West Lothian Closed Championships Season 2009/10

Roll of Honour

	Winner(s)	Runner(s) Up
Open Singles	Lewis Hills	George Flanagan
Open Doubles	G Flanagan/J McCulloch	L Hills/B Hills
Junior Singles	Robbie Fairley	Kieran Boyle
Ballot Doubles	K Milne/K Boyle	L Hills/A Cameron
Plate	Aaron Cameron	Alec Cameron

As is now customary, the season was brought to an exciting end with the West Lothian championships. An excellent entry was received by the organiser and all of last season’s winners were in attendance to defend their respective titles.

The early stages of the individual event were played in groups with the top two in each group going forward to the knock out stages while the others qualified for a separate consolations competition. Each of the two seeded players in each group moved on without any real problem to justify the confidence shown in them by the Tournament Referee.

This tournament really came to life at the last sixteen stage where the main upset was when Keith MacKay accounted for current junior champion Kieran Boyle in three straight sets 11-8,11-7,11-6. Young Boyle had been in excellent form of late and was expected to account for his much more experienced, but enigmatic, opponent but MacKay’s close to the table half volleying style proved to be too strong on this occasion. In another encounter Kevin Milne beat Drew Mclaren, a Scotland veteran international. in a keenly contested game 16-14,11-6,11-9.

In the quarter finals reigning champion Lewis Hills eventually put an end to MacKay’s run in a five set thriller, and from a 1-2 set deficit, to win 11-4,9-11,3-11,11-8,11-5. Last year’s beaten finalist, Barry Hills dropped out when he was defeated by Andy MacDougall in what was probably the latter’s best performance of the season. MacDougall showed all his fighting qualities to win in four close sets 8-11,11-8,13-11,11-9. Number two seed George Flanagan then accounted for Milne in another four setter 12-10,11-7,9-11,11-9. In yet another four set game Scotland ranked junior Robbie Fairley beat a strangely out of form John McCulloch, a former champion, 11-6,9-11,11-8,11-3. Of the four quarter final matches three went to four sets and one to a fifth set decider!

By contrast both semi final games were won in straight sets but in the case of the Hills versus Fairley game the result could scarcely have been tighter. Earlier in the season both had registered wins against the other but on this occasion Hills won all three sets at deuce 13-11,12-10,12-10. In the other, Flanagan brought MacDougall’s run to an end in a straight forward 11-4,11-7,12-10 victory.

The final reversed this trend when Hills and Flanagan served up a five set action packed thriller evenly spread with nervous unforced errors, wonderful attacking play and marvellous rallies. In the first two sets Hills easily brushed aside his opponent to take a two set lead. As Hills looked good for a victory the hard working, determined Flanagan gradually fought his way back in to the match with a win in the third set at deuce and then to even the game at two sets all. They changed ends in the last set with Flanagan leading 5-3 but once again the pendulum swung when Hills played some spectacular shots to take the title. The winning score was 11-5,11-6,12-14,7-11,11-8.

The doubles tournament was also played in groups in the early stages with the four top seeds taking their allotted places in the semi finals. In the first, reigning champions Flanagan & McCulloch met McLaren & Fairley and won 11-3,15-13,11-9. In the second the father and son combo of Barry & Lewis Hills also won in three sets against MacDougall & Milne 11-6,12-10,11-9. Although both games were won without the loss of a set, four of the six could not have been closer.

In a rerun of last year’s final Flanagan & McCulloch retained their title but not without a titanic struggle as the game swung one way then another before taking the fifth set in comfort. The winning score was 11-13,13-11,7-11,11-9,11-5. Until the last end the Hills were always ahead but when they got off to a bad start the reigning champions took full advantage.

The final of the junior event was contested by Whitburn Academy pupil, Robbie Fairley, and St Kentigern schoolboy Kieran Boyle. Both are Scotland ranked – Robbie at under 18 level and Kieran at under 15 level. With Robbie being favourite, young Kieran decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck and totally surprised his older opponent with a dazzling display of powerful attacking play to take the first set with ease. Only then did Robbie gradually outplay and outgun his less experienced opponent to take the title 4-11,11-4,11-7,11-5. The general quality of play in this game was as good as witnessed elsewhere in the tournament with Robbie’s serve and return of serve probably the deciding factor.

To add some fun to the day’s proceedings there is always a ballot doubles where partnerships are drawn from the hat with the referee ensuring that each partnership has a mix of skills. Usually, a partnership from the middle rankings wins the day and so it proved again when Kieran Boyle partnered Kevin Milne to a final victory over singles champion Lewis Hills and Alec Cameron. As chance would have it there was the possibility of a semi final match between Cameron senior/Hills junior and Hills senior/Cameron junior but this umpiring nightmare was avoided when the latter duo dropped out in the previous round.

The consolation event was won by Bathgate Academy pupil Aaron Cameron, who also finished in third place in the junior event. What made his achievements more creditable was the fact that he has been playing less than one year so should improve with more practice, hard work and coaching. The beaten finalist was his dad Alec, yet another newcomer to the sport.

The championship started at 10am and did not finish until 5.30pm with only a very short break for lunch. With most events being played in groups in the early stages, there was a lot of games to be played by every one and a lot of administration for the Tournament Referee. However, by the end of a long and eventful day most left with weary legs, some with trophies and every one having taken part in an enjoyable day of table tennis. Only one title may have changed hands but the champions had to fight every inch of the way to retain their titles and there were certainly signs that others are not very far behind.