OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Got to TT tonight and looked at who we're playing...oh dear, my heart sinks! We're up against the same guy's team that I played last Thursday with Jeanc....the arch enemy! I really don't enjoy playing this guy simply because he is obnoxious. He's one of the very few players I've met in TT and I don't enjoy playing, win or lose (of course I prefer to win if I have to play him ). So having to do it in subsequent nights didn't make me relish the night ahead. Plus, having just played and beaten him last week, I know he's going to be out for blood from me!

Fortunately another player of their team plays me first up, and he is a guy I do enjoy playing. He's an attacking retriever. Give him a ball that he likes to his BH and he'll hit it through you or go across court from FH to FH side (with his BH) with incredible angle. But get into a rally and force him back a bit and he'll start lobbing. He should know not to do this with me because I always smash him off. He's never beaten me in 5 or 6 years we've met, but in the last couple of years he's not even taken a set. He actually made a worrying start in the first set tonight though as he hit a lot of good attacks and I trailed him out to 8-10. I got back to deuce and won it 14-12, and then blew him away 11-4 as he checked back into his lobbing game in the next set. I was going to blow him away in the 3rd set as well, but I relaxed near the end and dropped from 9-3 up to win it 11-7.

My teammates both won their next matches 3-1 to give us a 3-0 lead. Then they paired up in the doubles to win as well for us to go 4-0.

I played my next singles, still not against my arch enemy, but against the other nice guy in the team. He has very spinny serves that are really easy to screw up the return on. You can miss returning (yes, even with pips) completely, or you can pop it up even easier and he has both the FH and BH kill shots for that. Fortunately, he had more trouble returning my serves than I had with his and I beat him 11-4 and 11-5 in the first 2 sets. In the third set he gave me increased serve trouble and maybe mine to him sliped a bit. Still got him, but 13-11 in this one. so we were 5-0 and needing one more to win the night.

My teammates both lost their next matches, both going down in 5 sets, both losing by 2 points in the 5th. It was like they felt the pressure of us closing out the night and crossing the line of 6 wins. In the 2nd of those matches my teamy played my arch enemy who used to be HIS teammate. My arch enemy (AE) began severely antagonising my teamy in the first set as my teamy got out to a 5-0 lead. He began playing games with him by catching the ball off my teamy's serve chastising him for serving when he wasn't ready (when he clearly had demonstrated he was). A few points later he threw the ball AT my teamy when it was the AE's serve. My teamy threw it back at him to serve, and he threw it at my teamy again. By this time my teamy was fuming and hit the ball at him with his bat, but hit it too long and it went to another court. What the AE had done was childish and clearly looking for an annoyed response from my teamy (which he got). It didn't stop my teamy winning that set, but he then dropped the next 2. He came back from 10-6 down to level the score at 2 all though. He was again 10-6 down to the AE in the 5th set and came back to have a match point at 11-10, only to lose it 14-12.

That teamy and I then played doubles against AE and the 2nd guy I'd played earlier. We still needed one ore match to win the night. The first set was tough and I had served 1st. My 2nd serve of that clipped the net very lightly (I heard it) and I called out "Let". The opponent attacked it and my teamy sent the attack long, and my other teamy scoring gave them the point. I said what about the Let? He wasn't paying attention when I called Let and hadn't heard me. No-one else had heard or seen the Let besides my doubles partner who heard me called Let but played the return instinctively. So no choice but to give them the point at 2-0. We ended up losing the set 11-9, so it made a difference! Fortunately the rest of the match went smoothly from a scoring point of view and we won the next 2 sets 11-9 in each. A tough best of 3 that we snuck away with! So we had our 6 wins.

The teamy that had been scoring in the doubles played next and despite losing the first set, he won the next 3! That gave us a 7-2 lead.

Now was my turn to play the AE. I had decided I would just play as calmly as I could and not react to anything that came from him. Amazingly though, the first controversy of the match didn't come from him. It came from my teamy that was scoring, the one who had scored the doubles. It was 4 all and I won the next point. I saw 5-4 on the scoreboard. On the next point though, I sent a net dribble back after a short rally. As I had apologised for it, the AE served his next serve quickly without giving me a chance to check the score. The AE won this point and I looked expecting to see 6-5 my way. Instead I saw 5-6 his way. My teamy had given my net dribble point to the AE! I spent the next minute or 2 explaining to my teamy what he had done wrong (while the AE sat silent knowing exactly what happened), but having to do this put my mind out of sorts. The score was set properly without a whimper of complaint from the AE (showing he knew it wasn't his point to keep). The AE won the set 11-9.

