Milton Keynes Sasaki 3-7 Greenleys Kings
Wednesday 7 March 2018
| Game | Result | Score | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Horrocks lost to Nick Howard (1-3) | 15-17, 11-9, 2-11, 9-11 | 0-1 |
| 2 | Kelvin Choong lost to Guy Sparrow (1-3) | 13-15, 11-8, 6-11, 6-11 | 0-2 |
| 3 | Dan Smalley beat Jordan Moss (3-1) | 10-12, 11-4, 12-10, 11-7 | 1-2 |
| 4 | Matthew Horrocks & Dan Smalley lost to Nick Howard & Guy Sparrow (2-3) | 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 8-11, 10-12 | 1-3 |
| 5 | Kelvin Choong lost to Nick Howard (0-3) | 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 | 1-4 |
| 6 | Matthew Horrocks beat Jordan Moss (3-0) | 11-8, 11-3, 11-8 | 2-4 |
| 7 | Dan Smalley lost to Guy Sparrow (1-3) | 8-11, 8-11, 13-11, 8-11 | 2-5 |
| 8 | Kelvin Choong lost to Jordan Moss (1-3) | 11-6, 3-11, 6-11, 8-11 | 2-6 |
| 9 | Dan Smalley beat Nick Howard (3-0) | 12-10, 11-9, 12-10 | 3-6 |
| 10 | Matthew Horrocks lost to Guy Sparrow (2-3) | 9-11, 4-11, 13-11, 12-10, 7-11 | 3-7 |
| Team | Legs won | Legs average (%) | Points won | Points average (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes Sasaki | 17 | 43.59 | 358 | 47.86 |
| Greenleys Titans | 22 | 56.41 | 390 | 52.14 |
| Team | Player | Games played | Games won | Legs played | Legs won | Legs average (%) | Points played | Points won | Points average (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes Sasaki | Matthew Horrocks | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 50.00 | 236 | 115 | 48.73 |
| Milton Keynes Sasaki | Kelvin Choong | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 18.18 | 200 | 83 | 41.50 |
| Milton Keynes Sasaki | Dan Smalley | 3 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 63.64 | 222 | 116 | 52.25 |
| Greenleys Kings | Nick Howard | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 60.00 | 201 | 110 | 54.73 |
| Greenleys Kings | Guy Sparrow | 3 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 69.23 | 261 | 143 | 54.79 |
| Greenleys Kings | Jordan Wood | 3 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 36.36 | 196 | 91 | 46.43 |
| Match date | Wednesday, 7 March 2018 at 19:30 |
|---|---|
| Competition | League |
| Division | Premier Division |
| Venue | Milton Keynes Table Tennis Centre |
| Season | 2017-2018 |
| Legs played | 39 |
| Points played | 748 |
Published 07/11/2024 19:35 by David Wackrill.
Nick Howard writes ...
Sasaki falter against rampant Kings!
Having lost 11 and drew 4 of the first 15 games, this season could have ended badly for the Kings. But a surprise turn around in fortunes has meant that they have won 4 of their last 4 matches, and a victory next week will see them beat every other team in the league.
Sasaki went into the match 4 points adrift of Spinners at the top of the table, with this match in hand. A strong showing would have put them in pole position for the title, but they had to get past the dream team of Nick, Guy and Jordan.
First up was Matt Horrocks taking on Nick Howard - Matt roared into a 10-6 lead, but somehow managed to throw it away. The second set showed some strong mental stability from Matt, and he took it 11-9. That was the last bit of fortune for him though, as Nick took ends 3 and 4 comfortably to win 3-1.
Guy and Kelvin were next up, with Kelvin trying some new pimples for the evening - They didn’t bother Guy too much, and his great form continued for a 2-0 lead.
Dan didn’t have it all his own way against Jordan, with the latter pipping the first set, before Dan took the next 3.
The doubles was always going to be a close one, but the Sasaki duo of Dan and Matt caught Nick and Guy sleeping in the first 2 sets. Kings managed to pull it back to 2-2, before a very close 5th set resulted in a brilliant Kings comeback.
Nick and Kelvin was a quick affair, with Nick taking the 3 ends comfortably, whilst Kelvin was still finding his way around the pimples…….. 4-1 Kings.
Matt and Jordan were up next, and Matthew had some neat tricks up his sleeve with some exquisite back hand punches to neutralise the attack of the MK Women’s Open Champion. Sasaki clawing 1 back….. 4-2 Kings.
Dan and Guy was poised to be a juicy clash - 2 in form players, but only 1 winner.
The match didn’t live up to the hype, and Mr Sparrow continued his fight for a place in the top 8, by beating Dan 3-0, and securing the draw for Kings.
Jordan and Kelvin were next up, and Kelvin roared through the first set winning comfortably.
The next 3 saw Kelvin turn into a lob machine - Hitting some outrageous returns from the back of the table. The only problem is….. Jordan can smash probably better than anyone on show tonight.
She raced through the next 3 sets and secured a vital win for the Kings.
The grudge match was next on court - Nick vs Dan. Howard had taken the previous 3 matches, and it’s fair to say this was certainly not a classic.
3 close sets (11-9, 12-10, 11-9), but all went the way of the Sasaki captain, and he managed to claw his team up to 3 points on the night.
The best was saved for last. Matt vs Guy.
If Matt wins, they head into the final week on the same points as Spinners. If he loses…… It’s a long way back.
The first 2 sets saw Guy put on a brilliant display of looping, with Matt searching for an answer in the wrong book.
However, Matt went from the ridiculous to the sublime, and played himself back into contention with strong showings in set 3 and 4.
Set 5 was a close affair, but the superb performances of recent weeks pulled Guy through, and he takes his unbeaten run to 12, whilst brining the overall match score to 7-3 to Kings.