This was a season dominated by Basildon B who led the pack from week 1 and ended up as worthy champions with 123 points, suffering only one defeat along the way. Two of their players finished with winning averages over 90%, skipper Andy Roff and, leading the way, Dave Walton (92.59%).
Invicta C kept up a dogged pursuit of the leaders all season without ever managing to catch them and eventually had to settle for the runners-up place, 16 points adrift. There were consistent performances across their squad, with Trish Winter (85.19%) and Brendan Raja (86.67%) leading the way.
A strong finish to the season, with 5 wins from their last 7 matches, saw Hockley E rise from 5th in the table at the turn of the year to an eventual 3rd place finish, ending up with 95 points. Captain Gary Beck (72.73%) and Ron Rogerson (77.78%) were their leading lights.
Only 6 points separated the next 3 teams. Despite losing more games than they won, Stanford D finished 4th with 91 points. This was in no small part down to the efforts of Randy Santiago who finished the season with an impressive average of 92.31%.
Hadleigh Forum D had a rather up and down season. Bottom of the pile after week 1, they climbed to 3rd before 2 defeats in the last 3 matches saw them drop to an eventual 5th place and 89 points by the close of play. Two players at the opposite ends of their table tennis careers led the way for Forum, the ever improving Todd Barker (79.17%) and the evergreen Douglas Brown (79.49%).
With a blend of youth and experience in their squad, Matchpoint D ended the season in 6th place with 85 points. Half of their squad came from the Junior ranks and, of these, mention should be made of Samuel Morgan who finished with an impressive 61.11% winning average. Their leading player though, holding everything together, was Richard Sloman who topped the averages in this Division with 93.94%.
A slow start saw Canvey C languishing in 9th place for the first half of the season and it was not until the end of the year that they began to improve before achieving a 7th place finish with 68 points. Steve Kemp (76.19%) and Che Martin (75.67%) led the way for the Islanders.
Rawreth Megazone F occupied 8th position with 60 points. Their cause was not helped by having to concede 12 points during the season, but consistent performances from Ro Brett, Graham Back and Mike Webb, all of whom averaged over 40%,kept the team out of the bottom two.
The final two places in this division were occupied by the wholly Junior teams of Evolve and Hockley F. Given the ages of the players across both teams and their lack of experience in League competition, this was no surprise Along with the Matchpoint Junior players, all of these youngsters deserve great credit for their enthusiasm and sporting behaviour throughout the season, and they will surely have improved a great deal from their experience, so there is plenty to build on for next season As for individual performances, for Evolve, both Teddy Kent and Miles Bygrave finished with a winning average of over 50%. For Hockley F, both George Higgins and James Evesham achieved a 38.89% win rate.
The Southend Summer league kicked off with an exciting match between Stanford A and Canvey A in Division 1 which was only decided in the last match of the evening which saw Stanford, 3-1 down at one stage, clinch the doubles and a 5-4 victory. Should you find yourself in a losing position however, it always helps if you have Mitchell Jones in your side and he was Stanford’s hero winning both his singles and doubles and conceding just one set, that being in the final doubles. Rob Salvage provided the other point for the home side beating Jo Hills in straight sets.
Bob Skews was the chief points gatherer for Canvey winning both his singles against Salvage and Adrian Armstrong and Andy Murray won his singles against Hills and the doubles with Skews against Salvage and Armstrong.
Keith Willett of Hadleigh A was another man in fine form winning all his games as his team beat Basildon A 6-3. Hadleigh, in fact, started like an express train racing into a 5-0 lead with Todd Barker, Willett and Anthon Ranjit-Singh all winning their opening singles plus two doubles victories for Ranjit-Singh and Willett and Willett and Barker. Basildon did manage to recover a little from this and Lin Roff defeated Barker, Andy Seaman beat Ranjit-Singh and Roff and Jenne Seibolt combined to win the final doubles. Willett conceded just one set all night in his opening doubles match.
In the only other match played this week the two Hockley teams clashed but any hopes of the B team overcoming their club mates from the A team soon disappeared as the A team proved their superior status whitewashing them 9-0.
The A team of Sanjay Saptarshi, Brian Bissenden and William Evesham were in devastating form dropping only one set in their singles matches, the only signs of B team resistance coming in the doubles. Paul Ogden and Amar Al-Soufi went down 9/11 9/11 12/14 to Saptarshi and Evesham, Paul Strutt and Al-Soufi lost in four sets to Bissenden and Evesham and Strutt and Ogden went down in five sets to Saptarshi and Bissenden. Strutt and Ogden did fight back from two sets down in this one but collapsed in the deciding set 11/4.
Report by Paul Strutt
Keith Willett – Hadleigh ASanjay Saptarshi – Hockley APaul Strutt – Hockley B
James Denyer and Gracie Edwards continue to dominate the local table tennis scene, both players retaining their titles at last weekend’s Clacton League’s Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, and held at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall.
In a re-run of the 2024 Men’s Singles final, Denyer defeated Greg Green 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6. It was Denyer’s fourth Men’s Singles title, having won his first back in 2014. And although on this occasion there was not the high drama and tension of last year’s final, where Denyer had edged it 13-11 in the decider, there was still plenty of quality play on show from two talented players, both displaying the ability to defend and attack at distance from the table.
