China has reinstated its supremacy at the 2017 World Junior Table Tennis Championships, sweeping all seven titles (Boys’ Singles, Girls’ Singles, Boys’ Doubles, Girls’ Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Boys’ Team and Girls’ Team) available, after winning only the Girls’ Singles title at the last edition of the event in 2016. Top seed in the Boys’ Singles, […]
via China Sweeps Gold at 2017 ITTF World Junior Championships — newfanzoneblog
The Chinese Men and Women’s team have once again stamped their authority over world table tennis at the Perfect World Team Table Tennis Championships, by winning its 20thMen’s and Women’s Team gold against the determined Japanese team.
The last day’s action of the Perfect 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships was a repeat of the 2014 World Team Championships Final in Tokyo, Japan, where China and Japan met in an enthralling women’s team final.
China’s world number one LIU Shiwen was able to defeat Japan’s Ai FUKUHARA, world ranked number 4, comfortably 3-0 to give the Chinese team the perfect start to their way to gold. LIU’s teammate and reigning Olympics Champion LI Xiaoxia, however struggled against Kasumi ISHIKAWA, losing the first two games to the Japanese national champion. The Grand Slam Champion was able to recover from the first 2 games to eventually come back and win 3-2 to give China a 2-0 lead.
LIU shared after taking the first point for her team that “We have a strong team, good preparation so that helps when you have to play a pressure match. Also the support was tremendous, I hope that will continue!”
Grand Slam Champion LI, who survived a close defeat to ISHIKAWA, added “I have great support from my team but the main factor when I was losing and took the ‘Time Out’ was to believe in myself.”
In the last match, 2015 World Singles Champion DING Ning faced off 15-year-old prodigy Mima ITO. ITO was able to surprise DING in the first game, winning 11-8, but the experienced champion quickly adapted to recover in the next 3 games and seal a 3-0 team victory for the Chinese team.
39 years since its last finals appearance, the Japanese men’s team has failed to rewrite history against the defending Chinese team. Japan has won seven out of 12 finals appearances in the past, with all its five losses against the mighty Chinese team, Today, at the Malawati Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it was no different.
The Chinese line-up of XU Xin, MA Long, and ZHANG Jike proved too strong for the Japanese trio of Jun MIZUTANI, Maharu YOSHIMURA and Yuya OSHIMA in the final hurdle for gold, prevailing 3-0. XU crushed MIZUTANI, the 7-time Japanese national champion, in three straight games, while world number one MA overcame YOSHIMURA without dropping a game.
Grand Slam Champion ZHANG who has been recovering from his back injury from 2015, had to face the strong resistance from Japan’s rising star OSHIMA, who won the Men’s Doubles and Under-21 Men’s Singles titles at the prestigious GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals. Despite trailing closely behind to come near to upsetting the 2-time World Champion, the Japanese wasn’t able to continue his momentum in the game and lost 1-3.
“I feel very happy to be able to win here in Kuala Lumpur. This victory is also an affirmation of my performance in team events, since I lost in the finals in the last World Team Championships in Tokyo. It is great to be the World.”
With their near perfect performance at the Perfect 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships, China’s XU Xin and LI Xiaoxia were also awarded the Male and Female Most Valuable Player respectively. Both have won a whooping seven games each for their teams at here in Kuala Lumpur to receive the award.
In the second division, both the Indian Men’s and Women’s team have now confirmed their promotion to the Championships Division at the 2018 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Halmstad, Sweden by finishing first in the second division. Runners-up in the second division, the Brazilian Men’s and the Luxembourg Women’s team has also made their way to the Championships Division to compete in the top tier in 2018.
Winner and runner-up in the third division, Luxembourg and Chilean men’s team will be promoted to the second division, alongside with Iran and Uzbekistan in the Women’s team event. 73rd ranked Pakistan and 74th Togo will advance to the Men’s team third division at the next World Team Championships, together with the Turkmenistan and Lebanon Women’s teams.
The next World Table Tennis Championships will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany 29 May to 5 June 2017.
With the conclusion of the Perfect 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships, international table tennis attention now turns to the 2016 ITTF World Tour Kuwait Open and Qatar Open starting mid-March 2016.
Japan is looking to rewrite history at the Perfect 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after sending both it’s men’s and women’s teams into the finals to meet China.
