CAGLIARI, 12 JANUARY 2023 – SERIES A1: THE EMOTIONS CONTINUE
The challenge between Castel Goffredo and Muravera TT has reopened the games of the women’s and men’s A1 series which undertake the return round. The reigning Italian champions clearly prevailed 4-1 but the all-Italian trio made up of Miriam Carnovale, Nicoletta Criscione and Valentina Roncallo gave nothing away, with the latter unlocking the deadlock; in the long run Szocs and her companions did not grant any further discounts.
On January 12, the Sardinian women’s derby of the fourth day of the first leg is recovered with the Quattro Mori Cagliari receiving the Norbello table tennis: between the two there is only one point of difference and they occupy the two places immediately superior to the Sarrabese team.
The weekend program also includes the double match in the Guilcer by Tennistavolo Norbello as always: at 17:00 on Saturday 14 January 2023, in the via Azuni stadium, Polisportiva Bagnolese arrives; in the adjacent field the local males, third in the standings, receive the Sant’Epedito Napoli. Also at 18, but on Saturdays, Marcozzi Cagliari is a guest of the leaders Apuania Carrara.
The last glimpse of the week will be enlivened by all the other national and regional championships that have reached the halfway point. The emotions continue with one more year on the back.
SECOND NATIONAL YOUTH TOURNAMENT: THE PODIUMS OF SARDINIAN COMPANIES
As always, the best Sardinian youth had the pleasure of exchanging techniques and emotions with the same age groups who had gathered in Terni to give substance to the second national youth tournament of the season. From the socio-existential point of view, as always, it is an experience to be lived absolutely, considering the multiple meanings that lie behind a shrewd dispute accompanied by the inseparable racket. As for the results, there were no successes, but some podiums. In the men’s under 21, John Michael Oyebode from Assemini under the Sassari table tennis team had to settle for the bronze, beaten by a Matteo Gualdi who had also ousted the other athlete from Turri from Marco Poma in the quarterfinals.
Also at Muravera TT the glass is half full for the place of honor and the bronze signed by Miriam Carnovale respectively in the under 19 and in the under 21. Nicoletta Criscione increases the booty of the Sarrabese club with a third place in the under 19 , stopped in the semifinals by her teammate. Both Criscione (under 21) and Francesca Seu (under 15) stop in the quarterfinals. Out of a total of 93 clubs in Umbria, the one chaired by Luciano Saiu is in fourth place.
And speaking of the youth sector, a bit of Sardinia was seen within the Under 15 national team when in the first few days of the year Laura Alba Pinna (Sassari table tennis) and Francesca Seu (Muravera TT) took part in an internship at the Technical Center of Terni. While until Saturday Miriam Carnovale, Nicoletta Criscione, Francesca Seu (Muravera Table Tennis) and Daniele Spagnolo (Marcozzi Cagliari) will be protagonists in Linz (Austria) in the WTT Youth Contender.
OVERVIEW IN THE PARALYMPIC SERIES
The busy 2023 competitive calendar also welcomed the Paralympic national championships in its first dates.
In the standing A1 (group 6-10) Muraverese returns from the concentration of Saronno with the first success of the season obtained against the hosts. Protagonists Andrea Manis and Luca Paganelli who however, in the opening match, surrendered to Lorenzo Cordua’s Frandent Group Torino, even if Manis comes out with his head held high with the point conquered over Soligo.
In group B of A2 in wheelchairs (group 1-5) only table tennis Quartu experiences the thrill of victory in Casamassima, breaking down the resistance of Ennio Cristofaro, landlord: the compliments must be distributed between Daniel Maris and Ivan Gaias . The Campidanese duo tries everything to stop the escalation of the Sicilian leaders TT Olimpicus, still with full points, but can’t do it.
The table tennis Sassari B of Giancarlo Cossu and Maria Paola Tolu remedies a double 3-0 inflicted on the order of the day by Circolo Molfetta and Pohafi. The only appearance with defeat for the Sassari A table tennis team made up of Giammarco Mereu and Giuseppe Demontis: they too were victims of the Molfetta club.
In A2 standing, the best placed Sardinian team in the standings is La Saetta Quartu, currently in third place. For Pietro Ghiani, Marco Saiu and Romano Monni four points come from the competitive experience of Casamassima. The first to give up is Radiosa, then it’s up to Table Tennis Sassari who sided with Lorenzo and Giovanni Battista Sanna. The duo from Turri had to deal with Ennio Cristofaro, leader of the standings, but the gap was significant.
No points even for Norbello table tennis: Mauro Mereu and Massimiliano Manfredi also had to deal with the landlady before the class and previously with the Circolo Etneo.
Serie A class 11 closed the regular season in Lignano Sabbiadoro with the dispute over the last few days. Unfortunately none of the three island teams occupied the first two places in the rankings, necessary to access the play off semi-finals. However, the third place of La Saetta Quartu was good, with two victories in the derby against Monterosello and Santa Tecla Nulvi. Alessio Picciau and Simone Sebis failed in the miracle of curbing the ardor of the leading Sporting Club Etna.
Alessandro Ara and Gianfranco Idini however fought like champions to make up for a few points in the name and on behalf of Libertas Ping Pong Monterosello Sassari, also losing against Radiosa Zeropong.
No points in the standings but experience to be framed for the Santa Tecla Nulvi formed by the exuberant Jessica Rozzo and Francesco Piredda who in this last round faced Saettini and Etna from Riposto.
