The Clacton League is sad to announce the death of Shirley Rowlen. Shirley had been League President since 2017 and her passing ends an association of nearly fifty years with local table tennis.

Shirley will be best remembered for her role as League Secretary, a position she held for almost 26 continuous years from 1976 to 2002. But even in that one year (1980) she wasn’t League Secretary, she took on the position of League Treasurer. To compound the work-load, in the 1970s the League Secretary also took on responsibility of Minutes Secretary and Tournament Officer. And, as if this wasn’t enough, for many years Shirley was also the League’s County Representative.

During this time, Shirley did much of the behind-the-scenes work as Secretary, chivvying up clubs and players at the start of the season, getting advertisers for the Handbook and, later, getting sponsorship for the League (Avents for two years and McDonalds for one), all this at a time when the League had five Divisions and over fifty teams.   

Even when the post of Tournament Officer was created in 1980, Shirley was always closely involved in the administration of the League’s tournaments, especially the Closed Championships, often spending a lot of time ‘ringing around’, urging people to enter. At the tournaments, Shirley took on the role as ‘the lady with the mike’ – which occasionally caused amusement to her colleagues on the top table when she had difficulty pronouncing unusual names!

In 1989 and 1990, when the National Top Twelve Tournaments were held at Clacton Leisure Centre, Shirley was involved in the organisation and was a steward at both events, while she was also part of the Essex County Sub-Committee which arranged the European Qualifying Competition in Brentwood in the early 1990s.

Shirley also headed the League’s Social Committee. She spear-headed the two major events which celebrated the League 50th and 60th Anniversaries (in 1988 and 1998), as well as organising other fund-raising events. These included an annual Quiz Evening, with Shirley and husband Brian setting the questions and taking turns each year as quiz-master/mistress.

And then of course there were the regular Management Committee meetings, almost always held at Brian and Shirley’s house, some of which went on until quite late at night. But everyone was always given a warm welcome, with cups of tea and biscuits supplied at appropriate intervals.

Shirley relinquished the post of League Secretary in 2002 but she was not yet done with table tennis and, after a short break, returned to the Management Committee in 2005 as the League’s first Welfare Officer. In 2007 she took on the position of Minutes Secretary, a post she held until she retired from League duties in 2013.

Although Shirley was best known for her role as an administrator, she also played League table tennis for one season (1975/76) for Brotherhood F in Division Four, the records showing she won three times in 21 matches. Her playing prowess was later displayed in end-of-season ‘Management Committee tournaments’ in the late 1990s. These were purely fun events but Shirley’s forehand hits and movement around the table were far from shabby and, with a bit of practice, it was surmised she might have become a decent lower Division player.

However, one of the drawbacks which was discovered during these evenings was that Shirley had great difficulty umpiring. This was before the use of scoreboards, and Shirley was constantly seen counting on her fingers and holding them up to remind herself of the score!

Shirley’s valued services to the League were recognised when she was awarded the League’s Bob Phillips Trophy in 1988. She was made a Vice-President in 2002, eventually assuming the role of President in 2017. Her services to table tennis were more widely recognised when she was awarded the Corti Woodcock Trophy in 1998 by the Essex County Table Tennis Association.

As a Management Committee member, Shirley was forthright and honest in her views, and always ready to speak her mind. However, there was one notable exception. During the League’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1988, when Shirley was presented with the Bob Phillips Trophy, the  press report stated – “The award came as a complete surprise to Shirley and left her completely speechless – yet another ‘first’ in the League’s fifty-year history!”

All in all, it is difficult to underestimate Shirley’s contribution to local table tennis during her period as League Secretary. Both she and Brian, as League Chairman, put in a tremendous amount of effort and were, without doubt, lynch-pins of the League.

And while she was a great support to Brian in the work he did, Shirley was a formidable force in her own right. Their joint contribution to League table tennis was further acknowledged in 1998 at the League’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations when they were presented with an inscribed cut-glass bowl as a token of the League’s appreciation of their long and dedicated service.

