There were plenty of reasons to celebrate, with particularly strong performances from players in the Norfolk and Norwich area, alongside some outstanding achievements from familiar VETTS names. (Roll of honour attached)
Local players enjoy success
Congratulations to the local players who enjoyed success at this year’s Eastern Masters.
Wayne Mason took the Over 40s Men’s Singles title, while Alex Abbott was the winner of the Over 60s Men’s Singles. Serafim Melo reached the final of the Over 40s Men’s Singles and also partnered Suffolk’s James Skilleter to the runner-up position in the Over 40s Men’s Doubles.
Paul Rich had an especially successful tournament in the consolation events, winning both the Over 40s and Over 50s Men’s Consolation Singles.
Other stand out performances
There was also a superb hat-trick of titles for Hurey Ahmetoglu, who won the Over 40s Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles with Paul Cronin, and Over 40s Women’s Doubles with Tumay Ekrem.
Once again, VETTS President John Hilton demonstrated his class and consistency, completing the Over 70s and Over 75s Men’s Singles double.
This is another remarkable achievement for John, who, at 79 years of age, has now won the two titles at each of the last five veterans tournaments. His continuing success is a wonderful example of the standard and longevity that veteran table tennis can offer.
There were many other impressive performances throughout the age groups. Stephen Horsfield won the Over 50s Men’s Singles, Brian Hill took the Over 80s title, and the women’s singles winners included Larisa Titievskaja, Janet Adams, Gill Locke, Jan Hodgetts and Sally Bax.
The doubles events also provided plenty of exciting competition, with titles contested across the age groups and in the Mixed Doubles.
Thank you to the team
An event of this size relies on the commitment and hard work of a dedicated team of volunteers. VETTS would like to thank everyone who helped make the Eastern Masters such a success.
Our thanks go to:
- Referee: Kim Mudge
- Deputy Referee: Linda Radford
- Tournament Organiser: Dan Milburn and his team of local volunteers who stepped up to help host our VETTS event
- Control Table: Kim Johnson, Viv Barry, Steve and Gwyneth Adams, and Martin Edwards
- Promotion Stand: Marge Dawson, together with the many helpers who gave their time and support.
Their efforts, both in preparation for and throughout the tournament, are greatly appreciated.
Next stop: Southern Masters, Crawley
The next event on the VETTS calendar is the VETTS Southern Masters, taking place at the K2 Centre, Crawley, on 6–7 February 2027.
The usual two-day VETTS Masters tournament will be accompanied by a new addition: an inaugural International Team Event on Friday, 5 February. This provides an opportunity for players to take part in a team competition ahead of the Southern Masters weekend.
Entries for these events will open shortly.
Further information about VETTS events is available from tournaments@vetts.org.uk.
Congratulations to all the winners, runners-up and competitors who took part in Norwich. The Eastern Masters was another successful weekend for VETTS, made possible by the players, organisers and volunteers who continue to support veteran table tennis.
Full results for the VETTS Eastern Masters available here:
https://vetts.tournamentsoftware.com/tournament/9f981966-63f1-436a-b7ca-9d1b954dd8c7