Team BC opens strong in table tennis
By Drew Todd, Team BC Mission Staff
The table tennis doubles events got going Tuesday at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, included boys, girls, and mixed doubles matches. Team BC had a strong showing across all three disciplines as they qualified for the boys’ and girls’ finals, and will have a shot for the bronze in mixed.
Team BC’s boys doubles team consists of Frank Liao (Vancouver) and Mike Yue (New Westminster) who cruised through their matches, losing only two games en route to Saturday’s final. Wins over Team Nunuvat and Team Nova Scotia gave them a semi-final matchup against Team Alberta, whom they beat in four games.
The girls fared even better as they were able to sweep all three matches in the day. Natasha Carr-Harris (Vancouver) and Ivy Liao (Vancouver) earned wins over Team Yukon and Team Newfoundland that gave Team BC a birth in the semis where they defeated Team Quebec 11-6, 11-6, 11-6.
In mixed doubles, Michael Luo (Burnaby) and Leanne Lee (Burnaby) teamed up to win their pool with straight game victories over Team Yukon and Team Alberta. In the semi-finals, they ran into a tough Team Quebec contingent and lost a hard-fought four game match. They still can earn the bronze with a play-in game scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Last but not least, the girls secured a spot in the team bronze medal match by defeating Team Manitoba three matches to none.
See Canada Games live streaming at www.canadagamestv.ca and follow live updates on Twitter from @GoTeamBC with the hashtag #TBCTableTennis.