1st Dragon Tournament Report
The series of Dragon Tournaments got off to a tremendous start at WIS on Sunday 18th of October. The “Dragons” are as popular as ever with our young players, with no less than 59 entries received for this 1st Dragon of the season. Indeed tournament organisers had to turn away several players who tried to enter after the closing date, and whilst this did not sit well with the organisers, it was logistically impossible to accommodate any extra players in the Jubilee Hall.
Another problem facing organisers, players and parents alike, were road closures in Cardiff caused by the Cardiff Half Marathon. Nevertheless all made it to the Jubilee hall for the 9am start.
First away were a group of 8 under 11s, who played a “round robin” on 2 tables, under the watchful eye of the “group manager” Alex OConnell. Spectators were treated to some great table tennis from these young players, several playing in a tournament for the very first time. Undisputed winner of the Under 11 Dragon was Jac Jenkins, who was undefeated throughout. Runner up spot went to Thomas Haydon, and a special mention goes to highest finishing female entry – Soffi Jenkins.
Also starting at 9am was the new for this season Dragon Under 15 event, and with 24 players entered organisers had no choice but to play the first round as 4 groups of 6 players (each group on 2 tables playing “best of 3”). Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this event run smoothly, particularly Daniel Carey, who came to the jubilee to help, whilst daughter Charlotte trained in the upper hall.
The 2nd round saw 4 groups of 6 players battling for final positions. Organisers were able to revert to a “best of 5 format”, and all present were treated to some really close matches, “5 setters” being the rule rather than the exception. TTK Ferndale Coach Stephen Gertsen was pleased to see his players achieve the first 3 placings – 3rd was Ethan Lewis, runner up spot was taken by Liam Winder, and the winner was Jamie Davies. A special mention has to go to top female finisher Naomi James of TTK Tonypandy, who finished a creditable 7th overall.
The largest event of the day stated at 1pm, 27 players contesting the Dragon Under 13 event, organisers using a triple group format to keep all playing throughout the afternoon. The final placings were decided by 4.15pm, with the “usual suspects” taking top honours. Runner up was Jac Jenkins, and the winner was Liam Winder. Again a special mention has to go to highest finishing female player – Tracy Martin.
The next Dragon is taking place in the Jubilee Hall WIS on the 8th of Nov, players are advised to get their entries off early, as the event is likely to oversubscribed. Entry forms are available on this website.