The High Wycombe Table Tennis League’s Closed Championships took place last weekend at Hazlemere Youth Centre. On Saturday the events held were Handicap Singles, Restricted singles, divisional singles (Premier, ½, ¾), Over 70’s, and Over 60’s.

The handicap singles had the biggest entry of the weekend with 37 people all hoping to win. The handicap tournament gives each player a chance of winning by handicapping the superior players. One notable exit form the tournament in the quarter finals was last year’s winner who can be regularly found in at least three finals a weekend Robert Hansell. He faced fifteen year old Ben Wiseman and was knocked out 23-21 21-15. He was joined in the semi by Kevin Moses form division three’s St Andrews B. In the other half Laurence Orton would face off against Pam Spooner who won the title in 2002. Wiseman was too strong for Moses and secured his place in the final where he would face Spooner. Starting strongly the Premier Player took the first leg by the smallest of margins 21-19 but Spooner fought back to take the second to 11. But the third was a case of youth winning over experience as Wiseman squeaked through 21-18 to take his first Wycombe title.

In the Over 70’s, a small field of six played two groups of three to decide the final. Dave Swift ended up top of group A above John Saunders and Ken Norris and over in group B Jeanne Gloster bested Ivor Powell and Geoff Feast. In the final Swift of premier team Chalfont C did not have it all his own way against Division Two’s Gloster and found himself one each after two legs but then eased his way to victory in four, 11-5 11-13 11-8 11-8. A stronger group of 16 representing all divisions took part in the over 60’s. Pam Spooner featured again as she beat 4th seed Dave Swift 9-11 11-1 7-11 11-7 11-7 in the first round. Other than that result the semis went to seeding with last years champion Mike Atkinson against Kedric Rhodes and Spooner in her second semi final against John Cooper. It was not to be for Spooner as Cooper came through in three legs. Atkinson had a tougher time against Rhodes, losing the first leg but coming from behind to take the win in four. In a close first two legs Atkinson had the upper hand to win both to 9 points. Cooper could not rally from this and lost the third and the final 11-5 to give Atkinson successive wins. In the premier singles second seed Nick Hansell had two tough 5 setters to get himself into the final, firstly in the longest match of the day he took one hour and one minute to dispose of Mike Atkinson, then finding himself 2-0 up against John Barclay lost two tight legs 11-13 and 10-12 to set up a deciding fifth. Again this went to deuce but Hansell took the two clear points needed to make the final. In the top half of the draw, his eldest son and number one seed Robert Hansell found himself up against tough opposition in the shape of his younger brother Chris who had already knocked out handicap winner Ben Wiseman. It was Chris who took the initiative in the first two legs until Robert came back inn the third. Chris stole the first bragging rights of the weekend as he won 11-9 in the fourth to book a father vs. son battle in the final. Again youth was to be the victor in this clash as Chris was too strong for his father over four legs.

In the division one/two singles Pam Spooner was once again making waves. After disposing of team-mate Eve Franey she faced fourth seed Tim Sparks. Once more she made light work of her opponent to book herself yet another semi final place. In the top half of the draw Terry Boxall of Great Kingshill B was about to make himself a very unpopular person with his team-mates. After beating Walter Aldridge he faced team-mate and third seed Cynthia Kunschke. He took the game in three to set up a semi final with team captain and number one seed Bryan Redrup. A tougher match followed as he beat his captain 11-4 11-7 9-11 11-7. Spooner could not make her second final as she lost out to Bassan Mocharaffie 13-11 11-6 11-8 to set up Terry Boxall with yet another team-mate. Having beaten two of his team already a third was never going to be an issue and so it proved 12-10 12-10 11-4 to give him his second division ½ title.

The division ¾ singles went with form as last year’s winner Kevin Moses was number 2 seed and newcomer Tim Sallis was 1st seed. Sallis had the tougher journey to the final and was taken to 5 sets by Moses’ colleague Martin Webb. But in the final the second seed was to be the victor. Sallis’ final seemed to take the wind from his sails as he went down 7-11 6-11 7-11.