Shirley’s last public engagement was earlier this year when she attended the finals of the League’s 2024 Closed Championships, and it was a joy to see her there.

A loyal and steadfast servant of the League, and a lady with a lovely sense of fun. We’ll miss you, Shirley, and we send our sincere condolences to Donna and Paul, and their families.

Shirley’s funeral service takes place on Tuesday 1st October at 11.45 am at Weeley Crematorium. Bright colours requested.

• 

There will be thirty-two teams competing in the 2024/25 season of the Clacton and District League, four more than entered last season.

The League is indebted for this increase to the efforts of Dave Wright, Secretary of the Holland Club (the first new Club in the League since 1999), Coaching Officer Martin Edwards and last season’s Development Officer Ferdy Rodriguez.  

Once again, the League will operate with three Divisions.

Division One (10 teams) : Brotherhood A and B; Lawford; Nomads Panthers and Lions; Walton A, B and C; Windsor Eagles and Hawks.

Division Two (11 teams) : Brotherhood C, D, E and G; Nomads Jaguars and Tigers ; Windsor Buzzards, Harriers, Kestrels, Magpies and Penguins.

Division Three (11 teams) : Brotherhood F and H; Holland Hurricanes, Lancasters, Mosquitos and Vulcans; Nomads Bobcats, Leopards and Ocelots; Windsor Falcons; Walton D.  

The League season starts on Monday 23rd September and ends on Friday 18th April 2025. Details of the fixtures will hopefully be published on the League’s website by the end of the month. The League Handbook will be available before the start of the season.

The Handicapped Singles Tournament is provisionally scheduled for Saturday 8th February 2025 at Windsor’s St James’ Hall venue, with the Closed Championships taking place on 12th and 13th April at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall.

The 2025 Cup Final is scheduled for Tuesday 22nd April and the  Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 3rd June, both events at the Brotherhood Hall.

^ The League has recently learned of the death of former player Nigel Palmer. Nigel played in the League for many years in the 1970s and 1980s for, amongst others, the CYC, Great Holland and Brotherhood Clubs, before emigrating to America in 1988. He will be fondly remembered by players of that generation, and we send our sincere condolences to Nigel’s family, both here in Clacton and America.

• 

Kim Shead won all four of his singles matches to finish the season top of the player averages with ten wins from ten as his Chelmsford A side took the division one title with victories over its closest competitors.

Division 1

Two wins in a week against their closest two competitors was enough for Chelmsford A to clinch the division one title. Kim Shead and Simon Jacobs went undefeated as Chelmsford beat second-placed Danbury A 5-0, the doubles contest was the closest match of the evening with Shead and Jacobs beating Ian Whiteside and Sanjay Saptarshi in the fifth game having seen a 2-0 lead disappear.  Shead was joined by Sami Osman as Chelmsford edged the Buttsbury A duo of Evie Knaapen and Jamie Elliott 3-2.  Again, Shead won both of his matches with the Chelmsford duo recovering from 2-1 down to win the doubles.  Going into that clash, Buttsbury had given themselves a chance of catching Chelmsford at the top with a 5-0 victory over Blackwater thanks to two wins apiece for Wudong Liu and Harrison Hill.

At the other end of the table, South Woodham Ferrers A gave themselves an end of season boost as they overcame fellow strugglers Writtle A 4-1.  Woodham’s Graham Briggs won both of his matches while partner Chris Hancox bested Pete Layzell before missing out 3-2 to Writtle’s Trevor Collin.

Division 1 standings:  C: Chelmsford A (26 points from 6 matches), 2: Danbury A (18 points from 6 matches), 3: Buttsbury A (18 points from 5 matches).

