Some might call it beginners luck, but those who've seen Malkolm Boothroyd in action know there's a lot more to his success at the Edmonton Open table tennis championships recently.

Boothroyd was up against competitors from Alberta and Saskatchewan in his first-ever major tournament outside of the Yukon, and he didn't disappoint. Participating in seven different events, Boothroyd finished first in the Junior Novice division and was also tops in the under-150 rating points category.

'He did extremely well,' said coach Kevin Murphy. He was actually very calm about it. He's one of those kids that's very keen on the game and wants to learn.'

Three other Yukon athletes ñ� Zara Bachli, Karlie Knight and Ryan Bachli joined Boothroyd and Murphy in Edmonton, taking part in a tournament that featured more than 200 players. The last time the territory took athletes to the Open was in the late 1980's.

'It's a pretty big tournament,' said Murphy. 'I was very pleased with everyone's results. It was a good eye-opener for Malkolm and for the other, more experienced members, it was another step toward the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) and Canada Games.'

Zara also had a strong showing in Edmonton, making the semifinals in the under-18 girls category, tying for third, and also finishing tied for third in the under-150 points rating event.

Ryan and Knight both made it out of the qualifying round-robins in one of their events, but were unable to make it further in the single-knockout draw.

Murphy also saw some action while at the Open, winning the under-800 rating points division, which would be the equivalent of C level singles. And he made the semifinals for both the under-1200, or B singles, group and the over-40 age group.

'I had fun. I deliberately played in a lot less events than I would have liked to, so I could watch the kids. I had about six matches on the way to the finals (in the under-800 event) and three of them were five-game matches, so I was still a little worn out.'

Murphy will now prepare the Yukon's squad for the 2006 AWG over the next few months, with the next set of trials set to take place Dec. 11 at Whitehorse Elementary School.

The four athletes who travelled to Alberta will almost certainly represent the territory in Alaska, as they are the strongest two junior girls and two juvenile boys. Murphy hopes to field a full team of four boys and four girls.

'Especially in the juvenile category, we should do very well with the boys we have (Boothroyd and Ryan),' he said. 'The girls will be fairly inexperienced, so it really depends on the other contingents. I know Alberta is not sending a table tennis team.

'Greenland will be strong and it really depends on what Russia will send. Alaska was pretty much on the same level as we were last time and Nunavut was pretty close to our level as well, although they actually have quite a few people playing there now. They've had a training session with a national junior coach.'

Murphy said it's unlikely the Yukon athletes will make another Outside trip before the AWG, which will be held in the Kenai Peninsula area of Alaska the first week of March. There's a slight possibility of a trip to Anchorage, but it will depend on transportation and budget.

All things considered, things are looking up for table tennis in the territory.

The second club at Holy Family School, which opened earlier this year, has 10 to 15 people coming out on a weekly basis, and the new tables recently given to the Whitehorse club by the Canada Games Host Society are a huge hit.

'Those new tables are just excellent to play on,' said Murphy. 'They're a god send.'