, I somehow know it would be the last time I'd see him but that I would never forget him from first contact to last. One of his final acts was to ask me to take over several of the youth related committee roles he had excelled in for so long. When Beryl rang to inform me I felt honoured to be following in such a great man's footsteps. John was special and his influence greatly enriched the lives of those he met. I was fortunate enough to be one of those people and I thank God for that.

Adam McTiernan

Personal memories of John Cunningham
My first memories of John are when he and Beryl came to our Monday “club nights” at Berks County Sports in the late 70’s. And once seen, never-forgotten – the combination of his ebullient personality and enthusiasm for the game coupled with his Billy Connolly crossed with Catweazle on a good day (!!) looks saw to that!! In fact, he never seemed to age!! And I certainly recall what a good “Monday night” player John was (too good for me in those days!!) - possessing a great, if slightly unorthodox, forehand “kill” and, as many may not know, he proved to be a very good player for Berks Sports in Division 6 of the Reading League for 3 seasons from 1979 to 1982 with a best average of 69% in 1981-82.

In the years which followed I then admired his vision and determination in his ambition to create a significant TT facility at Berks County Sports – a project which was forever stalling for various reasons – I would have to say that BCS’ loss was certainly OLOP’s gain.

Another little known fact is that, after John had allowed his League registration to lapse, he once played a League match for Berks Sports in my name – which he didn’t confess to until many years later – perhaps fearing a reprimand from the Committee on which he served so admirably for so long!!

Personally, I shall always be grateful to John for nominating me for the two regional sports awards I received (it should really have been me nominating him, of course!!). A few months ago, on hearing that his condition had deteriorated, I nearly wrote to him to thank him for these nominations and for his contribution to TT overall – I now so wish that I had - although I guess that this would probably have embarrassed him greatly as he never sought reward or recognition for his efforts.

I also remember John for always seeming to have a camera in hand – I still have several of his photos including a few of our TT team which he regularly sent to the local press.

I was so very sad to read the news of his passing at the weekend – like so many others, I shall miss his modesty, enthusiasm and commitment – table-tennis in the Reading area has had an immeasurable benefit from John’s unique contribution in the past 30 years and will be immeasurably poorer for his absence.

Bob Woodmansee

01-June-2009 - John Cunningham RIP

It is with great sadness that we have to report that John Cunningham passed away on Saturday 28th May.

John did so much to promote table tennis locally and gave so much to the sport - he will be terribly missed by the whole table tennis community.

The funeral service will be held on Monday 8th June at 1.30pm at OLOP Church, Wokingham Road, Earley, Reading.
Burial will be at Mays Lane Cemetery (on the other side of Wokingham Road), followed by drinks at Berks County Sports, Sonning Lane, Sonning from 3pm.

Flowers or donations to Macmillan nurses.

It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of John Cunningham. He worked tirelessly over the years towards the benefit of the local league table tennis in Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell areas, particularly with regard to junior table tennis where his work with the Reading Youth Division gave local youngsters an opportunity to try out the sport and encouraged them to develop further.

John was 100% committed to the sport of table tennis, working tirelessly for his club, Our Lady of Peace (OLOP) as Club Secretary and for the Reading League in a number of different roles over a 23 year period.

John will be greatly missed, and I personally will miss his regular updates (that always included a prediction of Reading FC’s likely result at the weekend!) and more importantly I shall miss his boundless energy and enthusiasm for the sport we love.

Nigel Maltby
RDTTA Chairman

If you would like to share your thoughts or memories of John via this website, please email them to: webadmin@rdtta.co.uk

12-May-2009 - Presentation evening

The RDTTA Awards Presentation evening was held at the Curzon Club on Tuesday 5th May 2009.

Amongst the awards given out for the League winners and runners-up, and the Reading Closed Championship winners and runners-up, awards were also made for the Best Junior Performance, the Most Improved Junior and the Harold Larcombe Sportsmanship award.

The best junior performance award went to Liam McTiernan. Liam had shown his loyalty to the RDTTA this year by entering every available tournament and his results have been very good throughout the season, achieving 70% in Division 2 and helping his team OLOP E finish 3rd. He won the Individual Handicap (despite a revised –3 handicap) and helped his team OLOP Strikers win the Team Handicap competition. At the RDTTA Closed he won 4 titles (U15 Boys, Division 2 championship, Boys Doubles and Youth League championship and was also runner-up in the U21 and U18 Boys singles. He won the Junior Masters Competition and had a 100% record in the Youth Division.

The most improved junior award went Daniel McTiernan. Daniel had an outstanding first season in the Reading League where he managed the most wins of any player in Division 6 and had the second highest average at over 93%. He has also won 3 Reading Closed titles (Under 11, Under 13 Boys and the Division 6 title) and he was also a member of the successful OLOP Strikers Team Handicap team. He was an integral part of the Reading A team that came second in the National Cadet League (South) and played his part in Reading’s winning of the National Junior League (South).

The Harold Larcombe Sportmanship award was presented to Curzon Club’s Linda King. Members of the RDTTA committee have had various comments from players in the 5th and 4th divisions that Linda is a great sport and plays the game in the right way, win or lose. She has shown a good sense of humour combined with great sportsmanship and modesty in the all games played and at the end of the game, even in defeat, she will have a smile on her face and give warm congratulations to her opponent. The Reading Committee agreed that she is a fine ambassador for the Reading League and a very worthy recipient of the Harold Larcombe Sportsmanship Award for this year.

Kingfisher’s Eric Holmes won the trophy presented for the best performance at the Reading Closed Championships where there were several other outstanding candidates in John Evans of Milestone, and both Liam McTiernan and Daniel Moses who won the majority of the Junior events and Daniel had reached the final of the Mens Singles. However the best performance at the championships went to Eric who beat the No5 seed, Stuart Williams in his Mens Singles opening group match and went on to reach the Quarter Finals. He also won the Division 3 singles, beating Jeremy Willis and Mary Allan and he also reached the final of the Senior Veteran Singles.

The John Freeman trophy is awarded to the player with the best playing record in the main division of the Reading League. Hari Gehlot had a fantastic 49 wins from 51 in Division 1 but the winner with 50 wins from 50 matches in Division 6, helping Post Office C towards the Division 6 title, was Mick Grantham.

