Pleckgate emerge on top in school games (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Pleckgate emerge on top in school games

5:50pm Tuesday 12th March 2013 in Sport

PLECKGATE High School will battle it out with St Bede’s for the right to represent Blackburn and Darwen at the SPAR Lancashire School Games after ‘emerging’ as the top team in town.

The Emerging Schools Table Tennis Championship – for those who don’t play the game competitively or enter county competitions – was held at Pleckgate and the hosts made the most of home advantage.

Pleckgate A will now meet St Bede’s, who traditionally are one of the strongest table tennis schools in the county, ahead of the Lancashire School Games which take place in Blackpool next week.

The competition format saw teams of four boys, ranked one to four, played against players of the same rank from different schools. Games were played to 15 points and the first player to win two games won the match.

A total of eight teams from five schools took part who were split in to two groups.

Pleckgate A, St Wilfrid’s B, Darwen Vale B and qegs battled it out in Group One with the top two teams progressing to the knockout stages.

Group Two was competed between Pleckgate B, St Wilfrid’s A, Darwen Vale A and Darwen Aldridge Community Academy.

In the first semi final, Pleckgate A took on Darwen Vale A with Pleckgate B taking on QEGs in the second. The remaining four teams played against each other in a series of friendly matches.

The first semi final between Darwen Vale and Pleckgate A couldn’t have been any closer - so much so it took a play-off to separate them after the clash was tied after four matches.

And it was Pleckgate A who squeezed through to the final.

In the second semi final, QEGS denied the host school an all-Pleckgate final as they ran out winners.

However, there was plenty to cheer about for the home school. For while eventhough most of the games were close, Pleckgate ultimately proved to be too strong for QEGS as they ran out 3-1 winners to be crowned U13s Emerging Schools Table Tennis champions.

Pleckgate will now play-off against St Bede’s, who were ineligible for this competition, later this week.

School Games Organiser, Andrew Mercer said: “I would like to thank Pleckgate for hosting this competition.

“Eventhough it involved a relatively small number of competitors, it is still important as it gives those pupils who might not necessarily be chosen to represent their schools in other sports the chance to compete.

“The competition is relatively informal and is more about the young people involved getting a taste for competitive sport rather than the level of table tennis on display.

“This has proved to be the case at Pleckgate where pupils who have competed in this competition in previous years have continued to attend breakfast, lunch time and after school table tennis clubs on a regular basis.”