Ben Wiseman was looking to make his second final Seeded 2nd to Jochen Hadder in the Restricted Singles. Pam Spooner had a walkover through to the second round to face Bob Gates. After a tough five setter she went into the quarter finals to face third seed Richard Skellet. Knowing no fear she took the premier player in four sets where she would face her conqueror from the handicap final Ben Wiseman in her fourth semi final of the day. In the top half Jochen Hadder was proving his seeding correct as he marched into first the semi where he faced 4th seeded Paul Curry. After three legs he was in the final. In the handicap final Spooner had kept in touch with Wiseman thanks to her head start but Wiseman proved why she needed that start as he triumphed in three sets 13-11 11-6 11-9. And so to the final where 15 year old Wiseman faced off against his team-mate and first seed Hadder. Wiseman proved that he could succeed in an uphill struggle as he lost the first leg. Bouncing back in the second 11-2 he then pushed on to his second title win of the day 12-10 11-5. For the whole day Wiseman’s record stands at 3 tournaments entered one loss to the eventual winner and two victories. A total of P 11 W 10 L 1. It is hard to separate him and Pam Spooner for player of the day. Spooner should take heart in the fact that she played 14 matches won 10 and lost four. She got through to four semi finals and made it through one of these to make the final.

Sunday

In the mixed doubles Mary Heffernan was teamed up with John Barclay after her original partner had to pull out. They cruised to the final to give Heffernan a chance of her sixth mixed doubles title. In the bottom half of the table ladies number one seed Janet Brown and her partner, Ireland Junior International David Hayes were up against last years runners up and second seed Robert Hansell and Dawn Pearce. In a tight game that went backwards and forwards between the pairings Hayes and brown eventually triumphed 11-9 7-11 11-8 8-11 11-9. With this momentum going into the final nothing was going to stop them and they took the title. The ladies doubles final found 1st vs. 2nd seeds up against each other with Heffernan and Cynthia Kunschke facing top seeds and seven times champions Dawn Pearce and Jan Curtis. Pearce and Curtis who won their first title together in 1990 went down 11-5 ion the first but came back stronger to take the last three and their eighth title together. Pearce now has 16 Ladies titles to Curtis’ 9. It was now over to the Hansell Family in the men’s doubles. Teaming with his eldest son Robert, Nick Hansell got through to his first final of the weekend aiming to get his 6th doubles title and his fourth (third successive) with Robert. In the bottom half the youngest of the Hansell men was making his way through to the final with Den team-mate John Cooper who had previously won 9 titles since 1975. So the final saw an all Den Club affair and family members pitted against each other. A tight 12-10 first leg saw the all Hansell team go one up but then Cooper and Chris dominated the next two 11-4 11-1. A fight back in the fourth built up to a tight fifth leg that eventually ended 13-11 to give the youngest Hansell his first doubles title and Cooper his tenth. In the Veterans ladies the evergreen Pam Spooner added another seed to her list of scalps but ran into Dawn Pearce. The youthful Pearce, in her first vets tournament came through in three to face her team-mate and doubles partner Jan Curtis, who had already beaten number one seed Janet Brown, in the final. It was to be Pearce’s day; despite losing the first she came back into it to grab her first title in the event at the first time of asking.

The vets men’s semis found a repeat of the over 60’s final as John Cooper faced Mike Atkinson. This time Cooper was victorious making light work of his opponent 11-3 11-2 11-7. At the top half number one seed Nick Hansell won a tough semi against John Barclay to book a place against his team-mate. In a lengthy final Cooper found himself two legs down. He then took the next two 11-4 12-10. The last leg went all the way to the wire to give Cooper a famous victory and his record setting 9th Men’s Vets title. In the Ladies singles Janet brown who was seeded top made her way confidently into the final, beating Vets winner Pearce on the way to face last years Ladies champion Mary Heffernan. And it was Brown who would come out on top to take her second title of the weekend and her first ladies title. There were two big surprises at the quarter final stage of the men’s singles. In the bottom half fourth seed Nick Hansell was dumped out of the competition by Paul Hopgood of Flackwell Heath A 11-8 9-11 7-11 11-2 8-11. In the top half top seed Danny Baxter, who was looking to break Alec Watson’s record of eight titles, won his first match against John Cooper to face Chris Hansell in the quarters. It was the youngster who put record breaking on hold for another year beating last year’s champion in four legs to set himself up in the semis against Ireland Junior and third seed David Hayes. Paul Hopgood did not have as good a game against Robert Hansell as he did against his dad going out in three legs. Robert was eventually joined in the final by his younger brother who was victorious over Hayes in a mammoth semi. Chris was confident in the final after his victory over his brother the day before. The confidence shone through in the first leg as he won 11-6. But this only made his brother more determined to win his third trophy. So it was no surprise that Robert came out fighting in the third and fourth legs winning 11-3 11-6. Having had his own confidence now knocked, Chris could do nothing in the fourth and Robert won 11-4 to take his third men’s singles win since 2002.