Both memorial cup competitions came to a conclusion at the Knowle & Brislington club on Thursday 1 May 2008, and with the anticipation of some good table tennis in both finals, the spectators had great difficulty in deciding which match to watch. By the end of the evening, however, both matches were to prove equally compelling.

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Belsten/Mordecai Report

Gilbert Belsten Cup

Failand had been previous winners of this competition on four occasions, with their first triumph occurring exactly thirty years ago, when Brian Reeves was a pivotal member of that side. This evening, however, he was ably assisted by David Reeves and Emma Rose. For their opponents, Yate Ridge, though, this was the club’s very first Gilbert Belsten cup final, but they were well represented by the experienced Dave Harvey and Dave Adamson, alongside the team “youngster”, Alan Smith.

The first game pitted the only left-hander, Dave Adamson, against Emma Rose. The first set was to set the tone for the entire match, and the audience were treated to the highest-scoring set of the evening, culminating in a 15-13 win for Dave. Serving predominantly short on Emma’s backhand, and continuously talking and apologising in order to psyche himself up, Dave found himself 2-0 to the good. However, it was Emma who quietly and thoughtfully slowly turned the game around, and with a terrific forehand down Dave’s own forehand to finish, she ran out a 3-2 winner.

Utilising the often frustrating effects of his Hallmark Original long pimples to full advantage, Alan Smith commenced his duel with David Reeves. However, David was able to deal with that problem with relative ease, and in just a few short minutes, Alan found himself two games down. In the third, Alan was more measured in his approach, and raced into a 6-0 lead, but then had to desperately hold on take the game at 11-8. In the fourth, however, he very quickly found himself 0-8 down as his game seemed to fall apart, and he reluctantly accepted defeat to the better player.

The next confrontation was to see the close-to-the-table style of Dave Harvey, vying with the mainly defensive repertoire of shots flowing from Brian Reeves’ bat. With Brian often thwarted at times by the lack of space to retreat even further from the table in an effort to demonstrate his excellent ability to return the ball from distance, along with his high fitness level, the battle between these two players was nonetheless highly “watchable”. The first two sets were shared, before Dave claimed a close third. The next game seemed destined to go Brian’s way, as he held game point at 10-8, but it was Dave who claimed the next four points in row, and took the game at 12-10.

The David Reeves-Dave Adamson match was even closer. With unexpected errors interspersed with some amazing forehand and backhand kills at times, the fifth game could have gone either way. The very first point witnessed Dave Adamson serve an ace which clipped the edge, but the balance was restored as his second serve went horrendously long and off the end of the table. With David Reeves eventually holding game point at 10-7, Dave Adamson could not resist a forehand smash, but he saw it miss its intended goal, and that miss put Failand three games to one up in the match.

The fifth game paired Emma Rose against Dave Harvey, with both players standing close to the table and attacking throughout. There were some tremendous flat attacking shots emanating from Emma’s forehand, but Dave was equal to them, with some resolute blocking and forehand attacks of his own. Resorting to some deliberate high-thrown services beyond the height of the lampshade to supposedly un-nerve his opponent towards the end of the third game, this tactic, amongst others, worked well for him, and Dave wrapped the game up with a 3-0 win.

With both players adorned in black, and desperately trying to highlight their sylph-like figures, the old-school Brian Reeves with his T-shirt tucked in, and Alan Smith with his attire these days fashionably left out, the next game was to become the most crucial of the evening. Due to the nature of the style of both players, it was Alan who was forced to completely eradicate his favourite forehand loop when it was made available to him, in order to win each point of each rally slowly and surely one by one. Unable to believe he was 2-0 up, Alan approached the third knowing that this was probably his only chance of claiming a precious scalp. Holding match point at 10-6 in the third, it was Brian’s experience and guile which deservedly drew him level at 10-10, and the match seemed that it was about to turn around completely on its head. However, Alan kept his nerve, and took the next two points. For the first time in the evening, the match was all square at three games each.

