Week 25 was a busy one for the Club with all five of our teams in action and for some this would be their last match of the season.
Edinburgh International 2 v Team 1
With only a couple of matches left, the end is in sight and for Team 1, despite what has felt like a difficult season, they have somehow ended up at the top end of the Premier League table. They faced Edinburgh International 2 on Wednesday 19th March and with neither Greig nor Ryan available, Craig Linton played up from Division 2. Regulars Peter Aird and Colin Green were in good form – two 3-1 wins in the first round of singles were followed by two 3-0 wins for them in the second round. 4-2 up and a win in the doubles secured a point. They both rounded off undefeated nights with wins in their last matches to give the visitors a 7-3 win. Thanks to Craig for helping out – although he didn’t win any matches, he was competitive in all of his games played.
Edinburgh International 4 v Team 5
In the other half of the hall at Gillespie’s High School, Team 5 faced Edinburgh International 4 in Division 4. Jay Jayalath, Roscoe Cairney and Mat Dyluk turned out for the visitors. When Mat lost match 1 to the experienced Alan Gracie, no one could have anticipated what was about to happen – a run of 9 consecutive wins for Team 5 gave them a fantastic 9-1 victory. A couple of notable moments from the match – Mat won 2 singles and combined for a win in the doubles with Jay (that’s his best performance of the season). Captain Roscoe has had problems in the past getting over the line against Alan. In season 22/23 he played him twice, losing 3-0 each time, in season 23/24, a similar story, two 3-0 losses. In the first half of this season things had improved but he lost 3-2 – this time he got his maiden win with an excellent 3-0 win and an undefeated night for Roscoe was so good that he’s dropped himself for the final match of the season, happy to end on that winning note!
Murrayfield 8 v Team 3
Team 3 lost their chance of promotion from Division 2 before hitting a ball in Week 25. A point picked up by West Lothian 3 ended their hopes of a 2nd place finish. They visited Murrayfield 8 on Thursday 20th March with third place in the division still a possibility. Bob Porteous, Craig Linton and Charlie Brindley took to the table. Table tennis is all about styles and for Bob, this just wasn’t his night – two tight 3-2 defeats and a 3-1 defeat in his last match put the visitors on the back foot. Wins in games 2, 3 and 5, however kept the scores tight. A fifth end loss for Craig in match 6 seemed to dent hopes further but a comfortable doubles win was then followed by the most pivotal game of the night – Charlie v Oleg went the distance – and when we say went the distance, we really mean it. 6 deuces in the fifth end before Charlie crept over the line for a crucial 17-15 deciding end win. Craig completed the job in match 10 to give the visitors a 6-4 victory and maintain their hopes of a third place finish.
Team 2 v Murrayfield 7
At Ladywood on Thursday 20th March, Teams 2 and 4 were in action. Team 2 went into their Week 25 fixture having already secured the Division 2 title. Nobody could catch the champions who were in a relaxed mood as they took on Murrayfield 7 in their last match of the season. Ian Hislop, James Wighton and Krzysztof Laszkiewicz knew this match meant nothing really, but for Murrayfield there was still a lot to play for – a win and they’d be safe from relegation. At 2-1 up the closest singles of the night took place as James fell to an 11-8 defeat in the fifth. With Ian having an off night the doubles was going to be crucial. 11-5, 11-1 and Krzysztof and James were cruising. Hold on 2-11, 13-15 and it was all square. An 11-8 win in the fifth went the way of the hosts to give them a 4-3 advantage. Team 2 couldn’t quite hold on to that advantage as only Krzysztof could get a win in the last round of singles matches and the fixture was drawn 5-5.
Team 4 v West Lothian 4
In the other half of the hall at Ladywood, Rachel Petrie, Chamika Diyunugalge and Phil Daly (playing up in the continued absence of Patrick Shanks) faced West Lothian 4 in Division 3. Chamika had another terrific night. Following his player of the week performance in Week 24 he provided the only bright spot on an otherwise difficult night for the hosts. Two wins from Chamika to make it five wins out of his last six games, but he couldn’t prevent Team 4 falling to an 8-2 defeat.
Player of the Week
Undefeated nights belonged to Colin, Peter, Krzysztof, Charlie, Roscoe and Jay. We’ve mentioned the terrific wins secured by Roscoe, but that’s not quite enough to win him this week’s award. Jay has had some excellent results too. And what about Mat. 2 singles and a doubles win was a fantastic return – his best league night since he started playing competitively. Colin and Peter’s wins were against bottom of the table opposition so that counts against them. Krzysztof again proved his importance to Team 2's title win, but the match meant nothing really. The most vital and exciting win of the week came from Charlie, holding his nerve through numerous deuces to get him, and ultimately the team, over the line with that 17-15 deciding end win. Three singles wins and the doubles in a 6-4 victory – crucial. Well done to him.