The last time the table tennis powerhouse had both its teams in the final showdown for the World Team Championships title, was back in 1971, where Japan met China in both the team gold medal matches. The women’s team won on home soil then in Nagoya, but the men’s suffered a bitter loss to China.
It was 39 years since the Japanese men’s team last made their way to the Final, they nearly missed their chance tonight in the action packed Malawati Stadium. Fortunately, Jun MIZUTANI managed to saved the day for his team from a fully fired-up English team in the semifinals.
Surprise semifinalist England who were only newly promoted to the Championships Divisions, shocked the world’s top teams en route to the semifinals to face off Japan. The trio of Paul DRINKHALL, Liam PITCHFORD and Samuel WALKER played their best matches against the third seeded Japanese team, setting the local crowd cheering for every point for the underdogs. Despite WALKER sensationally beating world number 20, Yuya OSHIMA, ruining his 22ndbirthday today, his team mate PITCHFORD lost four match points to the experienced MIZUTANI, losing 3-1 overall to end their dream run in the World Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur.
After his emotional victory, the seven-time Japanese national champion fired a warning to his Chinese opponents: “We have not been World Champions for 47 years, tomorrow is our time to write history, it is out time!”
Defending champion China snatched the other Final spot after pulling off a convincing victory over Korea Republic. Ranked first and third in the world, MA Long and XU Xin gave the Chinese team a comfortable 2-0 lead by beating Korea Republic’s JUNG Youngsik and LEE Sangsu respectively. But all eyes were on the third match between Grand Slam Champion ZHANG Jike and the 2013 Junior World Champion JANG Woojin.
In their previous encounter at the 2015 Asian Championships, the Korean youngster defeated the reigning Olympic Champion twice, once in the team’s event, and once in the single’s event. Today in Kuala Lumpur, ZHANG did not have a good start either, losing 9 points in a row to cost him the first game, but the experienced Olympic champion was able to find his form to win the next 3 games to seal the victory for his team, and move on to their 12thconsecutive men’s team final.
“I lost to JANG Woojin at the Asian Championships, but then I was not in the best shape” shared the 28-year-old, “Recently I have been training intensively, so today I was more prepared and ready.”
The Chinese women’s team headed by 2015 World Champion DING Ning, completed a clean swept against Chinese Taipei, winning 3-0 for all three individual matches. Chinese Taipei’s CHENG I-Ching, who has not dropped a single match prior to the match was able to push LI Xiaoxia, the reigning Olympic Champion to her limits. However, after losing 13-15 to LI in the second game, the 24-year-old CHENG lost her momentum and dropped the last game 2-11.
The Chinese will now meet long time rival Japan in the women’s team gold medal match tomorrow, 6 March at 14:30 (GMT+8). The archrivals have met five times on the World Team Championships Final stage, with China winning three out the five encounters.
Hungarian duo Dalma Galfi, the 2015 ITF Girls World Champion, and Mate Valkusz, the current boys’ world No. 1, head the entry for the 2016 ITF Junior Masters taking place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu, China on 8-10 April.
The ITF Junior Masters, now in its second year, is an international event showcasing eight male and eight female players who qualify on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of the year. The ITF Junior Masters consists of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position. Players will compete for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants, and will also compete for wild cards into professional events.
The following players will contest the 2016 ITF Junior Masters:
Women’s singles
Dalma Galfi (HUN)
Katie Swan (GBR)
Anna Blinkova (RUS)
Tereza Mihalikova (SVK)
Usue Arconada (USA)
Sofia Kenin (USA)
Charlotte Robillard-Millette (CAN)
Kayla Day (USA)
Men’s singles
Casper Ruud (NOR)
Mate Valkusz (HUN)
Hong Seong Chan (KOR)
Marcelo Barrios Vera (CHI)
Orlando Luz (BRA)
Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)
William Blumberg (USA)
Alvaro Lopez San Martin (ESP)
Galfi, the 2015 US Open junior champion, lines up alongside Australian Open junior champion Tereza Mihalikova and runner-up Katie Swan, and Wimbledon junior finalist Anna Blinkova. They will be joined by Sofia Kenin, a member of the United States’ 2014 Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas winning team.
Valkusz, who took over the boys’ No. 1 ranking at the start of 2016, heads up the men’s entries alongside 2015 Orange Bowl junior champion Miomir Kecmanovic, Australian Open junior runner-up Hong Seong Chan and 2014 double Youth Olympic medallist Orlando Luz. They will be joined by 2013 Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas winner Alvaro Lopez San Martin.
