WHEN the National Table Tennis Championships opened at the Table Tennis Centre, Nursery Drive, Bridgetown, Saturday night, Mark Dowell and Abbie “Playboy” Clarke put in the most dominant performances to cruise into the Premier League quarter-finals.
Both played their full quota of matches, emerging unbeaten as the round-robin group stage was completed in the absence of an injured Trevor Farley, one of the players heavily tipped to win the inaugural Premier League that now forms the top tier of the classified championships.
Playing in Group 2, Clarke beat Rashad King 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 and won a close contest against Shannon Doughlin 15-13, 9-11, 9-11, 16-14, 11-9.
Doughlin, playing in the National Championships for the first time in several seasons because of studies overseas, moved into the quarter-final with Clarke after toppling King 11-7, 4-11, 8-11, 16-14, 11-9.
Dowell easily won Group 3, downing Junior Evelyn 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 and Shane Norville 13-11, 11-5, 11-7.
In the absence of Farley both Bryan Matthews and Dale Rudder advanced from Group 1, with Matthews topping the group after beating Rudder 8-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-7.
Denis France failed to show, leaving Aaron Barker and Ann Reid to qualify from Group 4. Barker earned the top spot in the group, taking out Reid 11-7, 11-6, 11-5.
The National Championships will continue tomorrow night with action in the Intermediate division. The first serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (PH)
