Crouchman upsets the odds

Former champion Brandon Crouchman brought off the win of the weekend at the Braintree Table Tennis League’s individual tournament when he knocked out many people’s favourite for the open singles title Harry Chivers.

Crouchman, who won the title in 2017, has played very little this season and was expected to find life hard against the speed of his 17-year-old opponent.

But he mixed up his shots, crashing the ball through Chivers’ defence on occasion but taking the pace off the ball at other times as he edged home 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11 in a tense quarter final.

Crouchman will be joined in the semi-finals – to be played on finals night at the Earls Colne Recreation Centre on Friday – by two other champions, Lee McHugh, winner in 2019, and current holder Paul Davison, plus last year’s runner-up Paul Lucas.

While experience triumphed in Crouchman’s case, youth had its day when 16-year-old Omar Wasi became the only unseeded player to reach the last eight by knocking out equal No.5 seed Kuang Htet Paing in three straight games – only to run into an unrelenting Davison in the quarter final.

Crouchman and Chivers will face each other again in the final of the men’s doubles.

Top seeds Crouchman and Liberal A teammate Scott Dowsett came past McHugh and Adam Buxton in the semi-final to face Chivers and Kuang Htet Paing in the final after the latter’s victory over Davison and Ashley Skeggs.

Chivers and Wasi – like Paing making their finals night debut – will be at opposite ends of the table in the final of the junior boys’ singles while at the other end of the age scale, Davison and Lucas will stage a repeat of last year’s final in the veterans’ singles.

Also making their first appearance on finals night will be the ladies’ singles finalists Louise Hartshorn and Lorraine Burgess, who both made their way comfortably past the opposition.

Hartshorn and Sudbury Wanderers teammate Ian Shrubsole will pit their wits against Lucas and his 14-year-old daughter Amelie in the final of the mixed doubles.

Sean Clift will be making his fourth appearance in the restricted singles final, an event he won in 2012.

He faces last year’s finalist Adi Kamma.

Hartshorn could make it a treble as she and Canning have already secured the ladies’ doubles title, which was played to a finish at the weekend.

In other events decided at the weekend, Paul Davison maintained his hold on the veterans’ doubles trophy that he has won in each of the four years since it was introduced, and with three different partners.

This time he and James Hicks overcame Paul Lucas and Paul Lombardi 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8.

Wasi took the division one singles title with an 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 win in the final over Oliver Hicks.

Rev Matthews took the division two title after a tight11-9-in-the-fifth-game win over Hartshorn and Charles Calisin was crowned division three champion

Calisin and Wasi upset the odds by beating Chivers and Jack Dearsley in straight games in the junior doubles final and Wasi was on the winning side in both the handicap events.

He beat Ben Southgate in the final of the handicap singles and joined Davina Brazier to win the handicap doubles with a win in the final over Jill Canning and Stewart Ireland

Amelie Lucas took the girls’ singles title with three comfortable wins in a round robin event while Ethan Collins took both the cadets and under 11 titles.

The hard bat singles was won by Harry Chivers with a victory over Lee McHugh in the final.

Woodham C clinch Division 2 title

Woodham C clinched the Burnham & District Table Tennis League Division 2 title early in the week without playing a rally as Maldon B relaxed too soon and dropped a single point against Blackwater B.  Woodham then went onto to record a 7-3 victory against pre-season favourites Mapledene C for an anti-climatical victory party.  In Divisions 1 and 3 the title races were clarified and muddied in equal measures.

Woodham C have been the most consistent team in Division 2 all season.  They remain unbeaten with one game to go and have now clinched the championship early allowing them to relax in their final match against an ‘up-for-it’ resurgent Woodham D side – sparks will fly for sure in that one.  The week started well for Woodham when Blackwater’s Neil Thompson looped his way to victory over Dawn Baldry of Maldon B – that was the single point Blackwater achieved but it was enough to mathematically crown the Woodham C team.  So a 9-1 victory to Maldon B with hat-tricks for Colin Napper and a notable performance from Chris Ravenhill playing up from the D side for his first Division 2 hat-trick of the season.  So come Thursday and what had been billed as the crunch tie of the run-in, Woodham were champions and then Mapledene C only had 2 players so it was all a bit of an anti-climax for the crowds that had paid to see this one.  Woodham ran out 7-3 winners with Bill Smith and Sue Body putting up more than a spirited fight for Mapledene.  Woodham’s hard hitting Chris Hancox won all of his matches and Dave Meah edged a 5 setter against Body, but it was the tricky play of Bill Smith and his spinny serves that caused the most problems as he scored wins over Meah and Adi Kamma.  In the other Division 2 matches Blackwater A beat Stow C 7-3 with everyone getting a win, but no-one could beat Blackwater’s defensive master Denis Balic as he picked up a hat-trick and player of the match bragging rights.  Choice of bats and rubbers are very important in table tennis and even more so when you play with specific rubbers designed to confuse and disrupt your opponents play.  Cold Norton’s Gordon Gatheral is one of those players with a unique style and personalised rubbers so best he doesn’t misplace his bats on the day of a match and have to play with someone else’s bat with normal rubbers – but that is what happened this week and the Maldon D trio took full advantage of the confusion bestowed upon Gatheral to take 3 unexpected points.  That was their total haul in a 3-7 loss with Cold Norton’s Dave Hancox and Peter Lucraft picking up the remaining 7 points.  Woodham D continued their run of form with a 6-4 win over the tricky Stow D side.  For Woodham Gus Heath won all 3 with the cyclonic Malcolm Henstock taking 2 in support.  For Stow Tim Pulham won 2 but couldn’t get past the Heath machine.

In a wholly unexpected twist Division 3 will now go all the way to the final matches of the season.  A few weeks ago St Lawrence were firing on all cylinders and held a clear and unchallenged lead that seemed unassailable.  But a combination of poor form on the St Lawrence side and an upturn in form for Blackwater D we now find ourselves in a nervy end of season drama that Hollywood can only dream about.  Last week both the protagonists had 7-3 wins that keeps the gap at 5 points with one each to go.  Blackwater D on paper have the easier game as they face bottom side Woodham E, whereas St Lawrence will face a Blackwater E side hoping to help out their colleagues with a good performance.  With an extra win across the season Blackwater D also become champions if the scores are level.  Blackwater D overcame Blackwater E this week with David Smith taking a hat-trick for the D team, and Peter Davenport taking 2 points for the E team.  St Lawrence were victorious over Maldon E but the star of the evening was the young and rapidly improving Arthur Shadforth who scored all 3 of the Maldon points leaving the Bayside trio of Mike Pratley, Steve King and Mick Robinson with a brace of wins apiece.

