Morley battles to finals win

 

Competition was fierce at the Northland secondary schools table tennis champs in Whangarei last week with local schools coming out on top in the boys section.

Altogether thirty students from seven schools showed deft expertise in the control of the little white ball.

Top seed Danyon Tana of Otamatea High School, second seed Mangawhai lad Ben Morley representing Rodney College, and Ryan Nankivell of Bay of Islands College all competed in hard-fought semi’s and finals.

Morley had a convincing semi-final win over Tana but then had to fight hard for five sets before gaining ascendancy over a plucky Nankivell.

Later Bay of Islands completed a trifecta of championships taking out the boys team event from defending champs Otamatea in straight sets in the final after defeating Rodney in the semis.

In another playoff match, Tarrin Rous from Rodney defeated Rourke Tancred-Witham to win the bowl.

The three local players have all had significant success in multiple sports since attending primary school and it is a tribute to their dedication that they continue to compete at a high level.

CONCENTRATION: Mangawhai’s Ben Morley on his way to another win. PHOTO/John Stone