After a match that ebbed and flowed all evening, Netts D edged to a 5-4 win to take home the restricted cup in the Braintree Table Tennis League.
Against Black Notley C, they were 1-0 up, 2-1 and 3-2 down, 4-3 up and then level at 4-4 before taking the cup with a win in the final doubles.
The doubles win was a father-and-son triumph for Jimmy and JJ Calisin after an evening in which the singles events finished level at 3-3 and the earlier two doubles sets were also shared.
The two Calisins and Chris Gibbons won one singles each while Jamie Brooks won two and Lawrence Grantham one for Notley C.
It may have been the final doubles that settled the issue but the result could be said to have turned on the seventh set of the evening, the clash between Jimmy Calisin and Matt Brooks.
It reflected the match’s seesawing nature in swinging back and forth before Calisin clinched it 9-11, 11-7, 16-14, 6-11, 11-9.
No such drama in the league where Netts A secured the title some time ago. But there was a sting in the tail when they lost their unbeaten record in their final match.
Liberal A’s Scott Dowsett was mainly responsible for the 6-4 win. In a foretaste of the open singles final to come he beat James Hicks, defeated only once in 33 sets up to that point, and also took away Paul Davison’s unbeaten record 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9.
Ashley Skeggs found the form that deserted him on finals night to put a second dent in Hicks’s record.
The bizarre undulations in division two ended with the teams between third and eighth being separated by just two points Even bottom team Notley D finished with 73 points from their 18 matches, an average of more than four points a match that would have been good enough for a mid-table finish in almost any other season.
Sudbury Strollers, as had become gradually more likely over the second half of the season, took the runners-up medals behind Rayne C after victories of 9-1 over Yeldham A and 7-3 over Rayne E.
Champions Rayne C finished with a 9-1 win over Netts C while Finchingfield A climbed to sixth with a 7-3 win over Yeldham A.
The final match in division three was a 6-4 win for Notley F over Notley G.
Aivars Taimins, who has had an excellent first season in the league, crowned it with a win over Ben Southgate, unbeaten in his previous four matches and with an average of 87 per cent.
In their first meeting Southgate had won 11-3, 11-5, 11-5.
The final two matches of the seasons sorted out a few positional dramas for Division 1 of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League. Woodham A secured 3rd place with a tight 6-4 win over 2-player Mapledene B, and Cold Norton A brought out their stars in the battle to avoid relegation and duly dispatched Woodham B into relegation mires with a 9-1 comprehensive victory.
Cold Norton A trio Duncan Taylor, Kevin Read, and Charles Sweeny all took singles hat-tricks in their final match together for Cold Norton A. Eamonn Hall and Peter Harverson took the doubles glory with a comfortable 4 set win over Taylor and outgoing Skipper Steve Maltby. The unluckiest player on the night was Woodham’s Harry Sawford who went all the way to 5 against Sweeny, and then had 3 match points at 10-7 up in the 5th against Kevin Read before experience got the better of exuberance and Read won out 14-12 for the narrowest of wins. Read had also had tough battles with both Harverson and Hall earlier in the evening losing a leg to each. This victory preserves Cold Norton A’s Division 1 status should they wish to continue next season – that fate of Woodham B is in the balance with 2 teams keen to be promoted from Div 2.
In the delayed final fixture of the season Woodham A just needed a victory to secure 3rd place, and the probability of this happening was dramatically increased when Mapledene could only field a 2 player team. So Woodham had a 3-0 headstart, and Men’s Singles Champion Dan Young in their squad – so things were looking good. In the end they limped through 6-4 despite some inspired performances from the Mapledene duo. Young won his 2 singles both in 4 sets, and Dan Piglet defeated the in-form Anthon Ranjit-Singh for the 6 points to secure 3rd place. Mapledene won the rest with Keith Willet taking 2 singles, and Ranjit-Singh finishing the campaign on a high with his first win of the season. Willet and Ranjit-Singh then paired up for an inspired 5 set doubles victory over Young and Piglet. That final point was enough to take Mapledene B above Mapledene A and secure 4th spot in what has been a phenomenal season for the team.
