Titles, glory for table tennis duo
Over-45 men’s crown and doubles title for talented pair
Locals Hyrum Sunnex and Barb Shepp recently participated in the 2023 New Zealand Senior National Table Tennis Championships in Invercargill, claiming several medals.
After playing in the New Zealand Veterans Nationals in Nelson in April, Sunnex had been given a taste of the level he wanted to compete at.
In Invercargill, his main focus was the over-45s men’s singles event.
During the group stages, he was in a group of four players, engaging in a round-robin format where the top two players would advance to the knockout rounds.
Based on rankings, Sunnex was seeded fourth.
He defied expectations by defeating the top seed Heath Murdoch 8-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9 — a player he had previously struggled against.
“Not stopping there, I also emerged victorious against the second and third seeds, Taek Woon and Karoly, securing the top spot in my pool and advancing to the knockout rounds,” Sunnex says.
“After winning my quarter-final match over Andrew Leonard in straight sets, I faced the formidable challenge of playing against the number-one seeded player in the over-45s event.”
Leonard held a New Zealand ranking 138 places higher than Sunnex, and his unique playing style posed difficulties for many opponents.
“Despite it being my first encounter with him, I managed to secure a 3-0 victory, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9. Advancing to the men’s final, I found myself facing a good friend of mine, Paul Whitehead,” he says.
“This was a crucial moment that required intense mental focus. Nevertheless, I triumphed in the men’s final, winning 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2.”
Sunnex’s unexpected victory became the upset of the tournament, and he claimed the title of being the 2023 national over-45s men’s singles champion.
“Words cannot fully express the overwhelming emotions I felt during that moment, nor the heartfelt congratulations I received from experienced players.”
Sunnex was then entered in three mixed doubles events with partner Shepp.
“This is our first season playing together, and we have won various events this year around the country or done extremely well by causing upsets to high-level ranked players,” Sunnex says.
“I’ve always believed if you put in the hard work, the results will come.”
The pair claimed the national over45s mixed doubles title, beating the number-one seeds Heath Murdoch and Annie Li before beating Christina Young and David Jarvis in the final 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.
They were also over-30 mixed doubles bronze medallists and made it to the open mixed doubles quarterfinals.
“We beat some amazing players on this journey and just fell short of medalling in all our events,” Sunnex says. “I would like to express my gratitude to my training, mixed doubles [teammate] and partner Barb. Her unwavering support, drive, shared competitiveness and profound understanding of me has been instrumental in my success during those pressure-filled sporting moments.”
He also wanted to thank his coaches Jessica Macaskill and Mark Page for their unwavering dedication and invaluable guidance and support.