Division 2

In a tense climax to the season, Danbury B are the division two champions amassing 24 points from their 7 matches which was two points ahead of their closest rivals Chelmsford C.  Danbury, Chelmsford, Cold Norton A and OCA A all posted identical records of five wins and two losses from their seven fixtures with fourth placed OCA A a mere four points behind the winners.  James Grimston won twice as Chelmsford C beat OCA 3-2 in a fixture which Chelmsford went 3-0 up giving them hope of catching Danbury in the table.  OCA hit back with Luke Richardson getting the win over Alesha Ellis-Austin as well as taking victory in the doubles match.  Cold Norton clinched a respectable third place with a 4-1 win at OCA B.  Dan Anderson finished the season with 11 wins from his 12 singles matches though he had to recover from 2-1 down to beat OCA’s Tom Barker.  Kevin Willis won twice as Buttsbury B earned a 4-1 away win at Galleywood A.  Willis won both of his matches by a 3-1 scoreline while his teammate Gary Carr beat Nathan Blore 3-2 before falling to Bryn Thomas having led 2-1.

Division 2 standings:  C: Danbury B (24 points from 7 matches), 2: Chelmsford C (22 points from 7 matches), 3: Cold Norton A (21 points from 7 matches).

Division 3

With Hutton B confirmed as division 3 winners and Buttsbury C as runners-up, third-place position was on the line in the matchup between Cold Norton B and Buttsbury D.  It was Buttsbury D who moved into third thanks to a 3-2 away victory – this was despite two single victories for Norton’s Peter Harverson.  Scott Perry won twice as South Woodham B edged Maldon A in a close encounter.  Perry came back to beat Marty Englander in four prior to getting the better of Chris Ravehill in three.  Ravenhill was the back-to-back player in the Maldon line-up and in the previous match had just recovered from 2-0 down for victory against Alex Wilson.  OCA C could still finish third with three or more points against South Woodham B in the outstanding fixture.

Division 3 standings:  C: Hutton B (19 points from 6 matches), 2: Buttsbury C (19 points from 6 matches), 3: Buttsbury D (14 points from 6 matches).

Division 4

Division four champions Danbury C slipped to a 4-1 away defeat at Writtle B.  Writtle’s Paul Aarons won both his matches – his second required a recovery having seen Ken Wilding fight back from 2-0 down.  Teammate Michael Anthony had earlier beaten Wilding over four very close games before falling victim to Danbury’s Graham Naggs in three.  Hutton C took runners-up position from Buttsbury F with a 4-1 home win over Chelmsford E thanks to two wins apiece for Charlie Gould and Billy Andrews.  Gould recovered from 2-0 behind to beat Peter Davenport with his three winning games being a tense 12-10, 11-9, 14-12.

Division 4 standings:  C: Danbury C (26 points from 7 matches), 2: Hutton C (20 points from 7 matches), 3: Buttsbury F (19 points from 7 matches).

Division 5

Chelmsford F took runners-up position in division five thanks to a 5-0 win over Hutton D with two wins apiece for Ben Robinson and Amir Chetitah.  Vicente Deco won both matches as Hutton E won 4-1 over Buttsbury H.  Deco’s opener against Callum Walker was a close contest which ended 11-5, 12-10, 11-13, 14-12 – Walker later being involved in a second five-game match this time coming back from 0-2 to take the victory against Archie Giles 3-2.

Division 5 standings:  C: Buttsbury G (29 points from 6 matches), 2: Chelmsford F (19 points from 6 matches), 3: Hutton D (17 points from 6 matches),

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer

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• 

Hutton B, Danbury C and Buttsbury G earned title honours in their respective divisions while the pressure intensifies in divisions 1&2 as the summer league reaches its climax.

Division 1

Ian Whiteside was in fine form as he won all four of his matches in weeks five and six and Danbury A moved to the top of division one with home wins over Buttsbury A and Hutton A.  Whiteside got the better of Buttsbury’s Grace Liu and Evie Knaapen in week five with Knaapen earning a fine 3-1 win over Sanjay Saptarshi, week six saw Whiteside overcome Hutton’s Paul Mulley and Jason Yeh in a 3-2 victory for the leaders.  Yeh had beaten Tony Forster 3-2 in the opening contest in a see-saw battle which was clinched 13-11 in the fifth. 