10-May-2009 - Carter cup

Reading boys come close in Carter Cup Finals

Top Reading & District juniors, Daniel Moses (aged 15) and Liam McTiernan (13) teamed up to represent the league in the Carter Cup finals in Drayton, Derbyshire on 3rd May.

As the youngest of the six qualifying teams, the task was always going to be difficult, but the lads were determined to do their best to defend the title that was won in style by Reading’s Richard Andrew and Tom Maynard last season.

Reading started their group matches against Hull and Daniel was in sparkling form, dismissing Adam Tompkins 3-0. Unfortunately Liam couldn’t match his team mate, going down 3-1 to the classy Reece Lo.

Following a disastrous doubles defeat in which Reading lost a 2-1 lead, they had to win both reverse singles to be victorious. They promptly did just that but not without drama with Daniel coming back from two games down to beat Lo 3-2 and Liam just about holding on to defeat Tompkins 3-2 in the deciding match. Reading 3 Hull 2

To make the final, Reading had to beat one of the favourites, Birmingham. Having dropped their No 1 for the singles matches, Birmingham struggled as Reading raced into a two-nil lead, with Daniel thrashing an off form Alan Caffery 3-0 and Liam producing one of his best performances of the season in defeating top 50 ranked junior, Jack Williamson, 3-2 in a pulsating match.

Birmingham returned to form, taking the doubles, which left Reading needing one more singles win to make the final, where top seeds Plymouth awaited.

Liam started well against Caffery and at 2-1 up and leading in the fourth game, it seemed certain he would win the match but his opponent had other ideas and following a time-out called by his coach, he made an inspired comeback against a tiring Liam (playing his third match in a row) to take it 3-2. Daniel couldn’t quite manage to pull off a famous victory for Reading, losing to a determined Williamson 3-0. Reading 2 Birmingham 3

In the third place play-off contest, Reading faced a Poole side that they had beaten in the regional qualifiers. This time around however, they were not to be denied and it went downhill for Reading following Liam’s impressive 3-0 demolition of the experienced Stephen Foster in the opening match. In the game of the day, Liam was unlucky to lose his second singles match against Dorset No1 Nathan Bingham in the deciding game (12-10) having impressively lead two-nil. A narrow doubles loss and defeat for Daniel against Bingham sealed Reading’s fait. Reading 1 Poole 3

The Reading players performed with much merit in finishing a highly creditable fourth and in Daniel and Liam they have age on their side for more challenges in future years. The highly experienced Plymouth team, with two top 20 juniors in their side, wet on to comfortably win the final 3-0 against Birmingham.

11-April-2009 - Cup Finals Reports

Reports on the finals of the Team Handicap, the Knockout Cup and the Impact Challenge Shield are available on their respective pages, under the Tournaments menu item.

06-April-2009 - Reading Masters Tournament

Hari Gehlot won the end of season Reading Senior Masters title, while Liam McTiernan picked up the Junior award.

In the Senior event Hari looked far from convincing in his group matches, dropping a game to Eric Van Looy before going on to lose 4-11 9-11 11-6 11-14 to Steve Murgatroyd who played some exceptionally good table tennis.

Hari only just scraped through to the semi-final stages with a tightest of victories against young up and coming Daniel Moses. Daniel really upped his game against Hari as a win would have put him through at Hari’s expense, however Hari came through right at the finish 11-8 11-3 2-11 9-11 12-10.

Steve Murgatroyd qualified as group winner, after beating Daniel Moses 11-8 9-11 12-10 7-11 12-10, prior to his sensational win over Hari, and then beating Eric Van Looy 11-8 13-11 11-4. Unfortunately Nick Heaps had to retire during his second contest after losing his opener to Eric 8-11 11-8 6-11 9-11.

In Group 2 Dave Streak was in blistering form throughout after starting with a fine 14-12 7-11 11-8 7-11 11-8 victory over Ramesh Gehlot. His 12-14 11-9 6-11 12-10 11-6 victory over Trevor Griffiths virtually sealed top spot and this was duly confirmed with some breathtaking play against Rachel Farquhar where he won 11-7 11-4 12-10. Trevor Griffiths finished as group runner-up with wins over Rachel, Alan Cummings and, crucially Ramesh Gehlot who he beat in the five set thriller 11-7 6-11 11-5 6-11 11-9.

In the semi-finals Hari moved into top gear to defeat Dave Streak 11-8 12-10 11-5. The other semi was a much closer contest which could have gone either way. Steve Murgatroyd just finished the stronger in a fifth game decider to defeat Trevor Griffiths 11-9 7-11 11-8 8-11 11-8. In the Final Hari looked in determined mood right from the outset to avenge his earlier group defeat against Steve. The first game was close however with a forehand loop from Steve near the end that hit the top of the net and just missed the table proving crucial as Hari closed out the game 11-9.

In the second game Steve started well, going 3-1 and then 6-3 ahead, but he was starting to feel tired and Hari’s fast blocking shots saw him creep steadily back into it to eventually win that game 11-7. A brilliant forehand from Steve down one side of the table levelled matters in the third game at 3-all. But that was a s good as it got for Steve as Hari focussed his attention on the winners trophy to win 11-9 11-7 11-6.

In the Junior Masters event Liam McTiernan and Hanson Xu were the qualifiers from Group 1 with Liam finishing top of the group after beating Hanson 11-8 8-11 11-4 11-9. Hanson’s earlier victories over Le An Guan, Liam McGarvey and Daniel Grover were enough to see him through to the semi-finals. Daniel Grover finished third while Liam McGarvey beat Le An Guan 14-12 12-10 17-15 to avoid bottom spot.

In Group 2 Ray Yau easily qualified as group winner, beating Tony Lee-White 11-5 11-6 11-3 in his opener, before going on to defeat both Michael Legg and Jay Durrante. Tony recovered from his earlier lose to Ray to go through as runner-up, beating a spirited challenge from Sonning Common’s Michael Legg 11-8 7-11 11-5 11-8 to clinch his place.

