CHRIS Crowe has returned from the New Zealand Open Championships with a gold medal hanging around his neck, in the best result of his short table tennis career.
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The 17-year-old teamed up with former Port players Andrew Chee and Angus O'Rourke to take victory in the B grade teams event at Canterbury.
The threesome won all its matches convincingly, with rubber scores of 7-0, 7-0, 6-1 and 5-2 in the final of the under 18s Bs.
Crowe and his teammates played doubles and singles matches.
"We won it pretty easily," Crowe said.
He was proud of his team's achievements.
"Pretty stoked," Crowe said.
He enjoyed providing tips for his teammates on how to break down an opponent's game and, ultimately, triumph.
It's the closest Crowe has come to coaching anyone.
"I haven't done my course, but I help out a little bit,"?he said of his mentoring role.
"I got more satisfaction out of coaching the other boys and watching them get wins, than winning myself."
Geoff Young and Ken Sands are his coaches at Port Macquarie Table Tennis Club.
"They're great," he said.
Crowe wasn't so lucky in the other events he entered. He was knocked out of the under 18s singles and doubles in the early stages.
"I pretty much got knocked out in the first round of everything," he said.
"It was pretty hard."
He progressed beyond the early round robin stages of C grade.
"But I got knocked out after that," he said.
Crowe is unsure about where his future in the sport lies.
"I'm pretty stoked to come back from the New Zealand opens with a gold medal," he said.
"I'll go back to club stuff for a little while."
"Club stuff" is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Bourne House.
