Rayne A, the eternal bridesmaids, finally made it to the top rung in the Braintree Table Tennis League this season after finishing runners-up for the past six years.
Champions Netts A mixed it with them at the start of the season and briefly held the top spot in weeks seven and eight after a win over Rayne and Rayne’s surprise defeat two matches later to Liberal B, but a defeat to Liberal A knocked them off again and after that Rayne sailed off into the sunset.
They dropped only two points in their next five fixtures.
Netts’ chances of racking up a third successive title always looked problematic after they lost the services of 2022 men’s singles champion Michael Andrews.
Rayne were strengthened by the addition of Maria Boulton, moving over from Netts B, who won 22 of her 24 sets.
Paul Lucas won 36 out of 41, 2019 champion Lee McHugh won 14 out of 15 and with Adam Buxton, who only missed one match, improving his average from 61 per cent last season to 71, they finished a comfortable 19 points ahead.
The new Rayne C, with Steve Pennell and Ian Whiteside dropping down from the A team, finished only eight points behind Netts, while the next four teams, Black Notley B, Liberal A, Liberal B and Sudbury Nomads were covered by just two points.
The Netts club may have missed out on the top title, but compensation came with the success of their B and D teams in divisions two and three.
Netts B’s success was built round two of the strongest players in the division, Szczepan Ziobro and Joe Meleschko, with 31 out of 37 and 34 out of 41 respectively, with the added insurance of the backing of one-time regular first division player Jon Hill, unbeaten in his 17 sets.
Sudbury Wanderers pushed them hard until they faded on the run-in and Rayne D overtook them with three matches to go.
Dave Moles, a reserve for many years, opted to play more regularly this season and he and Richard Whiteside formed the backbone of the team, finishing with almost identical averages of 73.8 and 73.3.
Netts D’s father-and-son combination of Jimmy and Charles Calisin were something of a revelation in division three. Both improved immeasurably over the previous season, something that might be expected of a junior but Jimmy almost kept pace with his son and they won 85 of their team’s 141 sets between them, including an unbeaten eight successes in the doubles.
Their main challengers were Great Yeldham, a new team who entered as part of the league’s joint initiative with Table Tennis England to provide them with a table and equipment.
They found their own players, though, and seasoned campaigners Lorraine Burgess, Doug Sanders and Kevin Mills ensured Netts D did not have it all their own way.
Had the league been calculated on two points for a win, one for a draw, they would have finished top – with Notley G second.
But that would have involved turning the clock back 59 years.
Week 31 saw division 2B’s Hutton Harriers and division 2C’s Chelmsford Panthers take the first two of four junior divisional titles on offer.
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
The Hutton Hawks moved within touching distance of the division 2A title with a 4-1 home win over the Chelmsford Cougars. Charlie Ware was in dominating form as he won both of his matches 3-0 – dropping just 24 points over the six games. Ben Robinson earned the sole point for the visitors with a 3-1 win over Noah Middleton. The Chelmsford Eagles kept their hopes of catching leaders the Hutton Hawks alive with a 3-2 win over the Buttsbury Bears – Joshua Freeman (12 wins from 12 this season) won two out of two for the hosts.
The Hutton Harriers secured the division 2B title with a 5-0 home win over the Chelmsford Tigers – Billy Andrews (11 wins from 12 this season) and Martis Heyes (9 wins from 12) didn’t drop a game. The Buttsbury Bulldogs beat the Chelmsford Leopards 5-0 and can still finish level on points with the Harriers though would miss out on the title due to holding less wins (league rule 6.5.1).
In a ‘winner takes all’ contest to conclude division 2C, the Chelmsford Panthers were crowned champions thanks to a narrow 3-2 win over clubmates the Chelmsford Jaguars. Tied on 28 league points apiece, the Panthers edged ahead when Nathanael Slade (8 wins from 8 matches this season) won the first contest before Sean Kwan and Atharv Srivastava gave the Jaguars the advantage. Slade levelled the fixture at 2-2 – with both teams on 30 points in the league and the destination of the titles to be determined by the doubles contest. Srivastava and Kwan took the opening game before Slade and Henry Mansell stormed through to take the match and the division’s top spot. The Hutton Hornets finished their season with a 4-1 home win over the Chelmsford Rhinos. Theo Rugg and Casper Norris dropped just one game of their singles matches between them to earn the Hornets their second victory of the 2C season.
The Buttsbury Bats remain unbeaten in division 2D and look set to clinch the title as they won 4-1 at the Chelmsford Lions. Second-placed Chelmsford Pumas fell to a 4-1 away loss to the Hutton Hares with four of the five matches not being decided until the fifth game. Leon Smith came from 2-0 down to beat Hari Gumbeer before he teamed with Louis Smith to repeat the feat against Gumbeer and Taylor Cumber in the doubles.
A Sanjay Saptarshi treble helped Danbury D nick third place from Writtle B by a sole point as the hosts wrapped up their season with an 8-2 win. Saptarshi dropped just one game during his singles matches and joined forces with Daniel Patynski to recover from 2-1 down to beat Steve Buer and Chris Buer. Hall had earlier beaten both Buer’s though lost out to Gus Heath in four.
Standings div 2: C: Chelmsford C 138 points (from 20 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 121 points (from 20 matches), 3: Writtle B 113 points (20 matches)
Division 3
With the destination of the division three title scheduled to be decided in week 32, week 31 saw action at the lower end of the division where bottom side Writtle E completed their season with a 6-4 home win over Danbury J – the result despite a hat-trick from Danbury’s Peter Hance. Hance beat Ian Hockley in three, Colin Barham in four and Malcolm Storey in five – Storey had earlier beaten Louis Gunn in five and later bested John Robinson in four. Hance and Robinson recovered from 2-0 down in the doubles to win – six of the first seven matches went the distance.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 140 points (from 19 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 134 points (19 matches), 3: Danbury H 110 points (from 19 matches).
