WPFG Games Patron Dame Mary Peters at the Valley Leisure Centre

WPFG Games Patron Mary Peters has proved to be a wonderful ambassador for the games. As Patron, she has been here, there and everywhere during the past fortnight and has visited most of the 40+ venues. I welcomed her to the Odyssey Arena at the start of the Ice Hockey on July 25th.

Games Patron Dame Mary Peters with table tennis officials

Today (Friday 9th) she was in Newtownabbey, watching the men’s singles in the table tennis at the Valley Leisure Centre. She met volunteers and officials, and also posed for photographs with members of the public who had come to watch the competition.

WPFG Patron Dame Mary Peters with Games Ambassadors

This morning Ireland won a bronze medal when a Garda competed in the men’s singles.

Garda Louise Long from Celbridge, County Kildare who is based at Blackrock, Co.Dublin was playing in the women’s singles. She is an Ireland national coach and has been in the Gardaí for over seven years. But her opponents especially the Chinese proved too strong for her.

Garda Louise Long in action

The results in the women’s singles were: Bronze Susanne Eckholdt (Germany); Silver Wan Ling and Gold Mei Yang (China). Now I had better get some sleep otherwise Susanne and her three German colleagues I am collecting in the morning will not get their lift from the Malone Road to Newtownabbey! I gave them a lift back to Belfast as there was still some trouble in the city centre.

Women’s singles medals presented by East Antrim MLA Alastair Ross