Finesilver heads off challenges

Tuesday evening practice sessions at Cippenham Table Tennis Club are booming right now. The reason for this is the popular weekly Grand Prix competition, a series of events in which points are awarded for finishing positions each week, with the winner the player accumulating the most points over a six week period. The eighth Grand Prix finished last week and it was the closest finish and best supported yet. A record number of thirty-six players took part and in the end it was Gerald Finesilver, the winner of the first session at the beginning of July who was never headed and declared the overall winner.

A top four emerged over the weeks and going into the last session any one of three players could still have won the series. Steve Smith knew that he had to win the final stage if he was to have any chance of the title but even so Finesilver would have to finish no higher than fourth on the night. Alan Farral could win also if he finished second or better and Finesilver was third or lower. In the end Farral’s hopes were dashed when he lost in the third-fourth play-off to Finesilver after the latter had been beaten by Smith in the semi-final and Farral had lost at the same stage to Graham Trimming. Those results confirmed Finesilver as the overall champion with the other places determined by the result of the final match between Smith and Trimming. Trimming led 8-6 in the fifth and deciding games but in the end Smith became the sixth different winner in the six weeks to clinch second spot for himself and give Farral third ahead of Trimming.

The six weekly events were won by Gerald Finesilver, Paul Elliott, Alan Farral, Paul Baker, Graham Trimming and Steve Smith.