I started the 2nd set and began to remember how I'd played the AE on Thursday and figured I'd try the same thing (which was to principally play to his FH). I've always know that he makes mistakes off his BH attacks and so focussed on this, but when they are on...I'd lose. I also knew his FH was pretty consistent and that he could put up loops to my pips that weren't easy to deal with. And his FH counter-smash is really dangerous. But it turns out when I kept playing to his FH, he'd eventually decide he could smash..and he missed...a LOT (mainly due to misjudging the spin and height of the ball off my pips )! Sure, he got a few on. But not many..and he was also popping some of these high loops to my FH...and bang (although he countered one or 2 that went back through me). Anyway, the long and the short I beat him 8,5,6 in the next 3 sets. That gave us an 8-2 lead.

My other teamy went down to the attacking retriever 3-1 in the last match, so we won the night 8-3.

This team was 3rd on the ladder behind us at 2nd. So we have given ourselves an 8 point (or 2 round) lead on them. The top team we play next week. Neither of us have lost yet, they have just had better wins than us. It will be interesting to see how we shape up against them, as it looks like it may be a 2 horse race to the finals!

Tonight lifts my win ratio to 75%, which is not bad considering I started after the first round with just 33% The leading player, I have a feeling will still be on 100% after tonight. He is in the top team that we are yet to face. Not sure any of us will be able to crack his perfect record either. He's an Ex-Nationals Junior who has come back to play as a 20-something a few seasons ago and has just built back up to this A3 grade.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Nice read Reb. Tis a shame you and Jean are on a different continent. Would love to loop under spin balls at your face!

Tonight's Reb Report is written into a separate thread located here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=30259

Please have a read and join in a discussion topic I have put forward in the thread. Cheers!

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Well tonight concluded another 10 week TT season for my Monday and Thursday nights. My teams have made the final for both nights once again. On Monday nights we finished second on the ladder and were beaten 6-5 on Monday night by the team we play in the final next Monday. So we are going to have to go one better if we are to take out the premiership there.

On Thursdays (tonight) I managed to snare Leading Player for just the second time in quite a few years of playing in the A2 division in which I play. My teammate Jeanc, got a higher win ratio than I did (he got 93% and I got 85%), but as he missed 2 nights of the season, I won more matches. He missed one (the first night) week due to no fault of his own, or mine, but due to the club appointing me a partner who never showed. But even if he had played that night, I would have just edged him out due to the night he had to take off (he can blame his wife for that one I think ). Anyway, we went through the season undefeated and stand a good chance to win the final, having beaten the team we face during the season. Although we only won 3-2 to them having won very few of the nights less than 5-0. And we didn't lose a doubles during the season, showing we make a formidable doubles team.

So onwards to next week's finals and hopefully we can bring home the bacon on both nights (or at least one). I'm sure there'll be some kind of report coming if that happens

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Well deserved leading player!!! Hopefully, we will complete season with a win next week

First final: Lost badly! 6-0. Some good matches in it, but we were edged out in 4 or 5 sets in most. One of their players played like a man possessed. Way better than I've ever seen him play. I got to play one singles and a doubles only. By the time my teammates played their 2nd singles each, we were beaten. I didn't even get to play the guy I've never lost to, which would have been a win for us I'm sure.

Hopefully, Thursday night's story will be different!

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Tonight's final did go differently to Monday night's, although the final result ended up the same....we lost. Our first defeat fr the season!

As I turn up tonight, one of the opponents tells me his regular teammate has gone on holiday. Luckily for him, over the 4 weeks he went on holiday they qualified a fill-in. Someone who is much more skilled than the regular player. Someone who I've never beaten before, yet I rarely have lost to the regular player. Someone who Ive only ever played when I've made it into A2 on Monday nights where he has played for a long time. Someone who also usually plays A1 on Thursday nights. In fact, way back before I started to play Thursday nights in 2009, I filled in in A1 for him when his teammate didn't turn up and there was no other choice (I just made up numbers). After that I started in A4. That's how far below him I was. And I've not come far enough up still to beat him, despite him being 75 now. He plays with LP, but he's even trickier than I am. I took a set off him, but never really challenged him. Jean beat him (4-2, I think or was it 4-1?), but it wasn't an easy win. Jean also beat the other player, and again I went down to him 4-1. So it left things to come down to the doubles.

