The Sudbury club have got two teams through to the semi-final of the Braintree Table Tennis League

handicap cup.

They have been kept apart in the draw so an all-Sudbury final is possible.  If so, it would be the first one-club final for 16 years.

Unlike previous rounds the quarter finals were all close affairs, two 5-4s, a 5-3 and a 6-3.

Sudbury Drifters were one of the 5-4 winners, coming from 4-3 down to beat Finchingfield B.  Ray Bradford did his best to thwart them by winning his three sets but two each for Geoff Barrett and Simon Grinham and one from Terry Hunneybel saw them through

Netts F accounted for the other 5-4 scoreline.  Three wins from Tom Verrier and two from James Howard accounted for Yeldham Whitlocks B.

Sudbury Strollers beat Black Notley G 5-3, with David Fiddeman unbeaten, while Rayne E had the most convincing win, 6-3 against Netts C, with Richard Whiteside’s three sets leading the way.

In the league division one the leaders both had comfortable victories, Netts A 8-2 against Rayne B and Sudbury Nomads 7-3 over Liberal A.

James Hicks was unbeaten for Netts while Karl Baldwin, Ken Lewis and Richard Fifield all won two for Nomads.

There were also two wins each for Adam Clift, Sean Clift and Chris Parr in Netts B’s 7-3 win over Sudbury Wanderers

In rearranged matches, Liberal B sprang something of a surprise by beating their own A team 6-4 (Ashley Skeggs unbeaten) while Rayne won the battle of the B teams with a win by the same score against Netts’ second string.  Peter Hance and Adi Kamma were unbeaten

In division two, Netts C improved their chances of the runners-up medals with a 7-3 win over Notley D but the smart money remains on Sudbury Strollers climbing from their lowly perch once they catch up on their matches.

They beat the higher-placed Rayne E 7-3 to make it five wins in a row.

In a rearranged match Rayne E made up for that defeat with an 8-2 win over Finchingfield A, Whiteside and James Grimston unbeaten.

Yeldham A owed their 6-4 win over Rayne D to Doug Sanders who for the first time this season bettered his teammate Roy Hooper, who lost to Dean Andrews.  Sanders dismissed Andrews 11-4, 11-4, 11-8.

Notley C featured in two close matches, a draw with Netts D and a 6-4 win over Notley D.

The fast-improving JJ Calisin took his three singles and the doubles with dad Jimmy for Netts D

Jamie Brooks was one of his victims but he recovered to win all three in their later match.

Report by Ron Fosker

Southend League – Division 2

The final week of the season and whilst the top and bottom positions in the league had been decided the second promotion and relegation places had yet to be confirmed. Three teams were involved at the bottom of the table Invicta B (54pts), Matchpoint C (54pts) and Hockley E (58pts). Invicta had to play Hockley and Matchpoint C had to play their B team who were also involved in the battle for promotion. To avoid relegation Invicta needed 7 points to finish above Hockley, Hockley required 3 points to finish above Invicta whilst Matchpoint C require a minimum of 5 points to beat Hockley’s total but more depending on their result against Invicta. Invicta and Hockley played first so Matchpoint would know exactly how many points were required when they came to play.

The week started at Invicta and Hockley found themselves without the returning Dave Chenery who was unbeaten in his previous games so far, but got off to the best possible start with Richard Kidd beating Andrew St. John in straight sets. After that though the Invicta boys found little resistance racing through the next six games to lead 6-1 just one short of their target. Kidd then came to Hockley’s rescue again as he came back from two sets down against Keith Baxter to keep his team in with a chance of getting that vital third point, but only to see it all end in vain as St. John defeated John George in straight sets to save Invicta and leave Hockley on the brink. John Blackman, with three wins, made up the winning Invicta team.

All eyes now turned to the ‘derby’ match between Matchpoint C and B. The C team now new they needed 7 points to ensure safety and relegate Hockley and, at the same time, the B team needed just 2 points to overtake Canvey in second place and gain promotion to Division 1. On paper this should have been a straight forward win for the B team the C team having struggled most of the season winning just three games. Admittedly they were without injured captain John Lott but they did have Hannah Harbour who boasted an unbeaten record in the league this season. Surely if she played she should win her three games, enough to promote the B team and relegate the C. To quote a well known saying however, ‘the show’s not over until the fat lady sings,’ and when the teams lined up on the night you would be hard put to tell which team was B and which was C.

The B team fielded regular Colin Barham but then had to call on D team players Poppy Sherman and Gary Crouch whilst the C team turned out regulars Richard Sloman, Samuel Morgan and Zachary Samuels. What would the Hockley players be thinking when they saw that line up? Whatever they did they wouldn’t have expected what happened as the C team ran out 9-0 winners to save themselves and prevent the B team from going up to Division 1. Hockley must have been distraught!  The match was remarkably one sided with one match going to five sets, two going to four sets but the rest all done in straight sets. The bookies would have done well on that one!