The provision of travel grants is one of the ways in which the ITF Junior Masters assists these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. Each player competing in the 2016 ITF Junior Masters will earn a minimum travel grant of $7,000, while the boys’ and girls’ champions will both be awarded $15,000 travel grants. Players will also compete for wild cards into professional events donated by National Associations, with further details to be confirmed later this year.
The Sichuan International Tennis Centre will host the event for the second year as part of the ITF’s three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau. The centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 32 hard courts, has hosted several international events. The ITF Junior Masters will be staged on the centre’s two show courts, including a 6,000-capacity centre court, with matches broadcast by Sichuan TV and streamed live over the three days of competition.
The ITF Junior Masters joins the ITF junior team competitions, the 14-and-under ITF World Junior Tennis competition, and 16-and-under Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, as the premier junior events on the 2016 ITF calendar.
Nigeria and 93 countries have been listed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) for the 2016 World Team Championships holding in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur from Sunday February 28 to Sunday March 6.
Nigeria and Egypt are the only two countries that made the list of 46 teams that qualified automatically based on their ranking for the tournament.
In 2014, Nigeria was unfortunate to lose to England and missed from making it to the top 20 teams in the world.
Unlike Nigeria and Egypt, countries like Algeria, Congo Brazzaville, Congo DRC, Ghana, Morocco, Togo and Tunisia made the list of participants through the continental tournament held in Egypt in 2015.
In the list of qualified countries confirmed by ITTF, over 94 countries will compete in the men’s event while 84 nations will battle for titles in the women’s cadre.
Meanwhile, WITH the Swaythling Cup and the Corbillon Cup at stake; China, the defending champions, occupy the top seeded positions in both the Men’s and Women’s events at the 2016 World Team Championships.
In each of the Men’s Team and Women’s Team events there are four divisions. There are 24 outfits in each of the top three divisions; in Men’s Division Four, there are 22 teams, in Women’s Division Four, there are 12 teams.
Teams in the Championship Division are seeded no.1 to no.24; in Division Two from no.25 to no.48, in Division Three from no.49 to no.72 and in Division Four from no.73 onwards.
The teams that finished in the top 16 places at the ZEN-NOH 2014 World Team Championships in Tokyo are guaranteed a place in the Championship Division regardless of World Ranking.
Meanwhile, the teams who finished in first and second places in the remaining divisions in Tokyo gain promotion to the next highest division.
Teams promoted to the Championship Division are guaranteed a seeded position of no.23 and no.24 unless their current World Team ranking determines a higher place.
The same principle applies to Division Two where the promoted teams are guaranteed a seeding of no.47 and no.48; also to Division Three where the minimal seeding is no.71 and no.72.
Malaysia, as the hosts, has accepted the option of a place in the Championship Division in both the Men’s and Women’s events.
England and Italy are the promoted outfits in the Men’s event, in the Women’s event it is Brazil and Sweden. The remaining places are allocated based on the current World Team ranking. Teams who finished in positions no.27 to no.40 at the ZEN-HOH 2014 World Team Championships receive an automatic place in Division Two, as do the teams who finished in places no.51 to no.64 in Division Three.
Initially, in each event there are four groups with six teams in each group; teams finishing the first three places in each group progress to the main draw, teams finishing in the latter three places compete for the lower positions.
Fixtures in the second stage are based on the knock-out principle.
Seeding in every division is based on the World Team Ranking published for January 2016; the World Team Ranking for each national association is based on the three highest ranked players in that association named on the current Men’s and Women’s World Rankings.
The draw for the Championship Division, Division Two and Division Three will take place at 3.00pm (local time) on Saturday16th January at the Subang Grand Dorsett Hotel. Later, the draw for Division Four be conducted at 11.00am on Friday 26th February.
The ITF today announced that a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants will be made available to participants in the second ITF Junior Masters to be held in Chengdu, China on 8-10 April 2016. The event enjoyed a successful launch in 2015, with Russia’s Andrey Rublev and China’s Shilin Xu, both former junior world number ones, claiming the men’s and women’s titles respectively.
The ITF Junior Masters is an international event showcasing eight male and eight female players who qualify on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of the year. The ITF Junior Masters consists of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position and level of grant. Players will also compete for wild cards into professional events, with further details to be confirmed next year.