Denyer had breezed his way to the final, brushing past all opposition until, in the semi-final, he faced Kevin Gowlett, defeating the twice-former champion 11-3, 11-6, 6-11, 11-1. It ended a gruelling day for Gowlett who had won three hard-fought five setters, 11-5 in the fifth against Joe Sherwin, 11-9 in the fifth against Felipe Rodriguez, and, in the quarter-finals, 12-10 in the fifth against Adam Cuthbert.
Green’s progress through the day had been just as comfortable as Denyer’s until the semi-final stage where he was involved in a monumental battle with second seed, and coincidentally his doubles partner, Paul Hume. It proved a genuine nail-biter, with the match swaying to and fro, before Green eventually took it 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8.
It was disappointment for Hume, the reigning Colchester Men’s champion, who has now lost in the semi-finals of this event three times. The losing quarter-finalists were Andy Vincent, Adam Cuthbert, Gary Young and Ethan Lloyd.
For James Denyer, 2025 proved another step up the Clacton League’s Men’s Roll of Honour, where he leap-frogs Martin Hogg into fifth place in the all-time list, behind Ken Gladwell, Derek Wood, David Binns and Colin Stallwood.
Gracie Edwards retained her title in the Ladies Singles for an eighth time in nine seasons. This year, for the first time in all those years, she faced Gill Locke, the Ladies champion in 2012, 2013 and 2014, who was making a welcome return to Championship table tennis.
Edwards was given a stern test by her older opponent, who took the first set 11-9. But Edwards gradually established control and, while Locke showed flashes of her old brilliance with some wonderful forehand winners, it was Edwards who finally prevailed in a competitive contest 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10, the winning shot coming via an unfortunate net.
A mention, also, for Ruby Gallagher who enjoyed two unexpected victories in reaching the semi-finals, winning 11-8 in the fifth against Isabel Barton and 11-5 in the fifth against Debra Found.
Edwards and Locke were also on opposite sides of the table in the Ladies Doubles where Edwards and Debra Found, holders of the title for the last three years, faced the brand-new pairing of Locke, and Lynette Sparks, playing in her first major Championship final.
And although there was valiant resistance from Locke, a three-times winner of this title, and her partner Sparks, the holders were never headed and eased through to a 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 victory.
However, there was consolation for Locke in the Mixed Doubles
where the mother and son combination of Locke and James Denyer defeated reigning champions Greg Green and Gracie Edwards, taking the final 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7 in a match of entertaining table tennis. The victory provided a hat-trick of Mixed Doubles titles for Denyer and Locke, previous winners together in this event in 2013 and 2014.
Last season’s beaten finalists, Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young, and this year seeded third-equal, eliminated the highly-fancied second seeds James Denyer and Adam Cuthbert 11-9, 11-9, 4-11, 11-6.
Meanwhile, top seeds Greg Green and Paul Hume fell to the unseeded partnership of Felipe Rodriguez and Andy Vincent, the Windsor Hawks’ pair winning their quarter-final contest 11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8 in impressive style, before defeating third-equal seeds, John Hatley and Denes Somodi, in three-straight in the semi-finals.
Alas for Rodriguez and Vincent, the final proved a step too far and they could never exert sufficient pressure on their opponents, Young and Gowlett running out comfortable 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 winners. Nevertheless, a day to remember and a trophy to treasure for the unseeded underdogs.
The victory for Young provided him with a seventh Men’s Doubles success but, somewhat surprisingly, it was a first Men’s Doubles title for Gowlett.
Gary Young and Kevin Gowlett were at opposite ends of the table in the final of the Veterans Singles, a repeat of the 2017 final. And the result was the same, Young defeating Gowlett 11-4, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6 in a match in which where he was always in control.
Top seed Young had dropped only one set on his way to the final, this to John Pattrick in the semi-final, but Gowlett had scraped through his semi-final, getting past Charlie Fulcher by the narrowest of margins, 11-4, 11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, in an exhilarating contest.
It was Young’s fifth Veterans Singles title, thus equaling the record of the legendary Ken Gladwell – although he still has some way to go to match Derek Wood’s achievement of nine Veterans titles, gathered between 1985 and 1998.
Defeat in the Veterans Singles semi-final did not deter Charlie Fulcher from pulling out his best form to retain his Super-Veterans Singles, beating off the challenge of Andy Vincent in imperious style to win the final 11-2, 11-8, 12-10. Paul Newbould and Mark Gale were the beaten semi-finalists.
There were a number of potential winners of the Restricted Singles, an unseeded event, but Ethan Lloyd proved to be the pick of the bunch, defeating significant opposition in Phil Smith, Simon Smith-Daye and John Pattrick on his way to the final. There he met Charlie Fulcher, who’d had a somewhat easier path, with Jason Lloyd and Scott Campbell his main conquests.
The final was one of the best of the Tournament, with both players involved in long rallies and in an encounter which would have graced the latter stages of the main Men’s Singles event. Lloyd it was who eventually took it, winning 7-11, 13-11, 13-11, 12-10 to take his first major Championships honour.