Chelmsford A’s Simon Jarvis continued his unbeaten run with two more wins in week five – the second of which was from 2-1 down against Writtle A’s Trevor Collin.   Collin recovered from 1-0 behind to better Felix Reeve though Reeve scored a good 3-2 win over Dave Moles.  Jarvis and Reeve then fought back from 2-0 down in the doubles for Chelmsford’s fourth victory of the contest.  Collin put any disappointment behind him by winning both of his matches in week six as he led Writtle to a 3-2 victory over Blackwater.  Things didn’t start well for Writtle as Blackwater’s Roger Slade took the opener in five games though Collin then dropped just one game in his matches with Denis Balic and Roger Slade to give Writtle the lead.  Balic then levelled the fixture at 2-2 with a dominating display over Pete Layzell prior to Collin and Layzell taking the honours in an entertaining doubles contest for Writtle’s first match victory in their fourth attempt. 

South Woodham Ferrers A sit at the bottom of the division despite a tight 3-2 loss against Hutton A in week five.  Hutton’s David Thammadi won his two matches – a hard fought 3-2 win over Scott Perry saw the third game go to 23-21 to Perry though Thammadi took games four and five for the victory.

Division 1 standings:  1: Danbury A (18 points from 5 matches), 2: Chelmsford A (18 points from 4 matches), 3: Buttsbury A (11 points from 3 matches).

Division 2

Danbury B and Chelmsford C share the lead in division two with identical records of four wins from six matches and 19 points.  The similarity does not end there – both teams won their match in week five but lost in week six.  Week five saw Eric Green move to four wins from four matches this season with victories over Luke and Mick Richardson, Green later teamed with Denis Crapnell to win a close doubles encounter which they sealed 12-10 in game five.  John Tendler’s two victories were not enough for Danbury in week six as they fell to a 3-2 home defeat to the Galleywood A duo of Will Goodchild and Mark Glenister.  Glenister recovered from 2-1 down to beat Crapnell prior to winning the crucial doubles matchup by a comfortable 3-0 scoreline.  Rev Matthews and James Grimston were both solid for Chelmsford C as they each won two of their four matches in their fixtures with Buttsbury B and Cold Norton A.  Buttsbury’s Harry Sawford won his matches against the Chelmsford pair with Cold Norton’s Dan Anderson doing likewise four days later.  Both fixtures were poised at 2-2 before Grimston and Matthews beat Sawford and Gary Carr in week five with Anderson and Ella Sach taking the doubles for Cold Norton three games to one in week six.  OCA B won 3-2 on the road to Buttsbury B – this was despite yet another two wins for Harry Sawford.

Division 2 standings:  =1: Danbury B (19 points from 6 matches), =1: Chelmsford C (19 points from 6 matches), 3: OCA A (18 points from 6 matches).

Division 3

Hutton B are the division three champions having posted an identical four wins and 19 points to Buttsbury C – Hutton’s 3-2 win over their title contenders in week six being enough for them to lift the trophy.  Doubts may have crept in for Hutton in week five as they lost 3-2 at Maldon A as James Raymond of Maldon won both of his matches – his second victory was from 2-1 down against Jason Yeh.  Yeh had beaten Maldon’s Marty Englander in the opener to give the leaders the perfect start however the hosts then won the next three matches to take an unassailable lead.  Hutton were back to winning ways a week later as they managed to overcome two wins by Buttsbury C’s Gary Carr to take the tie 3-2.  Carr stormed back for the win from 2-0 down against both Nick Giles and Charlie Ware – both fifth game deciders were settled by a 12-10 scoreline. 

