Alice Loveridge blitzed the top English girl in the cadet final. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0551589)
ALICE LOVERIDGE cast off tension and any self-doubt to satisfy the expectations of the home crowd and win her first Six Nations cadet title on her home tables at the Hougue du Pommier.
It was a glorious display by the 13-year-old, who shrugged off the nerves of earlier rounds to justify her number-one seeding in an under-15 age group she will again be able to contest in 2009.
On Saturday, Loveridge lost a tight five-setter to Natalie Sawyer, England’s top player, but after a night’s sleep and a tougher than expected semi-final against Welsh girl Natasha Rees, the opportunity presented itself for revenge – and she was not going to let it go.
The Grammar School girl took the title in three sets and dropped just 15 points, eight of them in the first, to satisfy not only her own appetite for success, but that of the Guernsey Table Tennis Centre faithful and her coach, Becks O’Keefe.
‘It was an excellent performance,’ said O’Keefe, who a couple of hours earlier was concerned as to the level of pressure the player had been putting on herself,
O’Keefe considered that Sawyer’s scalp was well within Loveridge’s grasp, even though the English player had won their two previous meetings, and her star pupil duly proved it.
‘She stayed up to the table and went at the girl with her spin and drive shots,’ said a relieved O’Keefe.
At the semi-final stage Loveridge had struggled to put away Rees, who came within a whisker of forcing the match into a deciding fifth.
From 4-7 down, Loveridge hit back to win the first 12-10 and also the second, 11-8.
But Rees took the third 11-6 and a sign of Loveridge’s growing frustration came when she served off the table to trail 2-7 in the fourth.
But back she came to level at 8-8 and after a timeout at 13-12, the girl in green ultimately triumphed 15-13.
Guernsey’s other individual medal arrived via Ollie Langlois in the cadet boys’ event.
For the second straight year it was of the bronze variety but how close it came to being a silver.
Playing England’s Sean Cullen he forced a deciding fifth in which Langlois was finally undone 12-10, with the last two points being a net and an edge.
It was an unlucky end to another good weekend for Langlois.
Matt Stubbington maintained his fine form in the team competition to reach the quarter-finals of the individual and take a set off England’s Danny Lowe.
In the various plate competitions, Kate Stubbington lost the cadet final in four as she again showed good form, as did Paula Le Ber in the corresponding junior event.
She lost in four to Fiona Dennett, while Garry Dodd went one better and won the junior plate, beating Welsh lad Ceri James in straight games, 11-9, 11-8, 13-11.
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