John Pattrick enjoyed a good run in this event, with wins over Mark Ratcliffe, John Hatley and Andy Vincent before succumbing to Lloyd in the semi-finals.
Joe Sherwin surprisingly lost his match against Savindu De Silva in the Group stage of the Junior Boys Singles, which meant, as Group runner-up, he faced team-mate in Tom Bryden in the semi-final. But he bounced back to win that match against Bryden 11-8 in the fifth – which meant he faced Savindu De Silva once again in the final.
This time, Sherwin was able to turn the tables, winning 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4 in a see-saw battle, both young players displaying exceptional table tennis talent. It was Bryden’s first Boys Singles title but, for De Silva, he finished as runner-up for the second year running.
Tom Bryden and Joe Sherwin were attempting to retain the Junior Doubles trophy and this they did, after a shaky start in the final, beating the De Silva brothers, Savindu and Harindu, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5.
It was third time lucky for Lucy Carvell in the Junior Girls Singles event, taking the title 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 against Ruby Gallagher, who’d defeated her in the past two years. But there was no actual element of luck for Lucy, as she dominated the final and was a worthy winner.
The Division Two Singles went according to form with the top four seeds making it to the semi-finals, and the top two seeds getting to the final, where Mark Salter met Jonathan Hockley.
Hockley had defeated Scott Campbell in four in his semi-final but Salter had won his semi-final by the skin of his teeth against Dave Miller, the 12-14, 11-8, 12-10, 12-14, 11-8 indicating how tight it was. It was Miller’s second tight tussle of the event, having beaten Chris Petrou 11-9 in the fifth in Round Two.
In a tense final, where dominance veered from one player to another, Salter took it 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, the outcome in doubt almost up to the final winning ball was hit. It was Salter’s third Division Two Singles title in three years, a League record.
The Division Three Singles final was a high-class attacking match between two gifted young players. In a contest which was always tight, Tom Bryden edged out his friend and Brotherhood F colleague Joe Sherwin to take the title 11-9, 12-10, 11-9.
Both players had taken a hard route to the final, Bryden defeating Lynette Sparks by the narrowest of margins in Round Two, 11-8 in the decider, before beating off the challenge of Matt Sage, who himself had eliminated title-holder and second seed Lucy Carvell, in the semi-final. Sherwin had taken an even bigger scalp, causing a major surprise by ending the title hopes of favourite Kelvin Olano Harper 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 in his semi-final.
Overall, the Championships attracted an excellent entry of 70 players, with over 250 individual matches played over the two days. The Tournament was once again sponsored by The Survey Initiative and the League is most grateful to Gary Cattermole for his generous sponsorship. Thanks also go to Jenny Higgins for her sponsorship of the Junior Singles events.
At the end the Tournament, there were several unclaimed raffle prizes : blue tickets 464, 465, 482, 788 and white tickets 161, 180. To claim these prizes, please contact either Jenny Higgins or Viv Rodriguez.
2025 CHAMPIONSHIPS
(sponsored by The Survey Initiative)
RESULTS
Mens Singles : J Denyer beat G Green 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6.
Ladies Singles : G Edwards beat G Locke 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10.
Mens Doubles : K Gowlett/G Young beat Felipe Rodriguez/A Vincent 11-7, 11-3, 11-6.
Ladies Doubles : G Edwards/D Found beat G Locke/L Sparks 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.
Veterans Singles : G Young beat K Gowlett 11-4, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9.
Super-Veterans Singles : C Fulcher beat A Vincent 11-2, 11-8, 12-10.
Junior Boys Singles (sponsored by Jenny Higgins) : J Sherwin beat S De Silva 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4. Junior Doubles : T Bryden/J Sherwin beat S De Silva/H De Silva 7- 11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5.
Junior Girls Singles (sponsored by Jenny Higgins) : L Carvell beat R Gallagher 11-4, 11-9, 11-5. Division Two Singles : M Salter beat Jonathan Hockley 9-11, 11- 4, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7. Division Three Singles : T Bryden beat J Sherwin 11-9, 12-10, 11-9. Restricted Singles : E Lloyd beat C Fulcher 7-11, 13-11, 13-11, 12-10
Report by Tony Oswick
Tom Bryden and Joe SherwinMark SalterGill Locke and James DenyerDebra Found and Gracie EdwardsEthan Lloyd
Gary Young marked his return to the Braintree Table Tennis League by grabbing the ultimate prize, the open singles title, at the league’s finals night at the weekend.
It marked a long, and interrupted, journey since his last finals night appearance as runner-up in the restricted singles in 1999.
It was shortly after that event that he set out to improve by going to a number of training camps with leading international players and attended numerous tournaments.
Within five years he won the men’s singles in the Clacton League.
That he has pretty much retained that standard was clear from his performances at the weekend where he overcame two stubborn opponents, Aron Jordan in the semi final and Luke Burridge in the final.
Jordan’s pimple bat initially gave him some problems and the Sudbury player took the first game comfortably. Young hit back to take the second and the turning point came in the third game.
Jordan again seemed on course for a surprise win but Young staged a comeback from 7-9 to win 11-9 and then took the fourth relatively straightforwardly.
