Young guns set up final shoot-out

TABLE TENNIS: 

FOR the first time in memory, the Division Five final of the Oldham Table Tennis League’s Handicap Cup will be contested by two junior teams.

In what is sure to be a good advert for the sport, Uppermill ‘D’ will take on Unison ‘E’. Uppermill had a 22 points start against Owls ‘B’ and won by 60, mainly due to the 40 points gained by Jack Dunning.

Ollie Keane and Will Leslie made small losses for Uppermill, while Steve Cocker gained 24 points for Owls.

The Unison juniors overcame a 110-points handicap deficit to beat Hollinwood ‘G’ by 50. Sophie Newton gained 38 points and Dragomir Statev 33, but Alex Darlington was their star player with an amazing 77.

The Division Four contest between Unison ‘D’ and Uppermill ‘C’ saw a 22-points start to the former, who increased it to 38 when Dennis Heyes took 16 points from Mark Dunning in the first set.

By the halfway point, Unison’s lead was down to 15 points, but Steve Wild gained 17 against Stuart Hanson and Brian Eaton 15 against Philip Hall to swing the match firmly towards their team, who held on for a 39-points victory.

The other semi-final between Pollards ‘A’ and ‘B’ has not taken place.

Division One action saw Birley Moss have a 27-points start against Hollinwood ‘A’, who cut that to 13 when Barry Elliott took 14 from Kim Lee in the first set. But Birley Moss then took charge, winning by 21 points thanks to solid performances from Miles Benjamin, Naz Ahmed and Kim Lee.

Gabriel Wilding starred for Hollinwood by gaining 38 points.

Werneth ‘A’, armed with a 124-points start, won by 61 at the expense of Saddleworth ‘B’.

With just two sets remaining, the lead had been reduced to 37 points but Werneth’s Mick Pellowe gained 10 on Paul King to secure victory before the final doubles.

The Division One final will be between Birley Moss and Werneth ‘A’.