North Ayrshire remain on course

November 09, 2022

Charlie Ellis reports on the Scottish National League matches which took place on Saturday (5th of November) at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth. Who lasted the course on a long, sapping day of table tennis?

With rain splattering down, players were eager to get inside. By 8:35 the mammoth hall was already filling up. The blur of cross knocking was started by the Vets, resplendent in their blue Scottish shirts; Whitton, Wright, Waddell et al smacking it back and forth as others trundled languidly into the hall. These included some returning players, including Sep Bidari for Drumchapel, Ethan Chapman for North Ayrshire, and Dylan De Silva for Dumfries. Also back in SNL action was Willie Mabon, a top performer in the ELTTL (for Tynecastle and North Merchiston) for four decades. Clearly, there is no such thing as an ex-table tennis player.

Division 1

By 9:20 there was a rising sense of anticipation as the final stragglers made their way in. Unfortunately South Ayrshire were unable to make it to Bell’s, their car having broken down on the M80. At 9:30, the first set of matches having been called, the scrum for scoresheets, balls and pens began. Soon after, the first matches kicked off. Or, at least, some of them. Martin Johnson was out of the blocks quickly on table 1, completing the first set 11-6 versus Gordon Waddell with a blaster of a backhand, wristy and powerful. “too good!” as Waddell had to admit. Johnson was more than a set up before the two lethargic Murrayfield teams even got started on table 2!

Murrayfield A faced a difficult task in maintaining some pressure on North Ayrshire A in the title race. Without John Hannah, they lacked their most consistent player over the last two seasons. Danilo Celli, who had been in Italy for the first set of fixtures, came in as No. 1. as he made his SNL debut. In the clash between the two Murrayfield sides, it was the A team who came out on top with Danilo Celli & Borui Chen winning their two. Murrayfield B’s sole win came courtesy of a 12-10 in the fifth win for Charlie McGowan over Gordon Muir. A classic case of student defeating ‘master’. Muir was magnanimous, saying “I thought that my variations and knowledge of his game would be enough but Charlie played very well”. McGowan had, Muir believed, made a “very impressive debut in Division 1”, winning four of his six matches.

Though Martin Johnson completed a rapid 3-0 win over Gordon Waddell, the overall match was far from one-sided. The Vets A team put up an impressive showing with Gerry Campbell and Brian Wright both beating Ethan Chapman in five-setters. Richard Yule, watching on, praised Wright for his strong loops, influenced by the Hungarian greats in the 1970s. 4-2 to North Ayrshire A.

With North Ayrshire A, despite Chris Main’s absence, looking strong, it was incumbent on Murrayfield A to win all their games if they wanted to keep the title chase alive in Division 1. Against Dumfries, they had to ensure that they secured four wins against Dylan De Silva and Harry Blackhall. Gordon Muir was a bit passive in parts against De Silva but scrambled through 3-1. In the top match, Danilo Celli was unable to convert a lead in the 3rd set versus Danny Bajwa, with the Dumfries No. 1 coming through the final two sets with some comfort.

Murrayfield A had a tough battle with North Ayrshire B. Key to their eventual win was a comeback win for Borui Chen over the fast-improving Nathan Hogg. Hogg looked strong as he took a 2-1 lead. An outrageous chopped smash winner for Chen kept him in touch in the 4th set, which he eventually won 15-13, and he then took the decider 11-9. This allowed Muir to finish the match off (“I wasn’t looking forward to that one, especially if it had been a decider”).

In one of the most eagerly awaited matches, North Ayrshire A took on Dumfries A. In his match with Ethan Chapman, Dumfries No. 1 Danny Bajwa finished the match in the fourth set with a fizzing forehand. Dylan De Silva put up a good fight versus Jamie Johnson. The vet’s good movement helped him to stay in the rallies impressively.

The clash of the No. 1’s Bajwa & Martin Johnson looked set to be a quality match. Certainly there was plenty of quality on show. However, Bajwa’s classy touches and trademark backhands weren’t enough as Johnson’s dynamic shot making eventually overpowered his opponent. Johnson was clinical in the first set (11-3) and didn’t allow Bajwa any time to get into the points. Johnson eventually cruised to an impressive 3-0 victory.

The Division 1 results leave North Ayrshire on top. Gordon Muir was happy that, without John Hannah, his side had at least kept in touch with North Ayrshire and taken it to the final set of fixtures. North Ayrshire B are third after wins versus Dumfries A and Glasgow South A. Drumchapel A are fourth, with Yaser Razouk only able to play three of his six matches (Lucy Elliott played their third match). Drumchapel A had a mixed day with a win (over Glasgow South A), a draw and a loss. Sep Bidari was fired up in his match versus Murrayfield B’s Zihao Li, but lost out in four tight sets. Bidari’s win over Keith Dingwall wasn’t enough to prevent his side slipping to a 5-1 loss.

Glasgow South A were boosted by David Hay’s five wins on the day, including in a five set contest with Gerry Campbell. That helped his team to a draw with Scottish Vets A which keeps his team just above the drop zone. Murrayfield B & Dumfries A currently occupy those unwanted positions, even though both teams have strong players. Things are going to be tight in the final set of fixtures; at the foot and top of Division 1. North Ayrshire A and Murrayfield A will meet in the final match of the season.

