CHATHAM'S Dean Chipperfield was crowned the Open Singles champion at the Medway Towns Table Tennis League’s annual championships. It was biggest upset in the competition for years.

Chipperfield was not even seeded in the championships - held at Lloyds Sports and Social Club - which meant the player was not even expected to get to the last 16.

His bid was helped by top seed Christian Thompson (Rainham 83) withdrawing with a shoulder injury after the group stage, but he did win the hard way.

Not being seeded he had to play in the preliminary round after the group stage where he beat Jackie Williams 11-3, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6.

Then he defeated second seed Paul Cronin (Rainham 83) in the first round proper, winning 4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8.

Next to go was seventh seed Wayne Youngs (Sturdee) 13-15, 12-10, 11-7, 11-3 in the quarter-finals.

Sturdee’s 14th seed Neil Le-Milliere provided the semi-final challenge and must have thought this was his chance with both top seeds missing, especially as he had beaten third seed Bob Smith (Rainham 83) and sixth seed Matt Jacobs (Rainham 83).

He did take Chipperfield all the way though before losing out 8-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 11-9.

With Thompson gone from the top half of the draw, it was Sturdee’s eighth seed Steve Waud who made it through to face Chipperfield.

Old Swans’ Craig Bartholomew took advantage of Thompson’s withdrawal to face Waud in the quarters but lost 11-4, 11-4, 11-5.

Next up was Rainham 83’s fourth seed Ray Hope and he lost 4-11, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10.

Hope had, in fact, barely made it through the group stage as he was taken all the way by Chatham TTTC’s Steve Doughty.

Doughty got his reward by taking the under-17 and under- 15 singles titles and also finished runner-up in the Division 2 singles to Sisalkraft’s Tony Jarrett.

Chipperfield then became the first non-seed to win the title 11-9, 11-5, 5-11, 11-9.