All posts by Paul Strutt

Chelmsford A – unbeaten but title hopes fading!

Chelmsford A remain one of just two teams who remain unbeaten through 18 league matches this season (the other being Galleywood C of division four) however with an 18 point gap (and just one game in hand) their hopes of overtaking the league leaders before time runs out look to be slim.

Division 1

A Harry Chivers treble kept second-placed Chelmsford A’s title hopes alive in their 6-4 home win over division one leaders OCA A.  Chivers beat Mark Mulley in four games before recovering from 2-1 down to beat Keiran Lally (13-11 in the decider) and later seeing off Paul Lucas in four (two games saw the incredibly close 19-17, 16-14 scorelines).  Lally fought back from 2-0 down to beat Josh Bickles while Mulley was able to weather a Bickles comeback from 2-0 down to clinch the decider.  A fourth successive hat-trick by Chris Penrose fired Danbury A to an 8-2 away win at Galleywood A.  Penrose beat both James Mullane and James Hicks in three straight games and took just one game more to get the better of Peter Barrett.  Barrett won his two other matches – the first of which was a five-gamer with Eric Green who himself saw deciding game action in his win over Hicks.  Danbury C won a close contest with Chelmsford B by a 6-4 scoreline.  Danbury’s David Gatheral played in two five-gamers – missing out against Kim Shead having held a 2-1 lead and later taking the decider against Adi Kamma 13-11.  Danbury’s Peter Harverson had earlier earned a maiden division one win over Kamma.

Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 144 points (from 19 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 126 points (18 matches), 3: Danbury A 113 points (20 matches).

Division 2

Chelmsford C extended their lead at the top of division two thanks to an 8-2 home win over Writtle C while title rivals Hatfield Peverel A could only draw 5-5 with Danbuy E – the gap between the two is a mere four points with two matches remaining.  Victor Chan won both of his games against the two-man team of Writtle C while Writtle’s John Webber beat Waseem Qureshi and Mark Allaway.  Martin Archie saw victory in all three of his singles matches as Hatfield Peverel A drew 5-5 at home with Danbury E.  Neil Want and Tony Forster won two apiece for the visitors but were both undone by Archie in three straight games – Archie has an 87% win rate from 45 individual matches in the league this season.  Writtle B made it two wins in a row by edging Maldon B 6-4 at home.  Trevor Collin, Richard Storey and Phil Smith all won two matches apiece for the hosts while Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith did likewise for the visitors – Storey getting the better of Bennett-Smith over four games.  The spoils were shared between Danbury G and Chelmsford D with two wins apiece for Danbury’s Denis Balic and Peter Harverson –  Chelmsford’s Adi Kamma also won twice – his second victory over Balic going the distance. 

Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 119 points (from 18 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 115 points (from 18 matches), 3: Maldon A 101 points (18 matches)

Division 3

John Holland and Mark Glenister won three apiece as division three leaders Galleywood B extended their lead to ten points with an 8-2 away win at Danbury H.  Holland and Danbury’s Ken Sheard saw five-game action in both their singles and doubles encounters – both matches going in the favour of the Galleywood player.  Buttsbury A lost pace with the leaders despite more trebles from Jamie Elliott and Evie Knaapen in their 7-3 win over Chelmsford E.  Elliott has a 100% win rate from his 41 individual league matches this season while Knaapen has 84% from her 38.  The top two sides still have to meet once more this season. Felix Reeve hit a hat-trick as Chelmsford F got the better of OCA C by a tight 6-4 scoreline.  Reeve dropped just one game during the evening and he was backed up by Pav Srivasamurthy who won twice – the second of which was a 3-2 win over Richard Baxter.  Neil Freeman won three as Hatfield Peverel B earned a 5-5 draw at Danbury K despite only fielding two players.  Freeman’s biggest test was from Dave Oxley-Goody who took their match to a decider – Oxley-Goody had earlier beaten Paul Mulley over five games also. 

Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 135 points (from 18 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 125 points (18 matches), 3: Chelmsford E 99 points (from 19 matches).

Division 4

Division four champions Galleywood C lost their perfect record this season as Buttsbury B held them to a 5-5 draw.  In what looked like an epic encounter, Garry Carr won three matches for the visitors while Galleywood’s Will Goodchild won twice for the hosts.  Galleywood’s Colin Blore and Phil Shippen saw five-game action on two occasions – once when facing each other which Blore won having trailed 2-0.  Nathan Blore lost in five against Shippen but had earlier beaten Caroline Cole by the same scoreline. Second placed Chelmsford G cruised to a 10-0 win over Hatfield Peverel E with Cleon Fernandes, Salih Salim and Vishnu Surendran dropping just one game between them during their individual matches.  Fernandes holds a 92% win rate from 48 division four matches this season.  Maldon B ensured they cannot finish below third place following their 9-1 win at Hatfield Peverel C.   Chris Ravenhill and Marty Englander won three individual matches apiece and teamed for victory in the doubles contest.  Farooq Ahmed and Russell Hall earned hat-tricks as OCA D beat Danbury L 8-2 at home.  OCA’s John Manning extended both Ahmed and David Bishop to five games but couldn’t quite get over the line – Bishop rallied from 2-0 down for his win. 

Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 139 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 120 matches (from 17 matches), 3: Maldon B 108 points (from 16 matches)

Division 5

Danbury M’s wait to clinch the division 5 title goes on as their fixture with second placed Chelmsford J was postponed – they should get over the line finally in week 28.  Kelvin Edeh and Douglas Bawuah won three games apiece as ARU beat Highwood B 6-4.  Highwood’s Nicola Pippen beat Connor Case over fives then teamed with David Cockrell to win the doubles in five before falling to Kelvin Edeh 11-9 in the decider of their match. Suzanne Shaw and Matthew Porter both scored hat-tricks as OCA E won 9-1 on the road at Hatfield Peverel F.  Shaw won her first two matches 3-0 but had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Jackie Treacy – Treacy had earlier beaten Stuart Wintle in five from the same position but later missed out over five games against Porter.  Wintle and Porter took the doubles over Treacy and Peter Hughes – also in five games.  Oscar Hutt was victorious in all three of his matches as Buttsbury C won 7-3 at Maldon C.  Hutt beat Garry Eames in four and Kym Eames in three but had to recover from 2-0 down against Shirley Carroll – Carroll had earlier lost 3-2 against Richard Pond but beat Torsten Greenan by the same scoreline.  Galleywood D’s New Year acquisition of Nick Rounce must go down as the best bit of business made over the 2024 transfer window – Rounce fired another hat-trick and moved to 13 wins from 16 matches as his side were held 5-5 at Writtle F.   Michael Anthony won two games for the hosts but was edged in a fifth game decider by Rounce.

Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 124 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 101 points (17 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 101 points (from 18 matches).

Chelmsford Junior League division 2A

Charlie Ware won twice as CJL 2A leaders Hutton Hawks gained some breathing space over second-placed Buttsbury Bears with a 4-1 victory in the top of the table clash.   Ware beat Callum Walker in four games and Joseph Hutt in three while Jago Ware earned a five-game win over Walker.  Luka Ha’s two wins weren’t enough to prevent his Chelmsford Cougars team falling to a 3-2 defeat at Danbury Dragons.  Ha won both of his singles matches 3-0 but he and teammate Ishar Srivastava were beaten by the duo of Oliver Ware and Oliver Wyman in the crucial doubles.