Division 1 remains a 2 horse race by the absolute minimum amount of mathematical contrivance.  Leaders and champions elect Woodham A destroyed their B team in a cut-throat whitewash to take them to the edge of glory and leaving the B team feeling all ga-ga.  Hat-tricks for player of the match Dan Piglet, Lee McHugh and Harry Chivers.  The B team’s Dan Patynski took McHugh to a fifth end in the opening salvo, and then combined with Trevor Collin to force a match point in the doubles but eventually succumbed to the Chivers & McHugh partnership.  This win leaves Woodham A just a single point from glory with 2 games to play, and they face their Woodham B team in the return fixture next week.  The remaining contender Mapledene A took a good 7-3 win over 3rd placed Cold Norton B with Gary Young racking up a fine hat-trick.  Sam Lowman won two matches for Cold Norton including the scalp of current Men’s Singles Champion Reece Seddon – a good marker to put down just a week before this year’s championships!  A 2-man Fambridge side swept all in front of them against Cold Norton C with hat-tricks for Bruce Kettle and Mark Stones in their 7-3 win, and Cold Norton A and Maldon A drew 5-5 with Cold Norton’s Charles Sweeny in fine fettle for his unbeaten hat-trick.

Pic 1 – Woodham C having clinched the Division 2 Title – David Meah, Chris Hancox, Adi Kamma

Pic 2 – Woodham A’s captain Daniel Piglet in action this week

Pic 3 – Action from the Woodham derby 5 setter – Lee McHugh (A team) versus Dan Patynski (B team)

Pic 4 – Woodham A and their lucky net – Daniel Piglet, Harry Chivers, and Lee McHugh!

Pic 5 – Blackwater D with everything crossed for the final match – Chris Rolison and Jacqui Treacy

Pic 3
Pic 4
P[c 5

Top teams make it to final

This year’s Clacton League Knock-Out Cup final will be an all-Division One encounter between Walton C and Windsor Hawks, both teams recording 5-1 victories in their semi-final matches this week.

Walton C extinguished the Cup hopes of Second Division Windsor Penguins, Mark Gale, Mark Ratcliffe and Paul Meikle the successful trio. The closest game was the middle doubles, where Windsor’s Scott Campbell and Sharon Gowlett (+1) won 15-13, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10 against Gale and Meikle (-3). Ratcliffe remained unbeaten for Walton.

And the Cup adventures of Division Three newcomers, Nomads Bobcats, came to an end at the hands of Windsor Hawks, Daniel Young, Felipe Rodriguez and Ian Fielder proving too strong and experienced. Jack Riddleston’s singles win over Rodriguez was the only Bobcats’ victory.

The final takes place at the Brotherhood Hall on Tuesday 2nd April with play starting at 7.30 pm. All spectators are welcome.

* In Division One of the League, Nomads Panthers whitewashed a below-strength Nomads Lions for a second time this season, James Denyer, Greg Green and Gill Locke only extended to a fourth set in three of the matches. Now only a miracle of Biblical proportions can prevent the Panthers finishing as champions, needing just two points from their final match against bottom team Windsor Buzzards to guarantee them another title.

But a stronger Lions’ side was able to edge past Cup finalists Windsor Hawks 6-4. Ethan Lloyd, Adam Cuthbert and Charlie Fulcher all won two, but none of them could get the better of Daniel Young. Despite this defeat, with only one match left to play, the Hawks, with a seven-point advantage over the Lions, look favourites to take third place.

In Division Two, champions Brotherhood D completed their season unbeaten, defeating Brotherhood C 6-4, Simon Smith-Daye winning three and Kevin Pryor two. But it was a close-run thing, with three matches going the distance, including a 13-11 in the fifth win for Pryor over John Gallagher. It was also 11-7 in the fifth for Smith-Daye against Boyland, coming back from 6-0 down in the fourth to take the match to a decider. And it was even tighter in the doubles, Smith-Daye and Pryor coming back from two sets and 9-2 down to eventually win 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-6.

In their second all-Brotherhood match, the ‘C’ team edged past the ‘B’ side 6-4, Mark Boyland winning three, Mark Beckham two and John Gallagher one. For the ‘B’ team, Mark Salter took two and Paul Alden one, and although Barry Allen failed to get on the score-sheet, it was oh-so-close against Brotherhood C number one, Boyland, Allen narrowly losing 13-11 in the decider.

Windsor Magpies were comfortable 9-1 winners in Division Three against Nomads Lynx. John Plummer and Dave Sweetland took predictable hat-tricks, with Dave Wright beating Malcolm Caley for the Lynx point.

And trebles for Dominic Joannou and Bob Jillins saw Nomad Leopards safely to an 8-2 success against Nomads Ocelots. For the Ocelots, there were wins for Arthur Wells-Garrett and also for Lily Miaomei Liu, her first in the League, 11-7 in the fifth against Stu Wilkinson. 

* Entries have now closed for the League’s Closed Championships, generously sponsored again this year by The Survey Initiative, courtesy of Gary Cattermole. An encouraging number of sixty-six players have entered. Entrants will be sent further details, including information about check-in times, by 2nd April at the latest. The Championships take place at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall on Saturday 6th April and Sunday 7th April.

RESULTS

Knock-Out Cup

Semi-finals

Windsor Penguins 1 Walton C 5;

Nomads Bobcats 1 Windsor Hawks 5.

League 

Division One

Nomads Panthers 10 Nomads Lions 0;

Windsor Hawks 4 Nomads Lions 6.

Division Two

Brotherhood D 6 Brotherhood C 4;

Brotherhood B 4 Brotherhood C 6.

Division Three

Nomads Leopards 8 Nomads Ocelots 2;

Windsor Magpies 9 Nomads Lynx 1.

Taylor and Read join forces to give struggling Writtle A a much needed boost

Duncan Taylor fired a treble while Kevin Read chipped in with two wins as Writtle A tasted victory in division one for the first time since October.  Writtle are now thirteen points clear of bottom side Galleywood A as Taylor and Read appeared together in the league for the first time in over a year. Galleywood have two matches in hand over their fellow strugglers.

