Ogier fights back to win

LEAGUE action took a back seat for a week as the island's top players contested the annual Capelles tournaments and the Mark Kilby Hardbat competition. The Capelles Open Singles attracted the highest entry, with 40 players having to qualify from 10 groups of four; the top two from each group progressed to the knockout stage.

In the quarter-finals, the usual suspects lined up, the only exception being Division Two player Kay Chivers.

She was drawn to play Derek Webb and in a hard-fought encounter, Chivers battled back from two sets to one down to win 11-9 in the decider.

Her reward was a place in the semis against Phil Ogier, who had a straightforward but tight 3-0 over teammate Jez Powell.

In the bottom half of the draw, Scott Romeril played Phil Hunkin and Gary Willcocks came up against Mark Pipet.

Romeril played some good table-tennis against Hunkin but was again unfortunate just to come up short, Hunkin winning in three straight games 11-9, 11-8, 11-8.

Willcocks threatened to repeat a recent league win over Pipet when taking the first set 12-10 but from there the latter began to dominate, winning the next three games 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 and a place in the semis against Hunkin.

In the first semi-final, Ogier was made to work by Chivers who, after losing the first two sets 11-6, 11-4, took the third 13-11 to take the game to a fourth set. But Ogier won this 11-4 to reach the final.

His opponent there was again Pipet who put teammate Hunkin in his place with a convincing 3-0 win. Pipet and Ogier have contested the last five major tournament finals and they are separated only by the narrowest of margins, each final going to a deciding leg and the former recently holding the upper hand.

This final was not to disappoint and in another very entertaining game Pipet carried on where he had left off against Hunkin, playing with great control and hitting winners at will; he raced into a 2-0 lead 11-7, 11-8.

It did not appear that Ogier was playing badly it was just that Pipet was playing as well as he ever had.

In the third game the latter was even better, opening a 9-3 lead and none of the many spectators watching would have given Ogier a chance.

But though he missed a couple of chances he should have put away, Ogier continued to play his game and pulled the scores back to 9-8; all of a sudden the pressure was back on Pipet.

Ogier continued to play his game and his opponent visibly tightened, Ogier winning the next three points to pinch the third 11-9 and keep his hopes alive. This changed the whole complexion of the game; from this point, Pipet was never really in it and never headed Ogier again.

Ogier wrapped up a remarkable win 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 in what was an enthralling final played in an excellent sporting spirit.

n?The Capelles women's handicap singles resulted in a first senior tournament win for 10-year-old Alice Loveridge.

She played table tennis development officer Becks O'Keefe, winning an exciting final 21-15, 17-21, 21-18. The experience of playing in a final should be invaluable to Loveridge, who is showing rapid improvement and development and much credit for this goes to O'Keefe.

n?The Capelles handicap doubles was won by Jez Powell and O'Keefe.

The latter got a quick revenge over Loveridge who paired up with another young protege, Scott Romeril, to make the final.

O'Keefe and Powell ran out 21-17, 10-21, 23-21 winners.

n?Dawn Morgan regained the Mark Kilby Hardbat title she first won in 2002.

All the entrants had to play with old, hard bats that resulted in many long rallies and a few surprise results.

The fact that Ogier was the other finalist was perhaps not such a surprise. Ogier beat Scott Romeril 21-19, 21-9 in the first semi. Morgan came up against Jez Powell in the other, pinching a hard-fought victory 13-21, 21-15, 21-19.

In the final, Morgan was just too good for Ogier and was a convincing 21-13, 21-18 winner to take the trophy for a second time.