John Threadgold has finally put his demons to rest, winning his first Swan Hill Table Tennis club championship.
Threadgold has been the dominant player for the past four years, but has failed to win the club’s main trophy until now.
He had an electrifying semi-final win against Lachie Carroll, with the match descending into a slug fest from the back of the court for both players.
The other semi-final pitted up-and-comer Paul Johnson against Joseph Pino, with Johnson narrowly beaten in three by Pino, who has a great blend of defence and attacking table tennis.
An enormous crowd witnessed a high-class final, with Pino using his spinning skills, but Threadgold unleashed his trademark aggression to win the match in four tight sets.
An excited Threadgold ran around the stadium high fiving the crowd, and an emotional embrace was shared between father John and proud son Aaron.
The B grade club championship saw a match-up between the master Kevin Edwards and the apprentice Tayte Tants.
In a thrilling five setter, Tants got up 15-13 in the final set, with both players to be commended on their sportsmanship.
The A grade doubles produced a surprise result, with Frank Capone and Santhosh Gunasekaran beating an unlucky Aaron Threadgold and Ben Mangiameli, again in five sets.
Kevin Edwards had a great night, pairing with youngster Jesse Crooymans to win the B grade doubles title in three sets against Michael Hickox and Joanne Stevenson.