The crucial seventh game was reminiscent of the “classic” game of yesteryear, as the heavy chopped returns from afar by David Reeves, clearly learnt from his father to perfection, were equally matched by the power attacking shots of Dave Harvey. However, it was Dave Harvey who edged ahead, and as the third set ebbed away from David Reeves, the errors became more obvious, even though there was the occasional brilliance from some of his backhand attacking strokes, they were just too erratic. Yate Ridge were now ahead for the first time in the match.

However, Failand were to draw level when Brian Reeves was to defeat Dave Adamson. With both players at this stage without a win, it was Brian who out-thought his opponent coolly and calmly, in a composed display of authoritative table tennis. Brian dug deep and called upon his years of experience and guile when it was required, and easily claimed the first set at 11-5, but then Dave incredibly took the second set with a barrage of forehand diagonal attacking strokes, and it was game on. With the Bristol Closed Championships Men’s Singles Trophy having been returned this evening and resting to one side on the stage, and clearly showing Brian as a double champion winner back in 1970 and 1971, it was as if the ghost of those distant days was about to lend a hand, and as the winning post loomed closer, it seemed that Brian’s footwork and speed around the table was increasing noticeably by the second, as it was all those years ago, and he wrapped the game up in the fourth.

The ninth and last game was to be the decider. Neither Emma Rose or Alan Smith were ever more than two points ahead in the first set, until Emma took a 9-7 lead, only for Alan to counter and take the next four. The second was as intriguing as the first, with Emma able to deal with the unbelievable spins swerving every which way from the rubbers of Alan’s bat, but it was Alan who claimed the set by the same score as the first at 11-9. In the third, Emma took an 8-6 lead, but this time Alan uncharacteristically served straight into the net, and within just sixty seconds, Emma had got revenge. At 3-0 down in the fourth, the smile was now gone from Alan’s face, and replaced by frustration as he trailed 3-9, and then disbelief at 6-11.

At 10.45 pm, as both players received advice from their team members, the umpire Rick Jemmott called “time please”, and some people present thought it was time to get the last round in! Alan knew that if he was to turn his own game round, he had to change his style of play, and in doing just that, he quickly raced into a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a net and edge to make it 4-1. For the first time on the night, the “up until now silent” Emma, shouted to herself not to get frustrated. A cagey battle of wits then ensued, with neither player wishing to take a risk as the game levelled at 5-5. It was Alan who nevertheless crept ahead at 9-5, when Emma edged the next point, but Alan took the next. Emma then retorted with yet another net and edge to make it 10-7, but Alan eventually claimed the decisive point, and his team’s goal at 5-4 overall.

This was an all-round team effort by Yate Ridge to take the title for the first time in their history in what was the competition’s 70 th final to be staged, although congratulations must go to each and every player who took part from both sides in making this an exciting finale to a tremendous season.

The photograph above shows Yate Ridge – left to right: Andy Maybee (non-playing team member), Dave Adamson, Aubrey Simons (B&DTTA President), Alan Smith, Dave Harvey and Will Berkeley (non-playing team member). The earlier photograph shows the Failand team: Brian Reeves, David Reeves and Emma Rose.

Morley Mordecai Cup

The 41 st Morley Mordecai Cup final was between KCC A (Division 2) who had played five matches en route, and Knowle & Brislington E (Division 5) who had played one extra match in the preliminary round. However, it was Knowle & Brislington E who had eliminated last year’s winners, Almonds C, in Round Two by a narrow margin of just 16 points.

The KCC team comprised the experienced Paul Redman, Nick Branch, and Dave Buller, who had ended the recent league season with individual averages of 81%, 77% and 50% respectively, although Dave had played about half the number of games of his team-mates. Their opponents had almost identical averages, albeit achieved three divisions lower down, with Brendan Payne, Michelle Leonard and Gill Beer on 88%, 74% and 61% respectively. The final was therefore bringing together six players who were used to winning – something had to give.

As the competition got under way, the KCC team knew that they had to make up a grand total of 100 points which were being forfeited under the terms of this handicapped event, in order to claim the trophy. With each of the two sets in each game being played up to 21 points only, nervous Brendan Payne kicked off the proceedings against Nick Branch. By the end of the tussle, Brendan had only dropped an impressive six points, just losing 20-21, 16-21.