Division 1

Division 1 leaders Old Chelmsfordians A saw their lead cut to 10 points despite a fine 7-3 away win at third-placed Danbury A.  OCA’s Mark Mulley led the way with three wins while Danbury’s Dave Richardson prevented Paul Lucas earning his own hat-trick with a 12-10 deciding game triumph.  Second-placed Chelmsford A cruised to a 10-0 home win over Danbury C with Kaung Htet Paing, Josh Bickles and Harry Chivers doing the business for the hosts.  Great to see Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read back in tandem together for Writtle A who won the battle of the bottom two teams – Taylor won all three and Read won two as Writtle beat Galleywood A 7-3.  Teammate Ryan Pitt was involved in two five-gamers – beating Gary Brignall but falling victim of a Peter Barrett fightback despite leading 2-0.  Chelmsford B beat the two person team of Danbury B 7-3 – the opening two contests of the evening both went to five games, David Penrose beat Wiktor Delimat and Kim Shead saw off a Sam Lowman recovery from 2–0 down.

Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 130 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 120 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury A 101 points (18 matches).

Division 2

In division two, Maldon A threw a spanner in the works of Chelmsford C’s title aspirations with a 6-4 away win on Monday night.  There were no undefeated players on the night though Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith went closest – being thwarted by Waseem Qureshi in a fifth-game decider.  Mick Richardson fired a hat-trick for OCA B in their 6-4 home win against Danbury E.  Richardson beat both Dick Wyman and Tim Cramphorn in three straight games but had to recover from 2-0 down to get the better of Neil Want.  Wyman and Michael Hayes were also involved in a five-game decider which went in the favour of Danbury’s Wyman.  John Webber and John Parodi won three matches apiece as Writtle C prevailed 6-4 at Danbury G.  All three of Parodi’s wins were earned in deciding games while two of Webbers also went the distance.  Danbury’s Mervyn Perriman was the recipient of five-game losses at the hands of both Parodi and Webber but put behind that disappointment to down John Gagg.  Gus Heath and Steve Buer scored hat-tricks as Danbury F beat Chelmsford D 8-2.  Heath’s toughest match was his opening contest with Adi Kamma which he secured in a deciding game – Kamma went on to see five-game action in his other two matches – beating Chris Buer but then seeing a 2-1 lead slip against Steve Buer.

Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 111 points (from 17 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 103 points (from 16 matches), 3: Writtle C 87 points (16 matches)

Division 3

The five point gap at the top of division three was maintained as leaders Galleywood B and second-placed Buttsbury A posted identical 7-3 wins on the road in week 25.  John Holland and Mark Glenister won three apiece for Galleywood at OCA C, while Jamie Elliott and Evie Knaapen did likewise for Buttsbury at Hatfield Peverel B.  It was an unbeaten evening for the Danbury H trio of Ian Whiteside, Alan Scammell and Peter Lucraft as they cruised to a 10-0 away win at Writtle E, while a Sami Osman hat-trick helped Chelmsford F to an 8-2 away win at Danbury K.

Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 119 points (from 16 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 114 points (16 matches), 3: Danbury H 87 points (from 15 matches).

Division 4

Hatfield Peverel D v Buttsbury B

Division four leaders Galleywood C had their feet up this week and were able to sit back and enjoy watching second-placed Chelmsford G and third-placed Maldon B go toe-to-toe.  Cleon Fernandes was yet again the driving force behind Chelmsford G’s victory as his treble backed up by two wins by Grace Liu earned the hosts a 6-4 triumph over the team from Maldon.  David Newman hit a hat-trick as OCA D posted an 8-2 home win over Hatfield Peverel C – Peverel’s Peter Mortensen saw two victories earned for the visitors.  Melanie Bonnett didn’t drop a game as she won all three singles matches in Highwood A’s 6-4 win over Danbury L  Bonnett was well supported by Roger Patient who was denied a third win of the night in his 14-12, 8-11, 13-15, 12-10, 10-12 loss to Greg Cooper. 

Standings div 4: 1: Galleywood C 124 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 102 matches (from 15 matches), 3: Maldon B 90 points (from 14 matches)

Division 5

Division five leaders Danbury M moved closer to the title with a 9-1 home win over OCA E – David Smith and Graham Naggs scoring trebles while OCA’s Stuart Wintle downed Steve Martin 15-13 in their fifth game decider.  The clash between second-placed Chelmsford J and third-placed Buttsbury C ended in a 5-5 draw – Buttsbury’s Richard Pond earned a hat-trick with a 3–0 win over Amir Chetitah, 3-1 win over Mark Nolan and a 3-2 win over Elliot Hawthorne.  Pond’s success against Hawthorne was after trailing 2-0.  Chelmsford H moved above Buttsbury into third place thanks to a 7-3 away win at Writtle F – Writtle’s Michael Anthony went unbeaten for the hosts though he had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Shengbing Zhu.  Kelvin Edeh lost just one game on the night as his treble lead Anglia Ruskin to a 6-4 victory against Maldon C.  The closest singles match of the night was Maldon’s James Raymond beating ARU’s Connor Case 3-2.  Nick Rounce scored his second hat-trick in four matches since his transfer to Galleywood D though he saw his side fall to a 7-3 away loss to Highwood B.  Rounce beat Keith Pallett in three, Nicola Pippen in four and David Cockrell in five – Cockrell had recovered from 2-0 down but lost out 11-9 in the decider.

Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 118 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 94 points (16 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 84 points (from 15 matches).

Chelmsford Junior League division 2A

Chelmsford Cougars beat second-placed Hutton Hawks 3-2 thanks to an unbeaten showing from Joshua Freeman.  Freeman got the better of Charlie Ware 3-1 before beating Charlie Gould with the same scoreline.  Freeman and Amir Chetitah then fended off a comeback from Ware and Gould in the doubles to prevail in the decider.  Freeman didn’t drop a game in either of his matches for Chelmsford Eagles as they beat leaders Buttsbury Bears 3-2.  Teammate Ben Robinson fought back from 2-1 down to beat Vivaan Babbar while Babbar’s teammate Callum Walker edged out Robinson 12-10 in the deciding game of their match.