Standings CJL 2A: 1: , Hutton Hawks 18 points (6 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bears 14 points (from 5 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2B

Billy Andrews won twice as CJL division 2B leaders Hutton Harriers earned a 3-2 win at second placed Buttsbury Bulldogs.  Martis Heyes was involved in three five-gamers seeing both Thomas Lewis and Lewis Woods fight back from 2-1 for their wins but gaining a win alongside Andrews in the decisive doubles contest.  Two 3-0 wins for Ben Robinson helped the Chelmsford Tigers to a 4-1 win over the Hutton Hyenas.  Oliver Davies scored the only point for the Hyenas – beating George Gregory 3-2 in the opener.  

Standings CJL 2B: 1: Hutton Harriers 21 points (6 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 17 points (from 5 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2C

Nathanael Slade won both of his matches as the Chelmsford Panthers were able to hold on to top spot in division 2C despite a 3-2 loss by Hutton Hammerheads.  Hutton’s Spencer Giles and Chelmsford’s Archie Spurrier were involved in the closest singles match of the afternoon which Giles won 11-9 in the decider.  Archie and Spencer Giles fought back from 2-1 down to win the crucial doubles match. Atharv Srivastava and Ethan Li went undefeated as the Chelmsford Jaguars closed in on the leaders with a 5-0 home win against the Hutton Hornets. 

Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 24 points (from 6 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 23 points (6 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2D

It’s as you were in CJL division 2D as leaders Chelmsford Pumas and second-placed Buttsbury Bats both won 5-0 in their respective matches.  Ishar Srivastave and Archie Spurrier won two apiece for the Pumas in their victory at Buttsbury Bees – the closest contest of the fixture was Spurrier’s 3-2 win over George Murphy.  Zac Berry and Shay Coughlan dropped just one game between them in their win over the Hutton Hares.

Standings CJL 2D: 1: Chelmsford Pumas 24 points (6 matches)  2: Buttsbury Bats 21 points (from 5 matches)

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Braintree finals night – it’s Davison again!

Paul Davison proved once again his ability to rise to the occasion when he was crowned Braintree Table Tennis League singles champion for the eighth time at the league’s finals night.

Davison has lost four times in league matches this season and currently stands only sixth in the individual averages but he had his championship head on on Friday as he came through two tough encounters to lift the trophy.

Paul Lucas tested him to the full in the semi-final where he refused to succumb easily.

After losing the first game 11-3, Lucas came back strongly to take the match to five ends after saving two match points in the fourth.

He stretched it all the way to deuce in the fifth but Davison stayed in attacking mode and took the final two points.

In the final against Lee McHugh, it was Davison who had to come from behind. With a mixture of aggressive attack, classical defence and disguised chop, McHugh took the first game 12-10.

But Davison gradually found a way past his opponent’s defences, won the second game 11-6 and again showed his coolness in the vital points when he took the third and fourth games 11-9 and 13-11.

McHugh had earlier nullified the challenge of Brandon Crouchman, who could not find the form that had eliminated second seed Harry Chivers the previous weekend and this time it was McHugh who won the vital points, winning all three games at deuce.

Curiously, after winning his semi-final against Lucas, Davison went on to lose to the same player in the final of the veterans’ singles, an illustration perhaps of where his focus for the evening lay.

Lucas got his attack going far more effectively than in their earlier encounter and registered a relatively comfortable 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3 win.

It ended a run of five successive wins in the event for Davison, who has won it every year since he has been eligible. His defeat meant he missed out on equalling Ian Whiteside’s record of six successive wins from 1995 to 2000.

Many years before his singles successes, Davison had gained his first senior title when he shepherded a nine-year-old Vicki Stredder to a win in the mixed doubles in 1997. This year Lucas was attempting the same feat with his 14-year-old daughter Amelie.

It was not to be, however, as Louise Hartshorn and Ian Shrubsole proved far too steady at the other end.

Mixing some containing play with occasional heavy smashes, they refused to allow Paul Lucas to dominate and ran out comfortable winners 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.

Hartshorn had a harder time of it in the ladies’ singles where she was initially discomfited by Lorraine Burgess’s cultured all-round game.

Burgess took the first and third games before Hartshorn found any sort of rhythm.  At last in the fourth, she was able to bring her trademark smashes into play and held on for a five-game victory.

It was one of the near-upsets of the evening but did not come close to matching Omar Wasi’s near success in the junior boys’ singles.

As the No.2 open singles seed and reigning Brentwood men’s singles champion, Harry Chivers was assumed to be a shoo-in to take the title.

But Wasi didn’t see it that way.

He matched his more illustrious opponent shot for shot and stormed into a most unlikely two-game lead.

He started well in the third game as well but Chivers appeared to regain confidence paradoxically for a naturally attacking player from a cracking rally at 1-3 down where he won the point with a dogged defensive display.

He moved into gear after that to win 11-6 and when he took the fourth game 11-2, normal service appeared to have been resumed.

But no. Wasi hit back in the fifth and held a match point at 10-9 when, with Chivers marooned at the back of the court, he missed what looked like a straightforward smash.

Reprieved, Chivers held his nerve to win at 13-11.

It was a more confident Chivers who turned out in the men’s doubles final a quarter of an hour later.

He and Kaung Paing settled more quickly and stayed in charge against the No.1 seeds Crouchman and Scott Dowsett.  Their speed about the table and snappy returns proved too much for the Liberal A pair and it was all over in three games, 11-8, 11-5, 11-7.

The evening’s opener saw Adi Kamma progress from last season’s runners-up berth to champion in the restricted singles final.

His calm approach overcame Sean Clift’s normally solid defence where the essential difference was his ability to finish off a point with a heavy smash, a weapon Clift lacks in his armoury.

The trophies were presented by president John Mills, umpires were James Hicks, David Gatheral, Paul Lombardi and Oliver Hicks and the event was organised by league competition secretary Keith Martin.

Results:

Open singles final: Paul Davison beat Lee McHugh 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 13-11. Semi-finals: Davison beat Paul Lucas 11-3, 10-12, 12-10, 10-12, 12-10; McHugh beat Brandon Crouchman 14-12, 12-10, 12-10.

Ladies’ singles: Louise Hartshorn beat Lorraine Burgess 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-3, 11-7

Men’s doubles: Harry Chivers and Kaung Paing beat Crouchman and Scott Dowsett 11-8, 11-5, 11-7

Mixed doubles: Hartshorn and Ian Shrubsole beat Amelie Lucas and Paul Lucas 11-5, 11-5, 11-5

Veterans’ singles: Paul Lucas beat Davison 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3

Junior boys’ singles: Chivers beat Omar Wasi 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 13-11

Restricted singles: Adi Kamma beat Sean Clift 11-7, 11-9, 11-9

Ian Shrubsole and Louise Hartshorn – mixed doubles winners

Lawford lads secure second spot

Lawford once again showed they’re the most consistent and reliable team in Division Two of the Clacton TTL over recent seasons, this week beating Nomads Tigers 6-4 to confirm they will finish as runners-up to Brotherhood D.

John Colvin starred for Lawford, his hat-trick including an 11-9 in the fifth win over Tigers’ captain Dave Miller. But his clash with the Tigers’ number one Denes Somodi was even more impressive, the two left-handers engaging in a battle of attrition, with Colvin’s long-pimpled backhands eventually disrupting Somodi’s attacking flare to narrowly come out on top 11-9, 13-11, 9-11, 14-12. It was only a second defeat of the season for Somodi.

Charlie Denholm picked up two for Lawford and their ever- dependable skipper Ian Sherwood completed their side’s scoring with one. For the Tigers, there were two for Somodi and one for Miller, the pair sharing an 11-5 in the decider doubles victory against Denholm and Sherwood.

Over the last eleven years, Lawford have twice been promoted to Division One and twice promptly been relegated but, in the nine seasons they’ve played in Division Two, they’ve finished as champions once, runners-up twice, third on three occasions and fourth, also on three occasions. A notable record of consistency.