In the semi-finals Liam surprisingly dropped his opening game against Tony Lee white 9-11 but recovered to win the next three games 11-6 11-1 11-9. The other semi-final was a real thriller with Ray Yau and Hanson Xu both playing some exceptionally good table tennis. Ray just edged it in the end by the remarkably close score line of 9-11 11-7 7-11 12-10 16-14. Hanson had the consolation of taking third place, beating Tony 11-8 11-9 11-1 in their playoff.

Liam and Ray put on a great show in the final. Ray’s fast blocking and push shots with his pen hold grip stretching Liam all the way. Liam was determined to win and despite dropping the second game 11-13 he went into the fourth 2-1 ahead. A tense finish saw Liam recover from 8-9 down in the fourth to take the Junior title 11-6 11-13 11-5 11-9 against a very worthy challenger.

Liam McTiernan

Thanks are due to the very generous sponsorship of the Junior Masters event this year from Andy Yon, who has donated a superb new Junior Masters trophy and also awarded prize money to the winner, runner-up and the two losing semi-finalists.

Senior Results

Semi-Finals
Steve Murgatroyd beat Trevor Griffiths 11-9 7-11 11-8 8-11 11-8

Hari Gehlot beat Dave Streak 11-8 12-10 11-5

Final
Hari Gehlot beat Steve Murgatroyd 11-9 11-7 11-6

Junior Results

Semi-Finals

Liam McTiernan beat Tony Lee-White 9-11 11-6 11-1 11-9

Ray Yau beat Hanson Xu 9-11 11-7 7-11 12-10 16-14

Final

Liam McTiernan beat Ray Yau 11-6 11-13 11-5 11-9

22-March-2009 - Reading Juniors win National League

Reading Juniors win National League

Reading thrillingly won the National Junior League (Southern Region) by just a single point.

Going into the fourth and final round just 3 points ahead of Chesham A, the team was dealt a major blow with the late withdrawal through injury of the experienced 17 year old Simon Thorne.

His replacement was ten year old Daniel McTiernan, who performed brilliantly in winning 4 out of his 8 matches, twice coming back from two nil down to win in the fifth game against more experienced opponents.

It was however the consistency of regulars Daniel Moses and Liam McTiernan that was to prove decisive as both went on to complete the victories needed to keep Reading just ahead of Chesham and secure the league title by the narrowest of margins.

Reading won 12 out of their 15 league matches and the final individual winning averages were: Daniel Moses 95%; Simon Thorne 76%; Liam McTiernan 73%; Daniel McTiernan 50%.

Coach Alan Dines deserves much credit for his dedication and support over all four sessions. Alan was very proud of the players, whom he has coached from a young age, and praised their magnificent achievement in winning the league title.

The Reading & District Table Tennis Association Chairman, Nigel Maltby, has sent his warmest congratulations and added that this is the strongest sign yet that youth table tennis in the town is flourishing.

11-February-2009 - Web Site Makeover

Web Site Changes – February 2009

In February 2009, the following changes were implemented on the RDTTA website:
(let us know what you think of it via the Feedback menu option)

Amended style
Less “clunky”
New colour scheme

Improved display
Cleaner look
Sub-menus no longer remain displayed when mouse is moved away
No longer get new windows open when an item is selected from the Menu

Improved Clubs information & display format
Clubs option now displays a list of all Clubs, you then click on Club name for its details
Club details now includes:
- a list of all teams for the Club, with Division, team captain & match night for each team
- Club Telephone Number
- Club Website link
- Secretary’s Telephone Numbers (Private, Business and/or Mobile)
- Secretary’s Email Address

Additional News items
Ability to see the latest 6 news items
Reduces/removes the need to add banners in middle of the Home page

Fixtures page
Scrolling added

Searching improved
– not obvious, but this site should get more hits from Search Engines

Note: This website has been tested running on Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox 3, but cannot be guaranteed to run satisfactorily on other Browsers.

To get the best from this website, use Firefox as your browser.
It's free to use and available to download from - Mozilla Firefox

05-February-2009 - Reading Cadet News

Reading Cadets win Silver

Following the fourth and final session of the ETTA National Cadet League at Chesham High School, the Reading ‘A’ team (Liam & Daniel McTiernan and Hanson Xu) finished the season as runners-up, just behind Chiltern-Chesham A and ahead of third placed Pavilion (Brighton).

This was an improvement on the fourth place finish of last season and was achieved with a younger side, averaging just 12 years. Liam also topped the league with the highest individual winning average of 95% (37 wins / 39 matches).

Reading A’s manager, Adam McTiernan, said of the team ‘they all played really well this season and in beating every team they faced except Chesham, they thoroughly deserved their silver medals’.

The Reading B & C teams were largely made up of promising prospects, most still at primary school. It was certainly a valuable experience for those involved.

The Reading B team, lead by nine year old Gus Thomis and ably supported by Christian Savage and Ashley Noad, were presented with certificates for topping Division 4 in an earlier round of the competition. In the last session, both Gus (8 wins / 9 matches) and Christian (7/9) finished the season in sparkling form.

The Reading C team, all from Sonning Common primary school, were well represented by Danny Dockree, Zach Attfield, Rowan Stacey, Guy Therwell, and Jon Abbott.

The following reserve players also contributed well when called upon: Philip Saunders, David Panter, Edmund Hellawell and Joshua Gallen.

The Reading & District Table Tennis Association would like to congratulate all the players on their achievements and thank the parents, team managers and coach Alan Dines for their terrific support this season.

01-February-2009 - OLOP premises out of action

The premises used for all O.L.O.P. matches are out of action for the rest of the season.

Every attempt is being made to re-arrange the home matches for all O.L.O.P. teams to an alternative venue and/or another date.
Where possible, OLOP home matches will be switched to take place at the premises of (what should be) the visiting team.

OLOP team captains or the Club Secretary, John Cunningham, will be contacting the visiting team captains to propose alternative arrangements. I'm sure everyone will help with this as much as they can.

If you are due to play at OLOP and have any queries about this, please contact the relevant team captain or John Cunningham. (see handbook for details)

09-January-2009 - Reading Closed 2008/09

READING CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008/09

Closing date for entries is - Friday 13th February 2009.

