Just returned home from a fantastic weekend at the Wolverhampton Grand Prix event. After my good results in the Blackpool Open last month I had obtained 688 ranking points and had been bumped up to bands 4 and 5. This tournament was much further away than I have been used to in the past with a hefty 2 hour drive requiring me to get up at a painful 5am. I reached the Aldersley Leisure Centre in good time for a quick nosey around the joint. First impressions as I entered the playing hall were great, the place was massive, a whole 30 tables to be exact, with a couple of courts spaced out to international scale.

Band 4 @ 8:45

This was my first attempt at band 4 so I wanted to start out positively to and make a good impression. This was a full group requiring me to beat at least 2 opponents to advance to the first round. The morning started well with my first win from Dave Waddington, no real issues with this player and I strolled past 3-1. My second opponent was Aaron Mckibbin, clearly a strong band 3 player also, he managed to get the upper hand beating me 3-2. He had some great serves which I had trouble receiving consistently, he mopped up any poor returns with a very consistent loop. My third opponent had also picked up a win from the weakest player so it was down to me and Andy Eagles for the runner up position. I managed to pull out my A game and kept the ball on consistently for a nail biting 3-2 victory.

After a brief pause to gather my thoughts it was on to round 1 versus Matthew Knott, he used his speed and power and control to really exploit my weaknesses, he took ended my band 4 hopes 3-0 with relative ease, I gave each point my all but the outcome felt inevitable. Overall I was pleased with my debut to the band as I count getting through my group a great personal victory.

Band 5 @ 13:00

The efforts I placed into band 4 soon became apparent as I entered into my band 5 group, I felt my energy fading and found it hard to get back into my game. My first match was against a young Alex O’Connell, a player I severely underestimated from the word go. He seemed so out of control and wobbly to a certain extent, his style was so strange and controlling. He managed to slow down my mind and my game to a massive degree, this thought me a valuable lesson about how a player can affect your game by the way they behave. I should have been stronger and powered through all the blocks and rolls. He just took the match 3-2 and I walked off confused and deflated. My second match was against a nice looping style I was much more comfortable against breezing through 3-0. The third was against Antony Constantinou, a player I had faced and lost to in the Blackpool Open earlier this year. I went into this matchup positively knowing I had nothing to loose giving it my all. He seemed to lack confidence this time around and I took advantage of this, moving the ball around the angles and blocking well. Giving maximum priority to consistency and ball placement because he seemed uncomfortable playing his usually big shots. I got through 3-0 which was another good personal boost.

Moving on to round 1 versus Steven Vasiliou and I was back into my rhythm, the backhand was going on well and I was playing some of my best table tennis. This was my first match officiated by a certified umpire so that did help towards my focus. It was a closely fought battle which involved Stevens bat snapping in two half way through the 5^th set, it just seemed to disintegrate in his hand. His dad immediately revealed a brand new bat and peeled off the protective covers, handing it over to Steven who was (thankfully) unable to have any practice with. The umpire stated the match must continue and no practice can be had with the reserve bat. As suspicious as this all seemed to me it appeared he really hadn’t used this bat before and he struggled playing his usual game for the remaining part of the game, either way I came out 3-2.

The second round I was defeated 3-1 and I felt completely drained, what reserves of energy I had were dry and it really showed me how much work I need to do on my fitness in order to survive in these tournaments. A definite note to self.

To sum up..

Overall a performance I was pleased with and a sturdy foundation for my temporary life in bands 4 and 5, hopefully with the experience I have gained from this tournament I can take on the Liverpool Open this year and push myself into bands 3 and 4. Lots of practice to do before then of course.

For a official write up of the days events please visit the ETTA website.