The next match on saw Paul Redman emphasise the gulf between the two sides in terms of which division they play there table tennis, and Paul easily took the first set 21-12 from the equally nervous Michelle Leonard. However, Michelle began to exert the stoic qualities of her defensive game that many opponents have feared over the years, gained her confidence as a result, and then ground away to incredibly snatch the second set 21-14, thereby only losing by just two points overall.

Not to be outdone by her compatriot, Gill Beer virtually replicated the previous encounter, just losing the first 17-21 to Dave Buller, and with gritty determination, won the second at 21-18. Only one point was gained by KCC in this match in what was to be the closest match on the night, and already it seemed that Knowle & Brislington had one hand on the huge Morley Mordecai trophy.

Michelle Leonard was up again next, and eager to repeat her performance - this time against Nick Branch. Try as she might, however, she lost both games (20-21, 18-21), but again they were exceedingly tight, and the losing margin was just four points.

It was the next game between Brendan Payne and Dave Buller, however, which was the highlight of the evening in this competition. In a heroic display in order to retrieve the gloomy situation for the KCC squad, Dave produced an emphatic array of strokes and determination to storm into a 19-6 lead in the first game, and taking the next two points would have been a godsend. However, and unbelievably, Brendan hit back and amassed a whole string of outstanding points to rapturous appreciation by the crowd alongside, before Dave finally wrapped that game up 21-17. Although still shell-shocked, Dave somehow managed to virtually re-live the first game all over again as he raced to an 18-5 lead in the second, only to see Brendan produce a “Calzaghe-like” comeback, with Dave managing to collect his thoughts, and eventually take the game at 21-13, and in the process managed to claim back thirteen points for his team.

Paul Redman did likewise in the next match against Michelle Leonard, by gaining another fifteen points, winning 21-17, 21-10, and it looked as if they just might be turning the tide in their favour.

However, Michelle Leonard turned the screws once again, when she lost to Dave Buller by the narrowest of margins 18-21 in the first game, and then won the next by 21-20, to drop just another three points for the team overall. Even though Nick Branch tried to his utmost to repair the damage in the penultimate match against Gill Beer by winning 21-16 and 21-12, the writing was already on the cup. Paul Redman went into the last match against Brendan Payne resigned to his team’s defeat, and promptly found himself losing the first set 21-16, although he did recover his composure to turn it around in the final game (13-21).

The final overall score, including the handicap, was 443-402 in favour of Knowle & Brislington E, who have now made it a hat-trick of wins in this competition, having been previous winners in 1973/1974 and 1979/1980. For the statisticians, the total points scored this evening by each player was as follows:- Brendan Payne (100), Michelle Leonard (110), Gill Beer (93), Nick Branch (126), Paul Redman (114) and Dave Buller (122).

The Knowle & Brislington E winning team is pictured just above: left to right- Brendan Payne, Gill Beer, and Michelle Leonard with Aubrey Simons). The KCC A team is shown earlier (Paul Redman, Andy Curtis (non-playing member), Dave Buller, Aubrey Simons (President) and Nick Branch).

As the evening drew to a close and the grill to the kitchen was lifted, there was the very welcome sight of the previously unseen and unheard Linda Moore, who had prepared a wonderful range of sandwiches and cakes for the benefit of everybody present. Thank you, Linda. It was also noted that the fantastic aromas emanating from the kitchen at around 9.30pm, may well have contributed to the match taking place at that end of the room finishing first! Our thanks must also go to the organisers of these two competitions, Alan Brailey and Martin Moore, along with the umpires for both matches this evening, Rick Jemmott, Martin Moore, John Kingscott and Ron Dobbs, as well as the Knowle & Brislington club for the use of their premises. A special thank you must also go to our President, Aubrey Simons, for once again presenting the two cups and individual trophies – thank you, Aubrey.

Let’s hope that next year’s competitions will be just as exciting throughout their separate paths once again to the final, and that both events will continue to be played in the spirit and memory of both Gilbert Belsten and Morley Mordecai. Thank you.