Standings CJL 2A: 1: Buttsbury Bears 13 points (from 4 matches), 2: Hutton Hawks 12 points (4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2B

Lewis Woods won twice as his Buttsbury Bulldogs remained top thanks to a 4-1 win against the Chelmsford Leopards.  Teammate Thomas Lewis beat Damon Chow but missed out in a close game with George Matthews.  William Guilloux’s two wins weren’t enough to prevent the Chelmsford Tigers falling to a 3-2 defeat at home to second-placed Hutton Harriers – Guilloux was taken to a decider in his first match of the afternoon against Martis Heyes. 

Standings CJL 2B: 1: Buttsbury Bulldogs 15 points (from 4 matches), 2: Hutton Harriers 13 points (4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2C

Ethan Collins won both of his matches as the top of the table clash between the perfect Chelmsford Jaguars and Chelmsford Panthers ended in a 3-2 win for the Panthers.  Collins had to fight back from a 2-1 deficit to overcome Ethan Li and then teamed with Henry Mansell to win the crucial doubles encounter in three straight games.  The Hutton Hornets bounced back from three 5-0 losses to post a 5-0 win over the Chelmsford Rhinos.  Casper Norris dropped just one game in his two victories while Theo Rugg fought back from 2-1 down to beat Theo Peiris.  Peiris and Rohan Rakesh took a 2-1 lead in the doubles only for Norris and Rugg to take the final two games.

Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 18 points (from 4 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 17 points (4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2D

Two wins apiece for Archie Spurrier and Taylor Cumber guided the Chelmsford Pumas to a 5-0 home win over the Hutton Hares.  Spurrier saw a 2-0 lead in his first match against Mitchell Petre disappear before winning the decider.  Shay Coughlan won twice as the Buttsbury Bats beat the Chelmsford Lions 4-1.  Coughlan had to recover from 2-0 down to take the victory from Bernard Chow in the opening encounter of the afternoon, later he teamed with Ethan Bird for victory having trailed 2-1 in the doubles.

Standings CJL 2D: 1: Buttsbury Bats 16 points (from 4 matches), 2: Chelmsford Pumas 15 points (4 matches)

___________________________

Titles beckon for Woodham

The Woodham club continued its glory pilgrimage this week as both the A and C teams strengthened their grips on their respective Divisions in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League.  In Div 3 Blackwater D have crept up to within 5 points of leaders St Lawrence A and will be looking to cause an upset over the course of the final two matches – watch this space.

Woodham A hosted a strong Mapledene B side hoping to cause a dent in the Woodham title drive to allow their Mapledene A clubmates to close the gap a little.  Try as they may the Mapledeners couldn’t trouble the scoreboard on an evening with plenty of drama and close games.  Mapledene stalwart John Monk is in fine form and proved the most difficult opponent all evening.  In the opening match Monk took a 2-1 lead over the rarely beaten Chris Penrose but Penrose dug deep to eventually take the last two sets 11-7 – and that set the tone for the evening, a Woodham victory but a battling performance from the Mapledene team.  Penrose found himself 2-1 behind again in his next match against the penhold perfection of Colin Chatfield but again overcame his inner demons to win out 11-8 in the fifth.  Even at 8-0 down Mapledene weren’t dejected and Monk thought he had won the battle of the ages against Harry Chivers – what a battle this one was.  Monk went 2-1 up but Chivers battled back to square up at 2-2 before a momentous roller-coaster of a final leg that saw the lead and momentum swing from player to player.  Monk wearing down his lively opponent with some amazing control and attacking play.  At 9-8 everything pointed to a Monk win but Chivers stayed in the next rally and hit a wonderful winner to draw the wind out of the Monk sails.  Tense and exciting in equal measures.  Chivers served for the match and won out 11-9 – albeit cruelly with a couple of nets and edges that no-one wanted to see given the quality of the battle that preceded the finish.  It happens to us all!  A final score of 10-0 to Woodham that surely seals the title for them now but as oft is the case the score doesn’t tell the full story.  Lee McHugh was the player of the match with a less dramatic hat-trick than his team-mates.   The Woodham B side were playing opposite the A team but couldn’t match their winning ways against a strong Cold Norton B trio.  Things got off to a good start for Woodham B as Sanjay Saptarshi beat Dan Anderson in 4 tight sets breaking his duck against the defensive specialist.  Anderson controlled much of the play but missed vital winners at key times in each of the legs he lost.  And that was it for the Woodham side as the Ice Cold Nortonians rattled up a 9-1 victory with the only other wobble coming in the match between Ian Wall and Woodham’s captain Eamonn Hall.  Hall troubled Wall throughout and had several game points in the first two legs but lost out 12-10, and then 15-13 before taking the third leg to make a proper game of it.  Wall took the 4th leg with some aplomb though as he took out his frustration on the poor ball and smashed his way to victory and then went on without dropping another set all evening.  So a hat-trick for Wall, and a 9-dart hat-trick for star player Eric Green.  In the final division 1 match Cold Norton C pulled away from the relegation zone with an Arron Chandler inspired 8-2 win over bottom-placed Stow Maries A.  Stow’s Gary Brignall had good wins over Tim Cramphorn and Kim Shead for his team’s points.  A hat-trick for Chandler, and a brace each for Shead and Cramphorn.

