Namibia: Schurz Shines At Senior Table Tennis Championships

6 June 2011

Reinolt Schurz of the SKW Table Tennis Club took both the singles and doubles honours at the annual Namibian Senior Table Tennis Championships, which took place at the SKW on May 26.

The previously unranked but well known Schurz was undoubtedly the star of an evening full of surprises, upsets and great table tennis fun.

His journey to the finals and victory in both disciplines was littered with high ranking players and teams with equal aspirations for the titles, but in the end nerves of steel, determination, superb performance and experience prevailed in his favour.

Schurz first faced fourth ranked and fellow club member Heiko Fleidl, taking the match in four nail-biting sets (4-11/11-8 /13-11/13-11). In the following rounds Schurz dispatched seventh ranked Yuri Vasin (11-9/7-11/11-2/11-6) in the quarter finals, after which he faced Namibian number two Theo Beukes in the semi-finals.

Schurz beat Beukes in another action packed four sets (14-12/ 8-11/12-10/11-5) to take him to the final against third ranked player Bastian Huster for the national title. Huster had, after a very easy draw in the ealrier rounds, overpowered No.1 Reinhardt Stanley over four sets in the other semi-final (11-9/6-11/11-9/11-3).

The final was tightly contested, with Schurz taking the first two sets by a narrow margin 15-13 and 11-9. However, Huster found his rhythm in the third and fourth set, winning 11-8 and 11-9 to take the final to a deciding set.

Schurz, opting for safe and consistent tactics, secured the final set with relative ease to score 11-5 and the 2011 namibian senior champion honour.

In the doubles event, Schurz, and his partner Roger Laine, also had to overcome serious challenge to achieve overall victory. Thew pair first dispatched of Huster and Fleidl in a close semi-final over four sets (11-8/5-11/13-11/11-8), before taking on the tournament favourites Stanley and Beukes, who beat Bone Golekanye and Tshipiso Mphela in the second semi-final (11-8/ 9-11/11-9/11-9 ).

The doubles final offered scintillating table tennis from both teams, with long and fast rallies making it an excellent final to watch for the spectators over five sets (11-5/11-7/4-11/10-12/14-12). Schurz and Laine dropped the third and fourth set to their opponents and only just grabbed the title in an extended fifth set which could have gone either way.

The singles plate category was dominated by Fleidl, who managed to take the final against Laine in straight sets (11-6/11-6 ).

AllAfrica – All the Time