Controversy of the Week
At the Veterans Nationals at the end of Week 25, it was proven that age doesn’t necessarily lead to better behaviour! The day started brilliantly with our very own (OK we know Glasgow South will also claim him), Steve Collins, receiving the Mike McLaren Award, voted on by the members of the Vets Association. Good sportsmanship is one of the considerations taken into account when voting and no doubt this year, many players will have also taken into account Steve’s fighting spirit in his battle against cancer, his fundraising and his never give up attitude (our Week 14 Report includes some inspiring stuff from Steve).
Now, fast forward 4 or so hours and Steve was involved in a match that can only be described as containing some of the least sporting behaviour we’ve seen all season. His opponent in the first end got three net dribblers in a row at 8-7 up to win – no sign of any apology. In the next end a hammered ball hits Steve square in the belly area. Again no sorry is uttered. Steve, a little irritated at this point, suggests to his opponent that he may have forgotten to say sorry. That doesn’t go down well and his opponent asks where in the rules does it say that you should say sorry. Oh dear, this isn’t going to end well! Steve points out that it’s not in the rules, it would just be good manners to apologise. Rather than simply saying sorry (whether meant or not), or just moving on, the opponent then questions the umpire as to why he was letting Steve “make a fuss”. Bizarre. The umpire tells the players to play on. Steve loses the second end as his opponent continues to mutter about the fuss he’s made! Riled up massively, and just like his attitude in dealing with his health issues, his battling qualities come to the fore as he storms back to win the match 3-2. The point of course is a fairly bland one – it is just common decency to apologise for nets, edges, hitting someone unintentionally with the ball etc etc. Of course it’s not in the rules and of course no one can be forced to say sorry but we would hope that one element of good sportsmanship, is to act decently in moments like that, whether you’re sorry or not! End of story, nothing to get too excited about, just a minor controversy.
If only it had ended there. After the match was over Steve’s opponent had to make it known that in fact it wasn’t Steve’s battling qualities that won him the match. He’s telling anyone prepared to listen how he was “cheated” out of the win. Steve hears him saying this and tells him that all he did was point out some decent etiquette that he’d expect from anyone. His opponent then tells Steve that he stopped trying after two ends and goes on to point out that Steve shouldn’t be playing table tennis as he’s clearly “not well”. The only reason Steve won was because he didn’t want to beat someone in “his condition” so he stopped trying! What an outrageous comment to make!
Now clearly Steve has a good sense of humour and that’s been needed over this last year or so – not much to find funny about this incident though – apart from the fact, of course, that when regaling this story to others, he points out that he must be the first player in the history of the Association to win the vote for the Mike McLaren Award and within about 4 hours of doing so get involved in a massive “dispute” and be called a cheat! That is indeed an achievement to be proud of!! Can we have a re-vote?
One week left of the regular season – it will be a calm and pleasant one we’re sure!
Edinburgh International 2 v Team 1
With only a couple of matches left, the end is in sight and for Team 1, despite what has felt like a difficult season, they have somehow ended up at the top end of the Premier League table. They faced Edinburgh International 2 on Wednesday 19th March and with neither Greig nor Ryan available, Craig Linton played up from Division 2. Regulars Peter Aird and Colin Green were in good form – two 3-1 wins in the first round of singles were followed by two 3-0 wins for them in the second round. 4-2 up and a win in the doubles secured a point. They both rounded off undefeated nights with wins in their last matches to give the visitors a 7-3 win. Thanks to Craig for helping out – although he didn’t win any matches, he was competitive in all of his games played.
Edinburgh International 4 v Team 5
In the other half of the hall at Gillespie’s High School, Team 5 faced Edinburgh International 4 in Division 4. Jay Jayalath, Roscoe Cairney and Mat Dyluk turned out for the visitors. When Mat lost match 1 to the experienced Alan Gracie, no one could have anticipated what was about to happen – a run of 9 consecutive wins for Team 5 gave them a fantastic 9-1 victory. A couple of notable moments from the match – Mat won 2 singles and combined for a win in the doubles with Jay (that’s his best performance of the season). Captain Roscoe has had problems in the past getting over the line against Alan. In season 22/23 he played him twice, losing 3-0 each time, in season 23/24, a similar story, two 3-0 losses. In the first half of this season things had improved but he lost 3-2 – this time he got his maiden win with an excellent 3-0 win and an undefeated night for Roscoe was so good that he’s dropped himself for the final match of the season, happy to end on that winning note!
Murrayfield 8 v Team 3
Team 3 lost their chance of promotion from Division 2 before hitting a ball in Week 25. A point picked up by West Lothian 3 ended their hopes of a 2nd place finish. They visited Murrayfield 8 on Thursday 20th March with third place in the division still a possibility. Bob Porteous, Craig Linton and Charlie Brindley took to the table. Table tennis is all about styles and for Bob, this just wasn’t his night – two tight 3-2 defeats and a 3-1 defeat in his last match put the visitors on the back foot. Wins in games 2, 3 and 5, however kept the scores tight. A fifth end loss for Craig in match 6 seemed to dent hopes further but a comfortable doubles win was then followed by the most pivotal game of the night – Charlie v Oleg went the distance – and when we say went the distance, we really mean it. 6 deuces in the fifth end before Charlie crept over the line for a crucial 17-15 deciding end win. Craig completed the job in match 10 to give the visitors a 6-4 victory and maintain their hopes of a third place finish.
