Garry Dodd retrieves a ball from below table level on his way to the final of the men’s singles. (Pictures by Adrian Miller, 0570855)
PHIL OGIER forgot the lines he needed to win back the men’s singles championship after he was summarily despatched by top seed Garry Dodd on Saturday night.
Ogier, who had beaten both Dodd and reigning island champion Scott Romeril on the way to winning the divisional knockout in the build-up to the championships, was defeated in four straight sets by the left-hander at the semi-final stage.
Dodd was at his best, fully concentrated as he respected the danger the six-time champion represented to his own title hopes. Dodd will meet Romeril in Saturday’s final, the champion having stamped his authority on virtually back-to-back quarter and semis.
No sooner had he overcome a dogged and determined Jez Powell than Romeril was back at the table to face the fourth seed, young Ollie Langlois.
Best-of-seven ties don’t exactly assist players in these situations but Romeril was superb and despite the hiccup of dropping the fourth set, fairly breezed past the unhappy youngster who lost his cool early on and spent too much time berating himself instead of respecting the challenge in front of him and working out how to undo a player who had run through the first three sets without batting an eyelid.
Romeril said he had no problem with the games coming so quickly.
‘I found it an advantage because I was still buzzing from beating Jez, who was playing well.
‘Ollie started playing too late.’
The shot of the match took Romeril to within two points of the final.
A superb rally forced him away from the table on his forehand, but somehow he managed to not only dig out an attacking loop but it sped like a Skud missile just over the net, clipped the end of the table and dropped out of reach of a bemused Langlois – 9-5 and match nearly over.
Overall, it was a night without shocks as the established order dominated.
In the women’s competition, champion Alice Loveridge won through to play former multi title winner Kay Chivers, who crushed old rival Dawn Morgan in four.
Perhaps Morgan, who wore a knee brace, was tired after a quarter-final against arguably the next brightest young prospect, 12-year-old Kate Stubbington.
The schoolgirl failed to wrestle a set from Morgan, but she certainly made her work hard for her points and played her part in some superb rallies which only lacked a killer finish by the junior.
Paula Le Ber also produced some terrific play to beat Becks O’Keefe and then against Loveridge, who played with over-confidence at times.
Le Ber failed to win a set but her shot-making was consistently excellent and should Loveridge move on to greater arenas, it is easy to see the 2008 fourth seed landing island titles, perhaps needing to stave off the challenge of a Stubbington.
Article posted on 28th April, 2008 - 2.29pm
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