This season's Closed Championships will be held over the weekend of 14/15th March 2009 at Cippenham Table Tennis Centre.

Entry is free.

Details of the Reading Closed Championships are available via the Tournaments menu option, on the Reading Closed page, which includes the entry form (available for download).

08-October-2008 - Team Cup draws

The draw for this season's Team Handicap has been made and can be found the relevant web page.

See the Tournaments Menu item Team Handicap for full details.
Team captains have been sent full details of the handicaps for their team and their opponents.

The draw for this season's Lower Divisions Knockout Cup has also been made - details can be found via the Tournaments Menu item Knockout Cup.
Participating team captains have been sent full details.

10-May-2008 - AGM - Wednesday 4th June 2008

This is to notify all members and players that the Reading Leagues Annual General Meeting will be held at the Our Lady of Peace Club on Wednesday 4th June from 7.30pm.
Attention is drawn to Rule 9.6 under which each affiliated club must have at least one registered player or club secretary in attendance.

AGENDA
1. Adoption of Standing Orders (see RTT 16 07/04)
2. Apologies for absence
3. Minutes of the 2007 Annual General Meeting
4. Matters Arising
5. Chairman’s Report
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Development Officer’s Report
8. Special Competitions Secretary’s Report
9. Senior Inter-Town Match Secretary’s Report
10. Junior Inter-Town Match Secretary’s Report
11. Proposed Rule and Fee changes (see overleaf)
12. Election of the President, and the honorary officers
13. Election of the person to be nominated as the Association’s League Representative Member of ETTA (from the President and the officers)
14. Election of the two RCBTTA Representatives (from the President and the officers)
15. Election of an honorary auditor
16. Any other business

- for Items 12-15 election results, see Committee page

PROPOSED RULE AND FEE CHANGES

PROPOSALS (By the Committee)
1. Rule 7.2.1. The amount of the Team Affiliation Fee shall be determined as £32.00. - APPROVED by AGM

2. Rule 7.4.1. The amount of the Registration Fee shall be determined as £14.00 - Note: The Registration fee for a Junior player or those playing only in a youth division will be one-half of this amount (Rules 7.4.2 and 7.4.3 refer).
- APPROVED by AGM

3. Rule 7.8. The addition for the Newsletter shall remain unchanged at £6.00.
- APPROVED by AGM

4. Rule 7.9. The additions for entry to the Closed Championships shall remain unchanged at £1.00 and £2.00 respectively.
- APPROVED by AGM

5. Rule 12.12.5 Delete first sentence and insert “Should two or more teams end the season with the same number of league points in positions affecting the Division 1 Championship or in positions affecting promotion or relegation their final position will be determined by the ratio of total sets won to total sets lost. Should that also be equal then they must play off.”
Note: This proposal provides for the equality to be determined in the first place by reference to sets results over the whole season. If any teams remain equal they will then play off.
- APPROVED by AGM

PROPOSAL (By John Freeman).
Note: This proposal will not be taken if proposal 5 is carried.
- Proposal 5 was carried so this proposal was withdrawn
6. Rule 12.12.5 Alter first sentence to read “Should two or more teams end the season with the same number of league points in positions affecting the Division 1 Championship or in positions affecting promotion or relegation they must play off.”
Note: No change is intended. The proposal is simply to correct a small defect in last year’s amendment which is also taken care of in proposition 5.

30-April-2008 - End of Season Newsletter

The final Newsletter of the 2007/08 season is now online. Again it has new features - so take a look.

It can be accessed via the News/Events - Newsletters Menu option or click [HERE] to navigate to the page.

This edition includes:

- Divisional reports, End of season League Tables, and Leading Divisional Averages,
- Latest results for the Team Handicap & Lower Divisions Knockout competitions
- Youth League round-up & other news items
- Links to what are possibly the best table tennis web sites in the world

Do you still need a paper copy sent to you ?
The Newsletter appears on the Web Site at least 5 days before it can be printed & sent out.
So if your team are happy to view & print the Newsletter from this site and no longer need a paper copy sent to you, please inform the Editor.

Use the Email & Comments options on the Newsletters page to let us know.

09-August-2007 - Players Wanted

Tidmarsh Table Tennis Club are in need of a player for the coming season to play for one of their teams in Division 3. Tidmarsh are a friendly club with excellent playing conditions.

If you think you can help, please contact David Sheppard, Tel no: 01635 578177

31-March-2007 - Knockout Cup Final

The final of the Lower Divisions Knockout Cup was held on Monday 26th March between Reading Resource and OLOP 'I'.

Over 70 people, a record in the history of the Reading & District Table Tennis Association, saw Reading Resource beat OLOP I 5-2 in the Knockout Cup Final at the Warehouse at Cumberland Road. They were then treated to a thrilling exhibition match between three times Commonwealth Champion, Matthew Syed, and Richard Andrews, the current Reading Men’s Singles Champion, who is one of the best young players in the country.

See Knockout Cup page under the Tournaments menu for full details of the Final.

18-March-2007 - Team competitions reach finals

The Team Handicap and Lower Divisions Knockout cup have reached the Finals. See the Tournaments menu options for details of the staging of each final.

Please note: the date and venue of the Lowere Divisions Knockout Cup have been changed.

19-February-2007 - February Newsletter

The third Newsletter of the season is now available online. It can be accessed via the News/Events - Newsletters Menu option or click [HERE] to navigate to the page.

This edition includes:

- Divisional reports, League Tables, and Leading Divisional Averages.
- report on the Individual Handicap
- updated draws for the Team Handicap & Lower Divisions Knockout competitions
- Youth League round-up
& other news items

Use the Email & Comments options on the Newsletters page to let us know.

07-January-2007 - Individual Handicap Competition

Simon Thorne pickled up the 2007 Individual Handicap title - See Individual Handicap page under tournaments for a full report.

29-December-2006 - Youth Division updated

The Youth Division details has now been updated for this season. See the Youth Division menu item for all information on youth table tennis in Reading and regular updates on the Youth Division contests.

27-November-2006 - Cup Competitions 2006-7

The Team Handicap and the Lower Divisions Knockout Cup are progressing.
To see the latest results and revised draw, go to the Tournaments Menu option, then select the relevant competition.

