John Shooter etched his name onto the Harold Wilcock Memorial Hardbat table tennis trophy for the first time last week, navigating a competitive field to win the tournament.

The event, held during the school half-term break, celebrates the ‘classic’ style of table tennis, of which the late Harold Wilcock was a renowned exponent of the no-sponge game.

The tournament saw a strong turnout of 20 entrants and competition began with players divided into six qualifying groups.

The format ensured a high stakes environment, as only the group winners and top runners-up advanced to the knockout stages.

The 2025 winner, Scott Lewis, was unable to defend his title as he is currently in Brazil competing in the Classic Table Tennis Hardbat World Cup.

Group stage mastery

John Shooter dominated group D, securing his place in the bracket without dropping a set against Jon Taylor Burt, Luke Begley and Geoff Burchill.

John Magnall topped a fiercely-contested group C, ultimately winning the group on set-count ahead of Adrian Slater and Russ Kent.

The winners of groups A through D earned a direct bye into the quarter-finals, while the remaining eight qualifiers battled in a preliminary round of 16 to join them.

Giant-killing in the semi-finals

The biggest upset of the night came in the semi-finals where Sam Bailey, the current top-ranked player in the island and the pre-tournament favourite, seemed poised to progress to the final.

In a tense second game against Shooter, Bailey held a commanding 7-3 lead but his opponent staged a remarkable recovery to ‘pip’ him 11-9 and secure his place in the final.

A clash of styles in the final

The final pitted Shooter, a modern counter-attacking player, against veteran defensive expert John Magnall.

While the latter is a master of ‘pips out’ equipment with no sponge, the hardbat format – which limits spin - offered a unique challenge reminiscent of the 1950s style featured in the recent film Marty Supreme.

Shooter demonstrated remarkable versatility: while he attacked selected balls, he was also adept at ‘chopping’ to stay in rallies against Magnall's resolute defence.

This tactical flexibility proved decisive in the second game, where Shooter clawed back from game point to win the match 2-0 (11-8, 13-11) and seal the trophy.

Consolation success

Sam Sen claimed the Consolation title with a straight-sets victory over Luke Begley (11-6, 11-6).

Tournament results: Main final - John Shooter 11-8, 13-11 against John Magnall. Semi-finals - John Shooter 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 against Sam Bailey and John Magnall 13-11, 7-11, 11-6 over Liam Chan. Consolation final: Sam Sen 11-6, 11-6 against Luke Begley.

Thanks

Isle of Man Table Tennis Association wish to thank Kevin Drewry who did a great job as tournament organiser, ensuring a smooth-running tournament which everyone enjoyed.

KEN MITCHELL

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