The 2014 Cumberland Open Table Tennis Championships began with a slamming success. Last Sunday and Monday the round robin component of the tournament was held at the Cumberland Cultural Centre in Cumberland.
The tournament, put on in part by the Cumberland Recreation Institute and the Cumberland Table Tennis Club, recorded 302 games played in 123 matches as over 20 players began warming up and playing to be seeded in the upcoming elimination tournament.
Currently, Conner Redman is seeded #1 in the tournament with the most points as the man to beat for the title of men’s Cumberland Open champion. Gwen Sproule and Jaye Mathieu are tied in points for the #1 seed in women’s category. Max Powsey has earned the #1 seed as the top youth under 19 years old.
As the excitement grew during frantic play on Sunday, Labatts territory manager Paul Purin announced the sponsorship of the tournament in the form of two brand new professional grade ping pong tables and that Labatts will co-sponsor the prizes for participants with Courtenay’s Blue Toque sports store.
“The excitement of meeting new people and playing an active game while having some laughs was awesome enough,” said tournament organizer Adam Kuzma. “But now with the addition of some great local sponsors you get a medal and prizes – this fits right in with the Olympic mood right now!”
The Cumberland Open championships will start Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. in the same location, upstairs at the Cumberland Cultural Centre. It’s not too late to play – wild card entries are still being accepted until midnight on Friday, Feb. 24. Contact Kuzma at 250-203-7235 or adamskuzma@yahoo.ca to pre-register. There is a $5 minimum donation to support the club.
The Cumberland Table Tennis Club plays every Sunday from 4-6 p.m. and Mondays from 6-8 p.m. upstairs at the Cumberland Cultural Centre. It’s a $3 drop-in fee to play and everyone is welcome. Contact Kuzma for more information.
– Cumberland Table Tennis Club