The provision of travel grants is one of the ways in which the ITF Junior Masters assists these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. Each player to qualify for the 2016 ITF Junior Masters will earn a minimum travel grant of $7,000, while the boys’ and girls’ champions will both be awarded $15,000 travel grants.
The 2016 ITF Junior Masters will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu as part of a three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau.
The Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 12 match courts and 20 practice courts, has hosted a number of international events. The ITF Junior Masters is staged on two match courts, including a 6000-capacity stadium court, with matches broadcast by Sichuan TV and streamed live over the three days.
The ITF Junior Masters joins the ITF junior team competitions, the 14-and-under ITF World Junior Tennis competition, and 16-and-under Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, as the premier junior events on the 2016 ITF calendar.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “Following the success of the first ITF Junior Masters in 2015, we are looking forward to a great edition in 2016. I am confident that the amazing fans in Chengdu will once again throw their support behind the top junior players, who are competing for travel grants, helping them to transition into the professional ranks.
Ms Tan Xuejun, Director of Chengdu Sports Bureau, said: “We were proud of the successful staging of the 2015 ITF Junior Masters, and are grateful for the support of the ITF, the citizens of Chengdu, and the players themselves for some memorable performances. The Masters fully embodied the slogan ‘Me, Future’ and attracted much interest around the world. We are confident that the 2016 edition of the event will be even better.”
Madam Li Lingwei, Vice-President of the Chinese Tennis Association and IOC member, said: “The ITF Junior Masters is a milestone event in junior tennis, contributing significantly to the development of the sport both in China and worldwide. By hosting the Junior Masters in China we hope that the next generation of Chinese players will be inspired to take up the sport. In 2016, the China Tennis Association, working closely with Chengdu City, will make the second ITF Junior Masters even more exciting.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an exciting new global partnership with OPPO, one of the world’s leading mobile telephone device companies, on a four-year deal which runs from 2016 until 2020.
Launched in China in 2004, OPPO is a young and dynamic company and has already established itself as one of the world’s leading electronic and technology service providers. It has a strong presence in more than 20 countries and a significant number of regions worldwide, including Australia, China, USA and right across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Commenting on the new partnership, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC is delighted to welcome OPPO on board as a Global Partner and we are excited about the opportunity to team up for the next four years. OPPO is one of the market leaders in its field with an impressive worldwide presence, especially in territories where the game of cricket continues to grow and, in a lot of cases, flourish.
“OPPO has strong brand values on innovation and integrity, which are closely aligned with the ICC’s, and we believe that by partnering with OPPO, we can extend cricket’s reach even further. We look forward to working closely with them for the foreseeable future.”
Mr. Sky Li, Vice President of OPPO and Managing Director Of International Mobile Business, said, “OPPO is very enthusiastic about supporting international cricket, and cooperating with the ICC in bringing cricket fans more of the world-class competitions that the organization is known for. The partnership will allow us to continue to strengthen our links with consumers, as we join them in celebrating the great sport of cricket.”
China’s WANG Manyu has successfully defended her Junior Girls’ World title at the ITTF 2015 World Junior Table Tennis Championships that concluded today, 6 December, in Vendée, France.
16-year-old WANG is now the first player to ever win 2 consecutive Singles World Junior Championship titles, after coming back from 1-3 to beat compatriot WANG Yidi 4-3 (11-6, 18-20, 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7) in a 7-games thriller.
“It feels great, and I’m really excited to be able to defend my singles title, “ shared WANG after her victory. “It’s been a tough journey having to face many strong players along the way to the final, and playing against Wang Yidi in the final.”
“When I was 1-3 games down, I knew I had to fight all I can in order to win, I changed my tactics and played few risky shots to come back.”
The Boys’ Singles Gold medal match was a battle between the shakehand style and the traditional penhold style, which had the local crowd cheering throughout the match. It was LIU Dingshuo (CHN), the shakehand player, who eventually prevailed over XUE Fei (CHN), the sole male penholder player in the tournament.
LIU accounted for XUE 4-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-5) to win his first World Junior Championships crown.
The pleased 17-year-old shared “Of course I’m happy to be able to win here, it’s a good way to prove myself. But I see this as a short term milestone, to move further, I still have to work harder to achieve more.”
China continued their dominance in the Doubles event, sending 5 out of the 6 finalists pairs.
In the Women’s Doubles, Korea DPR duo KO Un Gum & RI Yong Hae faced Chinese pair CHEN Ke & WANG Manyu, despite pushing the Chinese to their limits, CHEN & WANG won in four straight games (11-9, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7).