OCA C’s Farooq Ahmed took his record to five wins from six matches with another brace of victories against Maldon A in week six.  Ahmed beat Raymond and Englander by identical 3-1 score lines – Englander had given the visitors the perfect start with a 3-2 win over Russell Hall before OCA won the remaining four matches.

Buttsbury D didn’t do their title-chasing clubmates any favours in week five as they scored a 3-2 win over eventual runners-up Buttsbury C – this was despite two wins from the C team’s Kevin Willis.  Willis fought back to beat Frances Hutt over five games – the decider seeing a scoreline of 16-14.  Hutt then turned round a 2-1 deficit to Ray Horton in her second match and teamed with son Oscar to beat Willis and Horton 3-1 in the doubles. 

Division 3 standings:  C: Hutton B (19 points from 6 matches), 2: Buttsbury C (19 points from 6 matches), 3: Cold Norton B (12 points from 5 matches).

Division 4

Unbeaten Danbury C became division four champions with back to back 4-1 wins in weeks five and six.  Greg Cooper won all four of his matches in the clashes with Buttsbury E and Hutton C while partner Paul Thurkettle’s only blemish was at the hands of Buttsbury’s Francesca Hart.  Buttsbury F currently sit in second place having played their full complement of matches and have a host of teams who will be looking to take the runners-up spot.  Chelmsford E are one of the teams in the hunt and their 3-2 away win over Buttsbury F in week five could prove crucial.  Shengbing Zhu fought back from 2-1 down to beat James Hughes to put Chelmsford 2-1 up on the night before Jacqui Smith’s 3-0 win clinched the victory in the next match.   

Two individual victories for Arthur Shadforth weren’t enough to prevent his Maldon B falling to a 3-2 away loss at Hutton C.  Shadforth won both singles matches by a 3-0 scoreline but Hutton’s Nick Giles and Noah Middleton hit back and won the all-important doubles.  Writtle B’s Michael Anthony took his record to six wins from eight singles matches this season with two victories in the clash with Galleywood B while Oscar Hutt won twice in Buttsbury E’s win over Buttsbury F.  James Hughes won twice as Buttsbury F won 4-1 at Galleywood B – Galleywood’s sole point came from Ron Salton who beat Chris Hughes despite trailing 2-1.

Division 4 standings:  C: Danbury C (25 points from 6 matches), 2: Buttsbury F (19 points from 7 matches), 3: Hutton C (16 points from 6 matches).

Division 5

Buttsbury G clinched the division five title with a 4-1 win in week five against Buttsbury H and a 5-0 win in week six against Chelmsford F.  Their quest for a perfect 30 wins from 30 singles/doubles matches was scuppered by Torsten Greenan whose 3-1 victory over Vivaan Babbar was Buttsbury G’s only blemish on an otherwise dominating season. Joshua Freeman won twice again as Vivaan Babbar managed to sneak through a tight encounter with Lewis Woods which went to a decider.  Greenan avenged his partners loss with a 3-1 victory over Babbar before champions elect took the doubles over five competitive games.   Babbar and Freeman then beat Chelmsford F in week six though three of the five contests went to the full complement games.  Babbar and Freeman had to recover from 2-1 down in the doubles against George Gregory and Amir Chetitah after Babbar had been extended to five-game matches against both Chelmsford players.

Hutton D have the second best record in division five and they saw success again in a 4-1 away win at Chelmsford G and 3-2 home win over Buttsbury H.  Martis Heyes won both of his matches 3-0 against the Chelmsford duo of Neriyan Tharmathass and George Gregory, while Jago Ware dropped just one game in each of his victories.  While not seeing any success in their individual matches the Chelmsford duo of Gregory and Tharmathass recovered from 2-1 down to win the doubles encounter.  Ware won both of his singles matches in week six – a 3-1 win over Lewis Woods and 3-0 win over Thomas Lewis.

Hutton E gave themselves some breathing room over bottom-placed Chelmsford H with a 4-1 away victory.  Vicente Deco won both individual matches – the second of which was a hard earned 3-2 victory over Sean Kwan having trailed 2-1.  Kwan had earlier beaten Jacob Fernandez in straight games before Fernandez beat Bernard Chow in four tight games. 