THE RESULTS OF THE MASTERS IN THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL FIELD
PROMOTIONS FOR SANTA TECLA NULVI AND TT GUSPINI
In the A2 series (group C) Santa Tecla Nulvi “Avis” does not have time to toast for the new year which must once again vigorously raise the glasses for the conquest of the top veteran series. Merit of the Guspinese duo formed by Maxim Kuznetsov and Giancarlo Carta who oozes youth from every pore, ringing together only successes. In the concentration camp in Siena they annihilate Ferrara and Cascina, closing the group with full points.
In Serie B (group C) table tennis Sassari accumulates two stops; Sergio Idini and Gianfelice Delogu have to deal with highly equipped formations such as TT Maccheroni and Cascina table tennis.
In group D, TT Guspini uncorks the sparkling wine, which in Arma di Taggia leaves no way out either to Guilcier Ghilarza’s fellow countrymen, or to the team that hosted the concentration camp. Therefore comes the mathematical promotion in Serie A2 complete with congratulations received from its impeccable protagonists: Riccardo Lisci, Silvio Dessì and Massimiliano Broccia.
No point is forfeited by Guilcier Ghilarza who expressed himself in Liguria with Mario Marchi and Ignazio Calderisi: in addition to TT Guspini, Bordighera also appeared much more tonic.
SERIES C REGIONAL MASTER
The differently young participants in the series conceived by Fitet Sardegna, took advantage of the four post-epiphanic concentrations to once again give the first name to a racket that has become much desired during the long culinary marathons of the last twenty days.
GROUP A: “WE OF OLBIA ARE IN THE RUN FOR THE SEMI-FINALS”
(edited by Pier Paolo Melis)
With a good performance, the representative master of TT Olbia wins the match against TT Alghero who with a subdued Salvatore Motzo (but Salvatore Zinchiri also played with him) fails to worry the Gallura team, made up of me and Antonio Trubbas. We are at the top of the standings and await the concentration that will take place right at our house, on February 26, to compete for access to the next phase with the other team from Alghero, Il Cancello B, who will play first with Santa Tecla Nulvi, who has nothing more to ask for in the tournament, and to follow against us in a match that could be decisive for the passage to the next round.
GROUP B: “THE NEXT CONCENTRATION IS DECISIVE”
(edited by Gianni Palmas)
The second day of the Oristano concentration sees us victorious against the local team for 3-0. Monterosello takes the field with Scudino Pier Luigi, Paganotto Samuel and me. Oristano with Urrai Sebastiano, Marras Emanuele and Sanna Salvatore.
Scudino begins against Urrai, our athlete wins 3-2 after a long fought and uncertain match until the end. It’s Paganotto’s turn, against Sanna, beaten with a dry 3-0. In the double Paganotto-Palmas against Marras-Urrai we win 3-1 with exchanges on both sides against experienced players.
As for the other match of the day, TT Paulilatino succumbs 3-1 against Guilcier Ghilarza ISKRA. Paulilatino got off to a good start with Maulu Carlo who beat Mura Quirico 3-1, but it was thanks to the subsequent matches that Ghilarza brought home the final victory with Cubadde Pierpaolo and Mura.
The last scheduled concentration in Sassari on February 26, 2023, will see us engaged against the two Ghilarza teams and from these meetings it is clear whether we will remain at the top of the standings.
GROUP C: “DEFEATED BUT STILL OPTIMISTIC”
(edited by Cesare Mozzi)
After three rounds, despite not having played in the latter concentration played at the Palatennistavolo in Cagliari, Torrellas Gialla remains the favorite for access to the semifinals, but the chapter is not over yet. In the last series of races the leaders will have to face both us Marcozzians and La Saetta Rossa who are only two points behind her in the standings: in short, she will still have to fight to qualify.
At Mulinu Becciu we face La Saetta Verde in full formation with me, Stefano Sedda, Giuseppe Lepori and Mauro Serra. Our opponents are Alberto Manos and Giordano Sini. In the first two matches, although they are fought, we find ourselves down 0-2 due to the defeats of Sedda against Sini and Manos against Serra. It is with double that we regain altitude thanks to the good understanding between me and Lepori which allows us to hope for a comeback; which takes shape when Lepori, after a vibrant, tight and good-looking match, puts Manos in a corner. It’s up to Serra and Sini to decide which way to move the balance once and for all. They give life to another hard-fought challenge which, however, smiles at the saettini.
In the other challenge in the cartel, La Saetta Rossa by Alessandro Concu and Francesco Murtas won 3-1 over Torrellas Blu who faced the hoped-for pitfall with Marco Carboni, Antonello Migliaccio and Antonio Cingolani
GROUP D: “CARBONIA BLUE EVERYTHING OK, BUT BEWARE OF THE PITCHES”
(edited by Vito Moccia)
Nice atmosphere in Carbonia for the second concentration of the C Master series. Simultaneously with our teammates from the Bianca team (Luciano Macrì, Marco Ibba, Stefano Pittau) we from the Blu face the TT Guspini, which arrives in the city with four players, including Gian Paolo Collu and Giorgio Onnis, accompanied by coach Fabiano peddis. I must say that both Sergio Vacca, who I didn’t know yet and who has excellent shots in his technical background, and Fabrizio Melis, who won a good match with Marco Lai and defeated in a very tight match with Pietro Pili, positively surprised me. The match ends 3-1 in our favor. On the same day we also face the TT Decimomannu (Italo Fois, Gianfranco Soi, Francesco Mela), back from a victory over our teammates; despite the final result of 3-0 both the singles and the doubles are anything but easy. Then we make up for the family derby scheduled for the first day: among the best matches is the one between Walter Barroi and Luciano Macrì, characterized by many long exchanges and beautiful plays on both sides.
For the moment we have full points, we hope to qualify for the final phase of the competition, but the derby against Iglesias scheduled for February 26th will not be without difficulties.
In the photo: Guspini table tennis promoted to A2 master