In an all-Chinese final, defending mixed doubles champions WANG Chuqin & CHEN Xingtong surrendered their titles to XUE Fei & CHEN Ke 3-4 (11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 4-11, 11-6, 9-11).
Success in the Mixed Doubles, XUE joined hands with WANG Chuqin in the Boy’s Doubles Final to claim the title from LIU Dingshuo & ZHU Cheng 4-3 (2-11, 11-13, 11-13, 12-10, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6).
Presented by the Swaythling Club International, the Fair Play Award at the 2015 World Junior Table Tennis Championships was won by Egypt’s Aly Ghallab for his act of fair play at the tournament.
Mr. Khaled El-Salhy, President of the African Table Tennis Federation, shared “He’s a very honest player; always he plays fairly. He is always very positive when he plays, he tries to win the point not save the point: I am very proud of his efforts.”
With the 2015 World Junior Table Tennis Championships concluded, all eyes now turn to the 2015 ITTF Star Awards on 9 December, followed by the year-ending GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Lisbon, Portugal from 10-13 December 2015.
Winners:
Boys’ Team: China
Girls’ Team: China
Boys’ Singles: LIU Dingshuo (CHN)
Girls’ Singles: WANG Manyu (CHN)
Boys’ Doubles: WANG Chuqin (CHN) & XUE Fei (CHN)
Girls’ Doubles: CHEN Ke (CHN) & WANG Manyu (CHN)
Mixed Doubles: XUE Fei (CHN) & CHEN Ke (CHN)
There was high drama in the final of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 on Saturday when Ireland defeated Bangladesh by two wickets to clinch victory off the last ball of the game in Thailand Cricket Ground in Bangkok.
The two sides went into Saturday’s final having previously booked the last two coveted places in next year’s ICC Women’s World Twenty20 India 2016 when they won their respective semi-finals on Thursday. But both sides were determined to finish the competition on a high as Bangladesh, having won the toss, reached 105 for three, thanks chiefly to a 74-run third-wicket partnership between Nigar Sultana (41) and Rumana Ahmed (38 not out). Leg spinner Ciara Metcalfe was Ireland’s best bowler and returned economical figures of three for 14 runs.
Set a victory target of 106, Ireland appeared to be coasting after Cecelia Joyce had steered the side early on with a breezy 32, but a flurry of middle order wickets put the pressure on thanks mainly to the efforts of Bangladesh duo Rumana Ahmed (two for 16) and Nahida Akter (two for 18). However Laura Delany (26 not out) held her composure to guide Ireland home off the last ball of the game to send Ireland into raptures in damp, challenging conditions.
Speaking after the Trophy final, a delighted Ireland captain Isobel Joyce said: “It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so proud of my team for getting over the line in really tough conditions. Bangladesh are an excellent bowling team, especially Salma Khatun who was bowling the last over, who is so experienced and would back herself every time to keep any team under eight (runs).
“I’m really delighted for Laura Delany because she didn’t have it her own way during her innings, but she stuck in and was there to help the team and Lucy O’Reilly over the line. The team took it one ball at a time, which is important especially in Twenty20 (cricket), rather than thinking about the whole match which can overwhelm you, because if we needed 12 or 13 runs off the last over it might have been too much. I think the fact that we scored well in the first few overs took the pressure off a little bit at the back end.”
Bangladesh Women’s coach Janak Gamage reflected: “The plans was to bat first and get close to 115 runs, but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough. I thought our bowlers did very well throughout the tournament and though we’re disappointed today, we’ll look forward to playing in the World Twenty20. Our target is to play well during the tournament and win a few games, but we know it will be a real challenge.”
Bangladesh’s Rumana Ahmed was named the player of the series after claiming 14 wickets in the tournament.
Bangladesh and Ireland will join reigning champion Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in the event proper, which will be staged alongside the men’s event from 11 March to 3 April 2016.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea defeated China by seven wickets to clinch the Shield final with Tanya Ruma’s 37 not out helping her side reach the victory target of 94 with eight balls remaining.