Elsewhere, Brotherhood B’s improved second-half season form continued with a 7-3 victory over Walton D. Every player picked up at least one point but Brotherhood’s Mark Salter stayed unbeaten, his three including a 12-10 in the fifth win over Clive Allenby. Paul Alden’s couple included an 11-7 in the fifth win over Andy Foster.

Windsor Penguins and Nomads Jaguars enjoyed a hard-fought scrap, with the teams eventually sharing the spoils. Scott Campbell stayed unbeaten for the Penguins while there were two each for Chris Petrou and Kevin Hogg of the Jaguars.

Brotherhood C beat Windsor Kestrels 7-3, with three from Mark Boyland, two from Paul Metcalf and one from Mark Beckham. Kestrels’ captain Graham Bunce won two and Allen Denyer one. So Brotherhood C finish in a respectable mid-table fifth place but, alas for the Kestrels, they finish well adrift at the bottom.

In Division Three, Tricia Salter, Tony Edmonds and Rodney Betts of top team Brotherhood E predictably defeated Nomads Lynx 10-0. Betts’ 11-6 in the fifth win over Gerry Widnell was the closest match of the encounter.

Nearest rivals Windsor Harriers defeated Brotherhood G 7-3 and Nomads Leopards 6-4, Ferdy Rodriguez unbeaten in the latter match, with Jenny Higgins recording a crucial victory over Dominic Joannou.

These results mean Brotherhood E are just one point ahead of the Harriers and, with the two teams due to meet in the final week of the season, Brotherhood only need a draw to take the title, while the Harriers must win to ensure top spot.

A buoyant Brotherhood F drew for the first time this season, this against Nomads Leopards. JJ Barry and Ruby Gallagher each took two, Barry beating Bob Jillins 11-8 in the decider and Gallagher defeating Dominic Joannou by the same score. Jillins and Joannou won two apiece for the Leopards.

It was all-square between Walton E and Nomads Bobcats for a second time this season. Five of the matches went the distance, with every player getting on the score-sheet. In a closely-fought encounter, Lynette Sparks took her maximum for Walton, beating Matt Sage 11-7 in the decider. Adrian Sexton beat Alex Baldock in three, while Deborah Pallett narrowly defeated Jack Riddleston 11-8 in the fifth. For the Bobcats, Sage won two, Baldock edged out Pallett 12-10 in the decider, Riddleston defeated Sexton 11-7 in the decider, with Sage and Baldock taking the doubles 11-8 in the decider against Sparks and Sexton.

Trebles for John Plummer and Alan Rutledge saw Windsor Magpies home 7-3 against Nomads Ocelots. There was one each for Arthur Wells-Garrett and Lily Miaomei Liu, while the pair recorded the Ocelots’ third doubles win of the season, a fine 13-11, 6-11, 11-9, 13-11 victory over Plummer and Rutledge.

In Division One, Greg Green, Gill Locke and John Hatley of champions Nomads Panthers were 10-0 winners over the luckless and already-relegated Windsor Buzzards, the only team in the League without a win to their name this season.

Brotherhood A confirmed they will be runners-up after beating Walton B 6-4. The ever-dependable Kevin Gowlett won his three, although it was a tight fight against Peter Burrows, 11-9 in the decider. Burrows and Gavin Price each won two for Walton, Burrows getting past Russell Hillier 11-8 in the fifth.

Windsor Hawks warmed up for their Cup Final meeting with Walton C with a 7-3 League win, Daniel Young unbeaten and Andy Vincent winning two. Felipe Rodriguez took one but came close to a hat-trick, losing 12-10 in the fifth to Mark Ratcliffe and 13-11 in the fifth to Mark Gale. Gale took two for Walton.  

* The Handicap Knock-Out Cup final this year between Walton C and Windsor Hawks will be held on Tuesday 2nd April at the Brotherhood Hall, with play starting at 7.30 pm. All spectators are welcome and admission is free.

* The League’s Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, courtesy of Gary Cattermole, take place at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall on Saturday 6th April and Sunday 7th April.

Sixty-five players will be competing for fourteen titles. Further details, including information about check-in times, will be sent to all entrants by 2nd April.

* The League was saddened to learn of the death this week of Mike Baldwin, who collapsed and died during a Colchester League match. Mike was Chairman of Tollgate Table Tennis Club and had become a stalwart of the Colchester League. However, many longer-serving players in the area will remember Mike as a member of the Clacton League in the 1970s and 1980s when he played for Brotherhood in the First Division alongside Dave Johns, Gordon Smith and Mike Stickland. We send our sincerest condolences to Mike’s family.

RESULTS

Division 1

Windsor Buzzards 0 Nomads Panthers 10;

Walton C 3 Windsor Hawks 7;

Brotherhood A 6 Walton B 4;

Nomads Lions 0 Windsor Eagles 10 (w/o).

Division 2

Walton D 3 Brotherhood B 7;

Windsor Penguins 5 Nomads Jaguars 5;

Lawford 6 Nomads Tigers 4;

Brotherhood C 7 Windsor Kestrels 3.

Division 3

Nomads Ocelots 3 Windsor Magpies 7;

Nomads Lynx 10 Brotherhood E 0;

Nomads Leopards 4 Windsor Harriers 6;

Brotherhood F 5 Nomads Leopards 5;

Windsor Harriers 7 Brotherhood G 3;

Walton E 5 Nomads Bobcats 5.

Woodham A overcome 60 years of hurt to clinch Division 1 title

After 60 years of hurt Woodham A are finally crowned league champions of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League Division 1.  The Woodham A team are both fearless and unstoppable, with an amazing 100% win rate all season with just their nearest rivals to play in what many might think as a dead rubber – but actually could really matter to both sides as they set their stalls out for the next campaign.

As we approach the annual Burnham Closed tournament there was limited league action this week but there was one crucial match as league leaders Woodham A hosted their B side needing just a single point to secure their inaugural league championship.  That task was given to captain Dan Piglet who survived the huffing and puffing of rival captain Eamonn Hall to keep his house intact and open the champagne before his team-mates had even arrived.  So with the job done in the very first encounter both teams settled down for a relaxed evening of sport.  A repeat whitewash of 10-0 to the A team was a bit harsh on the hard-working B team who took 4 games to 5 sets and most of the others went to 4 legs.  The B team’s Sanjay Saptarshi went the distance with both Piglet and Lee McHugh, and Hall repeated the 5 set drama with McHugh, and the B team duo paired up for doubles that also went to 5 sets.  But alas it was a night for celebration for the A team with Kaung Htet Paing in great form for a player of the match hat-trick, and of course hat-tricks for Piglet and McHugh.  With the addition of the other core squad members of Harry Chivers and Chris Penrose it has been an amazing journey for the A-Team this season – Captain Piglet mused ‘I love it when a plan comes together’.

In Division 2 this week there were very strong performances from Maldon’s Steve Aspland and Stow Maries’ Peter Chastin.  Aspland led his Maldon C team to a 6-4 victory over higher placed Blackwater A with an impeccable display in both singles and doubles.  Aspland’s 4 points overall formed the bedrock of the victory with the extra 2 points coming from trusty wingman Colin Barrell.  For Blackwater plucky captain Alan Scammell had 2 wins on the night.  Later in the week Chastin also scored a hat-trick against the busy Blackwater A side but unfortunately his wingpeople weren’t able to chip in to help the cause as Blackwater ran out 7-3 winners with a brace apiece for Scammell, Neil Thompson and Neil Freeman.  In Division 3 Maldon F signed off with a 6-4 win against Blackwater C.  A hat-trick for star player John Leavett did the most damage on the night with Blackwater’s Norman Hayes and Phil West able to pick up two wins each.