The final was even more straightforward.
Burridge, who had beaten Alistair Hill in five games in a fluctuating semi-final, lit up proceedings with some of the forceful smashes that had put out top seed Paul Davison in the quarter final but he generally looked overawed by the occasion and Young eased to the title.
It was one three victories.
He never allowed Ken Lewis to settle in the over 50s final. Although Lewis staged something of a rally in the third game when hits that had missed the table in the first two started to go on, the result never looked in doubt.
By contrast there was distinct doubt about his third title, the men’s doubles, where he and Davison were odds-on favourites.
Lewis was at the other end again and he and Karl Baldwin threatened a major upset. With admirable control and several unexpected shots, they took the first two games.
But the Netts pairing eventually clicked into gear and took the final three games comfortably.
Young’s haul of titles was bettered by both Alesha Ellis-Austin and Ethan Collins, who each won a total of five events.
Ellis-Austin, who won four events the previous weekend, provided the only upset of the evening when she overcame top seed Matthew Brown in the restricted singles.
Brown had lost only once in 57 outings in division two and had beaten Ellis-Austin less than a month earlier.
And all appeared to be going to plan when he strolled through the first game 11-3.
But Ellis-Austin upped her game after the change of ends and forced Brown back into a more defensive mode the longer the match went on. She was fearless with her hitting even when on the brink of going two games down at deuce in the second, grew in confidence after that and won the next two as well.
Ethan Collins, who also won his first four titles the previous weekend, never appeared in any danger in the junior boys’ singles. His probe and smash game was too much for James Howard. The Netts player showed some neat touches of his own but not enough to worry Collins, who became the youngest ever winner of the title, at the age of just ten.
Ellis-Austin was on the losing side in one event, the mixed doubles.
She and Rev Matthews had to give second best to Natalie Dodd and Adam Cuthbert but as two second division players against a first division regular and a player surely destined to be in division one next season, this was to be expected.
What was not expected was the fight they put up.
Dodd and Cuthbert had the greater all-round control and the snappier hits, but the Notley pair were not to be outdone and produced some classy winners of their own.
They hit back to take the second game after losing the first and only succumbed narrowly 11-9, 11-9 in the third and fourth
Like Ellis-Austin, Young was also denied a clean sweep.
He and Netts A teammate Paul Davison produced the tightest match of the evening in the veterans’ singles final.
With similar styles and seemingly able to attack from anywhere on the court, they traded blows before Davison just held on to take the title, his sixth in seven attempts, at 11-8 in the fifth game.
Results: Open singles final: Gary Young beat Luke Burridge 11-6, 11-3, 11-7; semi finals: Young beat Aron Jordan 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4; Burridge beat Alistair Hill 7-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7.
Men’s doubles: Young and Paul Davison beat Karl Baldwin and Ken Lewis 8-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5
Over 50s singles: Young beat Lewis 11-3, 11-4, 11-6
Veterans’ singles: Davison beat Young 11-9, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8
Junior singles: Ethan Collins beat James Howard 11-3, 11-4, 11-5
Restricted singles: Alesha Ellis-Austin beat Matthew Brown 3-11, 15-13, 11-7, 11-6
Mixed doubles: Natalie Dodd and Adam Cuthbert beat Ellis-Austin and Rev Matthews 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9
Cold Norton B smashed their way to a fantastic Double as they added the Team Handicap Cup to their recent Division 1 Title – a feat not achieved since 2013. Using a tight squad of 5 players over the season this team has beat allcomers – from whatever division they hail and with whatever handicaps they are challenged with.
The Final itself was a seemingly straightforward affair as the Mighty Nortonites won out 5-0, maintaining a run to the crown without dropping a single match along the way – 4 rounds and all won 5-0. A challenge has been laid down to the Handicap Committee for next season! However the individual matches were not all straightforward as 3 of the 5 matches went to deciding legs. Mervyn Perriman (-2) and his 80 year old legs gave Cold Norton captain Dan Anderson (-12) a fright when he fought back to square their match at 1-1 but Anderson knuckled down and his younger legs did the damage as the deciding game edged to its conclusion. The closest match of the evening saw Alan Scammell (-5) push Ian Wall (-18) to breaking point. The 1st leg was too close to call and at 20-20 could have gone either way but Wall edged it, then the 2nd leg went to 20-20 again and at this point surely Wall as the better player would see the match through. But oh no he didn’t, as Scammell pushed and prodded for his life and came through 23-21. The final leg saw Wall catch up his handicap a bit quicker and he was able to see the game out for a dramatic victory. The 5th and final point was brought home by the unbeatable doubles pairing of Wall and Eric Green (-17) against the defensive stalwarts Scammell and Denis Balic (-5).
An early finish and a night out celebrating for our Finalists and their entourages.
Pic 1 – Cold Norton B – Team Handicap Cup Winners 2025 (Ian Wall, Dan Anderson, Eric Green)
Pic 2 – Runners-Up Blackwater A – Denis Balic, Alan Scammell and Mervyn Perriman.
Pic 3 – Cold Norton’s Captain Dan Anderson in his tight match with Perriman.