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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer
Burnham & District Table Tennis League
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Pic 1 – Anthon Ranjit-Singh finishes the campaign on a personal high
Pic 2 – Harry Sawford versus Kevin Read in that 5 set thriller
Hockley A handed out an 8-1 thrashing to Basildon B to leave themselves top of Division 1 at this early stage of the season in the Southend Summer League. Basildon actually started the match by winning the first doubles but it was downhill after that as Hockley won all the remaining games. Credit, though, to Peter Hilton who took Tarun Goel and Tim Pang to five sets but just couldn’t manage the crucial fifth. Joseph Odegbami made up the Hockley team winning both his singles without dropping a set and winning both his doubles also to make him an easy choice as player of the match. Jenne Seibolt and Dawn Baldry completed the Basildon team.
Sitting just one point behind Hockley are the Basildon A team who chalked up their third win by beating the highly rated and pre-season favourites Rawreth 6-3. Les Hoey was their star performer on the night winning all his singles and doubles closely followed by Ian Wall who also won both his singles and his doubles with Hoey. Rob Burton completed the team but he found it hard going on the night losing his singles to Kim Shead and Norbert Fullerton. Fullerton was actually two sets down against Burton but edged it 11/8 in the deciding set. Shead and Russell Mills combined to win the final doubles.
Creeping up into third place with two wins from two games are Matchpoint A who came back from 3-0 and 4-3 down against Hockley B to win the final doubles and clinch a 5-4 victory. This condemned Hockley to a third successive defeat. The evening had started so well for Hockley winning the opening doubles and then good wins for Paul Ogden against Dan Stewart and Stuart Adshead against Samuel Morgan. Matchpoint then took their turn to win two singles and a doubles Hannah Harbour and Stewart both defeating Paul Strutt in four sets and then Stewart and Morgan combining to win the doubles. Harbour carried an unbeaten record from the winter league into this match but after winning the first set against Adshead he ground out a four set victory winning the fourth 14/12. Young Samuel Morgan then took centre stage and showed just how much he is improving as a player beating Ogden in straight sets to level the scores at 4-4. The final doubles between Strutt and Ogden and Stewart and Morgan lived up to expectations going all the way to five sets before Matchpoint sealed the win 7/11 11/7 16/14 9/11 6/11.
Hadleigh A picked up their first win of the season in fine style beating Wakering 8-1 and condemning them to a third straight defeat. Michael Grout got the consolation point for Wakering beating Anthon Ranjit-Singh and Martin Shaughnessy almost added another as he lost in five sets to Simon Jacob but otherwise Hadleigh were very much in command. Keith Willett took the POTM award and also demonstrated a new trick shot, playing the ball from behind his back while facing away from the table and still winning the point! Not surprisingly he gets my vote for Player of the Week!
Scott Dowsett made history in the Braintree Table Tennis League open singles final when he became the first son of a former winner to become league champion. His dad, six-times champion Terry, was there to watch him. Thirty-one-year-old Dowsett has had an up and down career since his days as an Essex-ranked junior. And it was an up and down performance in the final that brought him the title. There was a point when it looked as if it might have slipped away from him. After narrowly losing the first game and then equally narrowly winning the second, Dowsett was looking good after winning the third before Davison hit his stride to take the fourth 11-2. That could have deflated him, but Dowsett stormed back as more and more of his booming forehands began to trouble his opponent and he hung on to take the final game 11-8. Dowsett did not have it his own way in the semi-final either when James Hicks stretched him to five games before he finally got in the groove to win the final game 11-8. Davison was also pushed by Luke Burridge in his semi-final, but did just enough in each game to win 15-13, 11-9, 13-11. There was double consolation for Davison as he came away with both the veterans’ singles and the men’s doubles trophies. The veterans’ event against Hicks featured two Netts A teammates who must know each other’s game backwards and it was one in which Hicks was never overawed, often matching his opponent in the quick rallies. It looked all over as Davison led by two games and 8-2 in the third before Hicks staged an unlikely comeback to lead 10-8. He let two points slip but took the next two to stretch it to four games, only for Davison to bounce back to win the fourth 11- 5.