Handicap Cup
Semi Final
Chelmsford E booked a place in the Handicap Cup final with a 5-2 win against Chelmsford B. The scoreline was locked at 2-2 after Sami Osman earned the second of his two wins for Chelmsford B but James Grimston, Rev Matthews and Alesha Ellis-Austin all won their second singles matches as the E team romped home. Chelmsford E will face Danbury B in the final who did extremely well to win their match with a Chelmsford G side despite some generous handicaps on display. Dan Anderson, Sam Lowman and Eric Green were not deterred by starting each game with a 16-22 point deficit and won through by a 5-2 scoreline.
Final to play
07/05/2024 CTTC E v Danbury B
___________________________
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
The tsunami approach of Blackwater D fell short in their final match of the season gifting the Division 3 title of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League to long standing favourites St Lawrence. The two horse race between the rival river dwellers of the Dengie went all the way to the final match of the season. The fate of the championship lay with Blackwater but they collapsed under the pressure losing out to bottom-of-the-table Woodham E. Dreams were dashed and the dazed Blackwater trio and their travelling entourage will need to lift their spirits ready for next year’s campaign.
Blackwater D travelled to Woodham E needing 9 points or better to secure the league title – with Woodham struggling of late this tally was a distinct possibility and the St Lawrence celebrations have been on hold knowing their victory was in the balance. However the dream was over after just 3 games as Woodham took an unexpected 2-1 lead with victories from Diane King over Norman Hayes, and Peter Harverson over Anne Brewer. At this point fireworks could be seen across the bay to the St Lawrence HQ. Woodham continued their dominance and won out 7-3 for the most unexpected scoreline of the evening. Peter Harverson continued his recent form with 4 wins on the night. So St Lawrence are crowned champions with a 6 point gap – much closer than expected but it made for an exciting final few weeks.
Division 2 was wrapped up as Maldon B confirmed their runner-up status with a healthy 7-3 victory over Stow Maries D. Teamwork makes the dream work as all 3 Maldon players took a brace of wins and Colin Napper and Hamish Innes combined for a straightforward doubles triumph. For Stow the bandana-clad Tim Pulham excelled with 2 deciding set victories against Dawn Baldry and Innes. So Woodham C are champions and Maldon B are deserved runners-up in this strongest of divisions.
In Division 1 Cold Norton B romped home 10-0 against their very own C team to set out a marker for the upcoming Team Handicap Final. Cold Norton C have already requested that the B team handicaps are doubled for the Final and this is under consideration by the Competitions Secretary. However hope remains strong for the C team as, despite the horrendous scoreline, they did put up a good fight with 4 of the matches going deep into a deciding leg. You have to feel for the C team’s Arron Chandler as 3 of those 5 set losses fell to him as he played the maximum 15 sets of singles to come away empty-handed. So hat-tricks for the B team’s Eric Green, Ian Wall, and Sam Lowman. A result that sees Cold Norton B finish in a noteworthy third place, but alas puts the C team in danger of slipping into the relegation zone. The other top division match this week saw Woodham B and Mapledene B play out an enjoyable 5-5 score-draw. Woodham’s Sanjay Saptarshi was the standout player winning all his singles and combining with Eamonn Hall for the bonus doubles point. Saptarshi did have a scare against Anthon Ranjit-Singh when at 2-0 up the wheels came off and Ranjit-Singh began to dominate the rallies taking the third leg and really should’ve/could’ve taken the 4th set but Saptarshi just squeezed through 12-10 for the victory dance. For Mapledene Paul Brown and Andy Seaman both took a brace. With just one game to go this points haul gives the Woodham B team a fighting chance of escaping the relegation zone. Mapledene B finish in a comfortable mid-table position.
Pic 1 – Blackwater D – Norman Hayes, Jacqui Treacy, Dave Benstead, Anne Brewer
Pic 2 – Action from the match between Sanjay Saptarshi (Woodham B) and Paul Brown (Mapledene B)
Pic 3 –Player of the match Sanjay Saptarshi (Woodham B team)
Pic 4 – Mapledene’s Anthon Ranjit-Singh serving in his stoic battle with Saptarshi
Pic 5 – Eric Green and Ian Wall – Cold Norton B’s successful doubles partnership
Blackwater DSanjay Saptarshi v Paul BrownSanjay SaptarshiAnton Ranjit SinghIan Wall and Eric Green
The destination of the Chelmsford and District Division two title was finally decided in week 30 as Chelmsford C did enough to get over the winning line having sparred over the top spot with Hatfield Peverel A for much of the season. The Division three title goes to the final match of the season as second-placed Buttsbury A host leaders Galleywood B needing a 9-1 victory to snatch the title – this match is scheduled for Monday 22nd April.
Division 2
Chelmsford C became division two champions with a 9-1 home win over Danbury G’s two-manned team of Mervyn Perriman and Denis Balic. Balic fought back from 2-0 down (and a second game scoreline of 0-11) to beat Victor Chan while Perriman went close against Harrison Hill – succumbing 11-9 in the fifth. Trevor Carter won all three of his singles matches as Writtle B got the better of clubmates Writtle C by a 7-3 scoreline. Two of Carter’s victories came via fifth-game deciders – both Gary Ward and John Gagg lost out to Carter 11-8 in the crucial game. Carter joined forces with Phil Smith to recover from 2-0 down to take the ‘W’ against Ward and John Parodi. Writtle B’s victory moved them up to third place as Maldon A fell to a 6-4 loss at Danbury E with Danbury’s Tony Forster scoring a hat-trick of wins. Forster beat Hamish Innes and Ross Kirby in three straight games but had a ding-dong battle with Lloyd Bennett-Smith which was only settled in the fifth. Bennett-Smith and Innes came back from 2-1 down to win the doubles match 3-2 against Neil Want and Tim Cramphorn.