In Division 2 the dominant Woodham C just missed out on securing the title with 2 games to go.  Second-placed Maldon B had an early tight 6-4 victory over Blackwater A which left Woodham C with a target of 7 points or more for the Title when they travelled to Maldon C later on in the week.  But Maldon C were fresh from the disappointing shock loss to Woodham D and were in no mood to roll over and get tickled by the champions-elect.  In the early skirmishes Maldon’s Colin Barrell took the scalps of Dave Meah and then Graham Briggs in a comeback 5 setter.  Woodham’s Chris ‘slowhand’ Hancox also won both his matches to set up a player of the match finale with Barrell.  In between, Maldon’s top doubles duo of Barrell and Steve Aspland creamed the doubles in a very straightforward straight sets victory against Hancox and Briggs.  So 4-3 to Woodham and they needed the final run of singles for the title.  Briggs defeats Garry Eames in 3 but then Aspland spoils the party with his own 3 set victory over Meah.  Would Woodham’s Hancox be able to bring himself to the party for the final showdown given the disappointment of not being able to secure the title this week?  A gut-busting 11-3 in the first leg to the Woodham Whacker but this was no laughing matter for Mr Barrell who would not roll over for anyone and it was he who took the next 2 tight legs for a slender lead.  With pride at stake and his doe-eyed team-mates aghast Ol’ Slowhand hit the gas and blasted his way back to 2-2.  But this one was set to go the distance and after the combatants swapped match points it was the Woodham warrior that prevailed 12-10 with the last point of the night for the overall 6-4 victory that leaves Woodham C on the precipice with just a point required for glory.  Secure in the runner-up spot Maldon B had Colin Napper and Dawn Baldry to thank for their 6-4 win over Blackwater A.  Napper continued his fine vein of form with another hard-fought hat-trick that took two 5 setters to complete.  Baldry added a brace of wins and the dynamic duo coupled up for the doubles point.  It was a good week for the Stow Club as their 3 teams took the remaining victories over the week.  The Stow B boys coming out 6-4 victors over Cold Norton D with braces for Peter Hance and Nicky Reece-Ford.  Stow C welcomed Maldon D to Smythe Hall but then showed no mercy in a 7-3 mauling with Pete Layzell the outstanding player with 3 singles and the doubles win with Jean Chasmer.  A notable victory for Maldon’s Ella Sach with a 4 set triumph over the lovable Dave Goody that included a marathon 3rd leg that Sach won 20-18.  That man Tim Pulham was at it again this week as he recorded yet another hat-trick for his Stow D side to help secure a 6-4 win over Blackwater B.  Pulham was wingmanned by Ken Sheard who took a brace of singles and the pair partnered up for the crucial doubles victory. 

With leaders St Lawrence experiencing a dip in form, Division 3 has opened up somewhat and the Blackwater Club has an unexpected opportunity to take this one to the wire.  The trouble is the 3 Blackwater teams keep taking points off each other and can’t really decide between them which team should mount the challenge.  However this week, for once, there were no Blackwater derbies to muddy the mathematics and it was Blackwater D that emerged as true contenders with a commanding 8-2 victory over Woodham E.  The Blackwater C and E teams seemingly giving up the ghost with 2 defeats just when they least needed them!  For the phoenix-like D side it was the youthful Norman Hayes that did the most damage with an inspiring hat-trick that included a very hard earned 5 set victory over the even more youthful and up-and-coming Peter Harverson.  The rest of the points were collected by Jacquie Treacy and Chris Rolison with 2 singles and the doubles in the credit column with both players losing out to Harverson.  Blackwater C chose the wrong week to play the resurgent Maldon F side who fielded John Leavett and Ross Kirby who have both been in scintillating form of late.  The form book doesn’t lie and both Leavett and Kirby took no prisoners as they swept aside the Blackwater triers for a pair of hat-tricks and with that kind of form of course they won the doubles bonus point too for the overall 7-3 scoreline.  Blackwater E travelled to Maldon E for the Friday Night special but came away with less than what they hoped for.  Maldon E’s Arthur Shadforth has been unplayable of late and he continued this run with another hat-trick on a night when every player won at least one point.  For Blackwater David Sage won 2 and with everyone else swapping a point each the result came down to the doubles which fell to Shadforth and Matthew Copsey for the final 6-4 win of the week for the Maldon Club.

Pic 1 – Action from the amazing final leg of the John Monk v Harry Chivers match this week.

Pic 2 – Lee McHugh in unbeatable form as he takes on Barrie Delf this week.

Pic 3 – Eric Green (Cold Norton B) – 4 matches without dropping a set this week

Pic 4 – Ian Wall (Cold Norton B) managed a straight sets victory over Sanjay Saptarshi (Woodham B) but couldn’t do anything about this net cord Saptarshi Special!

Pic 5 – Stow A’s Gary Brignall with 2 wins for his team this week.

Panthers on the verge of history

In this week’s crunch match in Division One of the Clacton League, Nomads Panthers defeated their nearest challengers Brotherhood A 6-4, a win which surely means they will once again be crowned champions.

In a hard-fought match between two class sides, Greg Green and James Denyer won a couple each for the Panthers, although it was a tight 12-10 in the fifth for Denyer against Kevin Gowlett. The pair also shared a doubles win against Gowlett and Gary Young, with Gracie Edwards beating granddad Martin Edwards in three-straight to seal the victory.

For Brotherhood, Gowlett and Young each won two, Young edging past Gracie Edwards 11-8 in the decider and having the satisfaction of inflicting a first defeat of the season on Denyer.

The result extends the gap at the top between the sides to eight points and, with each team having two matches to play, the Panthers need just twelve points for an historic eleventh consecutive title.

Elsewhere, Walton B’s Gavin Price was the undefeated player of the match in the encounter with club-mates Walton A, but it was the ‘A’ team which triumphed 7-3, Colin Dearman, Derek Willis and Dave Binns all winning two. It was a tight affair, with Walton A winning three close matches, both Dearman and Binns beating Paul Newbould 11-7 in the fifth, and Binns and Willis scraping the doubles 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-13, 14-12 against Price and John Marshall.

A Phil Smith treble, and two each for John Hobson and John Pattrick, saw Windsor Eagles home 8-2 against Windsor Buzzards. Smith and Hobson also took the doubles 11-8 in the decider against Andy Cawley and Pete Bloomfield. Cawley and Dave Martin picked up a point each for the losers.

In Division Two, Brotherhood D were 10-0 winners against Walton D, Sam Plummer, Joe Plummer and Simon Smith-Daye the successful trio. The result confirms the Brotherhood side as worthy Divisional champions.

Fourth-placed Brotherhood B and second-placed Lawford enjoyed an excellent scrap before Brotherhood emerged narrow 6-4 victors, despite a maximum from Lawford’s James Tindle. John Owen and Mark Salter each won two for Brotherhood, Salter defeating Ian Sherwood 11-6 in the fifth and Charlie Denholm 12-10 in the fifth.

Neil Chegwidden, Scott Campbell and Sharon Gowlett recorded a 10-0 victory over a below-strength Nomads Tigers. In the two five-setters, Chegwidden beat Colin Webber 11-9 in the decider and Gowlett beat Mike Wellum 11-8 in the decider.

Nomads Jaguars defeated Windsor Kestrels 7-3, Chris Petrou unbeaten. There were two for Kevin Hogg and a welcome couple also for Callum Hogg, who beat Jackie Bunce 11-4 in the fifth and Allen Denyer 11-7 in the fifth. For the Kestrels, Graham Bunce won two and, with wife Jackie, shared a doubles victory over Petrou and Callum Hogg. 

