Week 32 saw Buttsbury A gain the 9-1 victory needed to snatch the title from long-term leaders Galleywood B. Galleywood had been in pole position since week three but they were unable to keep enough distance between themselves and their closest rivals.
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
The Hutton Hawks were crowned division 2A champions by a point thanks to the Chelmsford Cougars who prevented the Chelmsford Eagles achieving the 5-0 victory they required. Joshua Freeman (14 wins from 14 matches in CJL2A) gave the Eagles the perfect start with a 3-0 win over Amir Chetitah before teammate Ben Robinson beat Sai Suresh 3-1 to double their lead. Third match up saw Chetitah recover from 1-0 down to beat Robinson, and it was this win for the Cougars which sealed the title for Hutton. Finishing off the fixture – Freeman beat Suresh in three and (with Robinson) won 3-0 in the doubles. Agonisingly close for the Eagles but they should be commended for making it such an exciting finish to the season, congratulation to Hutton’s Charlie Ware, Jago Ware, Charlie Gould and Noah Middleton – the division CJL2A champions!
Standings CJL 2A: C: Hutton Hawks 24 points (8 matches), 2: Chelmsford Eagles 23 points (8 matches).
Junior Cup Final
Top seeds Chelmsford 1 made short work of Chelmsford 2 to lift the Junior Cup. The favourites dropped just one game in the first three matches as they took a commanding 3-0 lead before Nikita Tkachuk pulled one back for Chelmsford 2 via a five-game win over Aidan Lees. Order was restored soon after as Harry Chivers and Josh Bickles beat Omar Wasi and Sami Osman in four before Lees secured the cup with a 3-1 win over Osman.
Division 3
The Buttsbury A trio of Jamie Elliott, Evie Knaapen and Paul Sturton were able to achieve the required 9-1 victory over league leaders Galleywood B to lift the division three title. Elliott earned another three wins and finished the season with a perfect 47 league wins from 47 singles matches – he was joined by Sturton (22 wins from 23 matches) who fired a treble of his own. The hosts dropped just two games in romping into an 8-0 lead but John Holland kept Galleywood’s hopes alive with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Knaapen (36 wins from 44). So the season was down to the final contest of the night between Elliott and Copsey, with the Buttsbury youngster taking the spoils in an 11-6, 11-9, 11-8 victory. Galleywood B will be disappointed to have been pipped at the post having carried division three on their shoulders throughout the season – a great effort nonetheless from Mark Glenister (70% win rate), John Holland (84% win rate), Gary Brignall (91% win rate), Bryn Thomas, Gary Copsey and others.
A hat-trick for Tim Pulham backed up by two wins for Peter Lucraft wasn’t quite enough to earn Danbury H the victory against Chelmsford E – the spoils being shared 5-5. Pulham recovered from 2-0 down against Rev Matthews for the win having earlier beaten Alesha Ellis-Austin by the same 3-2 scoreline. Lucraft’s two wins came over Matthews and Ellis-Austin though James Grimston recovered from 2-1 down to take the victory in their contest. Writtle D drew 5-5 with OCA C – Peter Layzell won two of his three games but was beaten by Tom Barker in four – Barker had earlier managed to recover from 2-1 down against Malcolm Henstock.
Final standings div 3: C: Buttsbury A 143 points (20 matches), 2: Galleywood B 141 points (from 20 matches), 3: Danbury H 115 points (from 20 matches).
Division 5
Second-placed Chelmsford J handed division five champions Danbury M only their second league loss of the season as they romped to a 10-0 away win. The team of Mark Nolan, David Parker and Elliot Hawthorne showed their class from start to finish – both of Parker’s victories were earned over five games.
Standings div 4: C: Danbury M 137 points (from 20 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 125 points (20 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 112 points (from 20 matches).
___________________________
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
___________________________