Again, if the regular player was playing, Jean and I would have dominated the doubles I think. But with the ring-in, er fill-in, playing....he gave them just the lift they needed to one-up us. We narrowly won the first set and I thought maybe we can still edge them out. When they won the second set 11-3, that took a downward turn. We looked like we might take every one of the next 3 sets, but didn't. Most the points we won, we won by errors by the bone-fide opponent. The LP player kept them in it and won it for them. Given that he has dropped his level against the best of A1 now, it was accepted that he could play A2. While Jean beat him, I still think that we got the rough end of the stick, just because a player decided he'd take the night off and let a stronger player handle us.

Anyway, its now history!

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Reb I see on Monday you lost 6-0. Just wondering the format. I'm just putting together our next season and its giving me headaches.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Joola Rhyzm 425 2.0mm ,BH Donic Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm

Format is 3 man teams Cobalt. We have 6 teams and play each other twice in a 10 week season. Each player plays 3 singles and there is 2 doubles per round with one player playing 2 doubles and the others playing one each. So there's 11 matches each round. So 6-5, 7-4, 8-3, etc as the possible results. 4 points per win and the number of matches won as a percentage type cumulative score for the ladder to separate teams on equal points. Top 2 teams at the end of the season play the final. First team to 6 wins the finals. All matches are best of 5, although the doubles are best of 3 in the home and away rounds and best of 5 in the final. I think that covers it. Any questions still, just ask me more.

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

A new TT season began this week at my club. On Mondays we are still the same team in A3 Division as we have been for the past season. We had a solid 8-3 win on Monday, which sees us on top of the ladder, but early days as the grade has some rally strong players in it this season. Not least of which is the team that dropped back from A2. Very surprised to see them back.

On Thursdays, I have moved back up to A1 after winning leading player last season. With Jeanc having to pull out this season I have a new partner. A young 13 year old lad who is quite a gun! We won tonight 4-1, with the only match dropped being by me in a 7 setter that really threw a shadow over the nights success for me.

Normally A1 is a terribly hard grade to win matches in, and I'm sure this season will be no different. So having been 3 sets to nil up, and 8-4 up in the 4th, I was driving home. My opponent seemed to have thrown in the towel and I was cruising, when all of a sudden he begins pulling off winners everywhere. The noose tightened around my neck but I was determined not to let this go. He became just as determined and the dogfight was on! He drew level at deuce with me and from there we swapped points like they were punches (except I love the guy, so they were playful punches LOL). It went out to 16 all before he finally drew the 2 required points to win. Then in the next set he was all over me out to 10-4, just pulling out winners all over the place. I still didn't give it in and I actually pulled it back to 10-9 before he snared the required point to go 11-9. The next 2 sets were hard fought still, but he (at 21) had the stamina to keep up the level of play. Mine dropped back only slightly, but enough to go down 6 and 5 in the last 2 sets.

I hate losing matches, but I despise losing matches that were in my grasp. This one was, and then wasn't. Oh well, focusing back to the bigger picture. We won 4-1!

I can see our doubles being a weakness even though we won tonight's with no sets conceded. The kid likes to take the whole table to serve and receive on his FH. He moves ok, but he needs to move better than that for me. I think I'll need to take him aside and let him realise I'm 38 years older than him and have a wonky knee. I need to be closer to my hitting position before he serves or receives....not moving to it afterwards

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

For years now I've found TT to be much of the same week in week out. So this blog lost its punch for me. But tonight I had a match that was so unusual that I figured it was Reb Report-worthy. Read on and see if you agree.

Tonight we played against two kids. A 12 year old and a fourteen year old. These are not just any kids (especially the 12 year old), but rising stars. The 12 year old is the younger brother of Australia's only male TT Youth Olympian in the last Youth Olympics. He was knocked out of it by the Number 3 in the World at the time (from the Senior rankings, not the juniors). So the kid I played tonight comes from good stock. The 14 year old is no slouch either. He beat me 3-1 on a Monday 2 weeks ago.

