FOUNDED 1931
Wembley & Harrow Table Tennis League
Closed
Championships 2007
William Maybanks retained his Men’s Singles crown with an exciting victory over his Apollo club teammate Costas Papantoniou in the Wembley & Harrow Table Tennis League Championships finals at the Harrow Leisure Centre on 22 February. The 15 year-old won on his fifth match at 14-12 to win by three games to one.
William, preferring to use the back of the court to blunt his opponent’s attacking strength, made good use of his powerful and consistent backhand to keep Costas in check. Watched by a large crowd, including including Honorary Harrow Alderman Keith Toms, the finalists maintained the high standard of the tournament with an explosive match. After William took the first game, Costas hot back with the second. William won the third, but was 1-7 down in the fourth, before clawing back to deuce and eventual victory.
William was also successful in winning the Neil Stratton Memorial Junior Boys’ final with victory over the much-improved Rafi Marom by three games to nil. But he missed out on a hat-trick of titles when he came a cropper in the Men’s Doubles. He and partner Stuart Seaholme fell victim to a spirited performance by Lee Dredge and Gary Morgan, who won by three games to two. It was Gary’s first win in six doubles finals, and made up for a defeat to Costas in the final of the Veteran Men’s event.
Sally Bax repeated her feat of 2006 by winning a hat-trick of titles. The Sudbury Hill player defeated Hilary Birmingham twice, in the final of the Ladies’ and Veteran Ladies’ singles events. Then she teamed up with Stuart Seaholme in the mixed doubles to defeat the unfortunate Hilary and Ian Mablin.
In other finals, Dipan Shah beat Roly Stanbridge to win the Intermediate Singles, Mahesh Shah beat David Flynn in an exciting Minor Singles final, Charleigh Kirby beat Eman Hussain in the Junior Girls’ Singles and Ryan Maynard beat Paul Erdunast in the Cadet Boys’ Singles.
Thanks are due to Steve Dunn for another well-organised event and to Duncan Cogger and the staff at the Harrow Leisure Centre for their help on the day.
