Through to last 16 of Nottingham Cup (handicap)

Through to last 16 of Derby Cup (handicap)

Still joint top of Derby Division 1, not sure who is technically top with game difference. Playing one of the 2 other teams who are joint top in 2 weeks time. My average is P15 W 14.

Nottingham our team has dropped down to around 5th, as we haven't played our stronger players week in week out. I've not played another Notts match since week 1 of the season.

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying Derby 1st division, it is a step up from last season, but whilst I'm winning games, its not showing me to the best of my ability, and I want some tougher games. I almost lost a game last night, I was 2-0 down. I expected an easy win after beating their two other players 3-0. I really had to turn on another gear to win. The fact is the guy wasn't a bad player, and I needed more intensity to win. I just wish I could be playing at this intensity every game, its the only way I'm going to improve. It's hard to play intense when you know that your opening loop isn't going to get returned. It's becoming clear that there is a big divide between the top 4 teams in the division and the rest.

Having said that, next round in Nottingham cup should be good. My handicap has been moved from a 'P' to an 'N'. I'm always working towards next season and this would currently put me at around 50-60% div1, if you have any respect for the handicaps! We have been drawn against a lower 1st division side, and my handicap is above all their players meaning they will get something like a 4/6 start (to 21) against me. I only enjoy handicap because I get to play new players, moving through the rounds is always fun, but I'm not too fussed. However, its a competition, and naturally, I want to win.

Recently have really been struggling with mid height kill shots. I think some multiball is in order. It's the kind of shot that if I hit, gives me confidence, and if you miss, it knocks me. Need to sort it. Just the balls that are mid table distance from net and say about 2ft from table surface at a guess. I reckon I missed about 20ish last night. Obviously there are positives in this, I still won my games, and I'm obviously creating the opportunities, but just haven't got the finishing.

Not so bad though, we won 7-3 as a team, so maximum points for the team.

Even so, have to get the excuses out the way first. The match was on Wednesday this week, mid-session Sunday I started feeling not too good. Thought I had a cold coming on, but continued to feel under the weather upto Wednesday. We have a new signing for the team, so I was tempted to ring and ask if he wanted to play. However, I had been really looking forward to the match, and felt as if I could still get through it fine. I knew the other team were strong, particularly their 1st player who was the only other person other than me on 100% in the league. I was in that grey area between playing and not playing; I'm sure we've all been in that area of uncertainty before. I knew we'd win anyway even if I lost to their 1st player, so I decided to play.

Anyway, their 1st player didn't turn up. They played probably their weakest side. Two ladies who were on <50% averages and a guy I had played before (lost to in 5 2 years ago).

I ended up losing against their 1st (on the night) player in 4 who I lost to 2 years ago in 5. I won the other 2 both in 3. Never felt comfortable all night, didn't feel like my eyes were in my head. Rallies weren't happening, shot choice was poor, lots of top edges flying everywhere. I won the 1st end something like 11 -3or4. Got over confident after that and was over hitting and tensing up. It was sloppy from my perspective, although from his perspective, based on how he saw me playing on the day, he played a good game.

Personally I'm pretty gutted, but at the same time happy to get my 1st loss out the way. The guy is a good player after all! We won as a team and that's the important thing. If the team had lost or drawn, Id have really felt a let down. Really got my sights set on winning promotion as a team and not just being moved up because I'm fortunate enough to be at a club that has enough teams to make it possible for me to move.

Few things I'm aware of now:

• It's cold now - remember to keep my bat warm as well as myself. In warm up it was fine (came strange out my bag) I left it out in between my 1st and 2nd (when I lost) games and it did play differently.
• Never assume I've easily won after an easily first game. My heavy spun balls take some getting used to, good players will adapt and get better at returning them as the game goes on. In this case, I'd assumed too early that he couldn't handle them.
• Don't get overconfident at putting away balls. First game had been all about getting my first spun ball in, loose return, put away. Next games, I just wasn't putting the ball away, miss-timing all over the place.