The 12 year old's game was very FH loop focussed and he could run around just about anything. His BH seemed a bit dead, choosing just to push from it when he couldn't run to his FH. So I tried to pin him there. Not that easy! But I gave him a good match. Unfortunately for me he was a very quick learner. In the first set I got to a 5-0 lead until he started working out how to play me and pulled back an 11-9 win. In the 2nd, I upped the anti on what he'd learned and got him popping some balls up and smashed winners on him to win 11-5. He turned that on its head in the 3rd and got me 11-6. The see-saw continued in the 4th as I saw him off at 11-7. In the 5th I was looking like pulling out a 3-2 lead in the sets, but he pipped me at the post at 11-9. So I geared up for a 7 setter as I went into the 6th intendng ths see-was to fall back my way. He took it out to a 10-8 lead and just couldn't let it end this way....and it didn't. I pulled 2 points to bring back deuce. Trouble was this kid's BH looping skill had started to surface in the latter sets, but you could tell he wasn't consistent with it. But without the fear that most adults possessed he just ripped a BH loop through me that had my head spinning. I brought deuce back and he kept taking the advantage until he closed it 14-12. I honestly felt I couldn't have played a better game against him. In the end he had just learned to deal with every nasty trick I could throw at him as the game went on and come out the victor.

My teammate played the 14 year old who seemed very disinterested in the game. He dropped just one set to him 11-5 when the kid decided to play, but the rest of his game he looked like he just couldn't be bothered. I was mentally rubbing my hands hoping I would get the same greeting when I played him. S my teamy won 4-1.

Then my teamy played the 12 year old who gave him a bit of a hiding in the first 3 sets. In the next 3 my teamy ressurected himself but lost the 6th one 12-10. So we were 2-1 down in the teamscore, with my singles and the doubles to go.

So, would I meet the kid I played 2 weeks ago, switched on and with very spinny loops that he played from below the surface most the time. So spinny they were hard to keep down. So nasty on the reversal that most people wouldn't even consider re-looping...but this kid would re-loop and re-loop until he got one high enough to slap or powerloop away. Or would I meet the kid I saw play my teamy tonight?

Answer is I met both of them. In the first set I won 11-2 and I figured this was going to be a walk in the park. Second set he came out with all the force that I know he can muster and looped me off the table with an 11-6. In the 3rd set, I knew I had a game on my hands as he kept up his focus. I was happy to escape the set 11-9 my way. In the 4th set he overcame me again 11-7. In the 5th he didn't exactly switch off again, well not straight away, but things just went my way....all the way out to 11-0. He wanted revenge in the 6th and all the lights came on as he pelted me 11-5.

So it came down to the wire of the 7th set. And he was pumped up and ready to go. I could almost see the steam coming from his ears! He took the 1st point and then the 2nd. He looped me one side for a winner, he looped me the other side for a winner. This train seemed unstoppable. So quickly I found myself 6-0 down and feeling like I'd put all this effort in for nothing. As I was about to serve I looked at the scoreboard and then at him. I said "have I gven you enough headstart now? I think so...so now I'll begin!". He gave a bit of a snigger, but I won the point...6-1. I won the next 6-2. When I went 6-3 he swore under his breath something about "oops, he wasn't f'n lying". I had him reeling and I needed to keep this roll running. And so I did, right out to 10-6 up on him Right about there he found his game again though and hit a smash that caught the back edge to bring him to 10-7. That started the machine back up He took the next, and then the next to be 10-9. Now I'm feeling the pressure he'd felt as I streamed past his 6 points. I served, we rallied, loop, block, loop, block, loop, block...and then he went for the exact same shot he caught the back edge toward my tummy that got him to 10-7. It missed by a millimetre! I'd done the seemingly impossible and come back from 6-0 down to win in the 7th set.