Team 2 v Murrayfield 7
At Ladywood on Thursday 20th March, Teams 2 and 4 were in action. Team 2 went into their Week 25 fixture having already secured the Division 2 title. Nobody could catch the champions who were in a relaxed mood as they took on Murrayfield 7 in their last match of the season. Ian Hislop, James Wighton and Krzysztof Laszkiewicz knew this match meant nothing really, but for Murrayfield there was still a lot to play for – a win and they’d be safe from relegation. At 2-1 up the closest singles of the night took place as James fell to an 11-8 defeat in the fifth. With Ian having an off night the doubles was going to be crucial. 11-5, 11-1 and Krzysztof and James were cruising. Hold on 2-11, 13-15 and it was all square. An 11-8 win in the fifth went the way of the hosts to give them a 4-3 advantage. Team 2 couldn’t quite hold on to that advantage as only Krzysztof could get a win in the last round of singles matches and the fixture was drawn 5-5.
Team 4 v West Lothian 4
In the other half of the hall at Ladywood, Rachel Petrie, Chamika Diyunugalge and Phil Daly (playing up in the continued absence of Patrick Shanks) faced West Lothian 4 in Division 3. Chamika had another terrific night. Following his player of the week performance in Week 24 he provided the only bright spot on an otherwise difficult night for the hosts. Two wins from Chamika to make it five wins out of his last six games, but he couldn’t prevent Team 4 falling to an 8-2 defeat.
Player of the Week
Undefeated nights belonged to Colin, Peter, Krzysztof, Charlie, Roscoe and Jay. We’ve mentioned the terrific wins secured by Roscoe, but that’s not quite enough to win him this week’s award. Jay has had some excellent results too. And what about Mat. 2 singles and a doubles win was a fantastic return – his best league night since he started playing competitively. Colin and Peter’s wins were against bottom of the table opposition so that counts against them. Krzysztof again proved his importance to Team 2's title win, but the match meant nothing really. The most vital and exciting win of the week came from Charlie, holding his nerve through numerous deuces to get him, and ultimately the team, over the line with that 17-15 deciding end win. Three singles wins and the doubles in a 6-4 victory – crucial. Well done to him.
Controversy of the Week
At the Veterans Nationals at the end of Week 25, it was proven that age doesn’t necessarily lead to better behaviour! The day started brilliantly with our very own (OK we know Glasgow South will also claim him), Steve Collins, receiving the Mike McLaren Award, voted on by the members of the Vets Association. Good sportsmanship is one of the considerations taken into account when voting and no doubt this year, many players will have also taken into account Steve’s fighting spirit in his battle against cancer, his fundraising and his never give up attitude (our Week 14 Report includes some inspiring stuff from Steve).
Now, fast forward 4 or so hours and Steve was involved in a match that can only be described as containing some of the least sporting behaviour we’ve seen all season. His opponent in the first end got three net dribblers in a row at 8-7 up to win – no sign of any apology. In the next end a hammered ball hits Steve square in the belly area. Again no sorry is uttered. Steve, a little irritated at this point, suggests to his opponent that he may have forgotten to say sorry. That doesn’t go down well and his opponent asks where in the rules does it say that you should say sorry. Oh dear, this isn’t going to end well! Steve points out that it’s not in the rules, it would just be good manners to apologise. Rather than simply saying sorry (whether meant or not), or just moving on, the opponent then questions the umpire as to why he was letting Steve “make a fuss”. Bizarre. The umpire tells the players to play on. Steve loses the second end as his opponent continues to mutter about the fuss he’s made! Riled up massively, and just like his attitude in dealing with his health issues, his battling qualities come to the fore as he storms back to win the match 3-2. The point of course is a fairly bland one – it is just common decency to apologise for nets, edges, hitting someone unintentionally with the ball etc etc. Of course it’s not in the rules and of course no one can be forced to say sorry but we would hope that one element of good sportsmanship, is to act decently in moments like that, whether you’re sorry or not! End of story, nothing to get too excited about, just a minor controversy.
If only it had ended there. After the match was over Steve’s opponent had to make it known that in fact it wasn’t Steve’s battling qualities that won him the match. He’s telling anyone prepared to listen how he was “cheated” out of the win. Steve hears him saying this and tells him that all he did was point out some decent etiquette that he’d expect from anyone. His opponent then tells Steve that he stopped trying after two ends and goes on to point out that Steve shouldn’t be playing table tennis as he’s clearly “not well”. The only reason Steve won was because he didn’t want to beat someone in “his condition” so he stopped trying! What an outrageous comment to make!
Now clearly Steve has a good sense of humour and that’s been needed over this last year or so – not much to find funny about this incident though – apart from the fact, of course, that when regaling this story to others, he points out that he must be the first player in the history of the Association to win the vote for the Mike McLaren Award and within about 4 hours of doing so get involved in a massive “dispute” and be called a cheat! That is indeed an achievement to be proud of!! Can we have a re-vote?
One week left of the regular season – it will be a calm and pleasant one we’re sure!
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