Collision course!

The twin steamrollers of Finchingfield A and Sudbury Strollers continue to roll on in division three of the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Finchingfield have won all five of their matches and Strollers all four as they head to the crunch meeting between the two on November 27.

It is Finchingfield who lead the way with only four points dropped after wins of 9-1 and 10-0 in their last two matches.

Black Notley I perished by the former score and Netts E by the latter.

John Barrett and the club’s promising 16-year-old Lucien Nolan-Bradford were unbeaten against Notley I, where Ben Southgate picked up the solitary point by beating Peter Clark.

Barrett was also on duty against Netts E where he was joined by Ray Bradford and Stewart Grant.

Strollers’ wins came against Netts F, who they beat 7-3, and Rayne H, where they won 8-2.

Natalie Dodd was undisturbed in the first match and David Hitchen and Richard Kemp in the second.

Notley G are third after wins of 7-3 over Yeldham Whitlocks B and 6-4 against Finchingfield B.

Peter Davenport was unbeaten in both matches.

Finchingfield B also lost 6-4 to Rayne G, where no one could follow Stewart Grant’s example in remaining unbeaten.

The position is tight at the other end of the table where five points cover four teams.

Netts E and Notley I fared best in the two-week period.

Netts E beat Notley H 8-2, with three wins from David  Montgomery, while Notley I got the better of an inexperienced Netts F team by 8-2.

Notley H earned a creditable draw with Rayne G, five places above them, thanks to Nigel Parmenter’s unbeaten evening.

In the team knock-out cup there were wins for Rayne B, 8-1 over Rayne E, and Sudbury Nomads, 5-2 against Notley B.

Rayne E’s Matthew Brown had a good win over Steve Pennell for Rayne E while Aron Jordan remained unbeaten for Nomads.

In the restricted cup there were predictable wins for three second division teams against teams from the division below.

Netts C came past Rayne G 9-0, Rayne F declared at 5-0 against Notley I and Netts D beat Notley G 7-2.

Netts D’s win was closer than the score suggests with four wins coming  at 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 and 12-10 in the final game.

The closest match in either cup competition was Notley F’s 5-4 win over Yeldham A, where they came back from 4-3 down.

Mel Cooch and Elliot Game ensured their passage to the semi-final with the tightest of tight wins in the final doubles 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9.

Report by Ron Fosker