Day 2 - Division 2: 22nd January 2023
The Westfield team of Ben Aldridge, Adam Koszyk, Gabriela Koszyk and Coach Kevin Bird, travelled to Milton Keynes Table Tennis Club, to play Day 2 of National Junior League.
The team had gained promotion from Division 3, so I was looking forward to some competitive table tennis.
The division consisted of four teams, each with three players. Each match consisted of 9 singles, so everyone played eachother. The matches were played on one table, so a long day was in store.
Round 1: Luton Table Tennis Club
Luton had been relegated from Division 1, so we were expecting a good match. Disappointingly, we lost 8-1, which I don't feel is a reflection of our ability. It felt like we were caught cold (which shoudn't have been the case as we arrived in good time!). We made far too many unforced errors, and at times, didn't seem to have the self belief needed to win matches. Adam did show glimmers of his ability by picking up our only point.
Round 2: CGS Table Tennis Club
This round saw us play against three payers who all sported some kind of combination bat (reverse and pimples, reverse and anti-spin?) - which is unusual at this standard. Adam showed maturity beyond his years and posted a fine hat-trick. Ben followed up with a brace, as it took him a bit longer to get used to the pimples. Gabriela didn't add to the scoreline, but did gain valuable experience playing against this type of style. We ran out 5-4 winners, which I think was the right scoreline.
Round 3: Milton Keynes B
Our last round was against Milton Keynes B. Ben and Adam were now fully warmed up and playing to the standard I would expect, with both players only dropping a single end on their way to comfortable hat-tricks. Gabriela came very close to adding to the Westfield scoreline when losing 11-7 in the fifth end to the Milton Keynes number 2. A 6-3 win was a good finish to a long day.
The divisions will now be fixed for days 3 and 4, so we'll compete in Division 2, and look forward to the challenge.