I'm certainly not making excuses for my loss. I'm always one to try and encourage the 'whoever plays better on the day' thought process. I'm just always trying to pick up on things I can improve on. He was the better player on the day, and whilst he forced errors from me, its important that from my perspective I look at things realistically based on how I know I can improve.

To stay on 100% would get boring anyway - I can look forward to an exciting return game now!

Tonight saw me play 2 matches:

The first match was a rearranged 1st round cup (handicap) game against a Div 3 side. In Derby cup, every player has a number rating (multiple of 9), mine being 36. Most players in my division are 36/45's with a couple of 27's. Always look forward to playing the 27's, beat one of them last week 3-1, she wasn't as good as I expected her to be. So the oppositions handicaps were all 63/72's. Each teach also has a doubles rating, I don't know how this is calculated. So as an example, it goes something like this. This is a similar example to how it was tonight:

Player A - 36
Player B - 36
Player C - 45
Doubles - 13
Home total :  130

Player X - 63
Player Y - 63
Player Z - 63
Doubles - 21
Away total: 210

The game is structured as normal, 9 singles, 1 doubles. However, each match is 3 games straight. So you play 3 ends against each opposition player, no matter what the score, just 3 ends, simple. These ends are all played from 0-0. At the end of the match you add up all the POINTS, and then add on the players/doubles handicap ratings and then you have your final score. Tonight we were working off 80 (210-130) behind to start so over 30 ends we had to average 2.6 (80/30) points per end, so 11-8 average was needed (as a guide). I'm not sure what the final score actually was, but it was pretty easy really, was winning my games averaging about 11-4. We won. I much prefer this handicap system, as you get to play 3 ends from 0-0 against each player, so at least it feels more like a match.

Derby Prem

I also got asked to play up for LE3 tonight in the Derby Prem (I'm LE4 in Div1). It was against the best team in Derby, CD1, consisting of 2 top 100 players and another decent player. All three play Notts Prem.

I was really chuffed with how things went. First game was against MG, who I've played before (but only in practice). MG plays a very tight, clever game, and has pimples on his BH, and can hit with them! When I previously had played MG I really struggled with his serves, but this time, I had no problems. I was even flicking them (soft/deep), which I didn't think I'd be able to do. I lost this game 3-0, but the games were 7,9,13. I was annoyed at not getting the game, having had 3 game points on serve. I just need to have a bit more class and control when things get under pressure. I was playing well, and letting the adrenaline get to my arms, over hitting the crucial points. I was doing well though, everything was tight, blocking his attack, and my attack was flying on.  When things are away from the table, I'm good, but at that level I just need to have that extra step/shuffle in between strokes to set me up for the next shot. Too lazy. I'm comfortable away from the table at my level, but here, if I went away, he was all over it, nothing fast, usually about 2 shots to set up a nice clean winner. I need to be tighter when lobbing at this level, nothing loose at all, placement very important.

Next game was against TK. Managed to get an end here, but I'd say I was lucky. He missed a couple of points he should have put away, but one could say that I did too! He was definitely playing properly, but, there was one of his serves (BH) he knew I didn't like, and he stopped doing this as often to let me in the rallies. Had some decent rallies. Really at this level, can't cope with just hitting the ball into the corners, has to be off the sides, into the body etc, I can't emphasize how important placement is! What I was really pleased with is that I was playing my game, spinning the ball up and getting on top of the rallies. That 5th ball is important now. My 3rd ball (slow heavy spun up) is better placed, I usually get a ball I can drive/loop off it. Now need to focus on where I'm hitting that 5th ball and not just smacking it to somewhere they can block or counter comfortably.

3rd game was against their weaker player CR (mid/high Derby Prem, low Notts Prem). I'd played him in practice and lost in 5, and I managed to lose in 5 again this evening. Good consistency I know, but again, more of the same things. I manage to get on top of things, and then I snap out of my 'zone' for a second, and over hit something. This time next year I'll be beating this guy, for sure. Wait and see!

Overall a great night-  through in the cup, and losing in 3,4&5 against the best team in Derby.