The top two teams in Division Three continue to march in step, Brotherhood E and Windsor Harriers notching up 10-0 victories over Nomads Ocelots and Walton E respectively.

The improving Brotherhood G moved up to third place with a 9-1 win over Nomads Lynx. Dan Grindrod and Gary Simpson took trebles without dropping a set, but scraped the doubles 13-11 in the decider against Ian Gwillim and Gerry Widnell. Gwillim beat Andrey Pavlov 11-6 in the decider for the Lynx point.

Brotherhood F are another much-improved side, demonstrated by their impressive 8-2 success against the seasoned Windsor Magpies. Tom Bryden stayed unbeaten, with Joe Sherwin and Lucy Carvell taking two each. Carvell was involved in two close matches, defeating Malcolm Caley 11-8 in the fifth but losing 11-4 in the fifth to Dave Sweetland. Sweetland took both the Magpies’ points but was denied his hat-trick by Bryden, 14-12 in the fifth.

Finally, no-one stayed unbeaten as Nomads Leopards beat Nomads Bobcats 7-3, Dominic Joannou, Stu Wilkinson and Bob Jillins all winning two. Wilkinson narrowly missed out on a treble, losing 14-12 in the fifth to Matt Sage, Joannou beat Jack Riddleston 11-6 in the fifth but lost in three-straight to Matt Sage, while Jillins beat Sage 11-8 in the fifth but lost 11-5 in the fifth to Alex Baldock. 

* Congratulations to the Clacton League players who won silverware at last week’s Colchester Closed Championships. Daniel Young was the Men’s Singles champion, having beaten James Denyer in the semi-final, while Gracie Edwards won the Ladies Singles, as well as the Ladies and Mixed Doubles. Kevin Gowlett was a winner in the Mens Doubles, with Denyer and Greg Green finishing as runners-up, while Sam and Joe Plummer were losing finalists in the Junior Doubles.

RESULTS

Division 1

Nomads Panthers 6 Brotherhood A 4;

Windsor Eagles 8 Windsor Buzzards 2;

Walton B 3 Walton A 7.

Division 2

Nomads Tigers 0 Windsor Penguins 10;

Brotherhood D 10 Walton D 0;

Brotherhood B 6 Lawford 4;

Nomads Jaguars 7 Windsor Kestrels 3.

Division 3

Brotherhood E 10 Nomads Ocelots 0;

Brotherhood G 9 Nomads Lynx 1;

Windsor Harriers 10 Walton E 0;

Windsor Magpies 2 Brotherhood F 8;

Nomads Ocelots 0 Brotherhood G 10;

Nomads Leopards 7 Nomads Bobcats 3.

It’s tough at the top

After slowly catching up their rivals at the top of divisions two and three of the Braintree Table Tennis League, the challenges of Sudbury Wanderers and Great Yeldham have both run into the sand. Wanderers first struggled to beat bottom team Rayne F 6-4 and then found Rev Matthews in irresistible form at Black Notley C, where they lost 7-3, and their run was completed when they were held to a draw by Notley D, where Sean Clift was the stumbling block.


Leaders Netts B had their own difficulties, being held up by a top-form Peter Pond in their match against Notley E before emerging with a 6-4 win. In division three Yeldham fell four points behind Netts D after encountering John Barrett – beaten only once this season – in their match at Finchingfield. His three singles held his team to a draw. Netts D had a 9-1 win over Rayne H.


The handicap cup semi finals will feature two teams from Netts and one each from Rayne and Notley. Netts’ C and D teams had 7-2 wins over Sudbury Strollers and Netts E respectively. Rayne G beat Notley I 6-3 while Notley G beat their own H team by the same score.

Paul Davison will be aiming to record his eighth win in the men’s singles when the league’s individual tournament gets under way this weekend. Having notched up a record seventh win last season, he is top seed to carry on where he left off, but will face stiff competition from newcomer Harry Chivers as well as former champions Lee McHugh and Brandon Crouchman and last year’s runner- up Paul Lucas. Seventeen-year-old Chivers is new to the league this season but has had a meteoric rise in Chelmsford where he matched Davison in reaching this season’s men’s singles semi-finals.


The men’s doubles has a very open look with the leading players all paired with someone outside the top four. Crouchman and Scott Dowsett are seeded at No.1 with Chivers and Kuang Htet Paing at two, followed by Davison and Ashley Skeggs and McHugh with Adam Buxton. Unusually, and encouragingly, only two of the top eight in the men’s singles – actually restyled the open singles this season to encourage female entries – are veterans.

Davison and Lucas are seeded to repeat last season’s veterans’ singles final, with Buxton and James Hicks next in line. The ladies’ singles will have a new winner this year as none of the previous champions are still playing in the league. Louise Hartshorn, in her second season in Braintree, is seeded to face Lorraine Burgess, who returned to the game this season after a few years’ lay-off.

Essex cadets win county championship for the first time!

At the conclusion of two days of competitive table tennis action in the West Midlands last weekend, Essex pipped Middlesex to win the premier divison of the table tennis county championship.  The team of Adam Alibhai (Woodford Wells TTC), Melisha Anthony (Tollgate TTC), Charles Donald (BATTS Harlow TTC), Harrison Hill (Chelmsford TTC), Evie Knaapen (Matchpoint TTC – formerly Hullbridge TTC) and Aarav Parihar (Woodford Wells TTC) posted an identical record of 6 wins and a draw from seven team fixtures played as the defending champions and favourites Middlesex – but earned the title by virtue of holding a superior record when individual matches won were reviewed.

Essex started the weekend well with a 7-3 win over a strong Surrey side on Saturday before beating Lancashire 9-1 and Derbyshire 8-2 later on the same day.  Sunday would decide the destination of the title and 7-3 wins over both Sussex and Warwickshire boosted Essex’s chances of reaching the top spot.  The penultimate match of the weekend against Middlesex was key to the overall outcome and thanks to Melisha Anthony and Adam Alibhai’s two wins apiece and a win from Evie Knaapen, Essex earned a crucial 5-5 draw.  Essex knew they had to post a better scoreline than Middlesex in the final round of fixtures to secure glory and this was achieved with a 9-1 win over Cheshire. 

