The remaining events of Isle of Man Table Tennis Association’s Island Championships, sponsored by Intact Insurance, were played out at the NSC over the last three weeks.

Following the singles, doubles and under-16s events in March, the various veteran and junior categories took centre stage.

The under-14s category witnessed the emergence of a phenomenal new talent in Xedrel Benosa.

Henry Weaver and Liav Lanin both showed moments of brilliance, finishing second and third in group A behind Xedrel, while in group B, Aditya Varshney and Rhys Bufton took the top two spots.

The semi-finals saw Xedrel edge past Rhys in four ends, while Aditya secured his place in the final.

In the championship match, Xedrel remained composed and played exceptionally well, easing past Aditya 11-3, 11-4, 11-9. She is truly a rising star.

Entries for this category were lower than expected, with Xedrel a notable absentee.

Top seeds Amit Lanin and Dan Levine faced tough competition from younger opponents Rhys Bufton, under-16s champion Luke Begley and Liav Lanin.

The latter secured a notable win over Luke, snatching victory 11-9 in the fifth.

In the deciding match, Amit defeated Dan 8-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-7 to retain his title. Amit ended the day with four wins, while runner-up Dan finished with three.

There was an excellent entry of 16 players for this category.

In group A, John Shooter emerged as the winner. Group B runner-up Mike Tamarov unexpectedly lost to Dave Parsons in an epic encounter (9-11 in the fifth), allowing Parsons to take the group. Wayne Taylor won group D, while John Magnall took group C.

After the quarter-finals, Tamarov redeemed himself with a four-end win over Shooter, while Taylor edged past Stu Perry in five ends. Tamarov then defeated a tenacious Taylor in five games to reach the final. On the other side of the draw, Parsons swept aside Magnall in four.

The final was a rematch of the earlier group game but this time Tamarov turned the tables, defeating Parsons in three close ends 11-9, 11-9, 11-7.

With 2025 champion Malcolm Cummings unable to play, this event was contested as a round-robin.

In the semi-finals, John Magnall beat Geoff Ball 3-0, while Jon Taylor-Burt swept past Malc Lewis in four ends.

The final was a high-stakes affair. Both players were level at 10-10 in the third until Magnall nabbed the game 12-10. Capitalising on that momentum, Magnall took the fourth end 11-2 to secure the title.

Eight pairings were split into two groups. Top seeds Malcolm Cummings and Liam Chan topped group A, with Wayne Taylor and Andy Patterson as runners-up. In group B, John Shooter and Dave Parsons finished first, followed by John Magnall and Malcolm Lambert.

The top seeds booked their final spot with a win over Magnall and Lambert, whilst Shooter and Parsons defeated Taylor and Patterson.

In the final, Shooter and Parsons fought hard to take a game, but were eventually overcome 11-7 in the fourth. The left/right-handed attacking combination of Cummings and Chan proved to be a winning formula.

- Isle of Man Table Tennis Association will be holding a second special Manx Youth Games follow-up session for those youngsters who wish to continue improving their skills.

It takes place at the NSC next Wednesday, May 20 at 6.30-7.30pm, after which the Secondary Hall is open for regular players who wish to practice until 9.30pm. Regular practice sessions will then recommence on Wednesday, June 12.

KEN MITCHELL