Turning to the rest of the games with the top two teams now confirmed, Hockley D, sitting in fourth place, thumped Stanford 9-0 and moved up a place into third after Matchpoint B’s unexpected defeat. In truth, they didn’t have to work too hard as Stanford had to call on Karen Kempster and Andrew Jessop from their D team to play with regular Randy Santiago but they were outclassed by the Hockley team of Brian Bissenden, Howard Collins and Paul Ogden. Not one set dropped all night!

Final match of the season saw already relegated Basildon C at home to Runnymede who, unfortunately, could only field two players. Having that advantage helped Basildon to a 7-2 win with Ross Letham winning his two games whilst Michael Elemide and Anton Kudyniuk weighed in with a point each. Andrew Humphris also got a brace for Runnymede.

Team of the Week – Invicta B

Player of the Week – John Blackman

As the end of the season approaches, a touch of vertigo has set in at the top of
division three of the Braintree Table Tennis League where both the leading
contenders suffered surprise defeats.
Black Notley E and Finchingfield B had only one reverse each behind them but found
their records dented by Rayne F and Notley H respectively, in both cases by 6-4.
Finchingfield had an excuse in that their top player Lucien Nolan-Bradford was
absent.
Stewart Grant won twice, including a good win over Wayne Wilson, who had lost only
eight out of 38.
But it was Wayne’s son 17-year-old son Harry who was the star of the evening,
winning all three.
No excuses for Notley E, who had their No.1 Peter Davenport in action against
Rayne F.
But he lost for only the fourth time when Dave Whiting, who had lost to him in the
first half of the season, edged home at 11-8 in the fifth game.
Whiting completed his hat-trick for the evening while Karl Bowden, borrowed from
the G team, added two more and Alastair Brown one.
Earlier it had been Nolan-Bradford whose record received its first dent of the season.
After an outstanding run of eleven matches without defeat, he was unable to wear
down a resolute Ben Southgate, who triumphed 16-14 in the fifth game in the match
against Notley G.
Surprisingly it was Finchingfield’s only blemish as Ray Bradford and Chad Rose led
them to a 9-1 win.
That win enabled them to close the gap on Notley E to three points as their rivals
were held to a draw by Netts F, Davenport undefeated this time.

With a match in hand, Finchingfield would appear to be in the driving seat, but they
have a tough run-in with two matches against Rayne F and one against Netts F, the
teams in fourth and third place respectively, while Notley E face the teams currently
seventh, eighth and eleventh.
Netts F – equal with Rayne F on points and matches won but ahead because they
have drawn more matches – added a 7-3 win over Notley G while Rayne F had a 6-4
win over Sudbury Drifters, Whiting inflicting only the second defeat of the season on
Graham Turner.
Before their victory over Finchingfield B, Notley H had gone down 6-4 to Notley F,
despite three wins for Wayne Wilson.
Yeldham Whitlocks B improved their chances of staying out of the bottom two with a
7-3 victory over Rayne G, including a good win for Steve Willis over Karl Bowden, a
player with 35 wins out of 42 behind him.

Report by Ron Fosker

The Nomads and Brotherhood Clubs are dominating the Clacton and
District League’s Handicap Cup competition this season, with two
teams from each Club reaching the semi-finals.
The all-Division Two quarter-final between Nomads Tigers and
Brotherhood F proved a nail-biter, the scores see-sawing
throughout the evening. Brotherhood won four of the five matches
which went the distance but it was the Tigers who, from 4-3 down,
took the final two matches of the evening to emerge narrow 5-4
victors.
In a fine team effort, Tom Wilkin, Matt Sage and Alex Baldock each
won one singles for the Tigers, with skipper Wilkin combining with
his team-mates to take two of the three doubles played.
Cup-holders Nomads Lions booked their place in the semi-finals by
avenging a defeat in the Group stage by Brotherhood J, edging past
their Second Division opponents 5-3. The match-score stood all 3-3
but Paul Hume and Ethan Lloyd pulled out the stops to take a
singles win apiece to seal the deal for the Lions. Hume, who
remained unbeaten on the night, was involved in the closest match
of the contest, (on-6) beating the Brotherhood number one Joe
Sherwin (+2) 11-7 in the decider.
In the only all-Division One tie, Brotherhood A ended the Windsor
Club’s involvement in the competition this year with a 5-1 victory
over the Hawks. The first two matches proved pivotal,
Brotherhood’s Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young (-6) taking the
opening doubles 11-6 in the fifth against Scott Campbell and John
Barton (+2), and Daniel Young (-1) beating Andy Vincent (+2), also
11-6 in the fifth. Two singles wins for Gowlett, who remained
unbeaten, and one for Gary Young secured the victory.