The six players greatly assisted by coach Kieran Skeggs and manager Martyn Green became the first team from Essex to win the cadets (under 15) version of the county championships since its inception in the 2001-2002 season, and just the third time an Essex team has won a county championships at junior level (under 19) – the last time being the 1974-1975 season.  England number five rated cadet Adam Alibhai had a perfect weekend with 14 wins from his 14 individual matches – this included a 3-1 victory over Middlesex’s England number one rated cadet Max Radivan. 

Tension mounts in Chelmsford -Div 2 & 3 title races look to go to the wire

Chelmsford C and Hatfield Peverel A remain separated by just four points in division two as they posted identical 8-2 victories in week 24, while Buttsbury A closed the gap on division three leaders Galleywood B to five points courtesy of the same scoreline.

Division 1

No change at the top of division one as both leaders OCA A and Chelmsford A were held to away draws.  Paul Lucas fired a hat-trick of wins as the Old Chelmsfordians were well tested by Chelmsford B on Monday night.  Lucas beat Kim Shead and Wiktor Delimat by 3-1 scorelines but had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Omar Wasi.  Shead had earlier come back from 2-1 down to beat Mark Mulley.  Ian Wall’s treble helped ensure fourth-placed Danbury B shared the spoils with unbeaten second-placed Chelmsford A.  Wall beat Nikita Tkachuk and Kaung Htet Paing in straight games but had to rally from 2-1 down to get the better of Gary Young.  Young beat Dan Anderson in a fifth game decider having earlier teamed up with Tkachuk to recover from 2-0 down in the doubles encounter with Wall and Anderson.  Chris Penrose secured three wins as third placed Danbury A won 6-4 on the road at Writtle A, while Sanjay Saptarshi fired a hat-trick as Danbury C edged Galleywood A 6-4.   

Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 123 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 110 points (16 matches), 3: Danbury A 98 points (17 matches).

Division 2

Chelmsford C’s lead at the top of division two remains four points as both themselves and their closest rivals Hatfield Peverel A posted identical 8-2 results.  Julie Johnson scored a hat-trick in Hatfield Peverel A’s home win over OCA B.  Johnson beat Michael Hayes in three games, David Porter in four and Mick Richardson in five, while teammate Martin Archie was denied a treble of his own as Richardson recovered from 2-0 down to take their match.  Victor Chan and Waseem Qureshi were both undefeated in Chelmsford C’s away win at Danbury E.  Qureshi fought back from 2-0 down to beat Tim Cramphorn while Cramphorn got a measure of revenge in the double match where he and Neil Want came back from the same scoreline to beat Chan and Mark Allaway 3-2. Fourth-placed Danbury D beat third placed Maldon A 6-4 thanks to another Sanjay Saptarshi treble – the two teams are now tied on 86 points though Maldon have a game in hand.  Chelmsford D beat the two-person team of Writtle B by a 7-3 scoreline with Omar Wasi winning both of his matches.

Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 107 points (from 16 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 103 points (from 16 matches), 3: Danbury D 86 points (16 matches)

Division 3

With division three leaders Galleywood B not in action second-placed Buttsbury A were given the opportunity to take a chunk out of their thirteen point gap and they duly obliged with an 8-2 home win over Writtle E on Friday night.  Caroline Cole and Evie Knaapen were both undefeated – Knaapen did not drop a game in her three wins while Cole took five games to beat both Dave Moles and Malcolm Storey.   Third-placed OCA C fell to a 7-3 loss at Danbury H thanks to an Ian Whiteside hat-trick as well as two wins from Alan Scammell, while fifth-placed Writtle D got the better of fourth-placed Hatfield Peverel B through three wins by Bob Garson and a double by Pete Layzell.  A Bob Garson treble boosted fifth-placed Writtle D to a 6-4 home win over Hatfield Peverel B – Garson dropped just one game on the night while teammate Malcolm Henstock’s two losses were both over five games.   Two more 6-4 scorelines as Danbury K beat clubmates Danbury J in a match which saw a treble from Dave Powell while Chelmsford F edged Chelmsford E – Felix Reeve and Sami Osman winning twice for the F side while Alesha Ellis-Austin won twice for the E side. 

Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 112 points (from 15 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 107 points (15 matches), 3: OCA C 80 points (from 15 matches).

Division 4

#3 Maldon B v #5 Highwood A

Unbeaten leaders Galleywood C edged closer to the division four title with a comprehensive 9-1 win over ninth-placed Hatfield Peverel E.  Will Goodchild and Colin Blore were the unbeaten players with James Brooks the only point scorer for Hatfield.  Second placed Chelmsford G kept their hopes alive with a 9-1 win at Hatfield Peverel C – Cleon Fernandes and Dion Fernandes both earned trebles for the visitors.  Farooq Ahmed was undefeated as OCA D won 7-3 at Buttsbury B.  Ahmed dropped just one game in his three wins while both of teammate David Bishop’s two wins were earned over five games. 

Standings div 4: 1: Galleywood C 124 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 96 matches (from 14 matches), 3: Maldon B 78 points (from 12 matches)

Division 5

Division five leaders Danbury M extended their lead with a 7-3 win at Galleywood D.  Steve Martin was Danbury’s hat-trick hero while Galleywood’s Nick Rounce got the better of both Graham Naggs and David Smith.   Kelvin Edeh treble helped Anglia Ruskin gain a 6-4 win over second placed Chelmsford J.  Edeh also teamed with Douglas Bawuah in a 3-2 doubles win over Mark Nolan and Elliot Hawthorne – Bawuah had earlier seen five-game action in his come-from-behind win against David Parker.  Buttsbury C moved into third place with a 10-0 home win against sixth placed Writtle F.  Oscar Hutt, Torsten Greenan and Richard Pond did the damage for the hosts – Pond’s three wins were all achieved via a deciding game.  Shirley Carroll won all three of her matches as Maldon C won 7-3 at OCA E.  Carroll beat Stuart Wintle in three games, Mike Morecroft in four and held off a Suzanne Shaw fightback from 2-0 down to win in five. 

Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 109 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 89 points (15 matches), 3: Buttsbury C 78 points (from 15 matches).

Chelmsford Junior League division 2A

The Buttsbury Bears moved into top spot in division 2A with a 5-0 win at Chelmsford Cougars thanks to two wins apiece for Lewis Woods and Joseph Hutt.   Chelmsford Eagles earned their first win of the season with a 3-2 victory at Danbury Dragons – Joshua Freeeman’s wins over both Oliver Martin and Peter Harverson went the distance. 

