Gavin Rumgay
Gavin Rumgay, the 3 times Scottish National Champion, helped Barrow get to the British League Play-Offs during the 2008/2009 season. Had Gavin been present for the Play-Offs, he was representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Table Championships in Glasgow, it is likely Barrow I would have been promoted that season.
In the 2009/2010 season, with the promise of British League Premiership table tennis, the entertaining Scot signed for Sycamore. Playing in the number 1 position, Gavin only lost one match during the whole season which goes to show what an important acquisition he is for Barrow.
On the signing of four times Men’s Open Grand Prix Champion Gavin Rumgay, Barrow Team Manager Tristran Swan said, “Gavin always said he’d come back to us if we won promotion and for him to do so shows his commitment to the Club”. Talking about Gavin, Tristran went on to say, “Gavin exemplifies everything Barrow stands for. He always gives a 110% and must be the hardest working player in Britain. What is more, he is an exciting and entertaining player. I very much see Gavin as been a Captain figure, someone who will lead by example”.
Looking forward to the season ahead Gavin said, “We (Barrow I) have a great chance to be winners or runners-up in the British League Premier Division. We (Barrow I) have the strongest team, the most entertaining and one of the fastest improving sides in World table tennis, which all bode well for big success in 2010/2011 season”. Gavin went on to pledge, “I will give my absolute best on the table and on the bench for this great team… Possibly some funny moments and entertainment”.
You can find out more about Gavin Rumgay on his player profile – Gavin Rumgay’s Player Profile.
Barrow I British League Premier Division Fixtures
Southall
UB1 1DP
Southall
UB1 1DP
Old Harlow
CM17 0EY
Old Harlow
CM17 0EY
Widnes
WA8 7DZ
Middlesborough
TS3 8PB
Middlesborough
TS3 8PB
Barrow II British League Division 2 North Fixtures
Accrington
BB5 4EP
Accrington
BB5 4EP
Sheffield
S9 5DA
Sheffield
S9 5DA
Widnes
WA8 7DZ
Draycott
DE72 3NJ
Draycott
DE72 3NJ
England Man Scott Crawford
Two young Furness table tennis stars grabbed the chance to play for England with vigour at the Schools International 2010.
Former Dowdales pupil Scott Crawford and current pupil Emily Bolton showed their worth at the event in Limerick, Ireland.
Taking on teams from the rest of the UK and Ireland, Scott came away with a gold medal from the team event and a bronze in the singles at under-18s level.
Emily, meanwhile, was playing her first international tournament at the age of 12, coming up against opponents up to two years her senior in the under-14s event.
She also came home with a medal, taking a bronze in the team event, having been eliminated from the individual competition at the quarter-final stage.
Playing at the National Arena, at the University of Limerick, Crawford teamed up to great effect with fellow Bristol Academy of Sport student Tom Maynard in the team event to make up England A.
The format of the competition saw both team members play singles matches and then team up for a doubles contest.
They came through a tough final against favourites and hosts Ireland 3-1 to claim the crown.
In the individuals, Scott won bronze, losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Paul McCreery, from Ireland.
The medal haul for Scott followed two silvers for his elder brother Jonathan at the same event six years ago.
Dad Duncan, a coach at the Barrow Table Tennis Centre, where both Scott and Emily have honed their skills, said: “It’s fantastic. The whole family went to watch and it was a really fantastic weekend.
“They played really well together in the doubles, they beat Ireland 3-1 together, which was a good result.
“It’s another gold medal for Barrow, and isn’t that fantastic?”
Emily came up against players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and Jersey in the team competition.
Her team were knocked out in the semi-finals to earn her a bronze medal, while she reached the last-eight of the individual event.
On Emily, Duncan said: “She played under-14s and she’s only 12.
“Every player at that tournament will have been ranked above, so for her to be picked is great.
“We are all chuffed to bits that she was selected to take part and she will certainly go on to play for England again. With the right guidance she will definitely keep performing at this level.”
Last year’s Barrow Junior Sportsperson of the Year Emily – who is coached by former Parkview pupil Tristran Swan at Barrow Table Tennis Centre, as well as ex-England coach Denis Neale – has also been selected to play for the North West of England in the UK School Games in Sunderland at the start of September.
She impressed while playing in the National Championships in Doncaster in the under-12s, under-13s and under-14s events, and has had trials to represent England in the Euro Mini Championship later this year in France.
