Congratulations to Rick and Peter for their performance at the 21st Annual Hillsboro Open last Saturday. Rick teamed up with Munkhbold "Bold" Bayarsaikhan to place 2nd in Doubles, and Peter placed 2nd in Class B Singles. Rick also made the crossover semi-finals in Class A Singles, but was bested by Jeffrey Schulte. Schulte lost in the final to Bold, Rick's doubles partner for the day. Both Rick and Peter took home cash prizes provided by the tournament sponsor: The Journal-News. Read the article at The Journal-News, view a few pictures from the Doubles competition, or watch this short clip of match point in Doubles.

Mike Plunkett and the Hillsboro Table Tennis club run a nice tournament and I recommend more of our club members check out this event in the future. Players from all over Central IL and beyond attended, such as the East Central IL/Mattoon-Charleston contingent, Decatur, and a group of Lindenwood University players including STTC alums Brad Kendle and Ryan Driskill. While there is no shortage of tough competition, HTT splits the tournament field into classes A, B, and C, so there's a place for players of all levels. The entry fee is reasonable and you get to play a lot of round robin matches.

As a bonus, we discovered a good Chinese buffet in Litchfield on the way home. Good food and a large case of ice cream! In my opinion, a great way to feed ravenous players after a long day of matches. ;)

5-on-5 vs. Hillsboro coming soon

In related news: our ongoing 5-on-5 match against Hillsboro is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, to be held at our club. Get ready as our best 5 take on their best 5 to claim the trophy and bragging rights.