Dayton TTC excels at the 2004 Ohio State Closed

By Bill McLaughlin - Cub Reporter, Table Tennis Dayton

COLUMBUS, Ohio - James Hamilton, George Moses and Aleksander Brodkin won 1st place finishes at the recently concluded Ohio State Closed Championships, held on Saturday, July 17 2004 at the Columbus TTC. The Dayton Table Tennis Club had a healthy contingent of players entered into numerous events. DTTC members entered included Don and James Hamilton, Aleksandr Brodkin, Manikantan Anantharaman, Daniel Draper, Danny and George Moses, and Bill McLaughlin.

James Hamilton dominated a large field of players from all over Ohio in the U2000 category. Mixing his off-the-table defense with swooping offense, he overwhelmed his opponent in the finals to take home the 1st place trophy.

George Moses II had an even better showing by being the only DTTC member to take home multiple 1st place trophies. Though the underdog in a large field of competitors, Moses was able to fight his way to the top of the heap in U1400 with his aggressive close-to-the-table block strategy, making life miserable for his hapless opponent in the final. Moses was also able to achieve 1st place in the U3500 Doubles with his partner, DTTC member Aleksander Brodkin. Brodkin's two-wing attack style meshed well with Moses' fast blocks, and the duo made short work of opponents.

James Hamilton set aside his hard-fought 1st place trophy to couple with his brother, Don, in the Open Doubles. The two have had a lifetime of experience and it showed at the table, as they took down their arch-nemeses in the semi-finals. Basking in that victory, they fought valiantly but fell short of the championship, losing in a slight upset to their unheralded opponents. "We were happy to have beat our rivals in the semi's and I think we weren't as mentally prepared as we should have been for the finals," said Don. "We didn't have our best game plan. We'll get them next year."

As the lone exclusive hardbat player in the DTTC, Bill McLaughlin came in 2nd in his lone entered event; U1900 Hardbat, to 1st place finisher Jacob Mathew. After a mix-up at the control table put the wrong two players into the finals, order was restored efficiently, and Mathew and McLaughlin squared off in a spongeless match.

McLaughlin took command of the first game, using an attacking style from both wings, forcing Mathew into his favored defensive chop posture. The attack proved to be too much, and McLaughlin took the first game at 17.

The second game saw a complete turnaround, as the attack game abandoned McLaughlin, and his shots found themelves just off the end of the table. Mathew quickly took an early lead at 7-0. As is often the case with defensive players, Mathew's game became steadier, and he found his rhythm, mixing in his defensive game with some timely attacks, and easily took the 2nd game at 10.

The bumper game continued to display the player's respective styles - attacker vs. defender, and in the end, the steady play of Mathew won the game at 17 and the U1900 Hardbat Championship. Hopefully a rematch can be accomodated, wherein McLaughlin was heard to grumble, "I'll kickyerass next time."

George Moses wasn't the only Moses who took home trophies. Danny Moses found himself the 2nd place finisher in the U1000 category. Using a two-wing attack, and viciously slapping from the forehand side, Danny nearly toppled his astonished foe. However a couple of errant shots proved to be too much to overcome, and the victory slipped just out of his grasp.

Dan Draper made an excellent showing in the highly contested U1400 category. Using a unique style that has garnered national attention and has been christened the "Draper Drive", Draper's unique backhand sliced and diced opponents like gerbils in a blender. However he met his match in the Quarter Finals when a drop of sweat flew into his eye causing him to whiff at a strategic point. Draper swore to use a headband "next time".

Kudos to the Dayton Table Tennis Club for it's fine showing at the 2004 Ohio State Closed Table Tennis Championships.

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