As of yet the team has not been selected.
A magnificent seven Furness table tennis players took on the best the country had to offer at the English Schools Individual Championships in Doncaster.
Under-13s Cumbria table tennis champion Emily Bolton (left) and runner-up Caitlyn Walker (right)
Ranked number five nationally in her age group, but playing against opponents from the next age range up, Emily began with wins against Kent’s Yumeng Li and Leicestshire’s Vanessa Wilson.
Her final group game saw her against Maria Tsapitsinos, from Berkshire, who is ranked one place higher nationally.
As expected, it was a very close match which went to a fifth game, which Emily just lost.
The Askam youngster still progressed to the knockout stages, but this early defeat made her route more difficult.
In her first knockout match, opponent Lea Dickinson, from Nottingham – ranked one place below Emily – came to the table in great form and was soon 2-0 ahead.
Emily took the third end and in the fourth found her best attacking form to bring what had seemed an unlikely win in the fifth.
This put her into the quarter-finals, where she met Sussex’s Emma Torkington, seeded two and ranked 15 places above Emily at cadet level.
The Dowdales pupil played good attacking points but her opponent produced quick counter-hits and ran out an 11-8, 11-9, 11-8 winner.
The results bode well for Emily next year, when she will be one of the more senior players in this age category.
One of the surprise performances of the day came from a present Askam player.
Katie Sedgwick had not even made it into the Askam Village School side for the team event before Christmas, but was now at the national finals after several months of dedicated practice resulting in her improvement.
In her opening match she went down 3-1 against Cambridgeshire’s Abbie Stacey.
Next up was the impressive Tin Tin Ho, already ranked in the top 10 at under-18s level while still at primary school. Katie played well and won several points with shots past her illustrious opponent.
With two matches played, Katie settled down and began enjoying the event, playing some of her best table tennis. With consistent returning, she defeated Northants player Ellie Soloman 3-0 and finished with a flourish against Kay Wong, from Shropshire, also 3-0.
Katie has another year at this age group and, having won more games than she lost at this year’s event, shows much promise.
A second member of the Sedgwick family, Katie’s older sister Eleanor, represented Cumbria in the under-16s girls and was one of several county players having their first taste of a major event.
She played extremely well and had a very good match against number six national junior Yolanda King, of Sussex.
This should inspire the Dowdales pupil to continue playing and aim for a return with her sister next year.
Another young player who has made good progress this year is Ben O’Flynn.
This was also his first experience of a big tournament and he discovered that once he was in the rallies he was a match for any of his group opponents, winning some impressive top spin points.
He won several ends and his closest match came against William Pearson, from Staffordshire. The St Columba’s youngster won the first game but narrowly lost the second. He was losing 10-8 in the next but fought back and took the game. He then had a chance of victory when the fourth went to deuce, losing 12-10. The decider was also close but went to his opponent, 11-8.
Under-13s Cumbria county winner Anton Vacca
He was an organiser’s nightmare as he was involved in some of the longest tussles in his group.
He played well against the England number three cadet Helshan Weerasinghe, from Kent. Three of his other matches went to deciding sets and his clever mix of tight consistent push play and sharp counter hits upset all his opponents.
He deserved to come away with a win, but will definitely have gained vital experience at this level.
In the under-16s boys, Furness Academy pupil Ryan Smith is probably the most improved player over the past 12 months in the area. He began confidently, defeating Joel Myers, from Cornwall, and followed up with a closely-fought match against Matthew Mccormick, from Cheshire.
He was only a few points away against highly-ranked Jjunior opponent Liam McTiernan, from Berkshire.
The final Cumbria player to take the table was Matthew Bruce, of Barrow Sixth Form, in the under-19s.
His event included four of the top 10 juniors nationally, so progress beyond the group was always going to be difficult.
There was another Barrow connection in the event, with Michael Griffiths representing Devon.
His grandparents live on Walney and his aunt, who was there supporting, is Karen Griffiths, head of PE at St Bernard’s.
Bruce could be happy with his win against Alan Caffery, of Warwickshire, and some close encounters in his other four matches.
All seven Furness players were a credit to Cumbria and showed why they are county champions.
They gained those honours at an event which saw 46 competitors from across Cumbria going head-to-head at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School.
