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Match Report · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 128

Table Tennis v 120th Belfast
25/01/2009
(National Competition, Irish Quarter Final)

Knocknamuckley met 120th Belfast at home in the Quarter Final stage of the National Table tennis competition for the second year in a row. .

Each team comprises three players, each of whom play each other once, in a best of 5 set match, with a point awarded for victory in each match.

With only two tables available for play, only two games were able to take place simultaneously. Gregg Harrison and Andrew Poole were first up for Muckley. Poole was faced with Scott Magill, and the Muckley player managed to defeat his opponent 3-1 in an entertaining game. Harrison made a great start going into a 2-0 lead. Jonathan McCombe managed to take the next set, and won a tight encounter 12-10 in the fourth to take it to a decider as Harrison began to feel under pressure. McCombe, who had beaten Harrison 3-2 last year, won the final set for a great comeback victory.

Table 1 Poole 3 v 1 Magill
Table 2 Harrison 2 v 3 McCombe

1st Round 1st Knocknamuckley 1 v 1 120th Belfast

Stephen Russell got his first piece of the action next and disposed of his opposite number with a 3-0 victory. Andrew Poole continued where he'd left off in his first match and won, this time without dropping a set, who had played so well in his first game.

Table 1 Poole 3 v 0 McCombe
Table 2 Russell 3 v 0 Gregg

2nd Round 1st Knocknamuckley 3 v 1 120th Belfast

Muckley had managed to gain the advantage, and this was increased by Gregg Harrison, who bounced back following his opening defeat with a 3-0 win, taking the third set 12-10. With Knocknamuckley now firmly in control the other match up, between Stephen Russell and Magill went down to the final set, with the Belfast man coming out on top.

Table 1 Russell 2 v 3 Magill
Table 2 Harrison 3 v 0 Gregg

3rd Round 1st Knocknamuckley 4 v 2 120th Belfast

With the scores poised at 4-2 to Knocknamuckley, one win out of the final three games would win Knocknamuckley the tie. It was the ever impressive Andrew Poole who finished the game as a contest with a 3-0 win against Jonny Gregg, who only dropped one set throughout the entire tie. Stephen Russell was involved in a tight match against McCombe, but came out with the win after a final set decider.

Table 1 Poole 3 v 0 Gregg
Table 2 Russell 3 v 2 McCombe

4th Round 1st Knocknamuckley 6 v 2 120th Belfast

With the two table system, this left only one game to be completed, between Gregg Harrison and Scott Magill, and it was the Muckley man who won it, 3-1.

Table 1 Harrison 3 v 1 Magill

Final Result 1st Knocknamuckley 7 v 2 120th Belfast

So for the second year in a row it was Knocknamuckley who progressed to the semi finals at the expense of 120th Belfast. They now wait to see who they face in the semi final as they move one step closer to defending their title.

Team: Harrison, Poole, Russell.