Standings CJL 2A: 1: Buttsbury Bears 11 points (from 3 matches), 2: Hutton Hawks 10 points (3 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2B

Joseph Hutt and Lewis Woods won twice each as the Buttsbury Bulldogs beat the Chelmsford Tigers 5-0 – opponents William Guilloux and Ryan Peiris took a 2-0 lead in the doubles only for the Bulldogs duo to storm back for the win.  Hutton Hyenas beat the one person team of the Chelmsford Leopards 4-1.

Standings CJL 2B: 1: Buttsbury Bulldogs 11 points (from 3 matches), 2: Hutton Harriers 10 points (3 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2C

Chelmsford Jaguars moved to the top of division 2C  with a 5-0 win over the Chelmsford Rhinos – Sean Kwan and Atharv Srivastava with the wins for the Jaguars, while Archie Giles and Spencer Giles were undefeated in the Hutton Hammerheads’ 5-0 win at the Hutton Hornets.

Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Jaguars 15 points (from 3 matches), 2: Chelmsford Panthers 15 points (3 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2D

Buttsbury Bats moved to the top of division 2D with a 4-1 win and in doing so handed the Chelmsford Pumas their first loss of the season – Zac Berry won both of his games while teammate Ethan Ferris took the deciding game 11-9 in his clash with Hari Gumbeer.  Amelie Lucas and Georgiana Major both won twice as the Chelmsford Lions beat the Buttsbury Bees 5-0 – Major won the deciding game against Rayhan Sudheer by a nail biting 13-11.  

Standings CJL 2D: 1: Buttsbury Bats 12 points (from 3 matches), 2: Hutton Hares 10 points (3 matches)

Woodham double down on Title Challenges

The battle for supremacy intensified this week as the top two teams in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League laid down strong victories to ensure the title dog fight will go all the way to the final weeks of the campaign.
Pre-season favourites Mapledene A emerged 8-2 victors against a dogged Cold Norton C trio, but the result belies the evenness of the competition with 5 matches going to a deciding leg with Mapledene winning 3 of these lengthy battles.  A 9-dart hat-trick for Mapledene’s star signing Liam Squirrell which was matched in points tally by Babul McLeod but via a much more long and winding road as he just beat both Tim Cramphorn and Chris Buer in 5 sets and each time having to come from behind to steal the points.  Mapledene would have been hoping that unbeaten leaders Woodham A would struggle against 3rd place Cold Norton B in the most mouthwatering contest of the week.  However, after the first round of singles Cold Norton found themselves 0-6 down and facing the prospect of an unpalatable whitewash, Cold Norton’s Eric Green and Dave Richardson rallied in the doubles to eventually take the first point for the beleaguered Norton trio.  The second point followed soon after when Sam Lowman edged passed Chris Penrose 13-11 in the fifth leg having faced match point against just a few points earlier.  That was it for Cold Norton as Woodham recorded a brilliant 8-2 overall victory with hat-tricks for Lee McHugh and Harry Chivers and a brace for Penrose.  The title drive and 100% win rate is preserved for the dominant Woodham A.  Cold Norton A beat Mapledene B 8-2 with Duncan Taylor in unbeatable form.  For Mapledene B it was the tricky pen-holder Colin Chatfield who demonstrated great form to win his teams 2 points with notable singles victories over Charles Sweeny and Sam Lowman.  Lloyd Bennett-Smith was the start of the show as his Maldon A side emerged victorious over bottom placed Stow A.  Bennett-Smith won all his singles in the 6-4 win and was well supported by lefty Jon Stokes with 2 wins and the two of them combined for the doubles bonus point.
The top 3 slots in Division 2 appear to be settled and all 3 contenders had wins this week to maintain the status quo.  Leaders Woodham C ran out 8-2 winners over Cold Norton D.  David Meah starred for the Woodham side with a confidence boosting hat-trick.  Team-mates Adi Kamma and Chris Hancox both won 2 a-piece including the tense victory in the Hancox family derby where youth prevailed.  Maldon B, secure in the runner-up spot, won 9-1 against Maldon D.  Maldon’s Chris Ravenhill did exceptionally well to defeat Dawn Baldry to avoid the whitewash.  Maldon’s Colin Napper and Hamish Innes were unbeaten in all formats over the course of the evening to dominate the scoring.   Mapledene C had a tougher week of it as they scraped through 6-4 against Stow D having been held to 3-3 at the break in proceedings.  Big Barrie Delf won all his singles for Mapledene and added the doubles to ensure his Mapledene side actually won the match.  Stow’s Graham Naggs repeated his early season victory over Sue Body for another notable success and team point.  The most surprising scoreline of the week saw Woodham D trounce the strong Maldon C outfit.  A shocking 9-1 victory where both Trevor Collin and Gus Heath went unbeaten in singles and combined for the doubles against top pairing Colin Barrell and Steve Aspland.  Barrell’s sole victory over Alan Dadswell  avoided the dreaded whitewash for Maldon.  The last pair of matches in the division were both local derbies as Blackwater A beat Blackwater B 8-2 with Merv Perriman the star act with an excellent hat-trick of wins, and Stow B repeating that 8-2 winning margin against two player stablemates Stow D.  For the Stow B team both Peter Hance and Nicky Reece-Ford recorded ‘hat-tricks’ to secure the victory and local bragging rights.
Division 3 has unexpectedly opened up again following the shock loss by leaders St Lawrence A this week.  Lowly Maldon F stunned the leaders with a comprehensive 8-2 victory that opens up the leaders to a final furlong challenge from the Blackwater Club thoroughbreds.  For Maldon both John Leavett and Ross Kirby won all their singles and of course they combined for the extra doubles point.  It was teamwork for Blackwater D as they just squeezed past club mates Blackwater C with a 6-4 scoreline courtesy of the 5 sets doubles victory from Chris Robison and Jacqui Treacy.  Robison and the spritely Norman Hayes won 2 singles each for the victorious D side.  Struggling Woodham E fell to the recent good form merchants Maldon E.  It was no surprise that the bulk of the Maldon spoils came from the trusty paddles of James Raymond and Arthur Shadforth in the 8-2 victory.

Sam Lowman (Cold Norton B) versus Lee McHugh (Woodham A) this week
Action from the Division 3 Blackwater derby this week