The two of them teamed up to take the men’s doubles, Hicks’ first win in the event, Davison’s eleventh. Dowsett was at the other end of the table again, partnered by Ashley Skeggs, and again there was a surprise comeback. The Liberal pair trailed by two games and 6-0 but rallied to win 11-9. It was the end of their challenge, though, Davison and Hicks easing to an 11-3 victory in the fourth game. Skeggs was also in action in the division one singles but put in a strangely subdued performance against Alesha Ellis-Austin, apparently believing that defence was the best form of attack, hoping that he could induce his younger opponent into mistakes. There were a few but not enough and Ellis-Austin became only the third female player – after Sarah Davison and Lucy Wang – to win the event. She dropped a game but won comfortably in the end 11-9, 6-11, 11-4, 11-4. One of the most impressive performances of the evening came from 18-year-old JJ Calisin in the junior boys’ singles. He gave reigning champion Ethan Collins little chance to settle against his all-out attack on both wings. Collins’ probing defensive style could not contain his opponent who won in three straight games. There was more probing and more defence in the restricted singles and this time it was enough as Dave Fiddeman took the title against the more adventurous Peter Davenport. Like Collins, Davenport has unorthodox rubbers on his bat, which caused Fiddeman some problems but he had sufficient control to wear him down in three straight games. Results: Men’s singles final: Scott Dowsett beat Paul Davison 9-11, 15-13, 11-5, 2-11, 11-8. Semi-finals: Dowsett beat James Hicks 11-4, 11-13, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4; Davison beat Luke Burridge 15-13, 11-9, 13-11.
Brotherhood A have capped a momentous season by winning the Clacton League’s 2026 Handicap Knock-Out Cup, in the final defeating Second Division Nomads Tigers 5-2.
The Brotherhood team become only the fourth team in the last 40 years to complete ‘the double’ of winning both the Division One title and the Handicap Cup in the same season.
Daniel Young, Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young of Brotherhood A are an impressive trio and, starting the Cup Final as strong favourites, immediately raced into a 2-0 lead.
Using the League Rule where matches with large handicap differences are played as best-of-three sets, Brotherhood won both opening matches in two-straight. In the first doubles, Gowlett and Gary Young had to retrieve a fourteen-point deficit to beat Matt Sage and Alex Baldock, while Daniel Young got the better of Tigers’ skipper Tom Wilkin despite a thirteen-point difference.
But the Tigers are nothing if not fighters and there followed what proved to be the three pivotal matches of the Final.
In match three, Baldock (+3) faced the vastly-experienced Gowlett (-13) and, with a combination of great attacking shots and a handful of Gowlett errors, came out on top 11-2, 7-11, 11-7.
Then came the closest and tensest contest of the evening, Gary Young (-10) just preserving his season’s 100% record in Cup singles matches by edging past pen-holder Sage (+3) 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, this after being 1-9 down in the final set.
So Brotherhood took a 3-1 interval lead, but Wilkin and Baldock (+3) returned in combative mood and, in the middle doubles, inflicted an impressive 8-11, 12-10, 11-7 defeat on the two Youngs (-11).
Alas for the Tigers, it was to be their last success of the night, with Gowlett defeating Wilkin in match six and Daniel Young inflicting the coup de grace with victory over Sage in match seven. Both were settled in two-straight, both with the Brotherhood player needing to retrieve thirteen points.
Thus, for a second season running, Baldock and Sage end as Cup runners-up, having been members of the losing 2025 Nomads Jaguars’ Cup final team. Nevertheless, all four members of the Tigers’ squad who played during the season should take pride, not only in their efforts in reaching the Cup Final but also for playing their part in providing the thirty-plus spectators with an entertaining and competitive evening’s table tennis.
As for Brotherhood A, there’s little more that can be said about the history-making outfit of Daniel Young, Kevin Gowlett, Gary Young and Gracie Edwards, and now is surely the time for them to relax and open the champagne bottle to celebrate what has been a truly memorable season.
