Our first Kam Man Cup – Metropolitan Team Championships was a success.

This is our first try at running a large team event at the 90,000 square foot SUNY/Rockland Community College Field House in Suffern, New York.
The floor was a soft, non slip rubberized surface. All tables had plenty of court space. Playing the team event for many players introduced a renewed team spirit and a chance to make new friends. Many teams were comprised of players from different states, countries and different races. Both men and women competed against and with each other. Everyone was on an equal terms. The players were very satisfied with the amount of matches they played except one senior player came to me stating “Lily are you trying to kill me? I am 65 years old, I have been playing matches non stop all day!”

The tournament had different events for all levels of play, including an 1100, 1600, 1800, 2050, 2300 and Super Divisions. In the Super Division Finals Sunday Morning, which was attended by Mayor Gorge O Darden of Spring Valley, Tahl’s Big Apple Table Tennis Team defeated Adam Hugh’s team in a nine match thriller, with De Tran defeating Misha Kazantsez 11-9 in the fifth and final game to secure a finals birth. Di Maharaj’s Florida Team then defeated Shao Yu’s NYTTC’s Team. Big Apple Table Tennis won the $3000 First Prize in a convincing fashion. Third Place was won by Adam Hugh’s Team over Shao Yu’s Team

The big winners were Tahl’s and Moshen’s Big Apple Table Tennis Club as they won both the Super Division and 2050 events. The tournaments success is also do to the great support from Mayor George O. Darden of the Town of Spring Valley who sent many volunteers to help with the tournament.We are also very grateful to all of our sponsors including our Title Sponsor Kam Man Foods, Metro Funding Corp and Kramer Appraisal Services Inc.

Many thanks go to Larry Bavly and David Marcus for doing a terrific job at the control desk, YC Lee as always did a great and thorough job as the referee and the many volunteers that helped setup the facility including our volunteers from the Town of Spring Valley, New York led by Sonia Barton. We would also like to thank many of the local players from the New York, Connecticut and New Jersey Clubs for promoting and participating in our event. I would like to name all these players that helped, but I promised Larry a short article. But I can’t help just naming a few. Special thanks go to Steve Blijheid, Michael Henry, Atanda Musa for the many New York teams that participated.

Thank you to all the players for their many compliments. I will try my best for a bigger and better event next year. We hope to see you there.