Pic 4 – Blackwater’s Mervyn Perriman in Cup Final action this week
Burnham & District Table Tennis League – Red Horton Norton Clinch Championship
It was crunch time this week in the top division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League. Cold Norton B found themselves in the envious position of just needing a win against the bottom and only winless team in the top flight to secure the most unlikely of championship victories.
Division 1
So having destroyed would-be champions Mapledene A the previous week Cold Norton B found themselves just one win away from the title, and they just needed to hold their nerve against the struggling Woodham C and their talent should see them through and straight onto the open bus parade. This they did with some style as Ian Wall and Eric Green secured the sixth win of the night in a straight sets double shootout. Wall and Green were truly impeccable all evening as they went through the card without dropping a single leg, whereas third wheel Sam Lowman was a bit jittery as the pressure of the Title was clearly playing on his mind – poor boy! Lowman needed 4 sets to get past both Peter Harverson and Graham Briggs, and then fell to the mighty forehand of Chris Hancox in a 5 set thriller for Woodham to secure a consolation point over the now-confirmed Champions. In recent weeks Cold Norton have bested both Fambridge and Mapledene A so are clearly deserved Title Winners. Fambridge are now confirmed as Runners-Up, with the player of the division looking likely to be Reece Seddon of Mapledene A but there are still a couple of matches left that could change things around.
Elsewhere in Division 1 Mapledene A took out their anger on Cold Norton C with a 9-1 thumping. Kim Shead took the only Norton point with a straight sets win over Steve Muth. For Mapledene both Liam Squirrell and George Reeves took trebles on the night, with Reeves just sneaking past the impressive Shead 14-12 in the nail-biting deciding set. Woodham A had the temerity to steal one of Woodham B’s players to complete their trio for the Woodham derby, and then went onto secure an embarrassing 8-2 victory. Sanjay Saptarshi started his long evening with a rip-roaring 5th set triumph over Chris Penrose, and then repeated that effort with another 5 set victory over supposed team-mate Dan Patynski. Patynski the deserter had already come through an opening round 5 setter against his former Captain Eamonn Hall so it was looking like a long evening for the large Woodham crowd that had assembled for this feast of wiff-waff. With Penrose and Patynski dropping points it was up to the third P in the trio, Captain Dan Piglet, to steady the ship as he won both his openers to set up a winner takes all finale with Saptarshi. Before we got to that one Saptarshi maintained his ‘money’s worth’ evening with another 5 set match in the doubles as he and Hall just lost out to the Penrose and Piglet combo. And so to the Finale, Piglet took the opener, Saptarshi got serious for a 2-1 lead then allowed the Piglet back into the match and eventually he had his pork belly rubbed as Piglet took home the bacon for a superb ham-trick in another 5 setter for Saptarshi as he completed his 20/20 evening. Woodham C were playing their second match of the week and this time they were facing the in-form Mapledene B. Mapledene’s Colin Chatfield hit a perfect hat-trick for the player-of-the-match accolade but it was also great to see Anthon Ranjit-Singh in excellent form as he vanquished both Chris Hancox and Dave Penrose in 5 sets, and only lost out to Peter Harverson in 4. Keith Willet also hit a treble on the night as part of his team’s 8-2 winning margin, and he too edged past the unlucky Hancox in 5. Given that Willett and Chatfield were unbeaten in singles and Hancox and Penrose didn’t bother the scoreboard at all during that same period you would have thought the doubles betwixt these combos would be pretty straightforward and the Mapledene duo would plough through the Woodham pair – but the sporting Gods had other ideas as the boys from Woodham wrapped up the bonus point in 5 sets to truly upset the Mapledene apple cart.
Division 2
Stow Maries A were finally crowned champions of Division 2 when Maldon A clumsily dropped 4 points to a 2 man Cold Norton D side – in fact they lost the match in actual games played but were buoyed by the 3 point gift from Cold Norton. Wily chopper Colin Napper was the only Maldonite to win both his matches, with Neil Want winning his other singles for Cold Norton against Dawn Baldry and Hamish Innes – both in 5 set rollercoasters. Dave Hancox recorded a notable win over Ladies Singles Champion Baldry, and then doubled up with Want for a surprising bonus point in the doubles. On the back of his success Hancox has agreed to enter the Ladies Singles next season. A disappointing end to the campaign for Maldon A. Mapledene C and Woodham D hacked out a 5-5 draw with Andy Seaman getting revenge for his Dan Richardson Final loss by reversing the score against Adi Kamma on his way to a player of the match treble. Kamma and Peter Harverson both won their other singles and then partnered up for the doubles for their points haul. There was a slight tremor down Blackwater way this week as the B team rattled the A team’s cage ahead of their Handicap Cup Team Final. Every player went away with a win in a 5-5 stalemate – a bit like a school sports day these days – but most credit must go to the B team captain Gary Smith who bested both Roger Slade and Neil Freeman, not only in the singles but also in the doubles. The A team pair must have been sick of the sight of Smith by the end of the evening. The B team’s Louis Gunn was unlucky to lose out to Freeman and Slade in 5 sets but redeemed himself with a treble stopping 4 set victory over Alan Scammell. In the other derby battle, Stow B went all gung-ho on us and destroyed their own C team in a 10-0 drubbing. The treblemakers for the B team were Peter Hance, Dave Marsh ad Nicky Reece-Ford. For the C team Dave Goody put up a fight with 5-setters against Marsh and Reece-Ford but no cigar this week. In the final match of the season Woodham D held the once-mighty Maldon A to a draw despite a rampant Lloyd Bennett-Smith finishing his season with a well earned treble. Bennett-Smith and League Chairman Alan Dadswell went into the final match unbeaten, oiled like gladiators for the final push. It wasn’t a great contest as Bennett-Smith won in 3 to secure the draw but Dadswell had already destroyed the Innes family party with victories over Hamish Innes and Ross Kirby. Woodham’s Scott Perry had completed the same double as Dadswell and the pair of them just rubbed Maldon salt into the wound as they came from behind to win the doubles against Innes and Kirby in a long 5 setter.