Cup Final results : (Brotherhood A players named first : all matches best-of-three sets):
Match 1 : K Gowlett/G Young (-11) beat M Sage/A Baldock (+3) 11-6, 11-9;
Match 2 : D Young (-10) beat T Wilkin (+3) 11-5, 11-9;
Match 3 : K Gowlett (-13) lost to A Baldock (+3) 2-11, 11-7,
7-11;
Match 4 : G Young (-10) beat M Sage (+3) 11-9, 8-11,1 13-11;
Match 5 : D Young/G Young (-11) lost to T Wilkin /A Baldock (+3) 11-8, 10-12, 7-11;
Match 6 : K Gowlett (-10) beat T Wilkin (+3) 11-6, 11-9;
Match 7 : D Young (-10) beat M Sage (+3) 12-10, 11-9.
Trophies were presented to the two teams by League President, Jenny Higgins. Trophies were also awarded to the two non-playing members of the respective squads who had contributed to the teams’ successful runs up to the Cup Final – Gracie Edwards for Brotherhood A and Sam Watling for the Tigers. The umpires for the Cup Final were Mark Gale and Ferdy Rodriguez.
Report by Tony Oswick
Brotherhood A – (left to right) Kevin Gowlett, Daniel Young, League President Jenny Higgins, Gary YoungNomadsTigers – (left to right) Tom Wilkin, Alex Baldock, Jack Riddleston (non playing member), Matt Sage
Over the course of every season there are some phenomenal individual and team performances but this week we honour the most valuable players across the length and breadth of the season in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League. All of the stats for every player in the league have been fed into the Editors ZX Spectrum and we can now reveal the worthy winner for each division. To be eligible players must have played at least 50% of the team matches.
Liam Squirrell is the man to beat in the top Division, and this year he only lost a single match all season. A fast, forceful and resilient player – he just keeps coming at you with power and precision. This year Squirrell was pushed hardest by Dan Young of Woodham TTC, and Keith Adams of Fambridge. Squirrell will be presented with the Peter Ballard Cup by the very same Peter Ballard at the upcoming Presentation Evening.
Until the final game of the season it looked like Maldon’s Colin Napper had the Brian Ellis Cup all wrapped up with a win rate of 82% across the season. However by playing the final game Lloyd Bennett-Smith qualified for entry into the ZX Spectrum and with only 3 losses in this very competitive cohort after much whirring and chin rubbing he came out on top. Next year Bennett-Smith will be back in the top flight where he belongs. Not surprisingly the top 5 slots were held by players from the two promoted teams with Blackwater A’s Denis Balic and Neil Freeman coming in 3rd and 4th respectively, and Maldon’s talisman Hamish Innes taking 5th place on 74% win rate.
Division 3 (Roy Davis Cup) – Winner Gary Smith, Blackwater TTC (94%)
At one point it looked like Gary Smith would go the whole season unbeaten – but then he had his own weekus horribilus at the end of January when he lost 3 games in two matches in quick succession. After a few bouts of therapy he came back fighting and resumed his winning ways for the remainder of his phenomenal season. Smith was the runaway leader all season but the battle to chase him down was fierce. In the end the runner up was Woodham’s Simon Thomas who had a really good run in in his first season back for many a year. Much more to come from him next season no doubt. In 3rd place was the 2024 winner of the Roy Ellis Cup Blackwater’s Peter Davenport.
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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer
Burnham & District Table Tennis League
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Pic 1 – Peter Ballard Cup Winner 2026, Liam Squirrell in full concentration mode
Pic 2 – Brian Ellis Cup Winner 2026, Lloyd Bennet-Smith in action at the Maldon TTC arena
Pic 3 – Roy Davis Cup Winner 2026, Gary Smith stretching to maintain his winning streak
The Southend League Junior Boys team have booked a place in the finals of the Carter Cup, part of the English Leagues Cup competition, after beating teams from Peterborough and Norwich. The finals will be held at the home of Drayton and Long Eaton TTC, Derbys on Sunday 5th July.
Playing at the home of Hockley TTC the Southend team were made up of 3 boys from Hockley and two from Stanford TTC. Elliot Brackenbury and James and William Evesham from Hockley TTC, and Vivaan Babbar and Josh Freeman from Stanford TTC. Mitchell Jones of Stanford was their coach.
The format for each match was four singles and one doubles and with a five man squad Mitchell was able to vary his side with all the boys getting at least one game. Southend got off to the perfect start whitewashing Peterborough 5-0 Brackenbury and Babbar winning both their singles whilst the Evesham brothers combined for the doubles.
