The Isle of Wight County Table Tennis Association held a charity tournament in aid of the Mountbatten Hospice, which took place on Saturday 24th June.
The event attracted 48 competitors, with 32 coming from the mainland, and included a number of players ranked in the top 100 in England, raising £1,650 for the hospice.
4 Islanders made it through the group stages: Alex Rorke, Don Hobbs, Hugh Idle and George Downing. In addition, 3 top junior players entered – Ryan Cates, Lewis Johnstone and Ethan Millward – and all gave commendable performances.
The Island’s Rorke and Downing both made it to the semi-finals, with Rorke playing Dorset’s Matt Ware, ranked 29th in England, and Downing meeting Devonshire’s Dom Sussex, who lies just outside the top 50.
The final between Downing and Ware was closely contested, with the Island’s Downing eventually losing 3-1 to Ware, who collected £500 prize money.
The IWTTA would like to thank all those who came along to support the players, and the efforts of the Committee and general members who provided the support needed to hold such a large event; including scheduling, umpiring, collating and recording scores, catering and ensuring the venue was at its best, and they also would like to thank the overseeing official referee, Dave Wiles, for his time.
The IWTTA would also like to thank the local businesses who donated raffle prizes, and the sponsors of the tournament, without whom it would not have been possible to hold the event including Mike Turner of Solent Pools and Hot Tubs, John Kerr of Balfourkerr Properties and Woodcliffe Holiday Apartments.