Ryan Smith and Matthew Bruce met in the under-19s final, which produced some fast spin attack rallies.
It was Furness Academy pupil Ryan who dominated, taking the title with a straight games win.
He would also take the under-16s crown with a victory over James Turner, of Millom, in the final.
In the under-13s boys, all four of the St Bernard’s national finalists team were playing, together with Matthew Coverdale and Jack Walker, from Dowdales.
Anton Vacca and Brendan Trainer made the final, the former winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 to take the title.
There were a group of young players in contention for the boys under-11s title, with four Year 4 players among the best on show.
It was one of these young players who caused the biggest upset in the group stages, as Max Webster, from Storth School, upstaged older brother Elliot in three straight games to finish top of his group.
The second group had a top-three finish of St Columba’s players.
Finlay Edwards finished third, with James Lashmar taking second spot – the only player to take a game against Ben O’Flynn – who topped the group.
Max and Ben made the final. It was the Walney youngster who began in confident style, keeping the points going with top spin shots from both wings as he looked to find the opening for winning hits.
He took the title, completing a clean sweep in the boys events for Barrow players, in straight games.
The girls under-11s was one of the closest events for several years.
Although all the matches played were won in straight games, three of the four players managed to win against each other.
Under-11s Cumbria champion Katie Sedgwick (right) and runner-up Caitlyn Walker (left)
In the last match of the group, Tara defeated Caitlyn.
This meant that the organisers needed a calculator to total up the points won and lost.
With each player having played about 100 points it came down to a one-point difference in favour of Katie, making her the girls under-11s champion.
In the final event, Emily Bolton took the under-13s girls title when she beat young Dane Ghyll player Caitlyn Walker.
FULL CUMBRIA SCHOOLS ROLL OF HONOUR
Boys Under-19s Champion: Ryan Smith (Furness Academy). Runner-up: Matthew Bruce (Barrow Sixth Form).
Boys Under-16s Champion: Ryan Smith (Furness Academy). Runner-up: James Turner (Millom School).
Boys Under-16s Champion: Anton Vacca (St Bernard’s). Runner-up: Brendan Trainor (St Bernard’s)
Boys Under-11s Champion: Ben O’Flynn (St Columba’s). Runner-up: Max Webster (Storth School)
Girls Under-13s Champion: Emily Bolton (Dowdales). Runner-up: Caitlyn Walker (Dane Ghyll)
Girls Under-11s Champion: Katie Sedgwick (Askam). Runner-up: Caitlyn Walker (Dane Ghyll).
Scott Crawford
The talented 18-year-old has been picked in the England Schools Under-18s team for the Schools International 2010 tournament in Ireland.
He will take on players from teams from across the UK in the event, held at the Irish National Arena, in Limerick, between June 25 and 27.
The selection means Scott becomes the third of the Crawford siblings to be selected to represent England at table tennis, with elder brother Jonathan playing for them at under-16s level and sister Helen at under-14s.
Proud dad Duncan, himself a coach at the Barrow Table Tennis Centre and manager of the Barrow team – including Scott – that recently won promotion to the British League Premier Division, said it was a great feat for his youngest son to be selected.
“We are as proud as punch,” he said. “I’m sure when people who know Scott from the table tennis centre in Barrow, find out, they will be proud as well. All three of them have played for England now – I’ve got the hat-trick now and I can down tools!
“Scott really deserves this. He’s the youngest of the three and he is fighting all the time to keep up with numbers one and two. He thinks number one and two get a better deal all the time – and they don’t – and he has fought all the time.
“I’m sure he will overtake Jonathan. He hasn’t at the moment, Jonathan is in the top 50 in the country, but Scott Crawford will carry on improving and getting better.”
To progress his game, former Dowdales pupil Scott Crawford lives with brother Jonathan in Bristol, where he is studying for his A-Levels at the Bristol Academy of Sport at Filton College. The college is a renowned hotbed for table tennis talent, with those admitted having to be in the top 30 in their age group.
He trains twice a day at the college, as well as working in the gym, and Scott has benefited from playing alongside Croatian number two Jakov Krivić – also a part of the promotion-winning Barrow team – who has been brought in as a practice partner.
“He’s practising with him and Jakov has brought Scott’s game on by a mile,” added dad Duncan.
As well as playing for Barrow, Scott also turns out for Filton in the Bristol League and was part of their side which has won the English Schools title for the last two years.