Zimbabwe had early secured the 3rd place Trophy play-off when it defeated Scotland by three wickets, thanks mainly to an inspired all-round performance from skipper Chipo Mugeri who took two wickets for 17 runs and then scored 47 not out to guide the Africans home. In the Shield play-off, host Thailand beat Netherlands by nine wickets thanks to Naruemol Chaiwai’s 34 not out at the Asian Institute of Technology
Scores in brief:
Trophy Final
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Bangladesh Women 105-3, 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 41, Rumana Ahmed 38 not out; Ciara Metcalfe 3-14)
Ireland Women, 106-8, 20 overs (Cecelia Joyce 32, Laura Delany 26 not out; Rumana Ahmed 2-16, Nahida Akter 2-18)
Ireland Women won by 2 wickets
Player of the Match: Rumana Ahmed (Bangladesh Women)
Trophy 3rd Place Play-Off
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Scotland Women, 94-4, 20 overs (Fi Urquhart 19, Rachel Scholes 19; Chipo Mugeri 2-17)
Zimbabwe Women, 95-7, 19.5 overs (Chipo Mugeri 47 not out, Pellagia Mujaji 18; Kirstie Gordon 3-21)
Zimbabwe Women won by 3 wickets
Player of the Match: Chipo Mugeri (Zimbabwe)
Shield Final
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
China Women, 93-4, 20 overs (C Zhou 26, Zhao Ning 20; Ravina Oa 1-14, Sibona Jimmy 1-14)
Papua New Guinea Women, 94-3, 18.4 overs (Tanya Ruma 37 not out, Varoi Morea 30; F Song 1-20)
Papua New Guinea won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Tanya Ruma (Papua New Guinea Women)
Shield 3rd Place Play-Off
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
Netherlands Women, 70, 19 overs (Sterre Kalis 21; Sornnrin Tippoch 2-11)
Thailand Women, 71-1, 14.1 overs (Naruemol Chaiwai 34 not out; Elt de Lange 1-12)
Thailand won by 9 wickets
Player of the Match: Naruemol Chaiwai (Thailand Women)
Bangladesh and Ireland have booked the last two coveted places in next year’s ICC Women’s World Twenty20 India 2016 when they won their respective semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier Thailand 2015, over Zimbabwe and Scotland respectively, in Bangkok on Thursday.
Bangladesh and Ireland will now join reigning champion Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in the event proper, which will be staged alongside the men’s event from 11 March to 3 April 2016.
In the first match of the day at Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by 31 runs to book their place in the final of the Trophy and a place on the plane to India. Having been restricted to 89 for five wickets, thanks in large part to Fargana Hoque’s run-a-ball 43, an inspired bowling display, led by Rumana Ahmed (who took four wickets for eight) then helped the Asian side to victory as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 58.
Speaking after the first semi final, a delighted Jahanara Alam, Bangladesh Women’s captain, said: “From the beginning, we were under a little pressure. The wicket wasn’t good, it was on the slower side. But Sharmin and Fargana got a very good partnership, which is why we reached 89. We had the confidence, we knew if we scored 80-plus, then we have a strong bowling and fielding side. We again proved that we are a good side. The team is very happy, there is a lot of excitement today. This is the first time we have qualified for the ICC Women’s World T20. Last time, we directly played in the event, but this time we needed to qualify, so we’re very happy.”
The action then turned to a showdown between European rivals Ireland and Scotland. Teenager Lucy O’Reilly put in a disciplined display and clinched two late wickets to claim figures of three for 16, with Robyn Lewis chipping in with two wickets for eight runs as Scotland reached 77 for nine, thanks in large part to Fi Urquhart’s 21. In reply, Ireland started strongly and maintained that momentum throughout with openers Clare Shillington (34) and Cecelia Joyce (36 not out) leading from the front with a first wicket partnership of 58 that helped Ireland chase down the target with nine wickets and 8.3 overs to spare.
Ahead of Saturday’s final, Ireland captain Isobel Joyce has hailed her side’s efforts in overcoming Scotland. “We’re really excited and this was the aim for us since we knew the tournament was going to be in Thailand. We really want to win the tournament, but the first job is done for us.
“Cecelia (Joyce) and Shillers (Clare Shillington) know that they have licence to play their shots and they really took the wind out of Scotland’s sails early on. Lucy (O’Reilly) is our number one fielder and our go-to bowler when we need to finish off the innings. She has got a lot of different balls in her armory and it’s unbelievable to think that she’s only 16 years old, so we’ll be looking forward to seeing what she can do in India.
“It’s on to Bangladesh now and we will take it one match at a time. The plan will be to focus on our game because they (Bangladesh) have very smart spinners. But we will play the balls that are bowled (to us) and do our best.”