- Would all participants please ensure matches are played by the dates shown on the draws.

Impact Challenge Shield
This was previously known as the Fairway Press Trophy and is a knockout tournament for Division 1 and the top Divisiosn 2 teams.

The first round draw has been made - see Impact Challenge Shield page for details.

29-April-2006 - Fairway Press 2005-06

A report on the Final of the Fairway Press Challenge Trophy played on 26 April 2006 has now been added to the Web site - see Tournaments menu item for details.
RDTTA"'" web site

23-April-2006 - Senior and Junior Masters Tournaments

The end of season Reading Senior and Junior Masters tournaments took place last weekend with Hari Gehlot recovering from a shock group defeat to young Tom Maynard to eventually win the senior event for the first time, while Kuldeep Gehlot picked up the junior title with a victory over Abhay Gehlot in the final.

In Group 1 of the senior tournament Hari started brightly with a comfortable 12-10 11-5 11-5 win over Dave Streak before coming up against Tom Maynard. Tom was in scintillating form having earlier beaten off the challenge of reigning Masters trophy holder Nick Heaps. Despite trailing 1-5 at the change of ends in the fifth, Tom clawed his way back against Hari to record a momentous 11-5 8-11 11-6 9-11 11-9 victory. This left Hari needing victories in his final two matches which he achieved, but only after holding off a valiant effort from Bob Davis 11-9 11-5 9-11 4-11 11-2.

Bob Davis meantime had been enjoying a good tournament with wins over YMCA team mate Dave Streak and an 11-7 11-5 11-5 success against Nick. His final victory came against Tom in what turned out to be a crucial encounter, as the group was then decided on a games count back as Tom, Bob and Hari had all won three of their four matches. Following the count back Bob finished top and Hari second, with Tom unluckily missing out despite his magnificent win over Hari.

Group 2 was equally close with Richard Andrews, Peter Martin and Ramesh Gehlot all winning two of their three matches in a group of only four players following the late withdrawal of 2nd seed Mark Banks. Richard had started well with a fine 11-5 11-8 2-11 11-6 victory over Ramesh. Ramesh recovered to beat Peter Martin 11-7 11-7 9-11 11-6, while Peter played brilliantly to deny a spirited effort from Richard 11-6 11-8 9-11 11-9. With each having beaten Steve Murgatroyd, and the games count back also proving equal, the group was decided on points. Ramesh’s average of 72 points for and 66 against put him top of the group, while Peter was awarded second place by the narrowest of margins, officially 2000th of a point!

In the semi-finals Bob Davis faced Peter Martin, and things looked good for Bob after taking a 2 games to 1 lead. However the game turned more and more defensive and Peter managed to clinch victories in both the final two games to win 8-11 11-6 5-11 11-6 11-6 and gain a shock place in the final. The other semi saw both Hari and Ramesh Gehlot face each other. Ramesh put up a good show, but Hari always just had the edge as he ran out an 11-9 11-8 11-9 winner. Bob then beat Ramesh in the battle for third place in a very entertaining match 11-6 11-4 5-11 11-8.

In the final Peter was far from disgraced, but Hari was in no mood to let another Masters title elude him and Hari duly closed out the contest 11-6 11-8 11-4.

In the Junior event pre tournament favourites Abhay and Kuldeep both progressed comfortably from their groups to make the semi-finals, Kuldeep winning all his matches 3-straight while Abhay dropped just one end when beating David Fudge 8-11 11-5 11-7 11-6. David finished runner-up to Abhay after he managed good victories over Daniel Moses, Fiona Taylor and Dane White.

In the other group Simon Thorne finished second to book his semi-final berth with wins over his brother Daniel, Emma Ashley and Hanson Xu 11-2 11-7 11-7.

In the semi-finals Simon put up a good show before eventually losing to Abhay 2-11 11-7 5-11 5-11, while Kuldeep managed a comfortable 11-5 11-5 11-3 vcitory over David. The battle for third place was a terrific encounter with some excellent table tennis on show from both Simon and David. David eventually won it after storming away at the start of the fourth game to win 11-7 11-13 16-14 11-7.

In the final between Kuldeep and Abhay was quite superb with some stunning attacking play from both these top rated junior. Kuldeep however always seemed to have the edge on the day, especially after holding on to take a close second game and then the third 11-4 12-10 11-7.

Thanks are due to pre tournament organisers David Streak and Alan Dines, as well as tournament referee John Freeman and umpires Mick Reynolds and Paul Jarvis.

17-April-2006 - End of Season Newsletter

The end of season Newsletter is now available online. It can be accessed via the News/Events - Newsletters Menu option or click [HERE] to navigate to the page.

This edition includes:

- Divisional reports, Final League Tables, and Leading Divisional Averages.
- updates of Team Handiap & Lower Divisions Knockout competitions
- report on the Reading Closed Tournament
- Youth League round-up
& other news items

Use the Email & Comments options on the Newsletters page to let us know.

19-February-2006 - Feb Newsletter Avilable online

The third Newsletter of the season is now available online. It can be accessed via the News/Events - Newsletters Menu option or click [HERE] to navigate to the page.

This edition includes:

- Divisional reports, League Tables, and Leading Divisional Averages.
- updates of Team Handiap & Lower Divisions Knockout competitions
- report on the Individual Handicap tournament
- Youth League round-up
& other news items

Use the Email & Comments options on the Newsletters page to let us know.

20-December-2005 - December Newsletter

The second Newsletter of the season is now available online. It can be accessed via the News/Events - Newsletters Menu option or click [HERE] to navigate to the page.

This edition includes:

- Divisional reports, League Tables, and Leading Divisional Averages at the half-way stage.
- updates of Team Handiap & Lower Divisions Knockout competitions
- Youth League round-up
& other news items

Use the Email & Comments options on the Newsletters page to let us know.

20-November-2005 - Nigel receives National Award

Congratulations to Nigel Maltby, the current RDTTA Secretary, Chairman and Publicity Officer, who has been recognised for his long writing career after being named Press Officer of the Year by the ETTA.

Peter Bradley, Vice Chairman of the ETTA, presented the award at a special ceremony held at Our Lady of Peace club.

