Table Tennis: Holt and Lomas blow hot

Andrea Holt, the national champion, and Lisa Lomas, who have just carried England to the final of the European League for the first time, followed this with another outstanding success when both beat Mirjam Hooman, the English Open champion, and took England to a startling 3-2 victory over the league champions, the Netherlands, in the European Team Cup in Dulmen, Germany, writes James Leigh. Lomas began the downfall of the Dutch by outplaying Hooman 21-11, 21-16 in the opening encounter and she extended the reigning European singles champion, Bettine Vriesekoop, the full distance before losing. Lomas and Holt teamed up for a wonderful 23-25, 21-11, 21-19 victory over Vriesekoop and Hooman in the doubles and then Holt recovered from a game down, from 12-15 down in the second game, and from three times being within two points of defeat before winning 20-22, 23-21, 21-16 against Hooman in the deciding contest.