No signs of stopping for table tennis star Sean McAnaney

There are no signs of stopping for local table tennis champion Sean McAnaney, who recently added the Irish Masters National 50s Championship to add to his ever-growing list of achievements.
The local man has dedicated his life to table tennis and travelled the world in pursuit of his passion, and his efforts have brought plenty of rewards, with this past season alone one of the most memorable in his career. 
Having already won the Nationals in the 60s category, Sean then won the 50s at a prestigious event in Dublin just a few weeks ago. 
"I have had a very good season winning two National titles," he explained. "I'm 61 now so I'm giving a good 11 years on the boys in the 50s Nationals. There is a very good standard in the Nationals; it's the best in the country North and South.
"There is the Ulster, the Leinster, the Munster and the Connacht. You gather up points as you go along during the season for that and then the final competition is the National Championships which is the big one at the end which everyone wants to get. 
"I won the Munster Championships and the Leinster Championships during the year so that would have catapulted me up into number one in the 60's ranking, but I also went for the 50s Nationals and I ended up winning that too." 
What made the most recent victory all the more impressive was the standard of opponent in the final. Daryl Strong is also a renowned table tennis champion and was a real challenge for the Derry man. 
"The guy that I beat in the 50s actually won the 40s Nationals this year. He is a 6-time 40s Nationals champion so it was a big feather in my cap beating him in the final," he explained. "I had played him twice this year and actually lost to him both times, but this time around I had a different strategy. You play the best of five sets and I beat him 3-1 so it was a fairly convincing. My game is a fairly defensive game so I mixed it up with defence and attack. He is a well-renowned opponent so it was a good win."
Not content with all that success, Sean already his his eye on the next big opportunity, just a few months away. 
"At the end of the season I finished clearly at number one in the sixties, and number three in the 50s," he stated. "The Home Nations this year are being played in Dublin at the end of September between Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey so I'll get a call up for that as well."