Standings div 2: C: Chelmsford C 138 points (from 20 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 121 points (from 20 matches), 3: Writtle B 113 points (20 matches)
Division 3
In division three, second-placed Buttsbury A closed the gap on leaders Galleywood B with a 9-1 away win at Danbury K – Jamie Elliott and Paul Sturton both won three matches apiece. Galleywood B were held to a 5-5 draw with Danbury J – Will Goodchild’s two wins for the hosts were both five-gamers before he lost out to Danbury’s Peter Hance. Hance beat John Holland but missed out in five against Gary Copsey. Third-placed Danbury H cruised to a 9-1 win over Chelmsford F thanks to trebles from Ian Whiteside and Alan Scammell as well as a double from Peter Lucraft. Chelmsford’s Sami Osman beat Lucraft 3-2 in their encounter but lost out to Scammell by the same scoreline. Trevor Collin was in fine form as his hat-trick fired Writtle D to an 8-2 win over Writtle E. Neil Thompson recovered from 2-1 down to beat Malcolm Henstock while Malcolm Storey edged past Pete Layzell 11-9 in game five. Gareth Davies won all three of his matches as Hatfield Peverel B won 8-2 on the road at Old Chelmsfordians C. Davies beat Richard Upson in three, Tom Barker in four and withstood a Richard Baxter fightback from 2-0 down to finally complete the job in game five. Baxter was the sole point scorer for the hosts with 3-1 wins over Neil Freeman and Paul Mulley.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 140 points (from 19 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 134 points (19 matches), 3: Danbury H 110 points (from 19 matches).
Division 4
Division four champions Galleywood C tasted defeat for the first time this season with a 6-4 away loss to Highwood A. Keith Fitz-John, Roger Patient and Melanie Bonnett all won two matches apiece for the hosts while Galleywood’s Will Goodchild won two for Galleywood. Melanie Bonnett recovered from 2-1 down to beat Nathan Blore in their contest before the duo of Blore and Goodchild won 3-2 over Bonnett and Fitz-John in the doubles. Second-placed Chelmsford G finished their season with a 7-3 home win over Hatfield Peverel D thanks to a hat-trick each for Cleon Fernandes and Vishnu Surendran. Fernandes and Surendran fought back from 2-1 down to take the doubles against Bob Hillis and Gary Simmons, later Surendran clinched the final game decider against Samuel White. Hatfield Peverel E got the better of clubmates Hatfield Peverel C with a 6-4 scoreline thanks to a treble from James Brooks and two wins for Davina Brazier. Brazier’s wins over Richard Drozd and Andy Simmonds were both over five games while Peter Mortenson’s wins over Brazier and Kath Little were both three gamers.
Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 143 points (from 18 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 127 matches (from 18 matches), 3: Maldon B 117 points (from 17 matches)
Division 5
Division 5 champions Danbury M earned their eighteenth league win from nineteen matches this season with a 6-4 victory over the then second-placed Buttsbury C – this was despite a fine treble by Buttsbury’s Richard Pond. Pond had to comeback from 2-0 down in his first match of the night with Graham Naggs before beating both David Smith and Steve Martin over four. Martin had earlier secured an important point for the hosts with a recovery from 2-1 down against Francesca Hart. Chelmsford J leapfrogged Buttsbury C into second place with a 9-1 away win at bottom placed Hatfield Peverel F. Ian Russell gained the only point of the night for the hosts with a 3-1 win over Mark Nolan while Jackie Treacy couldn’t hold onto her 2-1 lead against David Parker. Chelmsford H now stand third in the table following a 7-3 home win over OCA E – Shengbing Zhu led the way with three wins for the hosts while Jacqui Smith won twice. Anglia Ruskin University kept their hopes of a second place finish alive with a comprehensive 10-0 win over the two-person team of Writtle F. ARU – who were tenth in the table after four weeks of league action and eighth after nine weeks – have shown great improvement as the season has progressed. Kelvin Edeh, Douglas Bawuah and Connor Case did the business against Writtle despite Ron Tam taking Bawuah and Case the distance. David Cockrell won all three as Highwood B earned a 7-3 home victory against Maldon C. The closest contest of the night was James Raymond’s 3-2 win over Highwood’s Keith Pallett – Raymond had trailed 2-0.
Standings div 5: C: Danbury M 137 points (from 19 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 115 points (19 matches). 3: Chelmsford H 112 points (from 20 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
Chelmsford Eagles kept their hopes of catching division 2A leaders Huttons Hawks alive with a 4-1 home win over second-placed Danbury Dragons. Joshua Freeman dropped just one game in winning both of his matches while Danbury’s Oscar Ware picked up a 3-1 win over Chelmsford’s Arnav Lanka.
Two wins by George Gregory weren’t enough to prevent his Chelmsford Leopards side slipping to a 3-2 loss at the hands of Hutton Hyenas in division 2B. Both of Gregory’s wins were over four games with his match with Hugo Perry a close 10-12, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9.
The Chelmsford Jaguars set up an exciting finale to the division 2C season with a 5-0 home win over the Chelmsford Rhinos. Sean Kwan and Ethan Li won two matches apiece dropping just one game between them – they next face the Chelmsford Panthers in a title decider. The Hutton Hammerheads beat the Hutton Hornets 5-0 with James Williamson and Archie Giles dropping just one game.
