Table tennis: February challenge |21 February 2014

Sultan wins on come back, Bristol extends win run

The 2014 table tennis season opened last weekend with the first monthly challenge competition – the February Challenge – played at the Omnisports Gym, Roche Caïman.

The men’s division one saw the return of Godfrey Sultan who missed out most of last year’s monthly challenges. It did not take long for Sultan to assert his dominance as he brushed aside all his opponents to claim his first prize of the year.
 
In the final, Sultan was pitted against last year’s male player of the year Nicholas Esther. It proved to be a more one-sided affair than expected, with Sultan winning the match 4-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8) to stop Esther from continuing his long-standing winning run. Third place went to Mick Créa.

In the women’s division one, it was female player of the year Christy Bristol who continued from where she left off last year as she extended her winning run to five in the monthly challenges.
 
Bristol was up against Laura Sinon in the final and she claimed a fairly straightforward 4-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7) win over her opponent to show that she will be tough opposition again this year. Lana Robert had to settle for third place.

Dylan Siméon managed to reclaim the boys’ division two monthly challenge title after seeing rival Mael Youpa win the previous one in December.

It was back to the usual battle this month as Siméon met Youpa in the final. Things started brightly for Youpa as he claimed an 11-9 first-set victory. But Siméon quickly regained concentration to win the next three sets 11-6, 11-8 and 11-5 to win the match 3-1 and take home his first trophy of the new year. Third position went to Philip Sham-Hong.

The girls’ division two had a new winner and she is Juliette Jupiter. She claimed the division which Kim Hoareau dominated last year.

In the final, Jupiter met Emma Bristol and it proved to be a tightly contested match. Jupiter managed to win the first two sets 11-7 and 11-9 before Bristol fought back to win the third set 12-10.

 The fourth saw both players keeping pace with each other, but in the end it was Jupiter who held on to win 15-13 and claim a 3-1 victory. Fatima Boniface finished in third place.

S. N.