Nigel began producing table tennis notes in 1990 and has been producing quality copy for the local press ever since.

Jim Beckley, the ETTA’s head of PR said: “ His notes are well written, needed very little editing and were often accompanied with photographs. It’s people like Nigel who write for their local media week in, week out and who receive very little credit, for whom this award is for.”

After collecting his prize, Nigel said: “I am very humbled by the honour. I accept the award on behalf of all Divisional Fixture Secretaries and my colleagues on the Reading management committee over the years – 15 in total since I took over the Press Officer’s role. All have made my life extremely easy by submitting regular reports to me on time and without which would have made my job almost impossible.

“Secondly, a big thank you must go to the Evening Post, who have consistently managed to publish everything submitted to them, almost always donating a full page to table tennis.”

27-May-2005 - Dates for 2005/06 Season

The dates for next season have been published on the Diary page of the Web site, under the News Menu item.

Would all Club Secretaries and Team Captains please note the first key dates for them, which are:

Team Registration ... Friday 22 July

Player Registration ... Friday 26 August

First Week for League Matches ... Monday 12 September

14-May-2005 - Annual Awards 2005

The RDTTA Presentation Evening took place on 2 May 2005 at OLOP. Trophies were presented to the Champions & Runners-up in all Divisions, for the various events held at the Reading Closed & other competitions held throughout the season - details of these winners can be found on the relevant Web page.

In addition, the following awards were presented:

JOHN FREEMAN TROPHY
(best individual average in the Reading League for the past season)
With 50 wins from 50 matches in Division 5 for TIDMARSH G - DUNCAN GROVES

READING CHRONICLE TROPHY
(most meritorious performance during the Reading Closed)
After wins in the U13 boys singles & the Junior Boys doubles, a runner-up in the Cadet Boys, Junior Boys, U21 singles and the Division 3 singles events - RICHARD ANDREWS

STANDARD CUP
(the most improved junior)
Having made notable improvement this season, moving rapidly up the ETTA ranking list, unbeaten in Carter Cup contests and turning out regularly for Kingfisher H in Division 3 where he finished on a creditable 67%. He also picked up several winners and runners-up trophies in the Reading Closed - RICHARD ANDREWS

EDLESTON CUP
(best junior performance over the season)
Unbeaten in Carter Cup matches this season, played in every one of the Kingfisher D 1st Division fixtures this season, winning 29/60 sets for an average of 48% in his first season at this level. In his first ever Reading Senior Masters event he reached the semi-finals, beating Ian Packford in his opening match - ABHAY GEHLOT

HAROLD LARCOMBE SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Having demonstrated over numerous years in the Reading Table Tennis League a whole-hearted determination, but always a fair and sporting demeanour at all times. Spending the majority, if not all his time in the lower divisions, he has always been prepared to help out his club when other teams have been short of a player. A true gentleman on the table - JOE RASSOOL

READING CLOSED SPECIAL AWARDS
Two more awards were presented to recognise particular achievements at the Reading Closed championships going back a number of seasons.

At the 2004/05 Closed Championships Mary Allan overtook the record of big three wins (Ladies Singles, Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles) which had stood for 30 years. Mary has now won 21 major titles, has twice been a triple champion (winning all the big three in the same season) and taking into account junior & youth wins, Mary has now won a grand total of 32 closed championship titles.

Hari Gehlot recently overtook the record of big three wins in Mens events that had stood for 38 years. Hari has won 21 major titles & has been a triple champion on 4 occasions. Taking into account a Veteran Singles title Hari has now won a grand total of 22 Closed Championship titles.

MAURICE GOLDSTEIN MERIT AWARD
Committee members who have completed 10 years service or longer can be nominated for the ETTA Maurice Goldstein Merit Award, which is awarded in recognition of their achievement and efforts at local league level.

A Divisional Fixture secretary since the 1994/95 season, not always looking after the division in which he was playing. A loyal and active member at committee meetings, who two seasons ago stepped forward to assume responsibility for the design of a brand new, dynamic and informative RDTTA web site. Awarded to - Nick Lean

READING TOWN BADGE WINNERS

SENIOR : Andy Turton

JUNIOR : Richard Andrews, Abhay Gehlot, Tom Maynrd, Kauldeep Gehlot, Ben Davis

BERKSHIRE BADGES

SENIOR: Dave Hilbeck

JUNIOR: Richard Andrews, Greg Beckett, Kauldeep Gehlot, Emma Ashley & Chen Chen Wang.

INTER TOWN AWARDS

VETERANS 1ST TEAM : Tim Heaps, Nick Heaps & David Streak

VETERANS 2ND TEAM : Geoff Civil, Mike Harris & Ivor Hardman

OVER 60’s : Peter Bradley, Colin Dyke, Brian Halliday

06-May-2005 - Reading Masters 2005

The Reading League’s end of season Masters Tournament took place at the Kingfisher Club on April 23rd in a day of thrills and spills that saw two of the top seeded players fail to make their allotted semi-final places.

Results

Group 1:
Hari Gehlot bt Ben Gates 11-2 11-9 8-11 11-8;
Tony Reynolds bt Bob Davis 14-12 11-8 11-9;
Nick Heaps bt Ben Gates 11-1 11-2 9-11 18-16;
Hari Gehlot bt Bob Davis 11-6 6-11 10-12 11-3 11-2;
Nick Heaps bt Tony Reynolds 12-10 11-7 11-7;
Bob Davis bt Ben Gates 11-3 11-6 11-6;
Hari Gehlot bt Nick Heaps 11-2 11-5 11-6;
Tony Reynolds bt Ben Gates 11-9 11-13 11-8 11-7;
Nick Heaps bt Bob Davis 11-9 11-9 11-5;
Hari Gehlot bt Tony Reynolds 11-6 13-11 11-5.