Rayne A completed the double in the Braintree Table Tennis League when they won the team knockout cup at the cup finals evening to add to their league title.
The Netts club added a third piece of silverware – the C team winning the handicap cup after the B and D teams won divisions two and three – and Sudbury Wanderers, in only their second league season, took home the restricted cup.
Rayne A made short work of polishing off Sudbury Nomads in the team final.
Adam Buxton, Paul Lucas and Lee McHugh all won their first singles, Buxton and McHugh in four games and Lucas in three.
Lucas and Buxton had beaten Karl Baldwin and Ken Lewis in the opening doubles and Lucas and McHugh secured the trophy with a second doubles win, this time over Lewis and Aron Jordan.
Wanderers had to work a bit harder to overcome Rayne E. They won 5-2 but it was a bit closer than the scoreline suggests.
The opening doubles went to Rayne, and after Ian Shrubsole equalised with a win over Scott Whiteside, Alex Morgan put Rayne 2-1 up with a win over Peter Abbott.
Barry Mann then put Wanderers back on track with a win over Adam Pitt, a set that could on paper have gone either way, before Abbott and Shrubsole scored an important win in the doubles over Morgan and Whiteside despite losing the first game 11-1 and then being stretched to five ends.
Shrubsole beat Morgan before Mann clinched the trophy with the closest set of the evening, a win over Whiteside 11-5, 12-10, 6-11, 13-15, 14-12.
Netts C made it three wins in a row for Netts teams in the handicap cup, following the success of the E team last year – to which this season’s C team partly contributed – and the C team, with a different set of players, the previous year.
Their opponents, Black Notley G, started well enough, Graham Chinnery overcoming a 14-point handicap to beat Keith Rolfe, but it was all downhill from there.
Rolfe won his second set but it was Jack Dearsley and James Rissen who took the plaudits with two comfortable wins each to give them a 5-1 win.
Covering the individuals and the final matches at the top of each of the three divisions over the past four weeks has meant that I haven’t had space to mention some other noteworthy performances.
There was a first treble of the season for Peter Rickwood in Rayne E’s win over Notley C, including a victory over Rev Matthews, soon to be crowned division two singles champion
Another of his victims in that match, Dave Parker, came up with a rare treble of his own in Notley C’s 8-2 win over Netts C, outscoring both his teammates for the first time this season.
Rayne E’s Matthew Brown produced a late season flurry. He did not play until mid January and then racked up 15 wins out of 15.
The venerable Peter Pond scored an excellent three wins for Notley E against champions Netts B.
And nine wins out of 12 – losing out only to the champions – gave Notley F’s Jamie Brooks, 59 years Pond’s junior, a 66.7 per cent average in his first season in division two.
With the top two divisional winners already crowned all eyes are on the bunfight that has developed at the top of Division 3 in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League. The battle betwixt bookies favourites St Lawrence and the tortoise like Blackwater D is set to go to the final match of the season with Blackwater D needing a convincing win to secure the most unexpected of titles.
Runaway Division 3 leaders St Lawrence have faltered of late dropping points willy nilly when least expected and this has left a window of opportunity for the chasing pack. With the 3 Blackwater teams continually taking points off each other it was hard to see if anyone was going to take advantage of the little chink that St Lawrence were leaving. Eventually Blackwater D found their game face and with 4 decent wins on the bounce have now put themselves in with a shot at the title. St Lawrence travelled to Blackwater E this week needing a minimum of 6 points to secure the title, but even with their strongest team out they failed to complete the task at hand and must now wait for Blackwater D’s final match against bottom of the table Woodham E. For Blackwater E the mighty Peter Davenport was in unstoppable form as he clinched a remarkable hat-trick of wins and was ably supported by the rarely seen Jason Bush who was able to take 2 points against Mick Robinson and Steve King, but lost out in 5 sets to St Lawrence’s best player on the night Mick Pratley. These points and an extra one for David Sage against Robinson were enough to record a 6-4 win for Blackwater E and send the Baysiders home quaking at the thought of clutching defeat from the arms of victory. So Blackwater D now need a hefty 9 points or above against Woodham E next week should they wish to confound the bookies and so-called experts and clinch the title. ‘Baited breath’ doesn’t do it justice!
In a busy week for Division 1 the big story was Mapledene A beating champions Woodham A to secure the runner-up slot but more importantly for them breaking Woodham A’s 100% win rate. Have you ever seen a squirrel smile? Well if you were part of the crowd at the Mapledene Arena this week that is exactly what happened as Mapledene’s Liam Squirrell blasted his way past all 3 of the Woodham stars for a stunning hat-trick – although he did need all 5 sets against Harry Chivers and Daniel Piglet. Squirrell was ably wingmanned by Daniel Young who had victories over Piglet and Lee McHugh. The final score was 6-4 to Mapledene with Chivers and McHugh just squeezing through the doubles 15-13 in the decider to keep the score respectable. Cold Norton C did a job on their A team winning 6-4 on the night but of course none of them were able to get the better of hat-trick merchant Duncan Taylor. Fambridge closed out their rollercoaster season with a comfortable 9-1 victory against Maldon A. Hat-tricks for John Poysden and Keith Adams with Maldon’s Harrison Hill taking their sole point against Mark Stones. Cold Norton B look certain to take 3rd place this season and their latest 9-1 triumph over Stow Maries A went a long way to secure that position. Cold Norton’s Eric Green and Ian Wall went unbeaten throughout and it was left to Stow’s Richard Storey to save the whitewash blushes as he came from behind to beat the in-form Dan Anderson in 5 sets.
