It’s been a lean start to the season for Windsor Eagles, last year’s
runners-up in Division One of the Clacton League, but they got
their campaign into gear this week with a first win, 7-3 against
Walton B.
John Pattrick’s maximum for the Windsor side included an
excellent win over Gavin Price, whilst there were two for Mel
Rampton and one for the Eagles’ long-serving skipper John
Hobson. The closest match of the evening was the doubles,
Pattrick and Rampton beating Price and Graham Buxton 10-12,
11-9, 11-9, 11-13, 11-6. Price won two for Walton, including a
good win over Rampton.
Windsor Hawks made it three wins out of three with a 9-1 success
against a Walton A side who were hampered when Kevin James
was forced to concede two of his singles matches through
unwellness. Daniel Young and Andy Vincent stayed unbeaten for
the Hawks, with both players combining to take an exceptionally
tight doubles 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11 15-13 against Colin
Dearman and Derek Willis.
It was also 9-1 for Brotherhood A who eased past Walton C, Kevin
Gowlett and Gary Young unbeaten, and Russell Hillier winning a
couple. Mark Gale took the Walton point with an 11-8, 11-13, 11-
9, 11-9 victory over Hillier.
Even at this stage of the season, it looked to be a top v bottom
Division Two encounter when Brotherhood D faced Windsor
Kestrels and, predictably, it was Brotherhood who came out on
top 10-0. Kevin Pryor, Simon Smith-Daye and James Smith-Daye
all took trebles. Graham Bunce battled hard for the Kestrels but
couldn’t quite get a consolation point, going down 11-4 in the fifth
to Simon Smith-Daye and 11-8 in the fifth to James Smith-Daye.
Lawford maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a
hard-fought 6-4 win over Walton D. There were a couple each for
John Colvin and Richard Spence, and one for Ian Sherwood, with
Colvin and Sherwood combining to take the doubles. Andy Foster
stayed undefeated for the losers although he had a struggle with
Sherwood before eventually winning 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 12-14,
11-6.
Brotherhood B’s torrid start to the season continued when they
came up against Nomads Jaguars’ top three, Chris Parr, Daryl
Lott and Chris Petrou. All three Nomads’ players stayed unbeaten,
although Petrou needed five sets to beat Grant Sharpe, as did
Lott against Paul Alden. Sharpe and Barry Allen had the
consolation of taking the doubles 13-11, 11-2, 12-10 against Parr
and Lott. Things can only get better for Brotherhood!
Nomads Tigers and Brotherhood C are beginning to look like two
solid mid-table teams and their clash this week ended in a close-
run 6-4 win for the Tigers. Denes Somodi won his three, including
a 13-11, 11-8, 15-13 win against Mark Boyland, whilst Dave
Miller won two tight matches, 11-8 in the decider against Mark
Beckham and 11-9 in the decider against Paul Metcalf. Boyland
won two for Brotherhood, and Beckham and Metcalf one each.
In Division Three Nomads Leopards were forced to field a guest
player in their fixture with Brotherhood E and so will feel pleased
to have secured a share of the spoils. The much-improved
Dominic Joannou won three and Bob Jillins two, but they failed to
take the doubles, Tricia Salter and Rodney Betts winning 11-7,
11-7, 11-7 to maintain Brotherhood’s unbeaten doubles record.
The old hands of Windsor Harriers proved a little too wily for their
Brotherhood F opponents, winning 10-0. But it was not all one-
way traffic, Jenny Higgins, in her first appearance of the season,
taking her maximum but tested by both Joe Sherwin and JJ Barry,
beating Sherwin 2-11, 10-12, 14-12, 11-8, 11-8 and Barry 8-11,
13-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9.
Brotherhood G were also 10-0 victors, this against Nomads
Bobcats. Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Gary Simpson all stayed
undefeated but the Bobcats will feel unfortunate not to have
squeezed at least one win, Alex Baldock going down 11-8 in the
fifth to Still and Matt Sage losing to Grindrod by the same score.
Finally, in the all-Nomads clash, there were hat-tricks for Dave
Wright and Ian Gwillim as the Lynx defeated the Ocelots 7-3.
Anne Bonny, Norman Jacobs and Hazel Blanche got a point each
for the losers.
RESULTS
Division 1
Walton C 1 Brotherhood A 9;
Windsor Eagles 7 Walton B 3;
Windsor Hawks 9 Walton A 1.
Division 2
Nomads Tigers 6 Brotherhood C 4;
Walton D 4 Lawford 6;
Brotherhood D 10 Windsor Kestrels 0;
Brotherhood B 1 Nomads Jaguars 9.
Division 3
Nomads Lynx 7 Nomads Ocelots 3;
Windsor Harriers 10 Brotherhood F 0;
Brotherhood E 5 Nomads Leopards 5;
Brotherhood G 10 Nomads Bobcats 0.