Meanwhile, in the Shield semi-finals, Papua New Guinea clinched a one-wicket last ball victory over the Netherlands and will now face China who defeated host Thailand by five runs.
The losing sides in both the Trophy – Zimbabwe and Scotland – and the Shield – Netherlands and Thailand – will now face off in a third/fourth place play-offs.
Scores in brief:
Trophy Semi-Finals
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Bangladesh Women 89-5, 20 overs (Fargana Hoque 43, Sharmin Akhter 22; Josephine Nkomo 2-12)
Zimbabwe Women, 58 all out, 19.1 overs (Pellagia Mujaji 10; Rumana Ahmed 4-8)
Bangladesh Women won by 31 runs
Player of the Match: Rumana Ahmed (Bangladesh Women)
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Scotland Women, 77-9, 20 overs (Fi Urquhart 21; Lucy O’Reilly 3-16, Robyn Lewis 2-8)
Ireland Women, 75-4, 18.2 overs (Cecelia Joyce 36 not out, Clare Shillington 34; Kirstie Gordon 1-33)
Ireland Women won by 9 wickets
Player of the Match: Lucy O’Reilly (Ireland Women)
Shield Semi-Finals
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
Netherlands Women, 105-4, 20 overs (Sterre Kalis 33; Miranda Veringmeier 25; Norma Ovasuru 1-15)
Papua New Guinea Women, 106-9, 20 overs (Pauke Siaka 31, Sibona Jimmy 21; Christine Erkelens 3-9)
Papua New Guinea won by 1 wicket
Player of the Match: Pauke Siaka (Papua New Guinea Women)
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
China Women, 82, 20 overs (C Zhou 31; S Laomi 2-16)
Thailand Women, 77-8, 20 overs (O Kamchomphu 11; L Yingying 2-3, F Song 1-13)
China won by 5 runs
Player of the Match: L Yingying (China Women)
Saturday’s fixtures:
1000-1245: 3/4 Trophy P-Off – Zimbabwe v Scotland, TCG
1000-1245: 3/4 Shield P-Off – Netherlands v Thailand, AIT
1345-1630: Trophy Final – Bangladesh v Ireland, TCG
1345-1630: Shield Final – Papua New Guinea v China, AIT
China has retained both its Boys’ and Girls’ World Team Champion titles at the ITTF 2015 World Junior Table Tennis Championships Team event that took place in Vendée, France today, 2 December 2015.
In both final matches, the Chinese team had to overcome the challenge posed by a highly spirited Korean Team.
The Chinese trio led by 2014 Junior World Champion WANG Manyu, fended off attacks from the Koreans to secure China’s fifth consecutive girls’ team gold medal with a 3-0 victory.
CHEN Xingtong gave the Chinese team the perfect start, beating Korean defender AN Yeongeun 3-1 (11-9, 11-3, 7-11, 11-1. Top seeded WANG Manyu overcame the Korean team’s leading player KIM Jiho 11-6, 11-6, 11-9.
WANG Yidi, who sealed the final victory 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-3) against KANG Dayeon, shared “Of course we are very happy with our team gold. I was both nervous and excited prior to the match as this is my first World Junior Championships participation and first gold medal match.”
In the Boys’ Team gold medal match, China continued their dominance in the Boys’ Team event to take their twelfth gold since the inauguration of the World Junior Championships in 2003. They only dropped the crown once in 2005 to the Japanese team.
After losing the opening game 3-11 to AN Jaehyun, WANG Chuqin came back to take the first point 3-1 (3-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-6) for the Chinese team.
“It was a hard match, especially because I was playing the first match, I feel the pressure to give my team a good start. After losing the first game 3-11, I decided to just let go and play freely.” shared the 15-year-old.
Top ranked Chinese player on duty in France, LIU Dingshuo then accounted for CHO Seungmin 3-1 (11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4), before XUE Fei ended matters 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-6) against HWANG Minha.
On the team victory, Head Coach of the Chinese Men’s Youth Team, LIU Guozheng shared “Our team did well today to win the gold today. However, even though we won 3-0, it was not easy. We faced the Korean team in the Asian Youth Championships as well, and it wasn’t easy either. Hence, prior to the match, our team did a lot of preparations and was mentally prepared.”
“For us, it’s not just about defending the title, it’s more of having the fighting spirit.”