In Division 2 Champions Woodham C finished off their season with a tricky encounter against a stacked Woodham D side. Much banter about this one before a ball was served but the Woodham C boys held firm for a 7-3 victory that sees them through the season unbeaten – and with the A team losing their final game this makes the Woodham C team the only unbeaten side across the whole league – that is some achievement giving the competitiveness of this division. For the C team both Adi Kamma and the fast and furious Chris Hancox notched hat-tricks whilst the D team’s Trevor Collin and Gus Heath both defeated Graham Briggs in 5 sets. Collin and Heath combined for the doubles to complete the D sides scoring and Briggs beat Malcolm Henstock in 4 sets for the final point. Mapledene C finished off their season with a good 6-4 win over Stow Maries B to secure 3rd place. Lin Roff starred with a hat-trick including a fine victory over Peter Hance. Blackwater A ended their season with an 8-2 triumph over Cold Norton D. Hat-tricks for Blackwater’s Denis Balic and Neil Freeman with Cold Norton’s Pete Lucraft picking up a point against Alan Scammell. Two man Maldon C went unbeaten through the card against Maldon D for a 7-3 victory with hat-tricks for Colin Barrell and Steve Aspland. They didn’t have it all their own way though as Barrell needed to come from behind to beat Chris Ravenhill in 5 tense sets with the final two going his way 13-11, and the usually prolific Aspland struggled against Ella Sach as he too needed to come from behind to win this one in the deciding set. Stow C bowed out with a 7-3 victory over Blackwater B. The lovable Dave Goody was the star of the show with an impeccable performance for 4 wins across singles and doubles, with Blackwater’s Noah Sage putting up the most resistance with 2 wins of his own.
Pic 1 – Mapledene’s smiling Liam Squirrell
Pic 2 – Fambridge Captain John Poysden bowing out with hat-trick
Pic 3 – Another hat-trick for Cold Norton A’s Duncan Taylor
Pic 4 – Woodham C’s player of the match – Adi Kamma
Stupendous. Stunning. Sensational. These were just some of the superlatives from spectators after watching the Mens Singles final between James Denyer and Greg Green at the Clacton League’s Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, and held at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall last weekend.
With both Denyer and Green aiming for a third Men’s Singles crown, the pair produced a match of exceptional quality, Denyer winning a tense and pulsating final by the narrowest of margins, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11.
The match between the two Nomads Panthers’ team-mates started slowly but developed into an encounter of remarkable rallies, both players making full use of the court, attacking and retrieving low over the net from seemingly ridiculous angles, with some wonderful play that had the spectators on the edge of their seats. It was so entertaining it sometimes resembled an exhibition match!
However, the stakes were much higher than that and, at 10-9 up in the final set, Green had a point for the title but was denied by an outstanding return from Denyer. But then Green foul-served at 11-all, a most unfortunate occurrence in an encounter full of excellence, but one which ultimately swung the balance in Denyer’s favour.
The match was a credit to two very likeable and talented players, and one which will certainly linger in the memory bank of the spectators for many years to come. And, as the very last match of the Championships – which was also the last event of the 2023/24 Clacton League season – it was a fitting finale to end the table tennis year.
Denyer had played impeccably all day, defeating hard-match players Pete Burrows 11-8, 11-3, 11-7 in his quarter-final, and Gary Young 11-2, 12-10, 11-4 in the semi-final, his only blemish being the loss of a set to Daryl Lott in Round Two.
But the stylish Green, who had not been expected to get past the quarter-finals, had a far tougher day. In Round Two, he was given a stern test by the much-improved Russell Hillier before taking it 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, before taking on nineteen-year old Daniel Young, who was aiming to add the Clacton Mens Singles title to the Colchester title he’d won only last month.
But Green was in imperious form and beat off the challenge of second seed Young 9-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 in another classic contest. And it enabled Green to enter his semi-final full of confidence where, in another demanding encounter, he defeated former champion Kevin Gowlett 11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6.
Denyer and Green were on the same side of the table for the Mens Doubles where they were hoping to retain the title they’d won together for the first time last year.
In the final, they met second seeds Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young, but Denyer and Green were in no mood to relinquish their title. And having survived a massive third set comeback from their opponents which briefly threatened their crown, they ran out 11-5, 11-8, 14-16, 11-7 winners.
But Denyer and Green so nearly fell at the first hurdle, when they were handed the most difficult of opening matches against the unseeded, untried but extremely dangerous pairing of Denes Somodi and John Hatley. As expected, it proved a demanding task and, after a titanic struggle, the champions came out on top by the narrowest of margins, 8-11, 14-12, 11-7, 12-14, 11-8.
Runners-up Gowlett and Young had also experienced travails of their own, finding themselves unexpectedly down two sets to one in their quarter-final encounter against Russell Hillier and Adam Wilkin, before eventually succeeding 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-4, 11-5.
For the record, the Mens Doubles title for Greg Green was his eighth success in this event, having appeared in ten finals over the past thirteen seasons.
Green added to his Championship tally in the Mixed Doubles where, with Gracie Edwards, they defeated second seeds Kevin and Sharon Gowlett 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7. Green and Edwards took the first set in style and looked as though they would power their way to victory but, with a change of server and receiver, the Gowletts hit back to take the second.
However, it proved only a short reprieve, the all-round talent of Green and Edwards ultimately proving too strong. It was, surprisingly, a first Mixed Doubles title for Green, but a fifth for Gracie in seven seasons.
Green’s performances during the Championships, winning two titles and coming so close to taking a third, was acknowledged when he was awarded the Victor Trophy for the outstanding performance of the Championships.
The Ladies events were once again dominated by Gracie Edwards, who having taken the Mixed Doubles title, made it a hat-trick.