Division Two Brotherhood D are the fourth side in the semi-finals.
They used their handicap advantages to good effect against club-
mates Brotherhood C from Division One to win 5-0, Russell Stone,
Kevin Pryor and Lily Liu the wining trio. Only one match went the
distance, Liu (+1) defeating John Cleasby (-6) 11-5 in the fifth.
So the semi-finals will see two teams from each of the Brotherhood
and Nomads clubs, with each Club being represented by a First
Division and Second Division team. Nomads Lions, the Cup-holders,
will be aiming to become the first team in forty years to win the Cup
in successive seasons, a feat last achieved by Great Holland A in
1985 and 1986. Meanwhile, Nomads Tigers, who played last season
as Nomads Bobcats, will be hoping to go one better than last year
when they finished as beaten finalists.
There still remains the prospect of an all-Division One final between
the League’s top teams; or there could be an all-Second Division
final for the first time since 2005; or it could be an all-Nomads or
all-Brotherhood final. All will depend on the draw which will be
made within the next few days.

• Brotherhood A’s good week continued in Division One of the
  League when the same Cup-winning trio of Young, Young and
  Gowlett inflicted a comprehensive 10-0 defeat on Walton A to move
  back to the top of the table. All the matches, except the doubles,
  were settled in three-straight, Gowlett and Gary Young defeating
  Mark Gale and Paul Meikle 11-7 in the decider.
  Windsor Eagles took all four matches which went the distance to
  defeat Nomads Panthers 9-1. Gary Cattermole and John Pattrick
  both took hat-tricks, although it was 12-10 in the fifth for Pattrick
  against John Hatley and an even tighter 14-12 in the fifth for the
  same player against Kevin James. Hatley’s victory over Gavin Price
  in the opening match of the evening was the Panthers’ sole success.
  The Panthers, playing with a reserve, suffered a second defeat, this
  at the hands of Windsor Hawks, Felipe Rodriguez, Andy Vincent and
  Scott Campbell each winning two in their 6-4 victory. For the
  Panthers, Denes Somodi won two and shared a 13-11 in the fifth
  doubles win with Gill Locke over Rodriguez and Campbell. Locke
  enjoyed a win over Rodriguez, but went down 11-4 in the decider to
  Campbell and 11-9 in the decider to Vincent.
  Although Nomads Panthers remain a highly-talented and much-
  respected outfit, these results may well signal the end of an era for
  a team which has ruled over Clacton League table tennis in recent
  seasons. The Panthers’ record of winning the First Division title for a
  record twelve years in succession from 2012-13 to 2024-25 is a

proud one, and one which may stand for many years to come.
For the record, this week was the first time since the 2010-11
season, a season in which the Panthers finished mid-table, that a
Panthers’ side has lost 9-1, and also the first time since then that
they’ve lost two consecutive League matches.
Just one match in Division Two saw Windsor Penguins defeat
Windsor Harriers 7-3 for a second time this season. Barry Allen took
all three of the Harriers’ points, his treble including an 11-3 in the
decider win over Paul Woolnough and an 11-7 in the decider win
over Kelvin Olano-Harper. However, two each for Olano-Harper,
Woolnough and the improving Paul Stanton, plus an 11-8 in the fifth
doubles win for Olano-Harper and Stanton over Allen and Isabel
Barton, gave the Penguins a well-deserved victory.
Every player picked up at least a point as Brotherhood E edged past
Walton C 6-4 in Division Three. Jack Hillier’s treble for
Brotherhood included a 12-10 in the decider win over Lynette
Sparks, while Tony Edmonds and Joe Hillier each won one, Hillier
beating Adrian Sexton 11-9 in the decider. However, the doubles
ultimately proved crucial, Joe Hillier and Rodney Betts getting past
Sparks and Sexton 13-11, 15-17, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10. For Walton,
Sparks won two, and Sexton and Pallett one each. The two sides
are now level in fourth place on 65 points.
Holland Lancasters and Windsor Falcons are also two closely-
matched teams, separated by just two points in the League, and so
it was somewhat appropriate that their match finished all-square.
Peter Evans recorded a hat-trick for the Lancasters and shared an
11-4 in the fifth doubles win with Dave Wright over Gary Barnes
and Nikki Hayes. Dave Wright picked up the fifth Lancasters’ point.
For the Falcons, there were two each for Barnes and Hayes, Hayes
enjoying a fine 11-6 in the fifth victory over Wright, while there was
a win on League debut for Windsor’s Josh Court.
But it was far easier for the Lancasters against a Nomads Ocelots’
team once again having to play with a guest, Evans, Wright and
Tony Aresti taking it 10-0 for the Holland side.

