THERE were trophies galore at this year’s Weymouth & District League tournament at Preston Table Tennis Club.

The Division One singles saw 10 players compete in three round-robin groups followed by a knockout with Moses Lewis and Will Jolliffe eventually facing each other in the final.

Jolliffe came out on top with a very close 3-2 win after losing the opening set and fending off a Lewis fight back from 2-1 up, eventually taking the fifth 11-9.

The two finalists teamed up in the Division One doubles and reached the final to play the Park District pairing of Ray Cody and Richard Willshere, where they secured a 3-0 win and a division double for Jolliffe.

The Division Two singles took the same format with two of the young rising stars in the league, and Budmouth C team-mates, meeting in the final – Josh Clark and Jed Brackenridge.

A good game saw Clark come out on top with a 3-1 victory. The doubles meant the two would face each other again, Clark with his partner Nathan Calton and Brackenridge with his, Ben Howe, meaning the final was actually all four Budmouth C players competing.

Clark and Calton came out on top with a hard-fought 3-0 win.

The biggest divisional entry saw 18 players competing for the Division Three singles title. Two round robin rounds saw Dave Moth and Jess Moggeridge progress to the final. Youngster Moggeridge, played very well to secure a 3-0 win.

In the Division Three doubles final it was a school clash between Ethan Clark and Ollie James of All Saints B and Jaimee Browne and Ella Stanton of Budmouth E, with the former coming out victorious.

Sixteen ‘golden oldies’ lined up for the straight knockout of the Veterans’ Handicap competition.

After some very close and long matches the final saw Division Three and Colliton C’s Andy Ray face Division One and Park District’s Geoff Ware.

Ray started with a healthy lead in each set, based on his superior handicap rating, but Ware managed to overhaul him in a fifth and final set to claim the 2018

title.

Many of the area’s best young players competing for the coveted Junior Handicap trophy with the handicap system allowing the up-and-coming players to compete on a more level playing field with the more established players.

There were ‘upsets’ along the way with Division One champion, Jolliffe, falling to Moggeridge in the first round and Ethan Clark defeating Division Two finalist Brackenridge in round two.

Division Two champion Josh Clark tackled Division Three doubles champion Ethan Clark in the final with the former overcoming the latter 3-1.

The biggest entry of the day was for the Open Handicap tournament, which saw over 30 players competing. This was a straight knockout again and after a long day saw Ethan Clark face Willshere in the first semi-final and Josh Clark face Moggeridge in the other.

The handicap worked well for the lower rated players and meant it was an Ethan Clark versus Moggeridge final, where their handicap ratings were

very closely matched. Clark overcame a spirited Moggeridge 3-1 to add the title to his doubles title.

The league would like to thank Preston Table Tennis Club for hosting the tournament again and especially Malcolm Smith, Roger Lovell, Dave Clegg and the ladies who manned the café and tombola for their hard work on the day and Andy Crouch for the handicap information.

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