Competition just too strong for local table tennis teams

TWO teams from local schools reached the Regional Finals of the Butterfly English Schools Team Table Tennis competition held at Blackburn.

The Under 13 Girls from Market Bosworth School and the Under 13 Boys from Hastings High School Burbage.

The standard was very high and neither team managed to qualify for the finals which will be held at Hinckley Leisure Centre on Saturday March 12.

The Hastings boys lost to eventual winners and current holders St Mary’s Kinston upon Hull and the girls from Bosworth were beaten by Wade Deacon High School Widnes.

Unfortunately the Regional Finals of the Schools clashed with the Leicester Development League final round of matches.

This meant that the George Ward Club was shorn of a number of their key players for the last round of matches with four key players missing.

Despite this setback, G Ward managed to field players in all six teams to complete their fixtures and the day was not without quite a bit of success.

G Ward A promoted to Division One suffered the most losing star player Ollie Wynne to Blackburn but they still managed third spot in the Division winning one match and drawing three finishing on 20pts.

Connor Harris collecting six wins from 10 and Matt Wynne just two wins from eight.

The Division 1 winners were Winstanley Wizards with 18pts.

In Division Two there were two G Ward teams competing G Ward B & C regrettably the GWB suffered a further setback when top player Frankie Hallam was unable to play leaving Alana Richardson to play on her own. She took five wins from 12. G Ward C however proved much sterner opposition running our clear winners with 20pts with Abbots Road second on 16pts.

They won four of their six matches and drew the other two.

Jack Dennis won eight of his eleven matches and teammate Callum Dale winning seven of his eleven to finish Champions.

More success in Division 5 where the G Ward E team finished champions with 18 points despite losing their undefeated top man James Walker to Blackburn for the second round of matches.

Bevan Wale stepped up to the plate with some outstanding play winning seven out of nine of his matches. Young team-mate George Moore wade in with a splendid 5 wins from 9.

In Division 7 G Ward D managed to finish second to Winstanley Wizards D, finishing with 12 points having won two drawn two and lost two.

Jack Bennett won four out of his five games and Freya Wynne three from her nine games.

Finally in Division 8 G Ward F also took their division finishing with 18 points, four clear of Winstanley Wizards E.

This despite losing one of their players again to Blackburn.

Eppie Southern winning eight out of her 12 games and colleague Alice Cleaver collecting seven wins from 12.

So a good day with three Divisional titles and Bevan Wale collecting top of the averages in Division 5.