Ok, so after last weekends fun at the Newcastle GP, its back to local league TT this week...

Tuesday saw a match in the Nottingham cup. This, as most local league cups in the UK, is a handicap competition. In Nottingham, players are handicapped alphabetically, the best players in the county being a 'C' and the worst being a 'Z'. I had not played in the 1st round, and my handicap was a Q. I'm not going to go into what I think of my handicap, as it doesn't really matter! Matches are played to 21, best of 3 rubbers, and 2 serves each.  It basically works out that if Q plays P, then Q gets a 2 point start over P.

We were playing a team that are currently top of Division 2, and their best player is unbeaten in that division. He is a P rated player. I had been looking forward to play against this specific player as I used to play against him  alot before I went to UniversityH e always used to be the best player in the division then and I respected alot, as a nice guy and a good player; I had never beaten him. he used to play attacking, and how he has switched to  pimples on BH, playing defensive and hitting flat and hard on FH. He must be doing well in this style as no one seems to be getting close to him in Div2.

So, the match. Only ended up playing 2 games, as we won 5-1 and they conceded (no doubles in cup). I played their no.3 first and won very comfortably, and then played their best player. I won 2-1. Despite winning 21-12 in the 3rd I was still disappointed with how I played. I expected to play well after Newcastle, but it was scrappy stuff. I should have won in the 2nd after being something like 16-8 up, but the scorer went wrong and then I completely lost my head, giving away 3 points whilst trying to work out the real score in my head. I was over confident here, I thought I could put the game away easy; I should have slowed things down and taken a breather - at least this is something I'll never let get the better of me again.

Wednesday night brought Derby league action. Not much to say here really, I won mine in 4,4 and 3. I'd heard alot about their 1st player, a lady who plays with pimples on her BH and used to play prem, and expected her to be better, but I had no problems again. My only disappointment is I need to stop getting lazy and try to seal things off in 3 wherever possible. My focus lets me down I think, possibly linked to my lack of confidence in matches.

I'm really finding at the moment that I've still not found my level. I'm yet to play a local league game that really tests my allround game. For me, its just a matter of getting my opening slow heavy loop on and I've won the point. There's better teams/players to come still though.

Looking on the bright side, I think these are still players that a year or so ago I'd have lost to. So, I'm happy with my improvement. I just want to start playing some games against players who have that all round game and where its more about picking the shots rather than missing the most!

So I've been thinking over Newcastle GP abit more now, and realised something last night.

I lost to EW 12-10 in the 5th. Things could have been very different if I'd have revered this scoreline. If my calculations are correct, here's how it goes:

These are the results in order from our group. game 2 was mean't to be played 1st, but EW was playing a band 6 semi.

CH vs RH 3-2
EW vs LP 3-1
RH vs LP 3-0
CH vs EW 1-3
EW vs RH 3-2
CH vs LP 3-0

So the results stood:

1. EW P3 W3 (p13 w9) gw100% rw69.2%
2. CH P3 W2 (p12 w7) gw66.7% rw58.3% 
3. RH P3 W1 (p13 w7) gw33.3% rw53.8%
4. LP P3 W0 (p10 w1)

If I could have won the 5th end against EW the results would have stood as follows:

I believe if there is a tie on games won, it goes to rubbers won, and then score vs each other.

1. RH P3 W2 (p13 w8) gw66.7% rw61.5%% (RH beat EW)
2. EW P3 W2 (p13 w8) gw66.7% rw61.5%% 
3. CH P3 W2 (p12 w7) gw66.7% rw58.3%
4. LP P3 W0 (p10 w1)

Basically if I could have reversed the score, I would have won the group. I did not realise this at the time. It only occurred to me that if I could win, I had a chance of getting through on runner-up, I thought.

Whats funny is that I don't if actually knowing this fact going into the 5th end would have helped me or hindered me! Who knows! I think its interesting though.

Again, I know I'm squeezing every last nugget of positivity out of it all, I don't know if if this is a good thing or a band thing. I'm still quite aware however that at the end of the day I won 2/6, which just isn't good enough.