With China taking the Boys’ and Girls’ Team gold, the world’s best juniors will be fighting for the remaining 5 titles on offer – Boys’ Singles, Girls’ Singles, Boys’ Doubles, Girls’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
The 2015 World Junior Table Tennis Championships will continue tomorrow with the individual events running till 6 December 2015.
Pocketing World titles in Men’s and Women’s Individual Trampoline on the final day of competition at the 2015 World Championships in Odense (DEN), China confirmed its supremacy heading into next summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (BRA).
Trampoline
Gao Lei smokes the competition, starting with his teammates
With nine months before the start of the Rio Olympic Games, Trampoline has found a new prince in Gao Lei. The 23-year-old Chinese gymnast, who until now has lived in the shadow of teammates Dong Dong, the 2012 Olympic champion, and Tu Xiao, the reigning World champion, took his first World individual title Sunday, asserting himself as the Olympic favorite.
With levels of talent deeper than a Trampoline bed, a gymnast like Gao first needs to defeat their own teammates before being permitted to take on the world. In advancing to the medal round, Gao had already won a major victory by eclipsing Dong, and Tu in the preliminary rounds. In finals, the Shanghai native nailed an exercise that included six triple saltos to grab the gold.
In exchanging his bronze from 2014 for silver this year, Uladzislau Hancharou (BLR) affirmed his position as a challenger for the 2016 Olympic crown. Hancharou, who turns 20 December 2, finished a few thousandths of a point ahead of bronze medallist Andrey Yudin. The battle for the podium was tight, with Japan’s Masaki Ito, fourth, and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Dmitry Ushakov (RUS) fifth, both less than half a point behind Hancharou.
Li Dan returns to the top
China’s Li Dan has survived the ups and downs of a long international career and is once again World champion, five years after her taking first and only World individual title in 2010. The 27-year-old withstood the pressure of competing last in the Women’s final, delivering a magnificent routine worthy of her immense talent, something she has not always done in major international competition. Li’s dainty and difficult exercise was enough to overtake her teammate, 2014 World champion Liu Lingling, who performed a less difficult but no less eye-catching routine. Fourth in 2014, 34-year-old Tatsiana Piatrenia displaced 2012 Olympic champion Rosie MacLennan (CAN) to win bronze, her first-ever individual World medal after a dozen years on the international circuit.
Hard times for China’s Olympic champions
Neither 2012 Olympic gold medallist Dong Dong nor 2008 champion He Wenna advanced past the semifinal round of Sunday’s competition, a shock for Dong, who has stood on the podium at every World Championships and Olympic Games since 2007. The most successful gymnast since the legendary Olympic champion Alexander Moskalenko (RUS) was cast back down to earth by superior performances from younger teammates, who advanced to the two-per-country final in front of him. He for her part failed to finish her routine after hitting the padding surrounding the Trampoline.
First countries qualify for the Rio Olympic Games
China, Russia and Japan each earned the right to send two gymnasts to Rio to compete in Men’s Individual Trampoline, while Belarus and France each earned one spot as the first Olympic berths were allocated Sunday in Odense. In the Women’s competition, China, Belarus and Great Britain each won two places for their gymnasts at the Games.
Several other countries will battle for the final Olympic berths at the Pre-Olympic Test Event, to be held April 20 in Rio. In all, 16 men and 16 women will compete in Trampoline at the Games.
Yang Song, the Tumbling Prince of Denmark
Already crowned World champion in 2011 and 2014, Yang Song (CHN) was the man to beat this year as well after dominating the qualification round. Unfazed by the pressure of a three-peat, Yang remained untouchable in a final in which three World champions were represented among the eight competitors. His flipping, twisting tumbling lines lifted him above the competition, while his teammate Zhang Kuo earned bronze. After helping his team win gold Saturday night, Russia’s Timofei Podust earned himself an individual silver, sandwiched between the two Chinese.
Double Mini-trampoline: Erin Jauch doubles down on World titles
If that was indeed Erin Jauch’s final routine at a World Championships, it was a great way to go out. The reigning World champion, who has been contemplating retirement, stuck her double layout full out second pass to earn her second consecutive World title in Women’s Double Mini-trampoline. Silver and bronze medallists Jasmin Short (GBR) and Lina Sjoberg (SWE) contributed to the stick party in finals as well, with Sjoberg, a former Artistic elite gymnast, earning Sweden its first-ever World medal in Women’s Double Mini.
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