The Norwich team then took on Peterborough and also won 5-0 albeit Peterborough’s best player, Adil THobani, picked up an injury during the match and had to withdraw thus conceding three matches.
The decisive match between Southend and Norwich turned out to be the closest as Norwich’s best player Finley Howes, ranked in the top 200 juniors in the UK, beat both William Evesham and Freeman in four sets whilst they, in turn, had no problem beating the Norwich number two Joseph English to leave the singles all square. The crucial match then turned out to be the doubles and coach Mitchell Jones made a key decision in pairing Brackenbury and Babbar against the Norwich pair. It turned out to be the right one as they won three sets to one and a 3-2 victory put them through to the finals.
A great performance by the boys and we wish them every success in the finals.
Report by Paul Strutt
Southend’s winning Junior Boys team – from left to right
Elliot Brackenbury, Vivaan Babbar, William Evesham, Mitchell Jones (Coach), James Evesham, Josh Freeman.
Josh Freeman v Finley Howes (Norwich)William Evesham v Finley HowesWilliam Evesham v Joseph English (Norwich)Josh Freeman v Joseph English (Norwich)Lucas Belson (Peterborough) v Finley Howes (Norwich)Vivaan Babbar v Adil Thobani (Peterborough)Elliot Brackenbury v Lucas Belson (Peterborough)William and James Evesham v Adil Thobani and Lucas Belson (Peterborough)Vivaan Babbar v Lucas Belson (Peterborough)
In a weekend of relatively few shocks, the top four seeds in the open singles all made their way through to the semi-finals of the Braintree Table Tennis League’s individual tournament
In the last four, to be played on finals night at Earls Colne Recreation Centre on Friday, eight-times champion Paul Davison, who had a tough five-game battle with Ashley Skeggs in the quarter final, will face Luke Burridge, who knocked him out at the quarter final stage last season.
In the final, he could face Scott Dowsett, who took away his unbeaten record in the final league match of the season – if Dowsett wins his semi-final against No.2 seed James Hicks, who he also beat in that match.
Davison and Hicks will face each other in the final of the veterans’ singles and team up against Skeggs and Dowsett in the men’s doubles final after beating Burridge and Sam Burrows in the semi-final. Skeggs and Dowsett beat Colin Moss and Ian Shrubsole in the semi-final.
The junior boys’ singles did not run according to plan after Tom Verrier beat top seed Lucien Nolan-Bradford at the group stage.
That meant that Nolan-Bradford had to face No.2 seed and holder Ethan Collins in the semi-final rather than the final as anticipated – and it was Collins who emerged successful.
Verrier met his match in the other semi-final against Netts clubmate JJ Calisin, who will face Collins on finals night.
The restricted singles final unusually features a third division player, Peter Davenport, who will pit his wits against top seed David Fiddeman.
Davenport owes his place to his victory over Ben Southgate in the semi-final, while Fiddeman came through via a win over Aivars Taimins.
A number of events were decided at the weekend, as a result of which Hicks has already got his hands on two trophies. He won the over 50s singles with a victory in the final over Ian Whiteside and he and Davison took the veterans’ doubles, beating Garry Fryatt and Steve Noble in the final.
In the mixed doubles, Luke Burridge and Alesha Ellis-Austin took the title with Rev Matthews and Jacqueline Smith runners-up in a round robin.
Ethan Collins retained his cadets’ singles title with a win in the final over Tom Verrier, a repeat of last season’s final, while he and Alesha Ellis-Austin won the junior doubles with a victory over Verrier and James Howard in the final.
The under 11 singles was won by Max Chisnall. Albert Wickens was the runner-up for the second year running.
This season’s Team Handicap KO Cup Final will go down in the annals of Burnham & District Table Tennis League history – it was an upset to match the Ryder Cup Miracle of Medinah in 2012, or the Liverpool FC Miracle of Istanbul in 2005. Woodham B somehow defeated the recently crowned Division 1 Champions and Handicap Cup specialists in a dramatic comeback last gasp victory.