His recent performances have seen him beat England senior number 12 player Will Maybanks – a professional in Hungary – and take a game off Great Britain number one Gavin Rumgay at the Wolverhampton Grand Prix, who went on to win the tournament overall.
These achievements have seen him ranked 89th in the senior rankings, while he is 15th in the under-18s – a standing which would be higher had he played more under-18s tournaments rather than senior competitions. Straight after the tournament in Ireland, Scott will head to Croatia with the rest of the Barrow team – hopefully including new recruit Rumgay – to train with Krivic in preparation for their outings in the British Premier League.
Duncan added: “If he gets in the top 20 players, he will probably look at a semi-professional career with a team abroad on a small salary.”
Christine Crawford, Forever in our Hearts
Christine’s kind, unselfish, warm, mothering and joyful nature was bestowed on many table tennis players, particularly those that visited Duncan and Christine’s open house in Dalton or stayed at their boys’ Bristol home. Christine probably didn’t realise the effect she had on people, but this was very evident yesterday as table tennis players travelled from around the country to pay their respect.
Rest in peace Christine, you’ll be greatly missed.
Barrow Table Tennis Club British League Play-Off Team 2010 (from left to right: Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Scott Crawford and Jakov Krivić)
Barrow (Jakov Krivić, Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford and Scott Crawford) are the 2010 British League Play-Off Champions. They excelled at Cippenham Table Tennis Club in May, by winning four of their matches and drawing with closest rivals Fusion who are also promoted to the British League Premier Division.
Barrow’s campaign began with a 5-3 victory over TTK Greenhouse. Predictably Gareth Herbert caused them the most problems and he beat both world-ranked Croatian player Jakov Krivić and Bradley Evans, 3-1whilst Jide Owolabi also impressed. Jide beat Scott Crawford 11-7, 13-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-5. Jonathan Crawford’s two victories over Fatlum Sadiku and Chris Lewis ensured that Barrow got off to a winning start.
Barrow were able to build on this by beating ELGRE Nottingham 7-1 in round two. England no. six Veteran Chris Rogers scored a fine win over Bradley Evans, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5 although he found all-action Jakov Krivić a trickier proposition. Krivić never looked in trouble winning 11-4, 11-1, 7-11, 11-5.
The two sides with unbeaten records came face to face in round three and it looked as if Fusion might take both points when they surged into a 4-2 lead. Former Olympian Sule Olaleye played his part by beating Jakov Krivić after all had looked lost when he trailed 9-7 in the fifth end. Sule kept his nerve superbly to win 10-12, 11-2, 14-12, 4-11, 11-9 and Fusion’s Mark Smith scored his second win by beating Bradley Evans, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6. It was left to brothers Jonathan and Scott Crawford to keep Barrow’s hopes alive. And didn’t they play well. England no. 59 Jonathan scored a magnificent 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 victory over England no. 42 Tommy Cutler and England no. 109 Scott managed to repel the challenge of a pumped up John Dennison 11-7, 7-11, 23-21, 11-7 after a truly spell-binding encounter.
Barrow now had the bit between their teeth and they did well to beat third- placed Pavilion Brighton 6-2 in round four, killing off any hopes Brighton had of gaining promotion. Jakov Krivić and Jonathan Crawford were both undefeated, with Jonathan’s quick-fire victory over Ashley Stokes (11-5, 11-7, 11-9) standing out. This match also unearthed another player to look out for. 16 year old Da Shuai “Dash” Zhang looks way under-ranked as England no. 88 and he scored two fine five game wins over Scott Crawford and Bradley Evans,.
Going into the last round of matches Fusion and Barrow were tied on seven points and 22 games won. It really could not have been closer. Four players went into the last round with 100 % records – Fusion’s Sule Olaleye and Mark Smith, Barrow’s Jonathan Crawford and TTK Greenhouse’s Gareth Herbert. Who would hold onto their undefeated records ?. Hands up if you would have said Gareth Herbert ! . It didn’t work out that way. Fusion looked as if they might be in the ascendancy when rally player supreme Tommy Cutler, playing with his customer composure and returning Gareth’s serves superbly beat the former England no. two 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8 to give themselves a 2-0 lead. But, Gareth fought back to beat Sule 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4 and TTK’s Jide Owolabi scored a fine 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 victory over John Dennison which left Fusion as 6-2 winners. Mark Smith retained his 100 % record by beating both Fatlum Sadiku and Chris Lewis. He powered his way past Chris Lewis 11-5, 11-5, 11-8.
