What happened last year?
The 2007 National Championships was a triumph for the future of table tennis as the young players
performed tremendously, in particular the exceptional Paul Drinkhall who at 17 became the youngest national champion since the charismatic Chester Barnes.
Men’s Singles
Drinkhall was sensational, performing with power and passion in a brilliant display, highlighting just why he is England’s number 1. His only major challenge en route to the final came from the awe-inspiring Gavin Evans, who took Drinkhall all the way in the semi-final. In previous rounds Evans surpassed the accomplished international talents of Andrew Rushton, last year’s finalist, and Terry Young, a former Commonwealth medallist. This would be an incredible achievement for any player, but at the tender age of 13 it is nothing short of astonishing.
Alex Perry, the reigning champion, experienced a slightly more testing time as he came within a whisker of exiting in the quarter-finals against the spirited performer Lorestas Trumpauskas, eventually winning 13-11 in the seventh. Perry then defeated Darius Knight in the semi-final.
The final was held in front of a capacity crowd at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre. Drinkhall’s focus was devastating, his single mindedness and sheer determination seemed too much for Perry. However, after being edged out of the first three, Perry’s relentless cross-court counter hitting at speed offered a glimmer of hope as he took the fourth. Unfortunately for Perry this was short-lived as the reigning champion bowed out gracefully.
Final
Paul Drinkhall bt. Alex Perry
11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9
Semi-Finals
Paul Drinkhall bt. Gavin Evans
11-9, 11-7, 11-10, 9-11, 12-14, 8-11
Alex Perry bt. Darius Knight
11-9, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5
Women’s Singles
The women’s final offered a similar scenario to the men’s with an interesting battle of youth versus experience as Kelly Sibley aimed to overturn the recent domestic dominance of Helen Lower. Sibley fought valiantly, but seemed to let her emotions get the better of her in the third, and never quite recovered as every move she made was counteracted to devastating effect by Lower, who ran out the eventual winner.
Final
Helen Lower bt. Kelly Sibley
7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6
Semi-Finals
Kelly Sibley bt. Natalie Bawden
10-12, 10-12, 12-10, 13-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5
Helen Lower bt. Joanna Parker
11-9, 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4
Mixed Doubles
With all four players having reached the semi-finals or finals of the senior titles, it was going to be a close fought battle. Darius Knight and Kelly Sibley took the title.
Final
Darius Knight /Kelly Sibley bt.
Paul Drinkhall/Joanna Parker
12-10, 11-8, 11-2
Semi-Finals
Paul Drinkhall/Joanna Parker bt.
David Meads/Melanie Farquhar
11-7, 11-2, 11-9
Darius Knight/Kelly Sibley bt.
Alex Perry/Helen Lower
15-13, 14-12, 11-9
Men’s Doubles
The young sparing partners of Drinkhall and Knight overcame the more experienced pairing of Alex Perry and Terry Young.
Final
Paul Drinkhall/Darius Knight bt.
Alex Perry/Terry Young
13-11, 15-13, 11-7
Semi-Finals
Paul Drinkhall/Darius Knight bt.
Andrew Rushton/Tim Yarnall
11-4, 11-7, 11-6
Alex Perry/Terry Young bt.
Craig Bryant/John Holland
5-11, 11-4, 11-6, 12-10
Women’s Doubles
Kelly Sibley couldn’t repeat her mixed doubles win as she and Joanna Parker went out to Lower and Bawden.
Final
Helen Lower/Natalie Bawden bt.
Kelly Sibley/Joanna Parker
12-10, 11-9, 11-9
Semi-Finals
Kelly Sibley/Joanna Parker bt.
Emma Vickers/Caroline Hallows
11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10
Helen Lower/Natalie Bawden bt.
Karen Shepherd/Stephanie Donnelly
11-8, 11-6, 11-5
Veteran Men’s Singles
Going one better than last year Joe Kennedy took the title.
Final
Joe Kennedy bt. Dave Godbold
12-10, 11-5, 11-7
Semi-Finals
Dave Godbold bt. Eddie Smith
11-9, 6-11, 14-12, 11-9
Joe Kennedy bt. David Griffith
11-9, 11-4, 11-9
Veteran Women’s Singles
Shu Huang won in three over Jane Vickers.
Final
Shu Huang bt. Jane Vickers
11-7, 11-6, 11-9
Semi-Finals
Shu Huang bt. Margaret Dignum
11-8, 11-4, 11-2
Jane Vickers bt. Jane Durham
9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5
Veteran Men’s Doubles
The partnership of the 06 and 07 veterans champions proved successful as both Carthy and Kennedy added another title to their collection.
Final
Clive Carthy/Joe Kennedy bt.
Eddie Smith/Dave Godbold
11-9, 11-8, 11-9
Semi-Finals
Eddie Smith/Dave Godbold bt.
Abdul Wuraola/Jimmy Walsh
11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9
Clive Carthy/Joe Kennedy bt.
Mark Evans/Russell Boone
11-6, 11-8, 11-9
Men’s U21 Singles
Darius Knight defeated his adversary in the tightest of battles.
Final
Darius Knight bt. Paul Drinkhall
9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-6
Semi-Finals
Paul Drinkhall bt. David Meads
7-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7
Darius Knight bt. Tim Yarnall
11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 9-11, 11-6
Women’s U21 Singles
More silverware for the Sibley household as she added another title to her swelling trophy cabinet.
Final
Kelly Sibley bt. Emma Vickers
11-4, 11-3, 11-8
Semi-Finals
Kelly Sibley bt. Abigail Embling
11-5, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8
Emma Vickers bt. Joanna Parker
11-8, 4-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10
Disabled Singles
For the first time ever there was an addition of two disabled categories: Will Bayley won the standing final and Mark Palmer won the wheelchair final.
Standing Final
Will Bayley bt. Chris Cattell
11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-13, 11-7
Wheelchair Final
Mark Palmer bt. Shaun Newcombe
11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5