The kid threw his bat down on the table and disappeared for a while. He did finally return to play the deciding doubles. The doubles is a best of 7, but when we were 3 sets to nil up on them, these kids threw in the towel and didn't want to play the 4th set, much to our disbelief and relief, because its not like we were smashing them in the game....just holding them out with 7's and 8's. So we graciously accepted their resignation lol. It leaves us 4th on the ladder (out of and a slight chance to stll make the final with the points being the between the top 4, and 2 rounds to go.

Just as a footnote to the report, my Monday night team has gone through 8 rounds of this season undefeated sitting high atop the ladder. We can't miss that final, but we just hope we don't stumble at the finishing line. Haven't had a Monday season this good in quite some time.

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I hit a few TT milestones last night, so I thought it was noteworthy here in my now little used Blog

I've been playing in higher divisions this season. Moved up to A2 (2nd top division) on Monday nights and A1 (top division) on Thursdays. I've been in both divisions before, so that is not the milestone. Never before have I won all my singles matches in a night in either divisions as I am generally punching above my weight in these higher divisions.

But last night I overcame this benchmark and won my 3 singles matches against 3 players who are no pushovers. In fact, they are so not pushovers, my team still lost the night 6-5. One of the opponents I'd never beaten before after 4 previous matches. However, 3 of those matches were to the wire 11-9 losses in the 5th set. The other was a 3-1 loss. Last night I beat him 3-1...11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-2!

My first match of the night was against a 2 wing looper that I'd previously lost one to, and won one against. Last night I beat him 3-0. 4,9,5.

And my last match, which had me pretty sure I wouldn't carry out the 3 wins for the night, was against my ex-teammates. I don't do well against ex-teammates as a rule. I practice against them too much and they get to know the flaws in my game. So, so many of them beat me when they become opponents that even if I used to whip them, they change that around having examined my game in such detail. Seems they get more from it than I get in return. And the guy I played last night is generally no different. I really don't know what I did differently last night in my play except perhaps hitting a few more FH winners than usual. But I beat my ex-team 4, 7, 10. In the last set I was 10-5 down and looking like having to punch it out in 4 or 5 sets. He was gaining on me in each set, but I dug in and went the extra mile. One of his deeply angled loops to my FH I stretched out with the pips (yes I often play my pips from the FH side - chicken wing style) and put it back so short and high and underspinny that it dumped straight in the net as he tried to smash it. I could feel the pressure building on him with each point I won and it pumped me up. I got back to deuce and smashed to his FH. He is so tall and lanky as wide as my smash was he managed to get a FH loop onto it in probably more of a block than loop fashion. It came back at me to mid table and I blocked to his BH with the pips. He raced in to get his BH onto it but sent the ball wide of the line. He served next and my brain was racing on what to do with it. Pressure was massive on him now, but was also back on me having gotten to where I did. Pressure got him before me though as he served it long by a centimetre down the middle line. I guess lady luck chose me last night (which seems unusual lol), as this serve could have got the back edge just as easily. But it didn't. And I got out of jail

Last night took me to 10 wins from 21 matches for the season. Not quite 50%. But its a tough grade, especially this season. Last time I played A2 I ended up with 48% for the season, but it the playing field was nowhere near as tough. Teams that were in A1 at that point have returned to A2 and chosen to stay. Our Monday night A1 suffers from a problem of many players not turning up cos they are Uni students or are dragged away for other commitments. So often the A1 competition leaves players not getting the matches they want, or constantly trying to find fill-ins (which is a pain). So while the standard of the grade is still higher than A2, A2 keeps the more dedicated high standard players as they avoid going up a lot of the time (especially if they've been to A1 before). We played 2 of the top A2 teams in the first 2 weeks, and I won nothing in those 2 weeks (despite losing 2 matches in 5). Basically I have won 2 matches per night since and beaten a few hotshot mid-teen juniors.

It's funny how some people look at you as a pips player that they consider you lesser player. So when you make big wins they ind an excuse for the player you beat...like "oh they must be off their game tonight" or the classic "yeah they haven't worked your pips out yet" or even "yeah they don't like playing pips". Its more common than others who just say "Well done" - which I did get last night from a few good guys.

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Great effort Reb!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
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Thanks mate...not that these guys had pips, but they are almost as hard to beat as you (usually)

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

A good week of TT this week. Won my 3 singles on Monday (for the second week in a row) and my team won 8-3 (last week we won 11-0 ). So we are top of the ladder 3 weeks into the season. Can't complain about that (except I only won 1 singles in week one after losing 2 in the 5th set - 11-8 in the 5th and 14-12 in the 5th - but for 5 lousy points I'd be sitting on 100% win ratio).