That concludes the Division 2 season with Stow Maries A crowned as champions and with the kicker of knowing that Stow stalwart Gary Brignall was the best player in the division with a win average of 96% just dropping one match all season long.
Division 3
Maldon C had already won the Division 3 Championship so the remaining battle was for the coveted runner-up spot. Blackwater C secured second place with a fine 8-2 victory over Woodham E. Blackwater were delighted when Woodham arrived without their superstar Allan Steel and confidently went about their business. An end-of-season hat-trick for Mervyn Perriman gave the octogenarian top billing but he was very well supported by Colin Barham and Jacquie Treacy who both won 2 of their singles both losing out to the fleet of wrist and sartorial elegance of Chris Crooks. Maldon C completed their season with a superlative 10-0 whitewash victory over the hapless Blackwater D. Hat-tricks all round for the mighty Maldon trio of Marty Englander, Chris Ravenhill, and Brian Riedling. The closest match of the night saw young Oscar Wyman push Englander all the way to 5 sets – it won’t be long before the Blackwater starlet will be turning those close run things into victories. Maldon D ended their season with a powerful 9-1 turnover of Blackwater E. James Raymond and Arthur Shadforth finishing their campaign on treble highs, with Luca Riedling losing out to Deb Ginn for the sole Blackwater point. Plucky Kath Little was unlucky not to trouble the scorecard as she surrendered winning positions in both her 5 setters with Raymond and Riedling. The final match of the season saw the two bottom teams face off in the wooden spoon trophy final. Blackwater F had yet to win a game all season and the single victory for Maldon E had come at the paddles of Blackwater F – so a lot riding on this one. The match was evenly poised after the first round of singles as the teams went into the break at 3-3. John Leavett for Maldon and David McHattie for Blackwater were unbeaten and destined for the final match showdown. McHattie and Oscar Wyman put Blackwater 4-3 up with a classic straight sets doubles victory – could this be happening? Dennis Eraut held his nerve in a very topsy turvy 5 set victory over Dave Gardner to re-square the match at 4-4. Then Patrick Coyne put Maldon ahead with a 4 leg triumph over Wyman. So it all came down to the final leg – a win was now beyond them but could Blackwater sign-off with a draw to buoy their spirits for next season. Over to the Captain Dave McHattie. McHattie took the opening leg 11-9 and the Blackwater nails were getting shorter by the rally. Leavett reversed the scores in the second leg and repeated this to take a 2-1 lead, and that was enough to drain the fight from McHattie as Leavett won out 3-1 for an overall 6-4 victory.
So Maldon C were the runaway champions of Division 3 and their 3 top players all scored over 90% win rate averages. However, despite this excellence none of them were able to get the better of the 100% man from Woodham – and the Division 3 winner of the best player award goes to Allan Steel of Woodham E with an unbeaten run of 36 victories.
Pic 1 – Cold Norton B – Division 1 Champions 2025 (Ian Wall, Dan Anderson, Eric Green and Sam Lowman – Dave Richardson not pictured)
Pic 2 – Cold Norton’s Eric Green celebrating the Title winning shot with his own interpretative dance move.
Pic 3 – Chris Hancox in the individual win of the week versus Sam Lowman.
Pic 4 – Mapledene B’s Anthon Ranjit-Singh in flying form this week.
Pic 5 – Division 2 Champions – Stow Maries A
Pic 6 – Division 3 Champions – Maldon C
Report by Eamonn Hall
Cold Norton B – Div 1 ChampionsEric GreenChris Hancox (left) v Sam LowmanAnthon Ranjit Singh (left) v Chris PenroseDiv 2 Champions Stow Maries ADiv 3 Champions Maldon C
On Sunday 6th April Jamie Elliot (Matchpoint TTC) and Ollie George Hockley TTC) proudly represented the Southend League in the English League Cup competition, hosted by Wensum TTC in Norwich.
In their opening match the boys delivered a dominating performance against the Peterborough League, securing a convincing 5-0 victory. The format was four singles and one doubles for the two man teams and this match turned out a little one sided as they only dropped one set in the five matches played.