She took a seventh Ladies Singles title in eight seasons, defeating Debra Found 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 in a repeat of the 2022 final. But Found is a fierce competitor who was not over-awed by the situation and she put up impressive resistance against her younger opponent, at times matching Edwards’ attacking forehand hits.
The losing semi-finalists were Isabel Barton and Tricia Salter, both aiming for a first Final appearance since they faced each other in 2005, while last year’s runner-up and second seed, Sharon Gowlett, had been unexpectedly beaten by Lynette Sparks in her qualifying Group and eliminated on count-back.
Isabel Barton and Jenny Higgins are experienced campaigners who, between them and with various different partners, have won twenty-one Ladies Doubles titles. Twice, in 2015 and 2017, they’ve won the title together, but 2024 was not to be another year, the Windsor pairing finding title-holders Gracie Edwards and Debra Found too hot to handle. And it was the reigning champions who triumphed for a third year in a row, running out 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 winners.
The top four seeds made it through to the semi-finals of the Veterans Singles and although top seed Gary Young went safely through against Andy Vincent, Pete Burrows surprised second seed Kevin Gowlett by winning their semi-final 11-7, 11-9, 12-10. Both Young and Burrows were seeking a fourth Veterans title but the quality of Young’s play against a competitive, but tiring, Burrows was enough to give him an 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5 victory.
Number one seed Charlie Fulcher duly took the Super-Veterans Singles, beating surprise finalist Mark Ratcliffe, who had excelled by defeating seeded players Derek Willis and Andy Vincent. In the final, Fulcher needed all his quality to keep the determined Ratcliffe at bay in the first two sets before eventually running out an 11-9, 11-9, 11-1 victor.
Daniel Young was hot favourite to take the Restricted Singles which he duly did, but not without one or two scares, none more so than in the final when John Hatley came near to edging the second and third sets. But Young’s quality shone through, winning the trophy 11-4, 15-13, 11-9. Pete Burrows and Andy Vincent were the losing semi-finalists.
Sam Plummer and Joe Sherwin qualified safely enough from their four-player Group for the semi-finals of the Junior Boys Singles, but Savindu De Silva caused a major shock in the three-player Group, defeating both Tom Bryden and Dan Grindrod, results which eliminated reigning champion Grindrod.
And De Silva compounded the shock when he beat Joe Sherwin in the semi-final, 17-15, 12-10, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8 to take an unexpected place in the final. Alas, Sam Plummer proved a stumbling block and it was the talented Plummer who took the title 11-6, 11-6, 11-7, a worthy winner.
Sam Plummer and Dan Grindrod were favourites to take the Junior Doubles ahead of Tom Bryden and Joe Sherwin. But the less-fancied pair put up stern resistance, so much so that the match went down to the wire. And, after an entertaining match of high-class rallies with the result in doubt until the very end, under-dogs Bryden and Sherwin came out on top, winning a knife-edge battle 9-11, 11-9, 14-16, 11-9, 11-9.
It was a second victory in this event for Bryden, having won it last year partnered by Grindrod.
For a second year, Ruby Gallagher and Lucy Carvell met in a one-match shoot-out in the Junior Girls Singles. And the two young women produced a highly entertaining match which swayed first one way and then the other.
But the result ended in a repeat of the 2023 final, Gallagher winning a tough five-setter 6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, where the pattern of the match and the scores had an uncanny resemblance to those of the previous year’s final (where Gallagher had won 5-11, 11-5, 8-11, 14-12, 11-4).
Harindu De Silva caused an upset in the Cadets Singles, defeating Lucy Carvell in the semi-finals. But the unassuming Ruby Gallagher proved too canny in the final, her League experience helping her to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 victory for a second success in the 2024 Championships.
Simon Smith-Daye has lost only once in Division Two this season and was seeded number one in the Division Two Singles. He got to the final, but not without a fight, having to get past a gritty Barry Allen 11-6 in the fifth in the quarter-final, and then Daryl Lott 12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10 in a highly-competitive semi-final.
But Smith-Daye reckoned without the challenge of reigning champion Mark Salter, who’s had a comparatively average League season, who was determined to hold on to his title, reaching the final after getting the better of second seed Sam Plummer 11-7 in the fifth.
And the final turned out to be a cracker, with Smith-Daye and Salter going hammer and tongs, and the match see-sawing throughout. Salter took the first set with ease and Smith-Daye did the same in the second. Salter edged a nail-biting third set 18-16 but Smith-Daye hit back immediately. The result was in doubt until the very end but Salter showed his winner’s mettle, taking it 11-1, 3-11, 18-16, 7-11, 11-8, a superb contest between two hard-hitting players.
The Division Three Singles always looked something of a lottery and so it proved. In the top half of the draw, third-equal seed Dan Grindrod struggled to get past Gerry Widnell 11-7 in the fifth in Round One, before winning his semi-final 11-5 in the decider against top seed Isabel Barton. In the bottom half of the draw, third-equal seed Lynette Sparks fell at the first hurdle to Alex Baldock.
But Lucy Carvell proved the surprise package, defeating Danny Still 11-5 in the decider, then Baldock 11-7 in the decider, before disposing of second seed Bob Jillins in four sets in the semi-final. And Carvell continued the carnage in the final, beating an unsettled Grindrod 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 to take a wholly unexpected, but hard-earned, trophy.
And a special word of praise for Lucy who played despite having been delayed the previous day when travelling back from France, only getting back home at 2 o’clock on the first morning of the Championships! Well done, Lucy.
Overall. the Championships attracted an excellent entry of 64 players, with some 220 individual matches played over the two days. The Tournament was once again sponsored by The Survey Initiative and the League is most grateful to Gary Cattermole for his most generous sponsorship.
