Published: Wednesday, 3rd June, 2009 1:00pm

Cippenham Series decided

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Table tennis

ENGLAND"S top ranked veteran player, Abdul Wuraola scooped two of the major cash prizes when the Cippenham Series culminated over the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

As might be expected for a player of his pedigree, Wuraola was unbeatable in the veteran men"s event, winning all three tournaments during the season. For the senior men"s Series title he had to work a little harder. Wuraola, having missed the opening event in August, won both the second and fourth events but had to settle for runners-up position in the other two.

That included the latest tournament in which he succumbed to sixth seed Patrick Thomas in the final. After dropping the first game of that final, the exciting young Welsh prospect swept aside the challenge of his older opponent to win 9-11, 11-9, 11-1, 11-3.

However, reaching the final was enough for Wuraola to win the overall series title.

Best performance from a local player again came from Rafique Sarhadi. Sarhadi"s results in the series this season have been very consistent. He has reached at least the quarter-final round in each of the four tournaments he played and this was enough to earn him fifth place in the final points table.

Cippenham"s Sue Hayes was another who had already secured her series title in the veteran women"s before the weekend. However, she made it three out of three in a small field with Denise Weller runner-up on the day and Margaret Thornton runner-up in the series.