The second fixture was a challenging encounter against the reigning national champions, the Norwich League. Despite a valiant effort from Jamie and Oliver, Southend were narrowly defeated, with the final scoreline 4-1 in favour of Norwich. The boys found themselves 3-0 down fairly quickly losing the first two singles and the doubles in straight sets, but then had their solitary taste of success thanks to Jamie. He got into an epic five set battle before winning 11/3 in the final set. Ollie went down in four sets in his second match.
Overall, the Southend League finished in a commendable second place in the qualification event for the Carter Cup (Eastern Zone).
Twenty-year-old Luke Burridge brought off the shock of the day in the Braintree Table Tennis League individual events when he knocked out reigning champion Paul Davison.
Davison, winner for the last two years and a record eight times in all, looked to have regained control of the quarter final when he pulled back to two games each after losing the first two.
But Burridge stuck to his guns, especially his big gun, an incredibly fast forehand smash, and emerged victorious at 11-8 after a fluctuating fifth game.
Burridge, the No.7 seed, will be one of three new names in the open singles semi finals to be played on finals night at Earls Colne Recreation Centre on Friday (7.00).
He will be joined by Gary Young, the No.2 seed, and Aron Jordan, seeded at No.8, together with Alistair Hill, who reached the semi final in 2023.
Both Young and Jordan – who face each other in the semi final – had relatively easy passages to the last four, Young dealing with veteran campaigner Ken Lewis and Jordan’s patient probing game nullifying the spirited promise of Alesha Ellis-Austin.
Hill on the other hand had a humdinger of a match against No.5 seed Adam Cuthbert, coming from behind to win a tight battle 11-9 in the fifth game.
Davison and Young, the top seeds, made their way through to the final of the men’s doubles where they will face the Sudbury pair of Lewis and Karl Baldwin.
In the semi final, they accounted for Robin Armstrong and Adam Cuthbert while Lewis and Baldwin came past James and Oliver Hicks
Davison and Young will be facing each other in the veterans’ singles final after semi final wins over Lewis and James Hicks respectively.
Alesha Ellis-Austin, new to the league this year, is the new ladies’ singles champion after a victory over the holder Louise Hartshorn in an event played to a finish at the weekend.
Ellis-Austin will still be seen twice on finals night. She and Rev Matthews will face Natalie Dodd and Adam Cuthbert in the final of the mixed doubles and she is also in the final of the restricted singles after a victory over Richard Fifield in the semi final.
Her opponent will be Matthew Brown, beaten in the league this season only by Natalie Dodd, who did not enter that event.
And there is the prospect of a youngest ever winner of the junior boys’ singles where top seed ten-year-old Ethan Collins lines up against 16-year-old James Howard.
Brotherhood F may have already guaranteed top spot in Division Three of the Clacton League, but the battle for the runners-up position is still wide open.
Brotherhood H won 6-4 against Windsor Falcons, Savindu De Silva, Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard all winning two. Kelvin Olano-Harper took three for the Falcons but was pushed all the way by Woollard before edging it 11-7 in the fifth.
Matt Sage, Alex Baldock and Sam Watling of Nomads Bobcats picked up all available points in the 10-0 victory over Holland Vulcans. This Bobcats’ victory means that, with just two matches left to play, the Bobcats are now just a single point behind their Brotherhood H rivals.
Elsewhere, Holland Hurricanes defeated Nomads Ocelots 7-3, Gary Stallwood unbeaten. Ian Gwillim’s two for the Hurricanes included an 11-9 in the decider success over Arthur Wells-Garrett.
An all-Holland clash saw the Lancasters defeat the Mosquitos 7-3, Dave Wright taking three, Pam Cousins two and Grace Andrews one. For the Mosquitos, Brian Abram won two and Pam Blakeley one.
Nomads Leopards drew with Walton D in a match where no-one stayed unbeaten. Dominic Joannou and Lily Liu won two each for the Leopards, as did Maggie Earle and Lynette Sparks for Walton.
In Division One, second-placed Nomads Lions were 9-1 victors over Walton C, Adam Cuthbert and Jason Lloyd undefeated, but they were held to a draw by Brotherhood A, Kevin Gowlett taking his maximum for Brotherhood.
Hat-tricks for Andy Vincent and Felipe Rodriguez helped Windsor Hawks to a 7-3 success over Walton A, the pair capping an excellent week by staying unbeaten in the Hawks’ 8-2 victory over Lawford.
In Division Two, Brotherhood C, playing with a guest, beat Windsor Magpies 7-3, to guarantee them a well-deserved runners-up spot. The two Marks, Boyland and Beckham, took maximum points.
Windsor Penguins defeated Brotherhood G 6-4, Neil Chegwidden remaining undefeated. Paul Woolnough won twice for the Penguins, as did Brotherhood reserve, Owen Woollard.
It was 6-4 also for Brotherhood D against Nomads Jaguars, Mark Salter inflicting a first defeat of the season on Jonathan Hockley on his way to a treble.
Windsor Harriers took three of the four matches which went the distance to edge past Windsor Kestrels 6-4, Jenny Higgins taking vital wins over Jackie Bunce, 11-8 in the fifth, and Peter Aumord, 11-9 in the fifth.