Group 2:
Abhay Gehlot bt Ian Packford 11-9 11-5 7-11 9-11 11-7;
Cliff Putterford bt Steve Murgatroyd 11-4 7-11 11-4 11-7;
Abhay Gehlot bt Robert Hudson 11-5 11-7 8-11 11-6;
Ian Packford bt Cliff Putterford 11-6 11-7 11-8;
Robert Hudson bt Steve Murgatroyd 9-11 11-5 9-11 11-6 11-8;
Abhay Gehlot bt Cliff Putterford 11-6 11-7 9-11 6-11 13-11;
Ian Packford bt Robert Hudson 11-5 11-8 8-11 11-8;
Abhay Gehlot bt Steve Murgatroyd 15-13 9-11 11-4 11-3;
Robert Hudson bt Cliff Putterford 9-11 14-12 11-2 11-7;
Ian Packford bt Steve Murgatroyd 6-11 12-10 11-7 11-9.

Semi-Finals:
Ian Packford bt Hari Gehlot 11-9 6-11 11-8 5-11 11-5;
Nick Heaps bt Abhay Gehlot 11-4 12-10 12-10.

3rd/4th Play off:
Hari Gehlot bt Abhay Gehlot 11-3 11-4 11-3

Final:
Nick Heaps bt Ian Packford 9-11 1-11 11-6 12-10 11-9.

25-March-2005 - End of Season Ups and Downs

Congratulations to the following teams who are the 2004/05 Divisional Champions
... and to the runners-up in each of the Divisions.

Division	Champions	Runner-up
1	Kingfisher A Hari Gehlot, Ramesh Gehlot, Mark Banks, Bela Hegedus, Kuldeep Gehlot.	Polish B Richard Rosinski, Nick Heaps, Derek Wood, Tony Stevens, David Reeves.
2	Sonning C&P A Andy Turton, Simon Berry, Graham Kemp, Jason Roberts.	Our Lady of Peace E Ian Cole, Ben Gates, Chris Laker, Todor Spasov, Melanie Farquahar, Dave Halfpenny.
3	Curzon Club A John Willcocks, Mick Maynard, Nick Lean, John Walker.	Sonning C&P C Nigel Maltby, Paul Jarvis, Mark Jones.
4	Tidmarsh D Chris Webb, Bruce Mackenzie, Steve Andrews, Pete Sinclair.	Springfield A Seth Martin, Des Hele, Peter Whittington, Phillip Burke.
5	Milestone B John Crosfield, Gerard Thorp, Sam Stevens, Richard Highfield, Nikki Rowell.	Springfield B John Burke, Ian Boaden, Mo Wills, Martin Hynes.
6	St.Lawrence Church Chris West, Dan West, Ben Clowney, Ben Morrison, Sam Pimentel.	Sonning C&P H John Harris, Mike Casserley, Malcolm Faulkener, Harold Hunt, Albert Shephard.

And commiserations to the teams who are relegated this season:

Division	Relegated
1	Tidmarsh A	- Polish A withdrew
2	Longfield A	and Kingfisher G
3	Curzon Club B	and Pangbourne A
4	Our Lady of Peace (Wycliffe) H	and Birch Copse A (after play-off)
5	Reading Resource	and Sonning C&P G

12-March-2005 - VETTS Events in Reading

The Veterans English Table Tennis Society (VETTS) are bringing their Southern Masters event to the Rivermead Centre in Reading for the first time. It will be held over the weekend of the 9th/10th April 2005. Some 300 entries are expected for the event which will take place across 30 tables in the main hall and bowls hall. For further details, Click [HERE]

Also, the German equivalent of VETTS, called ‘Der Club’, have challenged the English VETTS to a one-off competition - this will take place on the evening of Friday 8th April, immediately prior to the main tournament.

The Reading Evening Post is putting up a trophy for the winning team. The Mayor is going to attend and meet the players before the matches start, at 7.30pm. There will be 11 individual competitions, 6 men & 5 women’s age groups, and the final result of these will decide who wins the match. The men’s teams consist of 3 players playing six singles & a doubles whilst the women’s teams consist of 2 players playing 4 singles and a doubles.

All Reading players are welcome to come along and support VETTS in their challenge match.

16-January-2005 - Results by Team

A new facility has been added to the Web site which enables you to view the results to date of any team in any Division. Using this option, you can check out the form of one of your opponents and see who has been winning the games for them or use it to get a summary of your own team.

Select Results and the Division you are interested in, then select By Team.
Select the team from the list displayed and their results to date will be listed.

You can still see the results as they have always been displayed, by selecting By Date (instead of By Team).

- please let us know what you think of this new option through the Feedback option.

11-January-2005 - Individual Handicap Report 2005

The Reading Individual Handicap Competition took place at the Kingfisher club on Sunday 9th January and the winners trophy will be heading out of the County to Suffolk after Charlie Goddard made the long trip down from his home to become Reading’s Individual Handicap tournament winner for 2005.

Full Report on Individual Handicap page, under Tournaments.

26-October-2004 - Become a qualified Local Umpire

Would you like to become a qualified Local Umpire ?

All you have to do is complete a simple test paper and, provided you pass, follow this with a practical umpiring test.
You can download a copy of the ETTA Local Umpire test paper from their Web Site, which tells you all about it.

Click [HERE] to navigate to the relevant page.

The RDTTA would like to encourage as many members as possible to take part in this.

So download the form, have a go at the paper and send it to the local assessor, John Freeman.
(see the RDTTA Handbook for his address.)

01-August-2004 - Players Needed

Several clubs are on the lookout for players as the 2004/05 season heads towards its commencement on Monday 6 September. Sonning Common & Peppard TTC are especially on the lookout for two players to fill vacancies in their [I] team in Division 6. Pre-season practise at Sonning Common starts on Thursday 12 August. Anyone interested in joining Sonning, or any other local club in Reading, can contact Nigel Maltby on 0118 9463191 for more information.

27-June-2004 - Reading Senior Masters 2004

In an often fiercely contested competition, Ian Packford saved his best form for last as he beat Hari Gehlot in the final to take the Reading Masters crown, held on 24 April 2004 at Kingfisher TTC.

In the early group stages top seed Gehlot recovered a 6-10 second game deficit to defeat David Streak 11-7 12-10 11-7 in his opener. After that he enjoyed comfortable victories over Steve Murgatroyd 11-2 11-1 11-5 and Craig Campbell 11-1 11-6 11-6 before clinching top position in the group with an 11-8 10-12 11-8 11-7 victory over No.3 seed Mark Banks.