Tonight in the much tougher A1 grade, we had our first win for the season, 3-2. The team we were up against is 2 gun juniors. One of those guns failed to turn up, so instead one of the club managers filled in for him - and he's about the best player in the club
I took a set off him and almost squeezed another set, but you feel like a mouse being played with by a cat when playing him. Very nice late 20's guy, but his skills and spin are insane. No chance of really beating him. My partner took 2 sets but again never really in the hunt. Then we played the doubles, so the "fill-in" (aka manager) could go home early. Thursday matches are best of 7, but often they're cut to best of 5 when the result is already decided. We got to 3-2 up and figured we were going to a 6th and maybe a 7th when the manager decided we'd won the doubles and called it in our favour. I think he figured the 15 year old (who he coaches) would finish us off anyway and win the night.

So with only the junior left to play, I played him first. This kid has a killer FH loop and can flat smash it very effectively too. And he's so quick he can run around his BH onto it with the slightest time given. I was hanging with him to 6 all, and then he put his pedal to the metal and ran away 11-6. In the second set it looked like he would pip me in a slightly closer affair as he got out to 10-8, but with a few tricks up my sleeve and godwilling, I took it 13-11. This riled him, and from experience when he gets riled, he loses. He calmed himself though and killed me 11-3 in the third. (There goes that plan! ) Come into the 4th and he continues to smash me every time I go anywhere he can get his FH to (including wide on the BH after I put 3 or 4 there and let him predict it). But I am keeping my points ticking over alongside him by moving him around as much as I dare to give his FH a chance - its like a game of russian roulette where you switch from his BH to wide on the FH and he may misfire the ball into the net or he may kill you with it. We reach 8 all and from up my sleeve I pull 3 Aces to win 11-8. 2 sets all!

He's riled again at losing another set and it affects his game somewhat, but he pulls back an 11-8 on me. There's some amazing rallies taking place all through this match and as much as I am trying to keep him off balance with LP blocks around the table placed to positions of awkwardness, I'm trying to also frustrate the hell out of him as I know this is my best strategy to win the game. Last time we met, late last season he thrashed me 4-1, so I'm doing well here...I want to push it as far as I can But now he's 3-2 up on me...this could be the bell lap just lost.

So, the 6th set begins and I am at the "winning" end (if you noticed, there has been wins from only one end so far). I get a good start....up 4-0. In fact, I get it to 5-1. But he comes back with force finding ways to out me away with his amazing FH (and the occasional BH whip, which he possesses but uses sparingly - obviously lacking confidence in it). I manage to get myself out to 8-6, but he drags back 8 all. I dig deep and find 3 points on the trot and close 11-8.

Into the 7th set and it all gets a little too easy from here...or so it seems. We change ends at 5-1 my way. I pull a fast LP push down his BH side and it hits his finger. 6-1. He pulls out a point to go 6-2. I push the next one fast at his BH and he reacts with an angle that misses the table on my FH side, 7-2. Then he finds a string of high shots of varying spin to my BH that completely screw up my timing and he's on me again at 7-6. I find a point to breath a little at 8-6, but his confidence has received a shot in the arm. He's a bull at a gate and where I score 1 he scores 3 and its 9 all. It's his serve and I brace myself for keeping my return as tight as possible. He tosses the ball for his serve, it rises a foot off his hand and drops...to the floor! He missed it! 9-10 my way! I'm carefully buoyed, but still aware this can flip on me with the next point. He serves it safe, to my pips on the BH, I return to his BH, he loops lightly from his BH and I return a little reversal to his BH. I send it back short and to the BH so he can't get to his FH. Again he loops lightly to mid-table. I flirt with the BH edge landing it mid-way an inch or 2 from the edge. He pushes it back with a little more venom and I push fast and deep into the BH corner. He runs around it to go his FH and miscues sending the ball high in the air and away! Match is mine!

My opponent was so annoyed he told my partner he forfeits his last match...so we win 3-2 for the night. Pretty neat, I won 2 matches with that one win

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.