Barrow turned in an even better performance and they beat OLOP Impact 8-0. All four Barrow players played their part. Jakov Krivić made it eight wins out of ten for the weekend by beating both Chris Bush and David Barr 3-0 whilst Bradley Evans, had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Hari Gehlot 11- 7, 13-11, 7-11, 10-12, 12-10. Jonathan Crawford retained his 100 % record with 3-0 wins over Liam McTiernan and Chris Bush and Scott Crawford was equally impressive, beating both McTiernan and Hari Gehlot 3-0. Barrow took the title by virtue of having won two more games than their South London rivals – a magnificent performance.
Stiga, Barrow Table Tennis Club British League Kit Sponsor
Barrow Table Tennis Club is pleased and proud to announce a new kit sponsorship for next seasons British League Teams.
The Barrow British League Teams are to be sponsored by the global and world renowned Swedish-based table tennis manufacturer Stiga. Stiga, has been a world leader and innovator in the sport of table tennis for over 60 years. Using the finest materials and maintaining the highest of standards, Stiga is particularly renowned for its blades – regarded as the world’s best.
Thornton's Sport and Leisure, Barrow Table Tennis Club British League Kit Sponsor
Stiga’s sponsorship is in coordination with Stiga’s UK distributor Thornton’s Sport and Leisure. Thornton’s Sport and Leisure has a long history of supporting table tennis in the Barrow area. At the grass roots level, the table tennis retailer supports St Columba’s Primary School, recent England Schools finalists St Bernard’s Secondary School as well as sponsoring England Girls U12 No. 2 Emily Bolton and top Junior and Barrow British League player Scott Crawford. Further up the chain, Thornton’s Sport and Leisure has sponsored the Barrow Super League from its inception. The Barrow Super League features Cumbria’s best table tennis players as well as Barrow Table Tennis Club coach and former England International Denis Neale.
Further Information about Stiga:
STIGA Sports AB, a global company with partners in over 100 countries, has been a world leader in the sport of table tennis for over 60 years. For more than half a century STIGA blades have been world renowned as the best. During this time, STIGA has continued to reinforce its position as the innovative leader in table tennis blade production.
STIGA has done this by starting with the finest raw materials, maintaining the highest standard of quality, and by continuously investing in research and development of new blades and new manufacturing technologies.
Throughout the years that STIGA has been manufacturing table tennis blades, our company has accumulated an enormous amount of skill, expertise and knowledge. Through our close cooperation with several world class players and coaches, STIGA has always identified players evolving needs. With our years of experience, STIGA’s wood technicians have always been able to produce blades to meet these needs.
In the past few years alone, STIGA has introduced many new blade technologies:WRB, CR, Oversize, 13 layer Carbo,TUBE, Crystal, Nano Composite Technology etc.
The proficiency of STIGA’s R & D department, combined with state of the art manufacturing procedures, makes it possible for STIGA to constantly provide new, innovative and
unsurpassed products. The combination of the finest wood and craftsmanship make STIGA’s blades the best that nature can offer.
Tristran Swan, Barrow Table Tennis Club player/incoming team manager, discusses Barrow’s promotion to the British League Premier Division with BBC Radio Cumbria’s Andy Wood.
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Barrow Table Tennis Club British League Play-Off Team 2010 (from left to right: Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Scott Crawford and Jakov Krivić)
This past weekend (8th and 9th May 2010) Barrow played in the British League play-offs at Cippenham Table Tennis Centre, Berkshire. The award for the top two teams in the round-robin event would be a place in the coveted British League Premier Division where the top 8 British table tennis teams compete.
Like every other sports team going into a major event, Barrow had analysed the opposition and identified the dangers. On paper, it looked like three teams would be vying for the two places available: Fusion, Pavilion Brighton and Barrow (in that order).
On the Saturday, Barrow played three teams: TTK Greenhouse (London), Elgre Nottingham and Fusion (London).
On the Sunday, Barrow would play two teams: Pavilion Brighton and OLOP Impact (Reading).