Thanks also go to Phil Smith and Jenny Higgins for their sponsorship of individual events, and to Mark Salter who provided individual commemorative medals.
At the end the Tournament, there were several unclaimed raffle prizes :
Pink 960
Yellow 580
Yellow 584
Yellow 586
Pale Green 350
Blue & White 937
There was also a ‘Next’ grey hoodie left at the venue. Contact Jenny Higgins by e-mail or phone (07790 240566) to arrange collection of this and any of the raffle prizes.
2024 CHAMPIONSHIPS
(sponsored by The Survey Initiative)
RESULTS
Mens Singles (sponsored by Phil Smith) : J Denyer beat G Green 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11.
Ladies Singles : G Edwards beat D Found 11-9, 11-4, 11-8.
Mens Doubles : J Denyer/G Green beat K Gowlett/G Young 11-5, 11-8, 14-16, 11-7.
Ladies Doubles : G Edwards/D Found beat I Barton/J Higgins 11-6, 11-4, 11-7.
Mixed Doubles : G Green/G Edwards beat K Gowlett/S Gowlett 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7.
Veterans Singles : G Young beat P Burrows 6-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5.
Super-Veterans Singles : C Fulcher beat M Ratcliffe 11-9, 11-9, 11-1.
Junior Boys Singles (sponsored by Jenny Higgins) : S Plummer beat S De Silva 11-6, 11-6, 11-7.
Junior Doubles : T Bryden/J Sherwin beat D Grindrod/S Plummer 9-11, 11-9, 14-16, 11-9, 11-9.
Junior Girls Singles (sponsored by Jenny Higgins) : R Gallagher beat L Carvell 6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5.
Cadets Singles : R Gallagher beat H De Siva 11-4, 11-6, 11-4.
Division Two Singles : M Salter beat S Smith-Daye 11-1, 3-11, 18-16, 7-11, 11-8.
Division Three Singles : L Carvell beat D Grindrod 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7.
Restricted Singles : D Young beat J Hatley 11-4, 15-13, 11-9.
After a couple of slight blips, Netts’ B and D teams rediscovered their shooting boots to grab the title in divisions two and three of the Braintree Table Tennis League.
Netts B had an uncertain February when they lost to Black Notley D and just scraped home against Notley’s C and E teams 6-4.
But they came good over the final stretch when they gained 26 points out of a possible 30 in their last three matches.
Rayne F and Notley F were dispatched 8-2 and 10-0 respectively before Netts stamped their authority on the division by beating Sudbury Wanderers, the team that had once threatened to depose them, by 8-2.
Joe Meleschko and Szczepan Ziobro, their mainstays throughout the season, both won all nine games over the three matches.
Wanderers had played themselves into contention with four matches to go but stumbled on the run-in where they recorded 15 points fewer than their rivals, precisely the gap between them at the end of the season.
They ran into an in-form Rev Matthews at Notley C, where they lost 7-3, and a similarly unbeaten Sean Clift at Notley D, where they were held to a draw, before Netts B applied the coup de grace.
It was a run that cost them second place as Rayne D finished strongly with a 9-1 win and two 8-2s in their last four matches.
They too ran into Matthews but three wins from Richard Whiteside in each of their other three matches opened up a five-point gap on Wanderers.
In division three, Netts D’s slip-ups came in 6-4 defeats to Notley G and Great Yeldham shortly before the final run-in, but they swept to the title with a sequence of 9-1, 10-0 and 9-1 in their final three matches against Rayne H, Netts E and Notley H respectively.
Jimmy Calisin and son Charles were unbeaten in all three matches.
Great Yeldham, who had at one point threatened to overtake them, were slowed down by draws against Notley G and Finchingfield, where they fell foul of two of the division’s most consistent players, Graham Chinnery and John Barrett respectively.
But a 6-4 win over Rayne G and a 9-1 victory over Notley I – Doug Sanders unbeaten in both – earned them the runners-up trophies.
A superb all-round team performance from Walton C saw them take the Clacton League’s 2024 Handicap Knock-Out Cup, defeating fellow-Division One side Windsor Hawks 5-3 in the final.
It was a well-deserved triumph for Walton C’s unsung trio of Mark Gale, Mark Ratcliffe and Paul Meikle, none of whom has enjoyed major success in the Clacton League before. They become the first team from the Walton Club to win the Cup for twenty years.
It was fitting that Paul Meikle, the only Walton player with Cup Final experience having been a runner-up in 2015, clinched the victory in match eight. And it was even more appropriate as Meikle, the oldest of the players on show, was the only one to stay unbeaten on the night.
But it was an evening of disappointment for Daniel Young, Andy Vincent and Felipe Rodriguez of Windsor Hawks, although they had ridden their luck during the Group stage of the competition, having qualified for the Knock-Out stage only by virtue of being one of the best third-placed teams.
The final saw under-dogs Walton C get off to a flyer, with Ratcliffe and Meikle (+2) scarcely needing their handicap advantage to take the opening doubles 11-0, 11-6, 11-0, benefitting from a nervous and error-strewn performance from Vincent and Rodriguez (-6)
The first of the singles matches paired up Mark Gale and Daniel Young, two players unbeaten in singles in this year’s Cup competition. It was always going to be a tense struggle, and Young (-6) needed patience and skill to blunt the dogged determination and defending of Walton skipper Gale (+2). The opening set proved pivotal, Gale saving four set points before Young settled it. And with fearsome forehands also in his armoury, Young was able to take the match 16-14, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9.
