Scotland at the 49^th World Team Table Tennis Championships - Guangzhou, China

The Scottish Team of Gavin Rumgay, Stewart Crawford and Craig Howieson, with NPC Euan Walker, set off to China to compete in the 3^rd Division of the World Team Championships (playing for positions 49 à 72). A top 2 finish in the Division would secure promotion to the second division at the next World Team Championships in 2010.

1^st Stage

A tough first round group consisting of Scotland, Algeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Armenia set the first challenge of needing a top 3 finish in the group to ensure making the promotion play-off stages. An impressive first win against Kuwait (3-1) (including a fine win for Gavin over Kuwaiti No.1 Ibrahim Al Hassan), followed by a more workmanlike victory over Armenia (3-1) ensured a good start to the competition. Then followed two narrow defeats to Saudi Arabia (2-3) and a talented Algeria team (2-3). This left a make-or-break tie against a useful UAE team, also with 2 wins & 2 losses, to determine who would progress to the promotion play-off places. A good team performance ensured a positive 3-1 result and an eventual second place in the group (thanks to a count-back).

1^st Stage Group positions :
1) Algeria, 2) Scotland, 3) Kuwait, 4) UAE, 5) Saudi Arabia, 6) Armenia

2^nd Stage

A last 16 tie against an improving South Africa was the next hurdle. 2 wins from Gavin and a hard fought and impressive victory for Craig were enough to secure a 3-1 win.

Victory over South Africa set-up a quarter-final match-up with a youthful Finland team. Things were looking bleak when we found ourselves 2-0 down after the first two singles matches, however wins firstly for Craig, and then Gavin, levelled the match at 2-2. Stewart then stepped up in the last game of the tie and secured a fine 3-0 win over Benedek to seal victory for Scotland.

Having played our “get-out-of-jail-free-card” against Finland, an improved performance would be required against a talented Estonian team if Scotland were to reach the Divisional final, and hence ensure promotion to the 2^nd division. In this regard, the team delivered in style. Stewart played as well as I have ever seen him play to give us the perfect start by defeating Estonian No.1 Vainula 3-0. Gavin then followed this up with a gritty 3-2 victory over the talented and dangerous Smirnov. Craig sealed the victory with a 3-1 win over Petrov. Thus, promotion to the 2^nd division at the next world championships had been achieved.

The final match was against Latvia, who have been a bit of a bogey team for us in recent years. We lost a competitive match 3-1, however it was a game that was finely balanced right up to the very end.

Final Placing : 50^th (out of 104)

Summary

China proved to be an excellent host for the 49^th World Team Championships. A good venue, top class hotel, plentiful supply of food, an enthusiastic crowd and courteous and helpful support staff all contributed to an excellent tournament.

The team can be rightly proud of their achievements on the table. Securing promotion from such a competitive division was never going to be an easy task. One of the main reasons for our success can be attributed to being able to win games throughout the order. All 3 players won important games throughout the championship, sharing the responsibility and reducing the burden on any one player.

Gavin led the team well, winning many of his games with good serves, forehands and solid control. Stewart improved as the championship progressed, proving himself capable of beating some of the best players in the division with good serves and powerful forehand and backhand shots. Craig had an excellent first senior championships. He looked perfectly at home in this environment, producing some good wins and looking competitive throughout. If progress can be continued, it augers well for forthcoming championships.

Despite the good performances, there are still plenty of aspects for the players to work on. Recurring themes were the importance of shot selection, particularly in terms of hunting short pushes or serves that are just drifting off the end of the table. Frequently safe pushes, or weak flicks were undertaken, instead of a more positive top-spin. Also, while it is important to try and impose your own game, it is equally important to prevent your opponent from being able to play theirs. This all comes back to shot selection. If this can be improved by all 3 players, then they can expect to compete with credit at higher levels.