Division 5 standings:  C: Buttsbury G (29 points from 6 matches), 2: Hutton D (17 points from 5 matches), 3: Chelmsford F (14 points from 5 matches).

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer

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Buttsbury G hold the best record in the Central Essex Summer League with four wins from four fixtures notching up a perfect 20 match wins along the way. 

Division 1

Weeks three and four saw the top two in division one – Chelmsford A and Danbury A – win a match each to remain undefeated with three wins from three.  Kim Shead and Simon Jarvis did the business in Chelmsford’s 5-0 home win over South Woodham Ferrers A, while Sanjay Saptarshi won both his matches and Eamonn Hall won one as Danbury A beat Writtle A 4-1.  It may not be just a two-horse race though as Buttsbury A also remain undefeated with two wins from two – Evie Knaapen and Harry Sawford won two apiece in Buttsburys’s 5-0 win over Hutton A.  Buttsbury will face a good test of their title credentials as they travel to Danbury A in week five.  Elsewhere, week three saw an entertaining encounter between Hutton A and Blackwater which was won by the Blackwater team of Alan Scammell and Neil Freeman.  Scammell won twice – dropping just one game in his matches against Alex Ware and David Thammadi, while both of Freeman’s matches went the distance – a 15-13 loss in the deciding game against Thammadi as well as a loss having been 2-1 up against Ware.

Division 2

OCA A look to be the team to beat in division two as two more wins in weeks three and four continued their unbeaten start to the season.  Chelmsford C and Danbury B also won both of their matches as they both post an identical record of three wins from four matches.  Week 3 saw OCA A beat Cold Norton A by a close 3-2 in a match which went down to the doubles contest – Mick and Luke Richardson took the deciding game 11-9.  Week four was more comfortable on paper for OCA A as they triumphed 4-1 at home against Galleywood A though Mick Richardson edged his encounter with Will Goodchild 11-9 in the fifth as Galleywood earned their sole win of the contest with a 3-2 victory in the doubles.  There were two wins apiece for Rev Matthews and Alesha Ellis-Austin as Chelmsford C beat the Galleywood A team of Nathan and Colin Blore 4-1 in week three, while James Grimston won twice in a 3-2 victory over OCA B.  Grimston had to dig deep to get the better of Tom Barker having trailed 2-1.  John Tendler and Denis Crapnell were in action as Danbury B won 4-1 against Buttsbury B – Tendler won both of his contests while Buttsbury’s Harry Sawford earned a win over Crapnell.  Danbury B earned the same 4-1 scoreline in their week four away match at Cold Norton A.  Crapnell was joined by Eric Green who won both of his matches 3-0.  

Division 3

Hutton B lead the way in division three with three wins from their four matches as Cold Norton B and Buttsbury D lead the chasing pack with two wins each.  As seen in division one the Buttsbury team are worth keeping an eye on with a 100% record from their two matches.  Jason Yeh and Oladapo Owolabi won two apiece in their five nil away win at OCA C before Yeh was joined by Charlie Ware for their 4-1 win over South Woodham Ferrers B – the only blemish being South Woodham’s win in the doubles.  The first of Ware’s two wins was a close 3-2 victory over Scott Perry – 15-13 in the decider.  Cold Norton B’s Peter Harveson won all four of his singles matches across week three and four as his team were beaten 3-2 by Buttsbury C before edging OCA C by the same scoreline.  Buttsbury D won both of their matches with a 3-2 scoreline – Jenne Seibolt won twice in the week three victory over South Woodham Ferrers B though his winning streak was ended by Chris Ravenhill who got the better of their close encounter 3-1.