The Team Handicap Cup is Burnham’s only team cup competition and the handicapping is applied to players starting points depending on their perceived ranking in the league – the better players are penalised and the lower ranked players are given a headstart in an attempt to create a level playing field. Cold Norton B are the renowned specialists in this discipline having won the trophy for the past 3 seasons without ever dropping an individual match – yes you read that correct not a single match lost in 3 years! This year was going along in the same fashion as they won all their opening rounds 5-0, but then a crack appeared as they dropped two matches in semi-final where they ‘only’ won 5-2. Hope for their opponents from Woodham B for sure. Woodham B also had the services of the two finalists from this year’s Handicap Singles competition – so some good handicap pedigree there. An upset was unlikely but not impossible!
In the best of 9 Final, Cold Norton got off to a flyer winning the opening doubles match, and then Ian Wall followed up with a very tight win over Peter Harverson but only 22-20 in the deciding leg for a 2-0 early lead for Cold Norton. Graham Briggs used his positive handicap to great effect for Woodham when he upset the apple cart by beating Sam Lowman in straight sets. Cold Norton’s Eric Green then had to fight tooth and nail to eventually get past the dogged defence of Eamonn Hall over 3 long and hard fought legs. So Cold Norton took a commanding 3-1 lead. Woodham duo Harverson and Brigges then took the next doubles despite having given away 4 match points at 20-16 up in the second leg. Green was next up against young Harverson and another marathon ensued and yet again a deciding leg was required to separate the teams. This time Green’s accuracy and determination saw him through for his brace of singles wins, and Cold Norton now only needed one more triumph to retain their crown once more. Lowman and Hall have very different styles and this next match-up was a proper game of cat and mouse as Hall tried to control the play and keep Lowman pinned on his backhand, knowing full well any forehand loops would just go straight past him. It certainly worked in the opening leg where Lowman was a bit uncharacteristically wayward with some of his attacking, and Hall was dogged with his cat and mouse approach. This changed in leg 2 when Lowman began to come around his backhand and attack with his forehand from the backhand side – brilliantly executed and he took leg 2, 21-18. In the deciding leg Hall got off to a much better start with a tweak or two to his tactics and found himself 10 points clear by the time Lowman had cleared his handicap. This buffer was enough for Hall to take a few more chances and despite Lowman still rattling multiple forehands passed him the gap was enough for Hall to take another unexpected point. 4-3 to Cold Norton and we were now very late into the evening. The next match was a belter. Cold Norton’s Wall had a determined glint and was dealing with Briggs’ attacks much better than anyone else all evening. The first leg saw some tremendous rallies but Wall was always just that little bit more in control and he won out 21-18. The second leg saw Briggs a little bit more controlled and not lashing out at hopeful shots. It was mighty close again and Wall caught up at 18-18, but Briggs went all brave and hit a couple of stunning winners in the next few rallies to take the leg. The final leg was epic and both players went full hammer and tongs on us. Brilliant table tennis and brilliant drama. Wall was on fire and he was the first to hit his halfway point. Despite changing ends Wall was relentless and caught Briggs very early at 12-12. At this point the Woodham players started to pack up, and the venue caretakers were preparing to lock up – it looked done and dusted. But Briggs became inspired, something deep inside had been stirred and he matched Wall point for point as they made their way to the business end of the deciding leg. Briggs had the first match point at 20-19, and the second at 21-20 – but Wall snubbed both of those. Then Wall had Championship Point at 22-21 but couldn’t get over the line and the fat lady had to extinguish her cigar. At 23-22 Briggs finished with a fine winner – a truly epic match that had everything. So somehow it was now the next day already, and the Final was all square at 4-4. The final and deciding doubles featured Green and Wall versus Hall and Harverson with a 12 point handicap. Of all the matches this one was surprisingly uneventful as Hall and Harverson took the majority of chances that came their way, didn’t make too many mistakes, and the handicap gave them license to attack when they could. Both legs finished 21-17, and Woodham were not only back from the dead but had triumphed in the face of adversity.
Despite an excellent display by Eric Green for Cold Norton, Player of the Match was undoubtedly Graham Briggs – but in truth the spectacle was the real winner. What a Final. 5-4 to Woodham B, although Cold Norton B had Championship Point in Match 8, with 5 of the matches going to a decider, with 4 legs going to deuce, and the amazing accurate handicapping was brilliant all night.