Second place in the group went right to the wire with Mark Banks, Craig Campbell and Steve Murgatroyd all having achieved two wins each. Banks recovered from a sluggish start to defeat Murgatroyd 11-13 7-11 11-4 11-7 11-5, Campbell won a thrilling contest with Banks 2-11 5-11 11-9 11-6 12-10 while Murgatroyd then scored a shock success over Campbell 11-8 11-6 9-11 10-12 11-3 to leave the runners-up position needing a points count back to decide it. It was Banks who just got the nod with a slightly favourable position ahead of Murgatroyd and Campbell who finished third and fourth respectively.

In the other group matters were equally exciting. Division 2 representative Cliff Putterford almost caused a major upset against No2 seed Ian Packford in the opening match before losing 11-4 5-11 9-11 14-12 11-13. Ramesh Gehlot beat Ali Subhan 6-11 11-8 11-7 11-9 before Subhan recovered to earn a fine victory over Packford 11-5 15-13 7-11 16-14. David Hilbeck won a close encounter with Gehlot 11-9 12-10 3-11 9-11 12-10 leaving the group wide open right up to the last two matches.

Hilbeck beat a disappointing Subhan to clinch his semi-final place 11-2 11-9 14-16 11-8 before Packford held off a spirited challenge from Ramesh Gehlot 11-6 7-11 11-6 9-11 11-7 to scrape into first place and knock out the unlucky Ramesh.

In the semi-finals Hari Gehlot proved too hot for Dave Hilbeck, running out a comfortable 11-4 11-9 11-8 winner. The other semi-final was an extremely tense affair with Ian Packford still struggling to find his best form as Mark Banks easily took the first 11-3. Packford ground out the next thanks to a fair slice of good fortune near the end 12-10, and he kept his nerve to close out the next two games 11-9 11-9 to book his place in the final.

The final saw some breathtaking rallies as both players played some superb table tennis. Packford seemed finally inspired and he took the first two games in style 11-6 11-7. Hari Gehlot upped his game to even higher levels as he took the third game 11-8 and in a nerve jangling fourth game it was Packford who held off a valiant Gehlot comeback to win the match and the title 12-10.

09-May-2004 - Annual Awards 2004

The RDTTA annual awards presentation evening took place on 4 May 2003 at OLOP. Trophies were presented to the Champions & runners-up in all Divisions, for the various events held at the Reading Closed & other events held throughout the season. This included:

The Team Handicap went to the Tidmarsh D quartet of Clive Mitchell, Pete Sinclair, Chris Webb and Steve Andrews. Ben Clowney led new club St Laurence Church to Lower Division Knockout Trophy success in their first season.

David Fudge and Ravinda Dosanjh took the Youth Division 1 title for Impact Trojans, ahead of Warehouse Trojans in second place. Winners of Youth Division 2 were Arborfield Warriors, with Arborfield Strikers finishing second.

In addition, the following awards were made:

STANDARD CUP (Most Improved Junior) – TOM MAYNARD
Tom has made rapid strides this season. His performances in Division 2 have helped his team Kingfisher F come close to clinching promotion to the top division. He was winner of the U18 and U13 Boys singles events at the Reading Closed Championships, as well as being runner-up in both the U21 and U15 singles and a runner-up in the Boys Doubles event. His improvement over the season in Division 2 saw victories over the likes of Merril Massey, Steve Barnes and Malcolm Gregory.

EDLESTON CUP (Best Junior Performance in the season) – LISA BOSLEY
Her performances for Kingfisher H in Division 3 have been consistently good where Lisa achieved a very creditable 68%. She goes into every game determined to give her best, is always well behaved and sets a good example for other juniors to follow. She was also the Reading Ladies singles runner-up, a title that she is determined to win in the not too distant future.

READING CHRONICLE TROPHY (the most meritorious performance during the Reading Closed) - ABHAY GEHLOT
His performances at the Reading Closed Championships saw Abhay gain fine victories in the U21 and U15 singles and the Junior Boys Doubles, as well as a brilliant contest with Keith Winter in the Division 2 where he was narrowly defeated.

HAROLD LARCOMBE SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – JOHN FULLER
John started playing while in the Services and has played for the Berks County Sports club for over 30 years. The majority of his time has been spent in the lower divisions, steadily gaining the wins needed to keep his team away from the bottom of the league. His attitude, and that of his team, has always been excellent, showing a sporting manner at all times. Despite a broken leg a couple of years ago he has now returned to the table this past season for Berks Sports B.

JOHN FREEMAN TROPHY (the best playing record in the Reading League during the past season) – NEIL HAVARD
With 45 wins from 45 in Division 6, Neil Havard picked up the John Freeman Trophy.

12-April-2004 - End of Season Promotions - 2003/04

Division	Champions	Runner-up
1	Polish A	Kingfisher A
2	Tidmarsh A	play-off between Kingfisher E & Kingfisher F
3	Our Lady Of Peace E	Tidmarsh B
4	Sonning C&P D	Pangbourne WMC B
5	Polish C	Birch Copse A
6	Reading Resource	Kingfisher J

11-April-2004 - End of Season Relegations 2003/04

Division	Relegated
1	Sonning C&P A	Our Lady of Peace D
2	Curzon Club A	Berks Sports A
3	Our Lady Of Peace F	Curzon Club B
4	Our Lady of Peace H	Milestone B
5	Sonning C&P G	Sonning C&P H

04-November-2003 - Match Results on Web Site

Individual match results are now available on the Web Site. Select the RESULTS menu item and choose a Division to see all match results to date. Use the Week numbers displayed on the right of the screen to skip to any given week in the season. Details will be entered by each DFS as they are available (or by the Gen. Secretary in cases where the DFS is not online)

30-October-2003 - RDTTA New Web Site

New RDTTA Web Site goes live - the Association commisioned a new Web Site to be built... and this is it. The intention is for this site to have all the information a local player needs to keep up to date with table tennis in the Reading League. The information on this site will be up kept to date by various volunteers from the RDTTA Committee, time permitting. The first version os the Site went live in October 2003. Additional facilities are due to be made available during the coming months.

Reading and District Table Tennis Association

Affiliated to ETTA & the RCBTTA

Archived News Section

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