Sporting Digest: Table Tennis

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (Birmingham) Men's team final: France 4 Sweden 3 (Fr names first): C Legout lost to J-O Waldner 23-25 12-21; J-P Gatien lost to P Karlsson 15-21 16-21; P Chila bt E Lindh 21-19 21-14; Gatien and D Eloi bt Lindh and Waldner 21-16 21-16; Gatien lost to Waldner 21-18 19-21 14-21; Chila bt Karlsson 14-21 21-19 21-19; Legout bt Lindh 18-21 21-10 21-17. Men's singles first qualifying round (selected): I Eren (Tur) bt B Wright (Sco) 21-11 21-10; P Szafranek (Pol) bt A Eden (Eng) 20-22 21-19 21-19; K Hogsberg (Den) bt A Dennison (Irl) 21-14 21-13; S Winther (Nor) bt J Shooter (IoM) 21-6 21-14; G Stephensen (Ice) bt S Crawford (Sco) 21-19 19-21 21-15; R Jenkins (Wal) bt E Baldacchino (Malta) 21-11 21-11; L Vaskevicius (Lith) bt A Horne (IoM)

21-13 21-9; A Smifnov (Rus) bt S Gilbert (Sco) 21-11 21-16; S Gill (Wal) w/o A Anastasi (Malta) scr; S Caenaro (Lux) bt I Gorham (IoM) 21-5 21-12; O Serafimov (Bul) bt J Broe (Sco) 21-14 19-21 29-27; T Klampar (Hung) bt G Boyle (Irl) 21-10 21-9; S Ward (Wal) bt S Atakan (Tur) 21-14 21-10; G Juchna (Lith) bt E Watterson (IoM) 21-7 21-4; S Andrew (Eng) bt C Tol (Rom) 13-21 21-13 21-18; A Kontala (Fin) bt G Clancy (Sco) 21-17 21-17. Second qualifying round (winners to first-round proper today): B Billington (Eng) bt Vaskevicius 21-13 21-16; M Kostadinov (Bul) bt Meneely 21-16 15-21 22-20; S Milicevic (Independent Federation Players) bt Gill 21-18 21-15; Ward bt G Innes (Sco) 21-10 21-8; Andrew bt J B Sevilla (Sp) 21-13 21-13. Women's singles first qualifying round (selected): S Marling (Eng) w/o M Sahakian (Arm) scr; M Valasti (Fin) bt G Schwartz (Eng) 22-24 21-19 21-15; S Hurry (Sco) w/o A Gjoka (Alb) scr; L Poulsen (Den) bt L Taggart (IoM) 21-7 21-6; M Neumann (Liech) bt B Daunton (Wal) 21-19 21-11; D Walker (Sco) w/o I Jozepsone (Lat) scr; N Deaton (Eng) bt B Meyer (Lux) 21-13 18-21 21-18; J Hughes (Irl) bt A-M Jones (IoM) 21-6 21-13; K Goodall (Eng) w/o I Arnadottir (Icel) scr; L Robb (Sco) bt M Davies (Wal) 21-17 22-20; T Bollard (Irl) bt E Josteinsdottir (Icel) 21-9 21-6. Second qualifying round: K Kallast (Est) bt J Owen (IoM) 21-11 21-16; J Narkiewicz (Pol) bt Marling 21-12 21-17; G Panadero (Sp) bt Hurry 21-16 21-10; Walker bt Bollard 21-12 21-10; Deaton bt A Kursakova (Ukr) 12-21 21-14 21-18; V Pavlovich (Bela) bt Hughes 21-17 21-5; S Thone (Bel) bt Goodall 21-8 18-21 21-18; D Dandoula (Gr) bt Robb 21-8 21-9.