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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer
Burnham & District Table Tennis League
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Pic 1 – Burnham Team Handicap KO Cup Champions 2026 – Woodham B Celebrating (Peter Harverson, Graham Briggs, & Eamonn Hall)
Pic 2 – Burnham Team Handicap KO Cup Champions 2026 – Woodham B (Peter Harverson, Graham Briggs, & Eamonn Hall)
Pic 3 – Player of the Final – Graham Briggs
Pic 4 – Action from the final point of the epic match between Graham Briggs and Ian Wall
Pic 5 – Eric Green in winning action in the Final for Cold Norton B
Woodham B – Peter Harverson, Graham Briggs and Eamonn HallBurnham Team Handicap Handicap KO Cup Champions 2026 – Woodham BEric Green – Cold Norton BPlayer of the final – Graham BriggsIan Wall (left) v Graham Briggs
The Brotherhood Club has swept the board this season, with their teams winning all three Divisions of the League, only the second time in the League’s history that teams from one Club has won Divisions One, Two and Three in the same season.
In Division One, Brotherhood A completed their programme with a 10-0 victory over Windsor Buzzards, a win which sealed their position as the top team in the League. Many congratulations to Gracie Edwards, Kevin Gowlett, Daniel Young and Gary Young who thus provided the Brotherhood Club with their first Division One title since 2011.
Nomads Lions could field only two players against Walton B but hat-tricks from Jason Lloyd and Martyn Green still gave them the 6-4 win. Walton’s Clive Allenby and Graham Buxton shared a fine three-straight doubles victory against Lloyd and Green. The Lions have challenged hard all season and finish as worthy runners-up, a superb achievement for a talented squad of players.
And so Nomads Panthers, who were without a match, will finish in third place, thus ending their long and proud reign as champions, having won the Division One title a record twelve years running.
Elsewhere, Walton A ended their season with a flourish, defeating Brotherhood C 7-3 with Mark Gale unbeaten, Derek Willis taking two and Mark Ratcliffe one. Martin Edwards picked up a couple for Brotherhood and John Cleasby one.
But it was a bad day at the office for Windsor Hawks who, in a match where both sides played with a reserve, crashed to a 10-0 defeat at the hands of Brotherhood B. Russell Hillier, Simon Smith-Daye and reserve Joe Sherwin took the Brotherhood points.
Brotherhood G are the new champions of Division Two following their 7-3 success over Windsor Harriers, Mark Boyland and John Gallagher taking trebles. But the real hero of the night was Paul Metcalf – even though he didn’t win a point. Paul was summoned during the evening to replace a player who hadn’t turned up and, after making a 40-mile journey when he finished work, turned up to play to ensure his side wasn’t deducted points for fielding a short team. Credit, too, to the Harriers for not claiming the points.
Brotherhood F have pushed the ‘G’ team hard all season and they finish as well-deserved runners-up, only three points behind their Club-mates. This week, trebles for Mark Salter and Paul Alden, plus a couple from Tricia Salter, saw them end the season with a 9-1 victory over Windsor Kestrels. Windsor’s Peter Aumord had two close matches, beating Tricia Salter 11-7 in the decider but going down 11-8 in the decider to Mark Salter.
Brotherhood J drew with Windsor Penguins and finish in a highly-impressive third place. Kelvin Olano-Harper took his three for the Penguins, but only just, scraping past Ruby Gallagher 17-15 in the fifth in one of the tightest matches of the season. Gallagher and Tom Bryden each won two for Brotherhood, and Lucy Carvell one.
And to emphasise Brotherhood’s domination of Division Two, Brotherhood D are confirmed in fourth place. In their last match, they shared the spoils with Nomads Jaguars, although an unbeaten Chris Petrou was the player of the match for the Jaguars. Kevin Pryor took a couple for Brotherhood.
Nomads Tigers warmed up nicely for their forthcoming Cup Final appearance, producing a fine team performance to draw with the battle-hardened Lawford side. Tom Wilkin took two, and Alex Baldock and Sam Watling one each, with Wilkin and Watling taking the doubles 11-9 in the fifth against Ian Sherwood and Charlie Denholm, only a second doubles win of the season for the Tigers. Richard Spence recorded his first hat-trick of the season for Lawford, with Denholm winning two, defeating Watling 11-9 in the fifth but losing 11-8 in the fifth to Wilkin.
