Blackpool Open

[DaveR]

The Tees Sport (https://www.tees-sport.co.uk/index_2.html) Bandwagon heads NorthWest this coming weekend to the Blackpool Open Butterfly Grand Prix, to be held at the Sports Centre in West Park Drive, on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Rollercoasters_At_Blackpool_Pleasure_Beach.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Rollercoasters_At_Blackpool_Pleasure_Beach.jpg)



With over £1000 in total prize money up for grabs, who will walk away with the winners cheque for just over £300 in the Men’s Open? A rare appearance from Darius Knight as the number one seed would be the obvious choice, however with the Chinese duo of Hong Ming Zhang and Wang Zheng, it will be no easy "donkey ride" for the dynamic young man from Surrey.


Can the Chinese strangle hold continue in the Women’s Open event in the form of Shu Ying Xu, and Meihan Liu, or will this pattern be broken with Lancashire’s own Lindsey Reynolds heading the English charge, to illuminate Blackpool!


Both events in the Under 21’s are also hard to predict the outcome.

Scotland’s duo of Craig Howieson and Kenny Lindsay, Ireland’s Peter Graham, the English trio of Damien Nicholls, David Mcbeath and Matt Ware will all be hoping to tower over their opponents, in the Men’s competition.
The under 21 Women’s title is also too close to call, with the likes of Rachel Jamieson, Caroline Hallows, Stephanie Donnelly and Hannah Hicks, all leading contenders to be crowned Queen of the Golden Mile, although I’m sure that Ireland’s Claire Nelson and the underrated pair of Mary Fuller and Natalie Slater will have their say in the proceedings!


Darren Mcvitie will be hard to pass in the Veteran Men’s event, and could we see our own Chairman Alex Murdoch, victorious the Men’s band 4 competition?


If you happen to be in the area please come along and support the players. It all promises to be another feast of top class Table Tennis. Lets hope that we all Rock in Blackpool.

ETTA Article

[IWW]

I watched the match between Darius knight and Hong Ming Zhang. Darius threw his blade over the table after the 1st round because Hong Ming Zhang got a edge ball, Great sportsmanship!

[Annie]

I watched the match between Darius knight and Hong Ming Zhang. Darius threw his blade over the table after the 1st round because Hong Ming Zhang got a edge ball, Great sportsmanship!

That doesn't sound very good! It is understandable that there will be frustrations but tantrums are not acceptable! :redcard:

[Moggy]

I watched the match between Darius knight and Hong Ming Zhang. Darius threw his blade over the table after the 1st round because Hong Ming Zhang got a edge ball, Great sportsmanship!

If this happens during a match in our league, the player immediately loses that set (a set is the best of 5 games).

[Belisar]

When I first saw and spoke to Darius (which was a few years ago now) I found him flash, arrogant and quite immature.

To be fair he has improved a great deal since then in terms of peronality.

If I recall, did he not lose in a national final to Paul D because he got red carded at match point down in the final end ?

[Mr Wilko]

i think that was Drinkall who got red carded at match point down!!!!

i have to disagree belisar about Darius being arrogant, yeah he is flash and might be immature but did you ever speak to Terry Young, Alex Perry, Chris Sladden, Marco Essomba all at the same age Darius is????????

[Tinykin]

i think that was Drinkall who got red carded at match point down!!!!


Nope. It was Darius that was red carded.:redcard:
In his defence he immediately shook the umpires hand and said "fair call".

[JKC]

No doubt the punishment was less than the punishment most lesser players would have recieved.

[Belisar]

No doubt the punishment was less than the punishment most lesser players would have recieved.

Um well the red card meant that a point was awarded to Drinkhall which at 10-11 in the 5th cost Knight the match and with it the National Champs (I think it was the cadet one at the time). As a lesser player would not have got to the final he/she would therefore not have lost the final and therefore as a consequence Knight actually got a more severe punishment than most lesser players would have received.

And seriously...

If I remember Darius actually got two red cards in that match which spoilt an amazing fightback he had constructed. Paul kept asking the umpire to not give the final red card as it was a bad way to finish. The umpire said he had no choice and Darius was actually quite gentlemanly about the whole thing.

That would be a good one for a quiz at some point in time.

[MK Chris]

Red and yellow cards mean bugger all.

Our coach here is always telling the story of one of our lads in Junior British League.. he smashed the ball out of the court, which he got a warning for.. he then stuck two fingers up at the umpire, which was yellow carded and then stuck his middle finger up, which was red carded. Keith, the coach, went up to the umpire and asked what the red card means, to which the answer was basically nothing because the match had finished, so Keith banned him himself

[Belisar]

I think they get recorded and if you get enough you get some kind of time ban.

Not sure of the details though and you are right in that a red card in football would mean a ban for at least the following game - it is not the same in table tennis.

[Michael Hahn]

Unless you get something like 6 red cards within 3 months there is no ban which makes the rules against swearing pretty pointless as you will never really get punished for it

[Powerhouse]

I agree and we should either be more serious about the punishment or leave well alone. The level of bad behaviour is sometimes disgraceful, not only by the young i may add as the VETTS seem to be just as bad in some cases.

[Kev]

I watched the match between Darius knight and Hong Ming Zhang. Darius threw his blade over the table after the 1st round because Hong Ming Zhang got a edge ball, Great sportsmanship!


I don't really see the problem with this. He was upset, I would have been too! Players should be able to show their emotions (within reason). The sport would be much duller if everyone just accepted everything with a shrug of their shoulders.

[DaveR]

Well said !

Never see me losing it!

*walks slowly away*

[Werewolf]

I don't really see the problem with this. He was upset, I would have been too! Players should be able to show their emotions (within reason). The sport would be much duller if everyone just accepted everything with a shrug of their shoulders.

Especially when kids. They will grow out of it to a certain extent. I have seen kids destroyed by disapproving adults because they struggled with losing and lost there temper etc. Amazing how often the adults are worse too in their own way.

[DaveR]

You only have to look on the touch lines of the kids football matches to see the behaviour towards refferees.....leading to disrespect in later years towards officials.

[Belisar]

I think we have two different things here.

I have seen a referee warn two kids playing in a semi final to stop intimidating each other when all they were doing was yelling "come on" to themselves after a good point. There was no eye contact or clenched fist, it was loud but not directed at anyone but themselves.

If it is directed at someone else (the umpire or the opponent) then that is a different matter entirely. I do dislike some of the staring each other out we see at times.

[IWW]

I don't really see the problem with this. He was upset, I would have been too! Players should be able to show their emotions (within reason). The sport would be much duller if everyone just accepted everything with a shrug of their shoulders.
Theres nothing to be upset about. You can only get so lucky. So what if the other players win by a edge, if your better then the opponent it doesn't matter.

[DaveR]

Well said IWW ....................agree

Edges seem to upset the lower league players i have found locally, plus the fact they seem more intent on moaning about the net rather than retrieving the net which usually means you win the point !

[Tinykin]

I know that within the last couple of seasons the ETTA did come down hard on cadet/ juniors. Several top players either served a ban or were very close to it and consequently behaved themselves. I don't know if the policy still exists, but the players themselves are now much better behaved.

[Mr Wilko]

i agree with Kev's statement, he wants to win and at that kind of level you are so focused it is unreal, when you play abroad (which i have just done in Poland) they clap even nets and edges and your opponent gives it the big "CHO" which is very annoying.

You see football players every week swearing,fighting and calling there opponents and what do they get??? apart from 20-100+ grand per week............. come on these kids want to make it and do all they can so when they loose obvious they are going to get upset/annoyed (i did and still do at times)