The final week of the season in Division 2 of the Southend League and with the title secured by Stanford B and relegation ensured for Invicta B the last issue to be decided was the runner up spot.
Canvey B and Hockley C were locked together on 101 points as they started their final matches Canvey lining up against relegated Invicta and Hockley facing a tricky encounter against their own D team.
Both matches, in fact, went as expected with Canvey racking up an unbeatable 9-0 win with Trevor Hayes, Terry Giddens and Kevin Walsingham in fine form with just some limited resistance coming from Mike Keeble and Sarah Ball who went to five sets against Giddens and Hayes respectively.
The best that Hockley C could do then was to equal that 9-0 scoreline but that never looked on against their D team who had reigning Ladies Singles champion Hannah Harbour in their ranks plus up and coming teenager William Evesham. John George made up their team as a late replacement for another promising teenager Elliot Brackenbury. In many respects the evening couldn’t have got off to a worse start for the C team of Mike Worship, Paul Ogden and Paul Strutt who found themselves 4-1 down with all hopes of second place now in ruins. Chances of a comeback also went as after Strutt reduced the deficit against George in five long sets Ogden and Evesham started another battle royal eventually decided in Evesham’s favour 15/13 in the deciding set. A good win for Strutt against Harbour was some compensation and left the D team as 5-4 winners. Worship and Ogden both recorded wins against George whilst Harbour finished with a brace. Evesham took the POTM honours.
Champions Stanford B had an easy end to their season against a two man Rawreth G team winning 8-1. Richard Kidd got the consolation point for Rawreth beating Mark Downey but there were two wins each for Adrian Armstrong and Randy Santiago.
Matchpoint C almost completed the perfect whitewash against Runnymede winning 9-0 and dropping just one set all night. Hat tricks for John Lott and Dennis Squirrell and a second hat trick in succession for promising youngster Lotte Mills, one half of this year’s Ladies Doubles Championship winners.
Player of the Week – William Evesham
Team of the Week – Canvey B