Southend League Division 1

A welcome return to full strength for Wakering this week. Unfortunately, their visitors, Hadleigh Forum B, were just too strong for them, coming out 4 – 5 winners. The home side’s returning Callum Turner showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with at this level, winning the POM prize with a maximum. Hadleigh’s Paul Fawell and Dave Woolmer each won two and Jim Stait one. Paul England scored Wakering’s other success.

Despite Canvey A only being able to muster two players for their visit to Brand Identity B, they managed to come away with an impressive 6 – 3 win. Maximums from Ray Wilson and POM Andy Murray did the damage. This result has also hoisted their team to top of the table.

Another team pressing for the top spot are Rawreth Megazone C. Their visit to Hadleigh Forum C resulted in a 7 – 2 success. Paul Brown scored a POM maximum and Garry Hartgrove was unbeaten too. Veteran Trevor Ward got their other win. For the home side Mark Everard and Graham Farmer won one each.

Southend League Division 2

Stanford C finally broke their duck in Division 2 pulling off a first win of the season by beating Rawreth Megazone 6-3. The win also lifted them off the bottom of the table and they now sit above Runnymede and Matchpoint C. Vaughan Chambers, Peter Moxham and Martin Winter all won two games but none could get the better of Rawreth’s Richard Kidd who only conceded one set all night.

Also keeping themselves away from bottom place were Runnymede who got their second win of the season. They had to work hard however to edge out Invicta B 5-4. Tony Millward was the man who made the difference winning all his games without really being threatened, and he got the right support from Steve Wisbey who got a brace and won the decisive final match of the evening beating Mike Keeble in straight sets. Keeble, Steve Lennox and John Blackman all got the better of Heather Stiles and Lennox got the other point beating Wisbey.

At the other end of the table Stanford B marched on with a 9-0 thrashing of Matchpoint C. It was a straightforward win for the league leaders the only real opposition coming from young Ollie Milchard  who led Mark Downey two sets to nil before losing the last three 11/4 11/8 11/3. Rob Salvage and Russell Bright made up the winning team, Salvage recording the perfect hat trick.

Matchpoint B sit five points behind the leaders after beating Hockley D 7-2. John Lott and Alex Bowden both picked up hat tricks with Lotte Mills adding a single point. She conceded matches to Ben Cook and Elliot Brackenbury and Hockley remain winless after five games but stay in seventh place.

Team of the Week – Stanford C

Player of the Week – Robert Salvage