Barrow I vs TTK Greenhouse I
Despite not making it onto Barrow’s pre-drawn list of threats, with England number 12 playing for them, TTK Greenhouse weren’t going to be a pushover. Indeed, Barrow knew they had a fight on their hands as they went 3-2 down.
As expected, two of TTK Greenhouse’s wins came from Herbert, the former England Number 2 who was once considered to be blessed with the ‘best serves in the world’. He beat, or should that be ‘served off’, Barrow players Jakov Krivić and Bradley Evans. TTK Greenhouse’s other win came in the form of a five-set thriller with Jide Owalabi edging out Barrow player Scott Crawford. For Barrow, the wins came from Krivić over Chris Lewis and Jonathan Crawford over Fatium Sadiku.
The next three games were straight-forward three-set affairs all going Barrow’s way. Jonathan Crawford comfortably beat Lewis to level the score. He was backed up by Evans who beat Owalabi and younger brother Scott Crawford who beat Sadiku.
Given the strength of TTK Greenhouse’s number 1 Gareth Herbert, in Barrow’s eyes this was a satisfactory result and a solid start. Each Barrow team member, without exception, played well and showed good form.
Final Score: Barrow I 5 – 3 TTK Greenhouse I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (1), Bradley Evans (1), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (1)
TTK Greenhouse I: Gareth Herbert (2), Chris Lewis (0), Jide Owalabi (1), Fatium Sadiku (0)
Barrow I vs Elgre Nottingham I
Elgre Nottingham are well known to Barrow as they are the other team from Division 1 North to make the play-offs. Indeed, they finished above Barrow. However, with world ranked Croatian Krivić on display for Barrow, Elgre Nottingham were more of a ‘banana skin’ than a real threat.
Thankfully, this ‘banana skin’ didn’t find its way under Barrow’s feet as they won comfortably 7-1. Jonathan Crawford maintained his 100% record beating Sophie Neil and David Arrowsmith. Krivić beat Arrowsmith and Chris Rogers while Scott Crawford beat Sophie Neil and Emma Vickers – a player who had been a thorn in Barrow’s side in the two teams’ last encounter. Evans on the other hand had mixed fortunes as he suffered a five-set defeat to Rogers, but beat Vickers.
Barrow’s 7-1 victory over Elgre Nottingham was deserved and pushed them to joined first place with Fusion, the team they were to face next.
Final Score: Barrow I 7 – 1 Elgre Nottingham I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (2), Bradley Evans (1), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (2)
Elgre Nottingham I: Chris Rogers (1), David Arrowsmith (0), Emma Vickers (1), Sophie Neil (0)
Barrow I vs Fusion I
This was a big match for Barrow; any points picked up would be a big bonus and put the team on track for a dream British League Premier Division place.
The danger presented by Fusion doesn’t lie with any one individual, but the strength and depth of the team. That said, the team does boast former Olympian and Nigerian International Sule Olaleye as its number 1.
The first match saw Evans line up against Olaleye, but despite Evans just losing the first set in deuce game 11, Olaleye was just too strong taking the next two sets comfortably.
For the next few games Barrow were always playing catch-up. Firstly Krivić comfortably beat Tom Cutler before Mark Smith beat Scott Crawford in an intense match to give Fusion the lead once more. Jonathan Crawford then beat John Dennison to draw the match 2-2 at the halfway point.
In a truly world class match that caught the attention and imagination of everyone in the room, Krivić faced Olaleye. After some incredible off-the-table attacking rallies interspersed with delicate touch play, it looked like Krivić was going to take the match as he led 9-7 in the deciding fifth set. However, Olaleye managed to tighten his game over the last crucial points and used his immense experience to edge out Krivić and sneak a win.
Fusion’s ever dependable Smith then went on to beat Evans to give Fusion a 4-2 lead with 2 games remaining.
It was now up to the two Crawford brother’s backed up by former England Team Coach Denis Neale and travelling supporters to pull something out of the bag and gain Barrow a valuable point. On the Barrow supporters side things were tense, but on the Fusion side there was an air of contemplation.
First up England number 59 Jonathan Crawford played superbly to beat England number 42 Tom Cutler. Jonathan then passed on the baton to younger brother Scott Crawford who faced Dennison.
The first set went Scott Crawford’s way as he won game 7. This was then matched by Dennison to bring the match to 1 set apiece.