Pic 1 – Woodham A Trio – Lee McHugh, Kaung Htet Paing & Daniel Piglet

Pic 2 – Woodham A’s captain Daniel Piglet hits the championship winning shot this week

Pic 3 – Action from the Woodham derby 5 setter – Lee McHugh (A team) versus Sanjay Saptarshi (B team)

Pic 4 – Woodham A player of the match – Kaung Htet Paing

Pic 5 – Stow Maries hat-trick man – Peter Chastin

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First title winners of the season crowned in Chelmsford

With their sixteenth successive victory of the season, Galleywood C secured the division four title with two matches to spare.  Colin Blore (93% win rate), Will Goodchild (85% win rate) and Nathan Blore (65% win rate) have carried the bulk of the load this season but have been well assisted by Gary Copsey, Bryn Thomas, Mark Glenister, Ron Salton and Steve Peacock. 

Division 1

Chris Penrose’s treble wasn’t enough to prevent third-placed Danbury A falling to a 6-4 away loss at the hands of Chelmsford B.  Penrose beat Kim Shead and Aidan Lees in straight games having had to battle back from 2-0 down against Omar Wasi.  Lees and Wasi both beat Bruce Kettle over four games and Dave Richardson in three before teaming up together to beat the Danbury duo over five games.  There were no surprises in the battle between leaders Old Chelmsfordians A and bottom of the table Galleywood A as the title favourites cruised to a 10-0 win.  OCA’s Keiran Lally was pushed to a deciding game in his matches with James Hicks and Peter Barrett.  Ian Wall and Sam Lowman fired trebles as Danbury B got the better of clubmates Danbury C by a 6-4 scoreline. Lowman dropped just one game while Wall recovered from 2-0 down to beat Trevor Lloyd in five.

Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 140 points (from 18 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 120 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury A 105 points (19 matches).

Division 2

An Alastair Piper hat-trick helped Hatfield Peverel move to within a point of the division two summit with a 7-3 away triumph at Chelmsford D.  Piper recovered from a game down to beat both Dusan Doszkoty and Sami Osman in four games while teammate Julie Johnson was involved in three games which went the distance – beating Adi Kamma having trailed 2-0 but missing out to both Osman and Doszkoty in deciders.  Third placed Maldon A and fourth placed Writtle C were both held to 5-5 draws in their respective matches  Mick Richardson won three in OCA B’s draw at Maldon A – he beat Ross Kirby in three, Lloyd Bennett-Smith in four and Hamish Innes in five.    Innes’ loss to Richardson was sandwiched between 3-2 victories against David Porter and Michael Hayes.  Sanjay Saptarshi continued his excellent division two season with another three wins as his Danbury D side drew at Writtle C.  John Webber and Gary Ward won twice each for the hosts and teamed together to turn a 0-2 scoreline into a 3-2 doubles success versus Saptarshi and Eamonn Hall.  Sixth placed Writtle B kept their name in the hat with regards to a third place finish by winning 7-3 away at Danbury E.  Matthew Brown led the way for the visitors with three wins while teammates Phil Smith and Richard Storey missed out on trebles of their own in fifth game deciders.  Gus Heath and Chris Buer went undefeated as Danbury F beat Danbury G 8-2.  Heath dropped just one game in his three wins while Denis Balic pushed Chris Buer to a fifth game decider which Buer won 11-9.

Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 111 points (from 17 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 110 points (from 17 matches), 3: Maldon A 97 points (17 matches)

Division 3

Three wins apiece for Gary Copsey and John Holland enabled division three leaders Galleywood B to ease to an 8-2 win against Writtle E.  Copsey didn’t drop a game in his individual matches while Holland was taken to a fifth game decider by Dave Moles.  Copsey and Bryn Thomas recovered from 2-1 down to win the doubles match with Malcolm Storey and Neil Thompson.  An Ian Whiteside treble backed by two Tim Pulham wins boosted third-placed Danbury H to a 6-4 victory over second-placed Buttsbury A.  Whiteside beat Evie Knaapen and Kevin Willis in straight games while taking four to beat Paul Sturton.  Sturton and Knaapen got the better of Whiteside and Pulham in the doubles in three games.  Alesha Ellis-Austin won all three of her singles matches as Chelmsford E won 6-4 at Hatfield Peverel B.  Rev Matthews won twice but was undone by Neil Freeman who won twice himself but was beaten over four games by Ellis-Austin.  Pete Layzell fired a hat-trick while teammates Trevor Collin and Malcolm Henstock won twice each as Writtle D won 8-2 over Danbury K.  Layzell had to recover from 2-0 down to Dave Powell for the first of his wins – Powell avoided a repeat in his next match as he fended off a Trevor Collin fightback for victory in the decider.  Danbury J posted a 5-5 home draw with OCA C despite a treble by Peter Hance.  Luke Richardson and Tom Barker won two each for the visitors but succumbed to Hance – both over five games with Richardson spurning a 2-0 lead.

Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 127 points (from 17 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 118 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury H 93 points (from 16 matches).

Division 4

Galleywood C became the division four champions following a 10-0 away win at Hatfield Peverel D – their sixteenth successive win of the season.  Nathan Blore, Will Goodchild and Colin Blore dropped just two games during the evening as Galleywood secured the title.  Cleon Fernandes hit another treble as second-placed Chelmsford G won 8-2 at Danbury L.  Fernandes was made to work hard in his opening encounter with John Manning which was only decided in the fifth game – Paul Thirkettle and Salih Salim also battled to a decider which Salim was finally able to secure with a 17-15 scoreline.  Brian Riedling and Chris Ravenhill won three apiece as Maldon B won 9-1 at home to OCA D.  David Bishop won the only match of the night for the visitors while teammate Russell Hall pushed both Ravenhill and Marty Englander to a deciding game.  Lucy Elliott was unbeaten as Buttsbury B beat the two-person team of Hatfield Peverel C 8-2.  Elliott beat Peter Mortensen in three straight games but had to recover from 2-1 down to overcome Andy Whiley.  Mortensen earned both points for the visitors – his win over Jenne Seibolt over five games.

Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 134 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 110 matches (from 16 matches), 3: Maldon B 99 points (from 15 matches)

Division 5

Danbury M continued their march towards the division five title with a 6-4 win at Anglia Ruskin despite a fine treble by Kelvin Edeh.  Steve Martin gave Edeh his biggest test of the evening with a five-game encounter while ARU’s Gerald Amuta got the better of Graham Naggs by the same 3-2 scoreline.  Mark Nolan and David Parker were undefeated as Chelmsford J beat Maldon C 7-3.  Parker had to fight back from 2-1 down in order to get the better of James Raymond.  Torsten Greenan and Francesca Hart won three matches each as Buttsbury  beat third-placed Chelmsford H 8-2.  All of Hart’s three wins were via fifth game deciders while Greenan and Freya Hart teamed to win 3-2 in the doubles.  David Cockrell and Martin Goddard were treble winners as Highwood B won 9-1 at OCA E while Galleywood C posted a 10-0 scoreline over Hatfield Peverel F who were only able to field one player. 

Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 124 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 101 points (17 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 96 points (from 17 matches).

Chelmsford Junior League division 2A

Charlie Ware won both of his matches as the Hutton Hawks moved to the top of CJL division 2A despite a 3-2 home loss against Danbury Dragons.  All four singles matches resulted in 3-0 outcomes with Oliver Martin and Peter Harverson fighting back from 2-1 down to win the doubles encounter.

