Finchingfield B and Rayne F have emerged as the front runners in division three of the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Both have recorded three wins in the first three weeks of the season.

Finchingfield B had to work hard for their 6-4 win over Sudbury Drifters, with Geoff Barrett and Ian Whipps in good form for the visitors.  But Lucien Nolan-Bradford’s three singles, plus the doubles with Peter Dacey, helped steer them home.

Rayne F, who started the week two points behind, drew level with Finchingfield after an 8-2 win over Black Notley F.

Conrad Gomes and Dave Whiting were undefeated.

After dropping down a division, Dave Parker made a successful division three debut by taking his three singles in Notley E’s 7-3 win over Yeldham Whitlocks B.  Ken Wilding did likewise.

Eighteen-year-old Frank Chapman was unbeaten in Netts F’s 6-4 win over Notley H, as were Tim Gowers and Ian Rubens in Rayne G’s 8-2 victory over Netts E.

Rayne C continue to set the pace in division two. 

Matthew Brown was unbeaten in their 7-3 win over Finchingfield A, but John Barrett can be pleased with the two wins he picked up for the losers.

Rayne’s other two teams in the division were on the same table where the D team comfortably beat an E team that included two reserves 9-1.

In division one, the clash between Netts A and Rayne A has been a title decider in recent years but with the abdication of Rayne’s 2024 title-winning trio, is likely to have less bearing on things this time, so much so that Netts felt able to include two of last year’s B team in their line-up and still ended up 7-3 victors.

Sudbury Nomads made it two wins out of two with a 9-1 victory over Netts’ B team.  The one that got away was the most notable of the evening, an excellent win for Charles Calisin over the much-travelled Ken Lewis.

James Mullane and Zach Harrington took all seven in Liberal A’s 7-3 win over Notley B while John Andrews, in his first match of the season, was unbeaten in Rayne B’s 6-4 win over Liberal B.

Report by Ron Fosker