Old rivals clash in amateur table tennis legends final
The first major local table tennis tournament of 2019 recently took place at a well-known club in the Moot.
The recent Play Table Tennis Legends Invitational held at Cue Masters Pool Club in Gezina was an exciting spectacle showcasing 24 of the best local talents.
The qualification criteria for the eighth edition of the popular event was the strictest yet, which made it the most competitive by far. The top participants qualified through nine legs of the PTT Super Series, for which Pretoria Country Club local Marius Morkel ended at the top of the rankings on 2,768 points. Ruan Kahts, representing the East Eagles, ended a very close second on 2,699 points.
With a recent head-to-head record of three wins each, and the two players being the top seeds for the tournament, the stage was set for an epic rematch in the final. Both players came through their round robin matches unscathed, and both made light work of their opponents in the quarterfinals.
The semi-finals proved to be a bit tougher, with Kahts fighting off a spirited attempt from teammate Japie Crafford to win 3-2. Morkel beat old rival Kobus Heyns from the Rebels 3-1.
The final started as a bit of a one-sided affair, with Kahts racing to a 2-0 lead in just over seven minutes. But Morkel had been there many times before, making a name for himself as the comeback king. It was therefore not surprising that he took the third game 11-9.
But he ran out of steam in the fourth, and Kahts had all the answers to win the game, match and championship with a score line of 11-3 in the final game.
The bronze final was an equally juicy affair, with the recent head-to-head between Heyns and Crafford also perfectly balanced at two wins each. But this time youth prevailed over experience, and it was Crafford that won with an epic 3-2 score line.
Following the Legends Invitational was a newly-crafted draft system for the third instalment of the Super Series, whereby eight top players were each assigned a team and took turns to select three players. These teams are fixed for the first three legs of the Super Series, after which the lowest-ranked player from each team will go back into the pool of choice players for a monthly mini-draft.
Added to this pool will be the top achievers from the monthly social competitions held at the PTT venues around Pretoria.
The new draft system causes for great balance between the eight teams, and it is hard to predict which team will top the table after the first round. It also has a distinct focus on grassroots development, with virtually all teams including at least one less-experienced developing player.
For more information and to follow the progress of the teams and players involved in the Super Series, or to get involved with social table tennis events please visit www.playtabletennis.co.za.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