Standings CJL 2A: 1: , Hutton Hawks 14 points (5 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bears 13 points (from 4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2B

Billy Andrews and Martis Heyes went undefeated as the Hutton Harriers advanced to the top of CJL division 2B with a 5-0 home win over Hutton Hyenas  Vicente Deco put up good resistance – taking Andrews to four games and Heyes to five.  George Matthews won twice as the Chelmsford Leopards beat the Chelmsford Tigers 4-1.  Matthews came back from 2-1 down to beat Neriyan Tharmassas with the 14-12 scoreline in the decider, a testament to how close the encounter was. 

Standings CJL 2B: 1: Hutton Harriers 18 points (5 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 15 points (from 4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2C

The Chelmsford Panthers advanced to five wins from five matches in CJL division 2C thanks to a 4-1 home win against the Chelmsford Rhinos.  Nathanael Slade won both of his matches 3-0 while teammate Archie Spurrier had a more eventful afternoon – letting slip a 2-0 lead against Vivaan Deshpande before fighting back from a 2-0 deficit in his match with Theo Peiris.  The Hutton Hammerheads beat the one person team of Chelmsford Jaguars 4-1.  Jaguars’ Sean Kwan got the better of Rayan Ladva before Hutton’s James Williamson beat Kwan.

Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 22 points (from 5 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 18 points (5 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2D

Zac Berry’s two wins weren’t quite enough to prevent the Buttsbury Bees falling to a 3-2 defeat at the Hutton Hares.  Berry opened with a 3-2 win over Lockie Stewart before beating Jonny Pocock in four.  Pocock and Stewart got the better of Berry and Abhir Kandagiri in the doubles to earn the win for the Hares.  Ishar Srivastava won twice as the Chelmsford Pumas moved to the top of division 2D with a 4-1 win over Chelmsford Lions.  Srivastava dropped the first game of both matches before recovering to win 3-1 and then teamed with Hari Gumbeer for a 3-0 win in the doubles.

Standings CJL 2D: 1: Chelmsford Pumas 19 points (5 matches)  2: Buttsbury Bats 16 points (from 4 matches),

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Crouchman upsets the odds

Former champion Brandon Crouchman brought off the win of the weekend at the Braintree Table Tennis League’s individual tournament when he knocked out many people’s favourite for the open singles title Harry Chivers.

Crouchman, who won the title in 2017, has played very little this season and was expected to find life hard against the speed of his 17-year-old opponent.

But he mixed up his shots, crashing the ball through Chivers’ defence on occasion but taking the pace off the ball at other times as he edged home 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11 in a tense quarter final.

Crouchman will be joined in the semi-finals – to be played on finals night at the Earls Colne Recreation Centre on Friday – by two other champions, Lee McHugh, winner in 2019, and current holder Paul Davison, plus last year’s runner-up Paul Lucas.

While experience triumphed in Crouchman’s case, youth had its day when 16-year-old Omar Wasi became the only unseeded player to reach the last eight by knocking out equal No.5 seed Kuang Htet Paing in three straight games – only to run into an unrelenting Davison in the quarter final.

Crouchman and Chivers will face each other again in the final of the men’s doubles.

Top seeds Crouchman and Liberal A teammate Scott Dowsett came past McHugh and Adam Buxton in the semi-final to face Chivers and Kuang Htet Paing in the final after the latter’s victory over Davison and Ashley Skeggs.

Chivers and Wasi – like Paing making their finals night debut – will be at opposite ends of the table in the final of the junior boys’ singles while at the other end of the age scale, Davison and Lucas will stage a repeat of last year’s final in the veterans’ singles.

Also making their first appearance on finals night will be the ladies’ singles finalists Louise Hartshorn and Lorraine Burgess, who both made their way comfortably past the opposition.

Hartshorn and Sudbury Wanderers teammate Ian Shrubsole will pit their wits against Lucas and his 14-year-old daughter Amelie in the final of the mixed doubles.

Sean Clift will be making his fourth appearance in the restricted singles final, an event he won in 2012.

He faces last year’s finalist Adi Kamma.

Hartshorn could make it a treble as she and Canning have already secured the ladies’ doubles title, which was played to a finish at the weekend.

In other events decided at the weekend, Paul Davison maintained his hold on the veterans’ doubles trophy that he has won in each of the four years since it was introduced, and with three different partners.

This time he and James Hicks overcame Paul Lucas and Paul Lombardi 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8.

Wasi took the division one singles title with an 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 win in the final over Oliver Hicks.

Rev Matthews took the division two title after a tight11-9-in-the-fifth-game win over Hartshorn and Charles Calisin was crowned division three champion

Calisin and Wasi upset the odds by beating Chivers and Jack Dearsley in straight games in the junior doubles final and Wasi was on the winning side in both the handicap events.

He beat Ben Southgate in the final of the handicap singles and joined Davina Brazier to win the handicap doubles with a win in the final over Jill Canning and Stewart Ireland

Amelie Lucas took the girls’ singles title with three comfortable wins in a round robin event while Ethan Collins took both the cadets and under 11 titles.

The hard bat singles was won by Harry Chivers with a victory over Lee McHugh in the final.

Woodham C clinch Division 2 title

Woodham C clinched the Burnham & District Table Tennis League Division 2 title early in the week without playing a rally as Maldon B relaxed too soon and dropped a single point against Blackwater B.  Woodham then went onto to record a 7-3 victory against pre-season favourites Mapledene C for an anti-climatical victory party.  In Divisions 1 and 3 the title races were clarified and muddied in equal measures.

Woodham C have been the most consistent team in Division 2 all season.  They remain unbeaten with one game to go and have now clinched the championship early allowing them to relax in their final match against an ‘up-for-it’ resurgent Woodham D side – sparks will fly for sure in that one.  The week started well for Woodham when Blackwater’s Neil Thompson looped his way to victory over Dawn Baldry of Maldon B – that was the single point Blackwater achieved but it was enough to mathematically crown the Woodham C team.  So a 9-1 victory to Maldon B with hat-tricks for Colin Napper and a notable performance from Chris Ravenhill playing up from the D side for his first Division 2 hat-trick of the season.  So come Thursday and what had been billed as the crunch tie of the run-in, Woodham were champions and then Mapledene C only had 2 players so it was all a bit of an anti-climax for the crowds that had paid to see this one.  Woodham ran out 7-3 winners with Bill Smith and Sue Body putting up more than a spirited fight for Mapledene.  Woodham’s hard hitting Chris Hancox won all of his matches and Dave Meah edged a 5 setter against Body, but it was the tricky play of Bill Smith and his spinny serves that caused the most problems as he scored wins over Meah and Adi Kamma.  In the other Division 2 matches Blackwater A beat Stow C 7-3 with everyone getting a win, but no-one could beat Blackwater’s defensive master Denis Balic as he picked up a hat-trick and player of the match bragging rights.  Choice of bats and rubbers are very important in table tennis and even more so when you play with specific rubbers designed to confuse and disrupt your opponents play.  Cold Norton’s Gordon Gatheral is one of those players with a unique style and personalised rubbers so best he doesn’t misplace his bats on the day of a match and have to play with someone else’s bat with normal rubbers – but that is what happened this week and the Maldon D trio took full advantage of the confusion bestowed upon Gatheral to take 3 unexpected points.  That was their total haul in a 3-7 loss with Cold Norton’s Dave Hancox and Peter Lucraft picking up the remaining 7 points.  Woodham D continued their run of form with a 6-4 win over the tricky Stow D side.  For Woodham Gus Heath won all 3 with the cyclonic Malcolm Henstock taking 2 in support.  For Stow Tim Pulham won 2 but couldn’t get past the Heath machine.