The two leading sides met in Division Three and Brotherhood H sealed their position as the top team with a hard-fought 6-4 victory over Holland Hurricanes. There were two each for Danny Still, Dan Grindrod and Owen Woollard, Woollard winning five-setters against both Ian Gwillim and Gerry Widnell. Gary Stallwood maintained his 100% season record for the Hurricanes. In a nice touch of sportsmanship, the Hurricanes’ score-card was annotated with the comment, ‘Well deserved win for Brotherhood H, Holland Hurricanes congratulate Brotherhood H on winning the League and wish them the best of luck in Division Two’.
It was also even-stevens between third-placed Nomads Leopards and Holland Lancasters. Peter Evans stayed undefeated for the Lancasters, with Tony Aresti and Dave Wright each winning one. Anne Bonny and Dominic Joannou won a pair apiece for the ever-reliable Leopards’ team, also sharing a doubles success.
Walton C, who will finish in a commendable fourth position, beat Holland Vulcans 7-3. Lynette Sparks took her maximum, while there were a pair apiece for Adrian Sexton and Maggie Earle. Bob Keefe won two for the Vulcans and combined with Derek Foxley for a doubles victory. Foxley came close to getting on the score-sheet but went down 11-9 in the decider to Sexton and 11-6 in the decider to Earle.
The Brotherhood E v Windsor Magpies fixture ended with honours even. Eleven-year-old Jack Hillier, the youngest player in the League, completed an excellent first season League table tennis with his seventh hat-trick. For the Magpies, John Plummer and Alan Rutledge both won two and Dave Sweetland one, but each was involved in matches which went the distance, Plummer beating Rodney Betts 11-7 in the fifth, Sweetland defeating the same player 11-9 in the fifth and Rutledge edging past Joe Hillier 13-11 in the fifth.
Windsor Falcons were 7-3 victors against Nomads Ocelots, who once again were playing with a guest. Mike Wellum made a welcome return after injury for the Ocelots in their final match and remained unbeaten, although it was a tight 11-9 in the fifth against Matt Thomas. There was a point each for Thomas, Nikki Hayes and Gary Barnes of the Falcons.
* An end-of-season word of praise must be given to the three teams which finished bottom in each of the Divisions, Windsor Buzzards, Windsor Kestrels and Nomads Ocelots. All three teams, for differing reasons, have had difficult seasons but all three have battled on and seen the season through. A massive pat on the back to the players of the Buzzards, Kestrels and Ocelots.
And an honourable mention, also, to those players who went through the season winning only a handful of matches and, in a couple of cases, none at all. Players like these – players who turn up week in week out with little prospect of winning but still apply themselves to their task – are the lifeblood of our League and, to them, we say a special ‘Well done and thank you’.
* The Handicap Cup Final between Brotherhood A and Nomads Tigers is the last event of the League’s 2025/26 season. It takes place on Tuesday 21st April at the Brotherhood Hall with play starting at 7.30 pm. All players and friends of the League are encouraged to attend to support the finalists.
* A reminder that James Denyer, Martin Edwards and Daniel Young are among the nominations for the Harry Walker Trophy, awarded each year to the Essex County Player of the Year. Any League player who has played at least eight League matches is entitled to vote, with the closing date for voting 30th April.
* For the record, before the Brotherhood Club this season, the only other Club whose teams have won Divisions One, Two and Three in the same season is the Clacton Youth Centre who did it back in the 1964/65 season. The three teams involved were CYC Nomads, CYC Unpredictables and CYC Optimists. Among the players in the CYC Optimists’ squad which won Division Three that year was a certain Dave Martin, a player who can still be found plying his trade for Windsor Buzzards over 60 years later. The Optimists also lived up to their name that season by winning the KO Cup.
* Finally, this weeks’ report ends on a sad note as the League is sorry to have to report the death of Colin Webber, aged 71 years. Colin was a loyal member of the League and the Nomads Club for many years. A full tribute will appear later.
