Fast Loopers easily retained their Division 1 table tennis title after recording easy victories over the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) and Sports & Games Spinners in their final exchanges of the Robert Earle Division at the Table Tennis Centre last Wednesday and Thursday.
Masters champion Chris Banfield upset national “A” Class champ Trevor Farley in a tense nerve-racking affair but the surprising result did nothing to deny the Loopers their second consecutive title in the club championships.
The win against BUT was enough to put the Loopers clear at the top of the standings.
But the match against Spinners, which had earlier been thought to have been awarded to the Loopers by walkover, was played and produced the type of exchanges to bring the season to a fitting climax.
In the absence of Farley, Dale Rudder led the 3-0 whipping of BUT on Wednesday, easily blanking David Harris 11-3, 11-2, 11-5.
Rashad King downed Romel Carter 11-7, 11-2, 10-12, 11-4. Aaron Barker completed the shut out by defeating Theodore Gill 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-0.
Banfield was the only Spinner who presented a challenge to Loopers, as Charles Lovell and Steve Skinner went under to Barker and King respectively in straight games.
So intense and gripping were the exchanges between Banfield and Farley that even officials and players involved in Division 2 matches on other tables could hardly resist a peek at the action.
Banfield won the first game 12-10 but dropped the next two 6-11, 8-11. A narrow 11-9 victory in the fourth set up the decisive fifth game, and Banfield, whose powerful forehand drives figured prominently in his success, held on to win the final game 12-10.
Banfield also put on a good show against Barker but the latter has been in excellent form recently and it was no surprise when he came away the winner 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5. (PH)