In a wholly unexpected twist Division 3 will now go all the way to the final matches of the season.  A few weeks ago St Lawrence were firing on all cylinders and held a clear and unchallenged lead that seemed unassailable.  But a combination of poor form on the St Lawrence side and an upturn in form for Blackwater D we now find ourselves in a nervy end of season drama that Hollywood can only dream about.  Last week both the protagonists had 7-3 wins that keeps the gap at 5 points with one each to go.  Blackwater D on paper have the easier game as they face bottom side Woodham E, whereas St Lawrence will face a Blackwater E side hoping to help out their colleagues with a good performance.  With an extra win across the season Blackwater D also become champions if the scores are level.  Blackwater D overcame Blackwater E this week with David Smith taking a hat-trick for the D team, and Peter Davenport taking 2 points for the E team.  St Lawrence were victorious over Maldon E but the star of the evening was the young and rapidly improving Arthur Shadforth who scored all 3 of the Maldon points leaving the Bayside trio of Mike Pratley, Steve King and Mick Robinson with a brace of wins apiece.

Division 1 remains a 2 horse race by the absolute minimum amount of mathematical contrivance.  Leaders and champions elect Woodham A destroyed their B team in a cut-throat whitewash to take them to the edge of glory and leaving the B team feeling all ga-ga.  Hat-tricks for player of the match Dan Piglet, Lee McHugh and Harry Chivers.  The B team’s Dan Patynski took McHugh to a fifth end in the opening salvo, and then combined with Trevor Collin to force a match point in the doubles but eventually succumbed to the Chivers & McHugh partnership.  This win leaves Woodham A just a single point from glory with 2 games to play, and they face their Woodham B team in the return fixture next week.  The remaining contender Mapledene A took a good 7-3 win over 3rd placed Cold Norton B with Gary Young racking up a fine hat-trick.  Sam Lowman won two matches for Cold Norton including the scalp of current Men’s Singles Champion Reece Seddon – a good marker to put down just a week before this year’s championships!  A 2-man Fambridge side swept all in front of them against Cold Norton C with hat-tricks for Bruce Kettle and Mark Stones in their 7-3 win, and Cold Norton A and Maldon A drew 5-5 with Cold Norton’s Charles Sweeny in fine fettle for his unbeaten hat-trick.

Pic 1 – Woodham C having clinched the Division 2 Title – David Meah, Chris Hancox, Adi Kamma

Pic 2 – Woodham A’s captain Daniel Piglet in action this week

Pic 3 – Action from the Woodham derby 5 setter – Lee McHugh (A team) versus Dan Patynski (B team)

Pic 4 – Woodham A and their lucky net – Daniel Piglet, Harry Chivers, and Lee McHugh!

Pic 5 – Blackwater D with everything crossed for the final match – Chris Rolison and Jacqui Treacy

Pic 3
Pic 4
P[c 5

Top teams make it to final

This year’s Clacton League Knock-Out Cup final will be an all-Division One encounter between Walton C and Windsor Hawks, both teams recording 5-1 victories in their semi-final matches this week.

Walton C extinguished the Cup hopes of Second Division Windsor Penguins, Mark Gale, Mark Ratcliffe and Paul Meikle the successful trio. The closest game was the middle doubles, where Windsor’s Scott Campbell and Sharon Gowlett (+1) won 15-13, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10 against Gale and Meikle (-3). Ratcliffe remained unbeaten for Walton.

And the Cup adventures of Division Three newcomers, Nomads Bobcats, came to an end at the hands of Windsor Hawks, Daniel Young, Felipe Rodriguez and Ian Fielder proving too strong and experienced. Jack Riddleston’s singles win over Rodriguez was the only Bobcats’ victory.

The final takes place at the Brotherhood Hall on Tuesday 2nd April with play starting at 7.30 pm. All spectators are welcome.

* In Division One of the League, Nomads Panthers whitewashed a below-strength Nomads Lions for a second time this season, James Denyer, Greg Green and Gill Locke only extended to a fourth set in three of the matches. Now only a miracle of Biblical proportions can prevent the Panthers finishing as champions, needing just two points from their final match against bottom team Windsor Buzzards to guarantee them another title.

But a stronger Lions’ side was able to edge past Cup finalists Windsor Hawks 6-4. Ethan Lloyd, Adam Cuthbert and Charlie Fulcher all won two, but none of them could get the better of Daniel Young. Despite this defeat, with only one match left to play, the Hawks, with a seven-point advantage over the Lions, look favourites to take third place.

In Division Two, champions Brotherhood D completed their season unbeaten, defeating Brotherhood C 6-4, Simon Smith-Daye winning three and Kevin Pryor two. But it was a close-run thing, with three matches going the distance, including a 13-11 in the fifth win for Pryor over John Gallagher. It was also 11-7 in the fifth for Smith-Daye against Boyland, coming back from 6-0 down in the fourth to take the match to a decider. And it was even tighter in the doubles, Smith-Daye and Pryor coming back from two sets and 9-2 down to eventually win 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-6.

In their second all-Brotherhood match, the ‘C’ team edged past the ‘B’ side 6-4, Mark Boyland winning three, Mark Beckham two and John Gallagher one. For the ‘B’ team, Mark Salter took two and Paul Alden one, and although Barry Allen failed to get on the score-sheet, it was oh-so-close against Brotherhood C number one, Boyland, Allen narrowly losing 13-11 in the decider.

Windsor Magpies were comfortable 9-1 winners in Division Three against Nomads Lynx. John Plummer and Dave Sweetland took predictable hat-tricks, with Dave Wright beating Malcolm Caley for the Lynx point.

And trebles for Dominic Joannou and Bob Jillins saw Nomad Leopards safely to an 8-2 success against Nomads Ocelots. For the Ocelots, there were wins for Arthur Wells-Garrett and also for Lily Miaomei Liu, her first in the League, 11-7 in the fifth against Stu Wilkinson. 

* Entries have now closed for the League’s Closed Championships, generously sponsored again this year by The Survey Initiative, courtesy of Gary Cattermole. An encouraging number of sixty-six players have entered. Entrants will be sent further details, including information about check-in times, by 2nd April at the latest. The Championships take place at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall on Saturday 6th April and Sunday 7th April.

RESULTS

Knock-Out Cup

Semi-finals

Windsor Penguins 1 Walton C 5;

Nomads Bobcats 1 Windsor Hawks 5.

League 

Division One

Nomads Panthers 10 Nomads Lions 0;

Windsor Hawks 4 Nomads Lions 6.

Division Two

Brotherhood D 6 Brotherhood C 4;

Brotherhood B 4 Brotherhood C 6.

Division Three

Nomads Leopards 8 Nomads Ocelots 2;

Windsor Magpies 9 Nomads Lynx 1.

Taylor and Read join forces to give struggling Writtle A a much needed boost

Duncan Taylor fired a treble while Kevin Read chipped in with two wins as Writtle A tasted victory in division one for the first time since October.  Writtle are now thirteen points clear of bottom side Galleywood A as Taylor and Read appeared together in the league for the first time in over a year. Galleywood have two matches in hand over their fellow strugglers.

Division 1

Division 1 leaders Old Chelmsfordians A saw their lead cut to 10 points despite a fine 7-3 away win at third-placed Danbury A.  OCA’s Mark Mulley led the way with three wins while Danbury’s Dave Richardson prevented Paul Lucas earning his own hat-trick with a 12-10 deciding game triumph.  Second-placed Chelmsford A cruised to a 10-0 home win over Danbury C with Kaung Htet Paing, Josh Bickles and Harry Chivers doing the business for the hosts.  Great to see Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read back in tandem together for Writtle A who won the battle of the bottom two teams – Taylor won all three and Read won two as Writtle beat Galleywood A 7-3.  Teammate Ryan Pitt was involved in two five-gamers – beating Gary Brignall but falling victim of a Peter Barrett fightback despite leading 2-0.  Chelmsford B beat the two person team of Danbury B 7-3 – the opening two contests of the evening both went to five games, David Penrose beat Wiktor Delimat and Kim Shead saw off a Sam Lowman recovery from 2–0 down.

Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 130 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 120 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury A 101 points (18 matches).

Division 2

In division two, Maldon A threw a spanner in the works of Chelmsford C’s title aspirations with a 6-4 away win on Monday night.  There were no undefeated players on the night though Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith went closest – being thwarted by Waseem Qureshi in a fifth-game decider.  Mick Richardson fired a hat-trick for OCA B in their 6-4 home win against Danbury E.  Richardson beat both Dick Wyman and Tim Cramphorn in three straight games but had to recover from 2-0 down to get the better of Neil Want.  Wyman and Michael Hayes were also involved in a five-game decider which went in the favour of Danbury’s Wyman.  John Webber and John Parodi won three matches apiece as Writtle C prevailed 6-4 at Danbury G.  All three of Parodi’s wins were earned in deciding games while two of Webbers also went the distance.  Danbury’s Mervyn Perriman was the recipient of five-game losses at the hands of both Parodi and Webber but put behind that disappointment to down John Gagg.  Gus Heath and Steve Buer scored hat-tricks as Danbury F beat Chelmsford D 8-2.  Heath’s toughest match was his opening contest with Adi Kamma which he secured in a deciding game – Kamma went on to see five-game action in his other two matches – beating Chris Buer but then seeing a 2-1 lead slip against Steve Buer.

Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 111 points (from 17 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 103 points (from 16 matches), 3: Writtle C 87 points (16 matches)

Division 3

The five point gap at the top of division three was maintained as leaders Galleywood B and second-placed Buttsbury A posted identical 7-3 wins on the road in week 25.  John Holland and Mark Glenister won three apiece for Galleywood at OCA C, while Jamie Elliott and Evie Knaapen did likewise for Buttsbury at Hatfield Peverel B.  It was an unbeaten evening for the Danbury H trio of Ian Whiteside, Alan Scammell and Peter Lucraft as they cruised to a 10-0 away win at Writtle E, while a Sami Osman hat-trick helped Chelmsford F to an 8-2 away win at Danbury K.

Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 119 points (from 16 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 114 points (16 matches), 3: Danbury H 87 points (from 15 matches).

Division 4

Hatfield Peverel D v Buttsbury B

Division four leaders Galleywood C had their feet up this week and were able to sit back and enjoy watching second-placed Chelmsford G and third-placed Maldon B go toe-to-toe.  Cleon Fernandes was yet again the driving force behind Chelmsford G’s victory as his treble backed up by two wins by Grace Liu earned the hosts a 6-4 triumph over the team from Maldon.  David Newman hit a hat-trick as OCA D posted an 8-2 home win over Hatfield Peverel C – Peverel’s Peter Mortensen saw two victories earned for the visitors.  Melanie Bonnett didn’t drop a game as she won all three singles matches in Highwood A’s 6-4 win over Danbury L  Bonnett was well supported by Roger Patient who was denied a third win of the night in his 14-12, 8-11, 13-15, 12-10, 10-12 loss to Greg Cooper. 

Standings div 4: 1: Galleywood C 124 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 102 matches (from 15 matches), 3: Maldon B 90 points (from 14 matches)

Division 5

Division five leaders Danbury M moved closer to the title with a 9-1 home win over OCA E – David Smith and Graham Naggs scoring trebles while OCA’s Stuart Wintle downed Steve Martin 15-13 in their fifth game decider.  The clash between second-placed Chelmsford J and third-placed Buttsbury C ended in a 5-5 draw – Buttsbury’s Richard Pond earned a hat-trick with a 3–0 win over Amir Chetitah, 3-1 win over Mark Nolan and a 3-2 win over Elliot Hawthorne.  Pond’s success against Hawthorne was after trailing 2-0.  Chelmsford H moved above Buttsbury into third place thanks to a 7-3 away win at Writtle F – Writtle’s Michael Anthony went unbeaten for the hosts though he had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Shengbing Zhu.  Kelvin Edeh lost just one game on the night as his treble lead Anglia Ruskin to a 6-4 victory against Maldon C.  The closest singles match of the night was Maldon’s James Raymond beating ARU’s Connor Case 3-2.  Nick Rounce scored his second hat-trick in four matches since his transfer to Galleywood D though he saw his side fall to a 7-3 away loss to Highwood B.  Rounce beat Keith Pallett in three, Nicola Pippen in four and David Cockrell in five – Cockrell had recovered from 2-0 down but lost out 11-9 in the decider.

Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 118 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 94 points (16 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 84 points (from 15 matches).

Chelmsford Junior League division 2A

Chelmsford Cougars beat second-placed Hutton Hawks 3-2 thanks to an unbeaten showing from Joshua Freeman.  Freeman got the better of Charlie Ware 3-1 before beating Charlie Gould with the same scoreline.  Freeman and Amir Chetitah then fended off a comeback from Ware and Gould in the doubles to prevail in the decider.  Freeman didn’t drop a game in either of his matches for Chelmsford Eagles as they beat leaders Buttsbury Bears 3-2.  Teammate Ben Robinson fought back from 2-1 down to beat Vivaan Babbar while Babbar’s teammate Callum Walker edged out Robinson 12-10 in the deciding game of their match.

Standings CJL 2A: 1: Buttsbury Bears 13 points (from 4 matches), 2: Hutton Hawks 12 points (4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2B

Lewis Woods won twice as his Buttsbury Bulldogs remained top thanks to a 4-1 win against the Chelmsford Leopards.  Teammate Thomas Lewis beat Damon Chow but missed out in a close game with George Matthews.  William Guilloux’s two wins weren’t enough to prevent the Chelmsford Tigers falling to a 3-2 defeat at home to second-placed Hutton Harriers – Guilloux was taken to a decider in his first match of the afternoon against Martis Heyes. 

Standings CJL 2B: 1: Buttsbury Bulldogs 15 points (from 4 matches), 2: Hutton Harriers 13 points (4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2C

Ethan Collins won both of his matches as the top of the table clash between the perfect Chelmsford Jaguars and Chelmsford Panthers ended in a 3-2 win for the Panthers.  Collins had to fight back from a 2-1 deficit to overcome Ethan Li and then teamed with Henry Mansell to win the crucial doubles encounter in three straight games.  The Hutton Hornets bounced back from three 5-0 losses to post a 5-0 win over the Chelmsford Rhinos.  Casper Norris dropped just one game in his two victories while Theo Rugg fought back from 2-1 down to beat Theo Peiris.  Peiris and Rohan Rakesh took a 2-1 lead in the doubles only for Norris and Rugg to take the final two games.

Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 18 points (from 4 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 17 points (4 matches)

Chelmsford Junior League division 2D

Two wins apiece for Archie Spurrier and Taylor Cumber guided the Chelmsford Pumas to a 5-0 home win over the Hutton Hares.  Spurrier saw a 2-0 lead in his first match against Mitchell Petre disappear before winning the decider.  Shay Coughlan won twice as the Buttsbury Bats beat the Chelmsford Lions 4-1.  Coughlan had to recover from 2-0 down to take the victory from Bernard Chow in the opening encounter of the afternoon, later he teamed with Ethan Bird for victory having trailed 2-1 in the doubles.

Standings CJL 2D: 1: Buttsbury Bats 16 points (from 4 matches), 2: Chelmsford Pumas 15 points (4 matches)

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Titles beckon for Woodham

The Woodham club continued its glory pilgrimage this week as both the A and C teams strengthened their grips on their respective Divisions in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League.  In Div 3 Blackwater D have crept up to within 5 points of leaders St Lawrence A and will be looking to cause an upset over the course of the final two matches – watch this space.