The Hawks took the lead as Rodriguez (-3) edged out Ratcliffe (+1) 13-11, 0-11, 11-7, 17-15 in a topsy-turvy match. Rodriguez came back from 6-0 down to take the first set, won just one actual point in a disastrous second set, but then took the third with ease after retrieving the handicap at 2-all. The final set was a spectator’s paradise, with the pair producing tremendous rallies, as Ratcliffe went on the attack with Rodriguez forced to retrieve from deep. But Rodriguez eventually took his third match point at 17-15 to put the Hawks ahead for the only time in the final.
Walton C hit back immediately before the interval when Meikle (+2) made full use of his handicap start, defeating Vincent (-8) 11-0, 11-0, 11-2. Vincent resolutely refused to sacrifice his natural aggressive style, which produced rat-a-tat table tennis, full of sharp rallies. But Meikle’s excellent left-hand looping winners ultimately proved the key to a straightforward victory.
Gale and Meikle (+2) made it 3-2 for Walton in the middle doubles, their excellent combination of defence and attack overcoming Young and Rodriguez (-6) 11-4, 12-14, 11-9, 11-5, although they will feel fortunate to have scraped the third on a net. Nevertheless, they matched their Windsor opponents throughout and importantly continued their excellent record in the doubles.
In his singles matches, Young (-6) looked unbeatable and, despite his handicap disadvantage, was impressive as he levelled the score against Ratcliffe (+2). Ratcliffe showed his mettle in taking the game to Young with some hard-hitting backhands, but Young displayed his tactical nous and that, allied to tricky serves which proved a reliable points-winner, enabled him to retrieve his handicap early in each set to win 11-9, 11-9, 11-7.
That was to be the end of the Hawks’ success as Gale (+2) breezed past Vincent (-5) who seemed unsure whether to employ his normal offensive strategy or use a more defensive tactic. Either way, it was Gale who in the end took it comfortably 11-0, 11-6, 11-7 against a below-par Vincent.
And so it was left to Meikle (+1), now constantly utilising his trademark left-hand loops, to administer the coup de grâce as he faced Rodriguez (-6). Meikle’s all-or-nothing approach produced dividends, as well as a match of much entertainment and tension for the spectators, the two players attempting to out-loop the other for crucial points. But despite a valiant display by Rodriguez, it was Meikle who took the honours, clinching the Cup for Walton 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6.
Final results : (Walton C players named first):
Match 1 : M Ratcliffe/P Meikle (+2) beat A Vincent/F Rodriguez (-6) 11-0, 11-6, 11-0;
Match 2 : M Gale (+2) lost to D Young (-6) 14-16, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11;
Match 3 : M Ratcliffe (+1) lost to F Rodriguez (-3) 11-13, 11-0, 7-11, 15-17;
Match 4 : P Meikle (+2) beat A Vincent (-8) 11-0, 11-0, 11-2; Match 5 : M Gale/P Meikle (+2) beat D Young/F Rodriguez (-6) 11-4, 12-14, 11-9, 11-5;
Match 6 : M Ratcliffe (+2) lost to D Young (-6) 9-11, 9-11, 6-11;
Match 7 : M Gale (+2) beat A Vincent (-5) 11-0, 11-6, 11-7; Match 8 : P Meikle (+1) beat F Rodriguez (-6) 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6.
Walton reserve Mo Hardy, who stepped in as a reserve in one of Walton’s knock-out matches, also received a winner’s trophy, while runners-up trophies were presented to Windsor Hawks’ non-playing squad members, skipper John Barton and Ian Fielder.
Finally, thanks go to the loyal band of spectators who supported the event, as well as to Tricia Salter and Dave Wright who did a splendid job sharing the umpiring duties.
Walton C – Paul Meikle, Mark Gale, Mark Ratcliffe Windsor Hawks – Felipe Rodriguez, Andy Vincent, Daniel Young
Congratulations to Stanford Le Hope A on winning the Division 1 title. They go into the Premiership next season for the first time in the club’s history. Also, they have managed to recruit Mitchell Jones, a player who will grace the higher echelon, underlined by his winning this year’s SDTTL Closed Championship’s Men Singles title.
It is a measure of how well Invicta A did this year, and how hard they pressed the leaders all the way, that the final standings showed Invicta only five points behind. (Due to Rawreth Megazone D retiring their team mid-season, expunging their results from the table would mean the gap was only three points). This was achieved with a squad of only three players.
Both leaders and runners-up won 9 – 0 this week. Invicta went to Lentern and gained a very impressive win, whilst Stanford overcame Mapledene at home.
At the other end of the table, Hadleigh Forum C picked up the wooden spoon, collecting only two wins during the whole campaign. However, they came quite close this week, when they visited close rivals Hockley C. There were some quite close five-setters, but eventually Forum went down 5- 4. Mark Everard put up the most resistance, winning two in a POM performance. However, Paul Ogden and Ollie George mirrored this for the hosts, with Ollie’s father, John, adding a decisive single. Tony Mace and Satwant Gill contributed one each for Forum.
In what may well turn out (sadly) to be RESSC’s last competitive match in the league, their visit to Rawreth Megazone C resulted in a 6 – 3 defeat. Skipper Bob Skews has had an excellent season, but was only able to record one win; whilst colleague John Holland managed two (including a marathon five-setter against Trevor Ward which he took 12 – 10 in the fifth). Gary McCarthy was the host’s star, winning all his games and taking the POM award. He was backed up by Trevor with two wins, and George Davis with one.
In a close match between Hadleigh Forum B and Brand Identity B, Forum edged it 5- 4, despite a hat trick from the visitor’s POM Barrie Delph. His teammate John Lott was unfortunate to miss out, losing all his games in the fifth set. Two wins from Dave Woolmer and Tony Jacks and a single from Mick Tappenden gave Forum the win, whilst Mick Grout got Brand’s other win.
