Table tennis playoffs produce great action
The cream of Pretoria's table tennis players were in action at the Gauteng North Inter-Venue Table Tennis League last week.
The third installment of the Gauteng North Inter-Venue Table Tennis League hosted by Sports Challenges concluded last week, producing a host of new talent.
In the first semifinal, the result was an expected one, with the log-topping Moot Mavericks comfortably beating the Centurion Snipers 26-7.
The other semifinal however was all but a foregone conclusion. The East Eagles only just managed to secure a home match by a single log point – 143 points compared to the 142 of the visiting Moot Mustangs. For the whole season the second place see-sawed between these two teams, causing for a mouthwatering semifinal match.
The action on the night did not disappoint. With almost level scores after the nine singles matches, the result would be decided by the only doubles match at the end, played to the best of five sets.
The excitement increased even further when the score went to two sets all, and it was all down to the last set. Eventually both teams were two points away from the finals, with the scores on nine all. But in the end there could be only one winner, and it was the Moot Mustangs that did the necessary in the dying moments to secure the final set 11-9. An unbelievable match, with a worthy winner.
Based purely on past history, the Mavericks were the firm favourites to successfully defend their title on finals night. But with one of their regular players out of the country the Mustangs fancied their chances for an upset, much like the Mavericks upset the Snipers in the previous season’s final.
The Mustangs fought hard, and both Jaco Mare and Wynand Lange secured victories over the substitute Geoff Williams. Lange also came very close to upsetting the Mavericks captain Al Troskie, pushing him all the way to a 3-2 scoreline. In the end, the Mavericks proved way too strong as a unit, and it was all over even before all the singles matches were concluded.
The focus now shifts to the next Legends Invitational tournament coming up this week at The Collection Venue in Pretorius Park, Pretoria East. This singles event is one of the highlights on the amateur table tennis calendar, and all the players from the Inter-Venue league teams are invited, along with selected rising stars and four players from the Globetom Challengers doing duty in the Gauteng North First League.
The Legends Invitational is also instrumental in final team selections for IVL 4, which kicks off the second week of August with a total of ten teams from Centurion, Pretoria East and Pretoria Moot.
For more information on amateur table tennis in Gauteng North, please contact Chris van der Walt on 082 924 0359 or chris@challengers.co.za, or visit www.playtabletennis.co.za.
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