Veterans dominate table tennis season opening

NDN Staffer

WINDHOEK, Mar. 15 – The Namibia Table Tennis Associations’ (NTTA) 1st Open table tennis event of its 2018 Season, the Season Opening Tournament, took place recently in Windhoek at the SKW.

The relatively high percentage of new & very talented young players was one of the highlights of this event. The relatively low number of overall entries, was about the only lowlight of the tournament. The tournament was professionally administrated by the NTTA’s long standing Competitions Manager, Heiko Fleidl.

Patrick Beggs, aged 16, from the DHPS Windhoek & SKW TT Club was the Junior Boys Singles and Doubles Champion with his partner, Fortune Hashoongo (HA TTC). Hashoongo was runner up in the Junior Boys Singles section. Third place was sealed by Ronaldo Schuman from Rehoboth’s Dr. Lemmer High Schools.

Alecia Aebes from Holy Cross Convent Primary School in Windhoek, won her debut u/18 Girls Singles Title defeating Vanessa-Rae Mouton from Dr. Lemmer High School in the Girls final.

Both National Ladies team members, Reese Saunderson and Kaitlyn Beukes were absent due to other school commitments.

In the Senior section, season veterans, Christa Mrozek (SKW TTC) and Rudi Saunderson (HA TTC) dominated the field and clinched the Senior Ladies and Mens Singles titles respectively. SAUNDERSON defeated another veteran, Reinolt Schurz (SKW TTC) 3-2 in a very exciting and tightly contested final, 11-9 in the final game. SCHURZ came from 2 games down to force a decider which could have gone either way.

With this victory, SAUNDERSON, moves to the top of the NTTA National Rankings, as the New No. 1.
The combination of Fleidl/Schurz (SKW TTC) continued their dominance of the Senior Doubles category defeating all doubles teams to clinch the Season Opening Title. FLEIDL made it a double, also clinching the Senior Mixed doubles title with his Ladies doubles partner, Michelle de Koker.

The evergreen veteran, Christa MROZEK (SKW TTC), added to her ever increasing and impressive list of Titles, winning the Senior ladies category after a round-robin event. Runner up was Michelle de Koker (SKW TTC). Anna Feris van Rooyen (SKW TTC) was 3rd.
Another major highlight of the Season Opening Event was the generous donation of a Table tennis board to the NTTA from the German Embassy of Namibia. A representative of the German Embassy was present to hand over the table which was in turn donated to the Dr.

Lemmer High School for their continued commitment and dedication towards Table Tennis Development in the town of Rehoboth.