Division 4

The two unbeaten teams in division four are separated by three places and four points as Danbury C lead the way with 13 points from their three matches while Buttsbury E have nine from the same number of matches.  Buttsbury’s Francesca Hart won both of her matches against Hutton C after losing out to a Doug Blaber come-from-behind 3-2 victory the previous week against Galleywood B.  Greg Cooper won twice as Danbury C won 4-1 at home to Chelmsford E though with Peter Davenport back in action the following week Chelmsford E beat Writtle B 3-2.  Davenport dropped just one game over his two victories.  James Hughes won both of his matches 3-1 as Buttsbury F lost 3-2 on the road at Hutton C while victories were shared among all four players as Maldon B won 3-2 at Writtle B.  Matthew Copsey and Arthur Shadforth gave Maldon a 2-0 lead with five-game wins over Michael Anthony and Paul Aarons only for the Writtle duo to win the next two matches before being bettered in the doubles.

Division 5

Buttsbury G sit proudly on top of division five with four perfect 5-0 victories – Joshua Freeman won all of his matches over the two week’s play and he was well supported by 100% records from Lewis Woods and Vivaan Babbar.  Chelmsford F beat clubmates Chelmsford G 5-0 thanks to wins for Ben Robinson and Amir Chetitah, while Chelmsford H fell to 5-0 losses to Buttsbury G and Hutton D.  Hutton D won their week three fixture by the same 5-0 scoreline as Martis Heyes and Oliver Davies earned the victory over Hutton E.  The encounter between Davies and Theo Rugg went to a decider after Rugg had recovered from 2-0 down.

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer

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• 

The following tribute has been made by Table Tennis England following the sad death of Sir Jack Petchey CBE and their comments are echoed by the Essex County Table Association and all their members.

”It is with great sadness that we join the table tennis community, and wider sporting family, in mourning the death of Sir Jack Petchey CBE, who passed away peacefully on Thursday morning 27 June 2024 at the age of 98. 

Through the Jack Petchey Foundation, Sir Jack’s philanthropic work has empowered and inspired countless thousands of young people in London and Essex to achieve through sport, dance, music and public speaking, including many thousands who have enjoyed and achieved in table tennis during our 12-year partnership with the Foundation. 

Sir Jack was a regular visitor to the Team and Individual Finals for many years, where he enjoyed meeting the competitors, coaches, volunteers and staff – and demonstrating his skills at a sport which he had enjoyed in his youth, as this photo shows. 

Sir Jack is survived by his wife Lady Frances Petchey, his daughters Jackie, Susan and Amanda and his grandchildren and great grandchildren.   

The thoughts of everyone at Table Tennis England are with them at this sad time. 

Table Tennis England CEO Adrian Christy has left a message of condolence on the online tribute page set up in Sir Jack’s memory. Anyone else wishing to leave a message can do so here.” 

Read more about Sir Jack Petchey’s story here on the Sir Jack Petchey Foundation website.

• 

With just two weeks to go until the end of the season in the Southend Summer League the situation is pretty clear at the top of Division 1as to where the honours will go. Rawreth, who have been top since the second week and who didn’t play this week, require just seven points from their last two games to clinch the title. They play Hockley A next week and their final match is against, essentially, their closest rivals Brand identity. For that to be the crunch decider will require a strong performance from Hockley.

The Hockley boys warmed up for next week with ease against their own B team winning 9-0 and only conceding one set all night. Ironically that came in the first set of the first match of the evening but after that it was all downhill for the B team. Stuart Adshead, Joseph Odegbami and Eamonn Hall took the honours and Hockley move up to fourth in the table.

Basildon A sit second in the table after beating Hadleigh A 7-2 but are still five points behind Rawreth and have just one game left to play. Mainstay of their win was Ian Wall who won both his doubles matches and didn’t lose a set in his two singles wins. Team mate Kim Shead wasn’t far behind him in terms of performance also winning both his singles but conceding one doubles loss, playing with Tony Ayliffe they lost in four sets to Jim Stait and Neil Barker. Barker got Hadleigh’s other point beating Ayliffe in straight sets but Ayliffe did record Basildon’s other point beating Berti Makoli in five close sets.