* The Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, take place this weekend on 12th and 13th April at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall. Play starts at 8.45 am on both days, with the finals scheduled for soon after 2.45 pm on both days. Details of check-in times and other information are being sent to all entrants.
* The League has belatedly learned of the death last year of former player Terry Kirby, aged 95 years.
After a long career in table tennis, Terry came to the Clacton League in the late 1990s and played until 2012, when he was well into his eighties. He played for the Walton, Brotherhood and Nomads clubs, initially in Division One. There, he was a wily competitor although never a high-flyer, but latterly, when he moved to Division Two, he was one of the top players at that level and, in 2010/11, helped Nomads Cougars to the runners-up spot. The following year, in his last playing season, he was a member of the Nomads Jaguars team which finished as Knock-Out Cup runners-up.
Terry had success at the Closed Championships as winner of the Restricted Singles in 2001, and was twice a Division Two Singles winner in 2010 and 2011. But the Super-Veterans title eluded him, finishing as beaten finalist four times in the first six years the event was held.
Off the table, Terry often liked to relate stories, usually with an element of humour, of his table tennis past when he played at a higher level and with higher-ability players. On the table, he was phlegmatic, enjoying the times when he won but philosophical when he lost. As importantly, Terry was a genuinely amiable person who loved his sport. A true table tennis character.
The Clacton and District Table Tennis League’s Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, courtesy of Gary Cattermole, take place on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April at the Clacton Coastal Academy Sports Hall. Seventy players will be competing for thirteen titles.
In the Mens Singles, reigning Clacton champion James Denyer and recently-crowned Colchester champion Paul Hume are top seeds and favourites to make it to the final. But there will be a strong challenge from three previous winners of this event, last season’s beaten finalist Greg Green, and Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young who both reached the semi-finals in 2024.
James Denyer and Greg Green won the Mens Doubles last year but they’re paired with different partners this time, Denyer with Adam Cuthbert and Green with Paul Hume, and it’s difficult to look beyond these pairings as potential finalists. The partnership of Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young looks the best of the rest.
Gracie Edwards has dominated the Ladies Singles in recent times, triumphing in seven of the past eight seasons. But she may face one of her sternest challenges this year, with Gill Locke, herself a three times champion, making a welcome Championship comeback.
And the pair could also be on opposite sides of the table in the Ladies Doubles final where reigning champions Edwards and Debra Found are seeded to face the new pairing of Locke and Lynette Sparks.
Four combinations stand out in the Mixed Doubles, with holders Greg Green and Gracie Edwards seeded one ahead of James Denyer and Gill Locke. Kevin and Sharon Gowlett, and Paul Hume and Lucy Carvell are likely semi-finalists.
There will definitely be a new name on the Junior Boys Singles trophy where Joe Sherwin and Tom Bryden are seeded to contest the final.
Sherwin and Bryden combine for a second year in the Junior Doubles in an effort to retain the trophy they took last season. But although there are only four pairings in this event, the partnerships of Lucy Carvell and Ruby Gallagher, Callum Hogg and Owen Woollard, and Savindu and Harindu De Silva all pose a potential threat.
Meanwhile, Ruby Gallagher and Lucy Carvell renew their battle for supremacy in the Junior Girls Singles, a title which Ruby has taken the last two years.
There’s a strong field in the Veterans Singles, with holder Gary Young aiming to win the trophy for a fifth time since 2017. Charlie Fulcher and Kevin Gowlett will provide the strongest challenge, whilst Andy Vincent, John Hatley and Gavin Price are all capable of springing a surprise.
Charlie Fulcher took the Super-Veterans Singles title in 2024 in his first season with the League and he starts as favourite again this year, ahead of Andy Vincent and Gavin Price.
The Division Two Singles could be one of the most open events of the weekend, with little to choose between the top four contenders. Mark Salter will be aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive title, Jonathan Hockley is unbeaten in the League this season, whilst Scott Campbell and Dave Miller have both been in impressive form in recent weeks.
By contrast, Kelvin Olano-Harper starts as strong favourite in the Division Three Singles but the Closed Championships do not always go to form and any one of Lucy Carvell, who took the title last year, Tom Bryden, Joe Sherwin, or the unseeded Ruby Gallagher and Matt Sage, are in with a shout.
The Restricted Singles is unseeded and success can sometimes depend on the draw. However, the event starts with a number of potential winners – pick any one of Charlie Fulcher, John Hatley, Ethan Lloyd, Jason Lloyd, John Pattrick, Gavin Price, Andy Vincent, Adam Wilkin or Simon Smith-Daye.
Overall, 255 matches are due to be played in what will be a very busy weekend’s table tennis. Play begins at 8.45 am on both Saturday and Sunday, with the finals scheduled after 2.45 pm on both days. Admission is free and spectators are welcome. Light refreshments will be available. There will also be a raffle and any donations of prizes would be welcome.
Details of check-in times and other information will be sent to all competitors prior to the event. Any player who has not received this by Tuesday 8th April should contact Peter White on 07795 544498.
For the record, the seventy competitors at the Championships represents well over fifty per cent of the League’s regular players, an excellent entry for which our players are to be congratulated.
Report by Tony Oswick
There’s a silver lining at the Clacton Closed Championships!