Woodham A hosted a strong Mapledene B side hoping to cause a dent in the Woodham title drive to allow their Mapledene A clubmates to close the gap a little.  Try as they may the Mapledeners couldn’t trouble the scoreboard on an evening with plenty of drama and close games.  Mapledene stalwart John Monk is in fine form and proved the most difficult opponent all evening.  In the opening match Monk took a 2-1 lead over the rarely beaten Chris Penrose but Penrose dug deep to eventually take the last two sets 11-7 – and that set the tone for the evening, a Woodham victory but a battling performance from the Mapledene team.  Penrose found himself 2-1 behind again in his next match against the penhold perfection of Colin Chatfield but again overcame his inner demons to win out 11-8 in the fifth.  Even at 8-0 down Mapledene weren’t dejected and Monk thought he had won the battle of the ages against Harry Chivers – what a battle this one was.  Monk went 2-1 up but Chivers battled back to square up at 2-2 before a momentous roller-coaster of a final leg that saw the lead and momentum swing from player to player.  Monk wearing down his lively opponent with some amazing control and attacking play.  At 9-8 everything pointed to a Monk win but Chivers stayed in the next rally and hit a wonderful winner to draw the wind out of the Monk sails.  Tense and exciting in equal measures.  Chivers served for the match and won out 11-9 – albeit cruelly with a couple of nets and edges that no-one wanted to see given the quality of the battle that preceded the finish.  It happens to us all!  A final score of 10-0 to Woodham that surely seals the title for them now but as oft is the case the score doesn’t tell the full story.  Lee McHugh was the player of the match with a less dramatic hat-trick than his team-mates.   The Woodham B side were playing opposite the A team but couldn’t match their winning ways against a strong Cold Norton B trio.  Things got off to a good start for Woodham B as Sanjay Saptarshi beat Dan Anderson in 4 tight sets breaking his duck against the defensive specialist.  Anderson controlled much of the play but missed vital winners at key times in each of the legs he lost.  And that was it for the Woodham side as the Ice Cold Nortonians rattled up a 9-1 victory with the only other wobble coming in the match between Ian Wall and Woodham’s captain Eamonn Hall.  Hall troubled Wall throughout and had several game points in the first two legs but lost out 12-10, and then 15-13 before taking the third leg to make a proper game of it.  Wall took the 4th leg with some aplomb though as he took out his frustration on the poor ball and smashed his way to victory and then went on without dropping another set all evening.  So a hat-trick for Wall, and a 9-dart hat-trick for star player Eric Green.  In the final division 1 match Cold Norton C pulled away from the relegation zone with an Arron Chandler inspired 8-2 win over bottom-placed Stow Maries A.  Stow’s Gary Brignall had good wins over Tim Cramphorn and Kim Shead for his team’s points.  A hat-trick for Chandler, and a brace each for Shead and Cramphorn.

In Division 2 the dominant Woodham C just missed out on securing the title with 2 games to go.  Second-placed Maldon B had an early tight 6-4 victory over Blackwater A which left Woodham C with a target of 7 points or more for the Title when they travelled to Maldon C later on in the week.  But Maldon C were fresh from the disappointing shock loss to Woodham D and were in no mood to roll over and get tickled by the champions-elect.  In the early skirmishes Maldon’s Colin Barrell took the scalps of Dave Meah and then Graham Briggs in a comeback 5 setter.  Woodham’s Chris ‘slowhand’ Hancox also won both his matches to set up a player of the match finale with Barrell.  In between, Maldon’s top doubles duo of Barrell and Steve Aspland creamed the doubles in a very straightforward straight sets victory against Hancox and Briggs.  So 4-3 to Woodham and they needed the final run of singles for the title.  Briggs defeats Garry Eames in 3 but then Aspland spoils the party with his own 3 set victory over Meah.  Would Woodham’s Hancox be able to bring himself to the party for the final showdown given the disappointment of not being able to secure the title this week?  A gut-busting 11-3 in the first leg to the Woodham Whacker but this was no laughing matter for Mr Barrell who would not roll over for anyone and it was he who took the next 2 tight legs for a slender lead.  With pride at stake and his doe-eyed team-mates aghast Ol’ Slowhand hit the gas and blasted his way back to 2-2.  But this one was set to go the distance and after the combatants swapped match points it was the Woodham warrior that prevailed 12-10 with the last point of the night for the overall 6-4 victory that leaves Woodham C on the precipice with just a point required for glory.  Secure in the runner-up spot Maldon B had Colin Napper and Dawn Baldry to thank for their 6-4 win over Blackwater A.  Napper continued his fine vein of form with another hard-fought hat-trick that took two 5 setters to complete.  Baldry added a brace of wins and the dynamic duo coupled up for the doubles point.  It was a good week for the Stow Club as their 3 teams took the remaining victories over the week.  The Stow B boys coming out 6-4 victors over Cold Norton D with braces for Peter Hance and Nicky Reece-Ford.  Stow C welcomed Maldon D to Smythe Hall but then showed no mercy in a 7-3 mauling with Pete Layzell the outstanding player with 3 singles and the doubles win with Jean Chasmer.  A notable victory for Maldon’s Ella Sach with a 4 set triumph over the lovable Dave Goody that included a marathon 3rd leg that Sach won 20-18.  That man Tim Pulham was at it again this week as he recorded yet another hat-trick for his Stow D side to help secure a 6-4 win over Blackwater B.  Pulham was wingmanned by Ken Sheard who took a brace of singles and the pair partnered up for the crucial doubles victory. 

With leaders St Lawrence experiencing a dip in form, Division 3 has opened up somewhat and the Blackwater Club has an unexpected opportunity to take this one to the wire.  The trouble is the 3 Blackwater teams keep taking points off each other and can’t really decide between them which team should mount the challenge.  However this week, for once, there were no Blackwater derbies to muddy the mathematics and it was Blackwater D that emerged as true contenders with a commanding 8-2 victory over Woodham E.  The Blackwater C and E teams seemingly giving up the ghost with 2 defeats just when they least needed them!  For the phoenix-like D side it was the youthful Norman Hayes that did the most damage with an inspiring hat-trick that included a very hard earned 5 set victory over the even more youthful and up-and-coming Peter Harverson.  The rest of the points were collected by Jacquie Treacy and Chris Rolison with 2 singles and the doubles in the credit column with both players losing out to Harverson.  Blackwater C chose the wrong week to play the resurgent Maldon F side who fielded John Leavett and Ross Kirby who have both been in scintillating form of late.  The form book doesn’t lie and both Leavett and Kirby took no prisoners as they swept aside the Blackwater triers for a pair of hat-tricks and with that kind of form of course they won the doubles bonus point too for the overall 7-3 scoreline.  Blackwater E travelled to Maldon E for the Friday Night special but came away with less than what they hoped for.  Maldon E’s Arthur Shadforth has been unplayable of late and he continued this run with another hat-trick on a night when every player won at least one point.  For Blackwater David Sage won 2 and with everyone else swapping a point each the result came down to the doubles which fell to Shadforth and Matthew Copsey for the final 6-4 win of the week for the Maldon Club.

Pic 1 – Action from the amazing final leg of the John Monk v Harry Chivers match this week.

Pic 2 – Lee McHugh in unbeatable form as he takes on Barrie Delf this week.

Pic 3 – Eric Green (Cold Norton B) – 4 matches without dropping a set this week

Pic 4 – Ian Wall (Cold Norton B) managed a straight sets victory over Sanjay Saptarshi (Woodham B) but couldn’t do anything about this net cord Saptarshi Special!

Pic 5 – Stow A’s Gary Brignall with 2 wins for his team this week.