Stanford fielded reigning Southend singles champion Mitchell Jones for the first time this season and, not surprisingly, he led his team to a convincing 8-1 victory against Wakering. Peter Weatherall matched  Jones unbeaten performance on the night but Pat White went down in five sets to Zac England to give Wakering their consolation point. England edged home 13/11 in the deciding set. England also went close to getting a second point as he took Weatherall to five sets he led 2-1 at one stage but lost the last two 11/9 11/9.

Brand Identity lost a little bit of ground on leaders Rawreth as they won 5-4 at Invicta. Richard Jackman won both his singles for Brand as did Steve Marr for Invicta but a win for Steve Muth and two doubles wins made the difference for Brand. Keith Willett beat Dale Gutteridge for Invicta’s other point. Marr’s clash with Muth was the highlight of the evening Marr winning with an incredible scoreline of 11/7 1/11 11/1 9/11 11/8.

Player of the Week – Mitchell Jones

Team of the Week – Stanford A

Southend Summer League Division 1

Week 8 report

League leaders Rawreth have now fielded 11 players in their summer league campaign so far and this week it was the turn of Paul Brown to pull on the Rawreth shirt for the first time. He responded with a POTM performance just edging team mates Keith Adams and Russell Mills as they, somewhat predictably, recorded yet another 9-0 victory against bottom of the table and winless Hockley B. He also succeeded in perfecting the Tomahawk smash to the amazement of his team mates! The Hockley boys can take two crumbs of comfort from the match. Firstly they took a set off Rawreth in each of the doubles and secondly, Paul Strutt won more points against Adams than any other player has done so far this season! Gary Beck and Nischal Chugh made up their team.

Basildon A also turned in a 9-0 result at the expense of Wakering who, admittedly, were without their talisman Callum Turner. The Basildon boys made surprisingly quick work in disposing of the opposition only losing two sets all night. Zac England got one against Rob Burton and combining with Andrew Deadman in the doubles they took a set against Burton and Les Hoey. Tony Ayliffe made up the winning team and took the POTM award.

Brand Identity sit third in the table after an 8-1win against Stanford A. Brothers Simon and David Jacob were in unbeatable form winning all their games without dropping a set and Richard Jackman won his games too although he was taken the distance by Pat White. In a strange game the match see sawed finishing 11/8 5/11 11/0 13/15 11/4 in favour of Jackman. Stanford had to wait until the final game of the evening before chalking up their consolation point White and Peter Weatherall beating Jackman and Simon Jacob in four sets.

There were two close finishes in the league this week with firstly Basildon B edging out Hadleigh A 5-4. It was a case of ‘girl power’ proving to be the difference for Basildon as Dawn Baldry turned in a POTM performance beating Dave Woolmer and Satwant Gill although she was pushed close by team mate Arun Joy who also beat Gill and then convincingly beat Mick Tappenden. Basildon lost the first doubles of the evening but stayed in front after that Baldry’s win against Gill taking them to a match winning 5-3 lead before Tappenden and Gill beat Joy and Ashokkumar Sivanandam in the final doubles. Tappenden and Woolmer both beat Sivanandam in the singles for Hadleigh’s other points.

The other close finish saw Hockley A come back from 4-3 down to snatch a 5-4 victory against Invicta A. This match also saw a summer league debut for the globetrotting Tim Pang, returning from yet another holiday to win both his singles against Paul Sims and Lee Marson. Pang had to pull out all the stops against Marson after losing the first two sets he fought back to win the last three 11/5 11/6 12/10. Player of the match however was currently unbeaten Sanjay Saptarshi, who beat Marson and Keith Willet both in straight sets and then teamed up with Pang to beat Marson and Sims in the final doubles and clinch the match. Hockley’s Eamon Hall found the going a little bit too strong losing to Willet and Sims in straight sets.  

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