The next set was to be decisive. It was a marathon containing long attacking rallies as both players chased the ball and gave nothing away. At crucial points both players used their time-outs before the set was eventually settled 23-21 in the favour of Barrow player Scott Crawford.
Dennison found it hard to recover from the disappointment of losing the set and Scott Crawford went on to win the match taking the fourth set game 7, thus earning Barrow a valuable draw.
Going into the match, Barrow would have been delighted with a draw. However, as is so often the case, after achieving what would have been a dream result you can’t help look back and think what could have been had Krivić managed to finish off Olaleye.
At the end of day 1, Barrow had won 2 and drawn 1 against Fusion, the team they shared the top spot with in the play-off table. On top of that, Jonathan Crawford had managed to maintain a 100% record.
Final Score: Barrow I 4 – 4 Fusion I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (1), Bradley Evans (0), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (1)
Fusion I: Sule Olaleye (2), Tom Cutler (0), Mark Smith (2), John Dennison (0)
Barrow I vs Pavilion Brighton I
Beating Pavilion Brighton would guarantee Barrow promotion to the British League Premier Division with one game to spare. Barrow approached the game with respect for Pavilion Brighton and knew it would take a good performance by everyone to dispose of them.
Best Shot of the British League Play-Offs
The match started out like a dream for Barrow as they stormed ahead to a 3-0 lead. Krivić easily beat Ashley Stokes, Evans easily beat Hans Pillards finishing off with what has to be the shot of the weekend and Jonathan Crawford scraped through against Eli Baraty. Scott Crawford then lost a hugely entertaining match against fellow junior Da Shuai Zhang to leave the match 3-1 to Barrow at the halfway mark.
Going into the second half of the match Barrow were brimming with confidence, whilst with the exception of Zhang, Pavilion Brighton looked to have lost confidence and fight.
Krivić took the next game comfortably beating Pillards to guarantee Barrow at least a draw. However, to guarantee promotion, Barrow needed one more win.
Barrow didn’t have to wait long as Jonathan Crawford continued his unbeaten run beating Stokes. Evans then lost to inform Zhang before Scott Crawford beat Baraty to earn Barrow a 6-2 victory and a place in the British League Premier Division.
After 4 games, Barrow alongside Fusion had gained promotion to the British League Premier Division. However, with both teams tied on seven points and twenty two games won, there was still the honour of been champions to fight for.
Final Score: Barrow I 6 – 2 Pavilion Brighton I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (2), Bradley Evans (1), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (1)
Fusion I: Hans Pillards (0), Ashley Stokes (0), Da Shuai Zhang (2), Eli Baraty (0)
Barrow I vs OLOP Impact I
Barrow, buoyed by the morning’s performance wanted to finish the weekend on a high and win the competition out right. As Barrow were on equal points and game difference with Fusion, this meant trying to beat OLOP Impact (who sat at the foot of the table) by as big a margin as possible. At the same time, Barrow had to rely on Gareth Herbert’s TTK Greenhouse to inflict some damage on Fusion.
Maintaining the morning’s momentum, Barrow were fast out of the blocks. They steam rolled a startled OLOP Impact taking the match score to 4-0 at the halfway mark. Evans beat David Barr, Krivić beat Chris Bush, Scott Crawford beat Hari Gehlot and Jonathan Crawford beat Liam McTiernan.
Meanwhile, on the other table, Fusion had dropped a game against TTK Greenhouse, but still held a convincing 3-1 lead.
It would be nice to be able to write that there was a dramatic conclusion as to who the winners of the British League Play-Offs would be, but Barrow were simply coasting. The next four games went the same as the first four and with the exception of Brad’s very tired victory over Gehlot, each victory was easily obtained. Krivić comfortably beat Barr, Jonathan Crawford finished the weekend with a 100% record easily beating Bush and Scott Crawford proved that he could hold his own at this level by beating McTiernan.
With the final score 8–0 to Barrow and Fusion only beating TTK Greenhouse 6–2, Barrow had not only gained promotion to the British Premier League, but had done so in style by been crowned the 2010 British League Play-Off Champions. This is truly a great result and arguably the best result of any Cumbrian table tennis team ever!
Final Score: Barrow I 8 – 0 OLOP Impact I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (2), Bradley Evans (2), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (2)
Fusion I: David Barr (0), Chris Bush (0), Hari Gehlot (0), Liam McTiernan (0)