Uni lead promotion push
Edinburgh University produced three wins to remain top of Division two. Xiaoqi Wang and Yizhe Jing both maintained their 100% records, generally cruising through their matches. Their most dramatic game saw Faye Leggett overcome Stirlingshire’s Daniel Grant 22-20 (!) in the fourth and final set of their match. As that epic set reached its final stages, spectators were drawn towards table 7 as the rallies grew longer and more intense. A big sigh of relief for Leggett at the end!

Dundee A are two points behind following three wins. Their final match versus Aberdeen A was a lengthy one, including four five-setters. Robert Toth’s battling 11-9 in the fifth win over Kevin Anderson was the final match to finish with both players looking relieved that it was finally over! The strong JK Carnbo A side are in third place, though weren’t as dominant as might have been expected. Their 4-2 win versus Stirling A was a bit of a battle, with Daniel Grant surprising Alicja Czarnomska 3-0. In terms of the promotion slots, a lot will depend on the Dundee A vs JK Carnbo A match in the final round.

Drumchapel B sit at the summit of Division Three, narrowly ahead of Dundee B. One of the most intense matches of the morning session saw Dundee’s Ryan Docherty take on Drumchapel’s Chris Scoufaridis, two of the more vociferous players in the SNL. Their game featured some protracted rallies with both players well back from the table at times. At the end Docherty stated, “I don’t mind playing against that [defensive] style…I’d have been disappointed to lose that one”. The match between the two top sides ended as a well contested draw. In their final match of the day, Chris Scoufaridis came out on top in a dramatic game versus Grant Williams of Dundee C. The Dundee player was crestfallen at the end, some of his frustration taken out on his bat. Dundee C finished the day in third, fractionally ahead of Bellway West Lothian.

Division Four sees three teams at the top, all on 8 points. Edinburgh University B, Murrayfield E and Letham. In their top of the table clash, two good wins saw Murrayfield D beat the University 4-2 with Junji Hua and Jamie Toner both winning their two. Letham had a good day, finishing with three 5-1 victories; John Anderson winning all his six matches . Penicuik are just behind in 4th, on seven points. Hannah McDonell’s 12-10 in the fifth win versus Peter Taylor helping the Midlothian side gain a vital 4-2 win versus Knightswood. This looks likely to be a particularly tight Division right to the end.

Edinburgh International B lead in Division Five following three wins. Heriot Watt student Raphael Valeri picked up six wins from six for the Edinburgh side. Despite a 1-5 loss to Edinburgh International, Joe Wilson A are just behind them. They had a very tight match against bottom of the table North Merchiston B, which featured no less than 5 five set matches. As Nick Adams ruefully put it, “the fifth sets killed us!”. Joe Wilson’s Ritchie Logan felt that the tightness of the match showed that it was a ‘hard, hard league…you don’t expect such a close match between top and bottom”.

JK. Carnbo B’s international side are, unsurprisingly, three points ahead at the top of Division Six. Not that they had an easy opening match, as they were given a test by a young Aberdeen C side, with NPC Natalie Gallan in their corner. Krzysztof Opila was taken to five sets by young Mathew Pszonka from Aberdeen. As Terry McLernon put it, it was hard to believe that it was a Division Six match; the league was “so strong”. For such an early morning match, the atmosphere and intensity were impressive. Opila eventually came through, though his head was glistening with perspiration by the end. Pszonka later beat Jonas Falter, JK. Carnbo B’s first loss of the season! In the battle for the second promotion slot, Aberdeen C lie just ahead of Drumchapel D and Inverness. All three teams have seven points, three behind the leaders. North Ayrshire D sit at the foot of the table but were perhaps a bit unlucky not to pick up any points, losing their three matches 4-2.

Long and lingering
The second meeting of the National League is important with three matches played by each team. Organising squads and getting full complements of players to Perth is a real test for club officials. It’s also a test for the players, many of whom were juggling various commitments and dealing with niggling injuries.

Though each player only plays a maximum of six matches, the team aspect makes it more draining than a normal tournament. As well as playing, you are also assisting your teammates and often ‘living’ their matches (“how the hell did she miss that!”). You may also be following other matches being played by club mates and friends, and by rival teams (“what’s the score in the overall match?”). All this adds to the energy sapping character of the day, as does the character of the hall which has a strange feel, dislocated from the outside world. Is it dark or light?; what’s going on outside? Such existential thoughts are best avoided when you’re trying to put away a high ball at 9-9 in the fifth.

Outside, the damp, dismal morning had transformed into a misty, mysterious afternoon.

It all emphasises that the sport of table tennis is much more than a test of hand eye coordination and movement. The psychological aspect is enormous, especially across several matches on a long day. The length of the day also emphasises the stamina required, with some players visibly wilting as the day wore on and positivity evaporated. It’s a real test of the players’ ability to maintain their level over the day and deal with the inevitable frustrations and disappointments. As the novelist Howard Jacobson put it, ‘table tennis lowers expectations and teaches you to live with disappointment as a necessary function of human engagement.’ Thoughts like these might help us with those agonising losses.

Thanks as ever to everyone who took part, including the lift-givers and other supporters. A huge collective effort goes into making the SNL function. Thanks to Tommy Toner, Graham Muir and Gordon Muir for their assistance with inputting results and Richard Yule for his help and encouragement on top table. The final set of fixtures for the 2022-23 Scottish National League will be on SUNDAY 5th of February at Bell’s. Only two matches this time. See you in the new year.