A total of 16 league players, forming eight competitive doubles pairings, lined up at the NSC last Wednesday to take part in Isle of Man Table Tennis Association’s ever-popular Fun Doubles event.

Entrants were allocated their partners based on division and league rankings. The event is cherished as a ‘fun’ opportunity for juniors and lower-ranked players to both play alongside, and compete against, higher-ranked participants.

Entry numbers were lower than last year's 15 pairings so it was decided to play the event entirely as a round robin. This means that each pairing would have a chance at facing every other combo.

The tournament saw some thrilling battles across the tables, highlighting tight encounters and excellent doubles chemistry. Matches were played as the best of three ends.

Ex-island champion John Shooter was paired with up-and-coming Ballakermeen youngster Jesse Zhang. They proved to be a formidable pairing, winning six out of their seven matches.

In their first rubber, they took three games to move past Kevin Drewry and Alin Tanase, but were then pushed all the way by the seasoned pairing of Malcolm Lambert and Margaret Forsyth who were just edged out 9-11 in the third.

Malc Lewis and Geoff Burchill pushed them really hard, in an incredibly close contest. Shooter and Zhang recovered after losing the first end 7-11 to squeeze through 17-15, 12-10 in the final two ends.

Eventual runners-up Jesse Zhang and John Shooter (Photo: Malcolm Lambert)
Eventual runners-up Jesse Zhang playing a shot in front of team-mate John Shooter (Photo: Malcolm Lambert) (Malcolm Lambert)

They then made short work of their next opponents, Phoebe Haseman and Sam Preece, Sonja Shaw and Wasim Khan, and Wayne Taylor and Tony Fallon. Shooter’s attacking style perfectly complemented young Jesse who will have learnt a lot from his vastly-experienced playing partner.

The other pairing worthy of special note was Steve Curtis and Keith Herrington, who also won six of their seven matches. They pushed past Drewry and Tanase, Haseman and Preece, and Lambert and Forsyth in straight sets.

They had a closer call against Shaw and Khan but squeezed through 9-11, 11-9, 11-6. Another close encounter for them was against Lewis and Burchill who they managed to out-manoeuvre 11-9, 8-11, 11-9.

Even closer perhaps was their tussle with Taylor and Fallon, and for once they were unable to repel the strong looping style of Taylor and they lost this one 11-7, 9-11, 10-12.

So, to decide the overall winner, it came down to the match between Shooter and Zhang, and Curtis and Herrington, with both pairings having won six of their seven rubbers.

The match demonstrated a brilliant display of doubles table tennis, with veteran pairing Curtis and Herrington ultimately emerging victorious to claim the title 11-9, 4-11, 11-7.

Their playing styles combined well and they tapped into each other’s vast experience and played to their strengths.

Disruption, unpredictability and tenacity were well cleverly deployed against their younger and more attacking-minded opponents.

Great credit goes to Curtis and Herrington for this superb victory, and to Shooter and Zhang for pushing them all the way. Taylor and Fallon finished in third place.

Keith Herrington serves while team-mate Steve Curtis watches on during last week's competition (Photo: Malcolm Lambert)
Keith Herrington serves while team-mate Steve Curtis watches on during last week's competition (Photo: Malcolm Lambert) (Malcolm Lambert)

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