• The closing date for this year’s Closed Championships is fast
  approaching. All entries must be in by Friday 20th March. The
  Championships, once again sponsored by Gary Cattermole and The
  Survey Initiative, take place on 11th and 12th April at the Lift
  School (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall.
• The League’s Quiz Evening takes place next Saturday (21st
  March) at the Brotherhood Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. The cost, for

teams of up to six people, is £5.00 per person. For more
information, or to enter a team, telephone Ferdy Rodriguez on
07565 767266 or 01255 830951, or e-mail Ferdy on
fernando.rodriguez@sky.com
RESULTS
Handicap Cup : Round Two
Brotherhood A 5 Windsor Hawks 1;
Brotherhood D 5 Brotherhood C 0;
Nomads Lions 5 Brotherhood J 3;
Nomads Tigers 5 Brotherhood F 4.
League
Division One
Walton A 0 Brotherhood A 10;
Windsor Eagles 9 Nomads Panthers 1;
Windsor Hawks 6 Nomads Panthers 4.
Division Two
Windsor Penguins 7 Windsor Harriers 3.
Division Three
Brotherhood E 6 Walton C 4;
Holland Lancasters 5 Windsor Falcons 5;
Nomads Ocelots 0 Holland Lancasters 10.

Report by Tony Oswick

The big dogs in the top Division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League met this week in what could have been a big-winner-takes all battle.  A battle did ensue and Cold Norton B were the surprise victors on the night but the tight margin of that victory means that Fambridge can still nick the title at the death – so all eyes on the final round of matches and the League adjudicators calculator.

A strong Fambridge side travelled to Cold Norton this week knowing that a high scoring victory would probably secure an unexpected title and leave Cold Norton B weeping tears of what might have been.  Despite illness and injury in the Norton camp they fielded what would traditionally be their strongest line-up but would their bodies hold up across what was surely to be an eventful evening.  Sky and TNT were both in town to record and broadcast the ‘Battle of Burnham’ so everyone was on edge.  The opening game set the scene as Fambridge supremo and England’s finest John Poysden took an early 2-1 lead over the recovering Eric Green.  From somewhere deep inside Green fought back to square the match at 2-2 and then the decider went to a tense deuce battle – with both players having match points in the tit-for-tat rallies that took this one match over the ½ hour mark.  Eventually Green won through 16-14 and that swing of 2 points may be the difference come the reckoning hour.  What a start!  Keith Adams then pulled one back against the injured Ian Wall before a very focussed Sam Lowman got the better of Bruce Kettle to put Cold Norton 2-1 up.  Poysden avenged his early 5 set loss with a 5 set victory over Wall to maintain the rollercoaster scoring.  Cold Norton then turned the screws with 2 wins on the bounce – a 5 set battle that saw Green turn the Kettle off, and Lowman out loopylooped Adams.  The doubles was crucial – and another 5 setter for the in-house crowd and the millions tuned in across the world.  Green and Lowman let a 2-1 lead slip as Kettle and Adams took the tight 4^th set 13-11 – but this only served to rouse the Norton pairing and they won out 11-6 in the decider – another crucial battle won on the night.  At 5-2 the Norton Boys were in shock and their final point came as Sam Lowman wrapped up his hat-trick and the overall 6-4 victory against Poysden.  So the teams are 2 points apart with just one round of fixtures to go – watch this space. 

Elsewhere in the top Division there was an alphabetical upset in the Woodham derby when B defeated A – great to see some of our younger players hitting hat-tricks.  Peter Harverson took his second treble of the season, and Harry Sawford bagged his third, with thridwheel Eamonn Hall taking two points, only losing out to Dan Piglet who nicked the A team’s only singles point of the evening.  Mapledene B had an excellent win over Cold Norton A with some notable victories within the 7-3 scoreline.  Simon Jacob continues his fine run of form with another treble that takes him into the tournament as a real contender for a Finals Night feature.  Jacob’s toughest match was a comeback 5-setter against the lively Matt Stringer.  In fact Stringer was strung out all evening as he was subjected to two further 5 set skirmishes.  He almost lost out against Penhold wizard Colin Chatfield despite taking an early 2-0 lead.  Chatfield fought back but Stringer just had the edge in the decider as he won out 11-8.  However he couldn’t hold out against the tricky style of David Jacob and in the final leg it was the consistent and thoughtful style of Jacob that took the points against the more flamboyant Stringer style.  Between them Chatfield and David Jacob did get the better of Stringer in the doubles – a short one for Mr Stringer as it only lasted 4 sets!  For Cold Norton Charles Sweeny took two points on the night to keep the scorecard respectable. 

The battle for supremacy in Division 2 took a well earned break this week leaving us time to focus on the amazing battle at the other end of the table where 5 teams are now separated by just 2 points and race to be relegated is as tight as an otter’s pocket.   Cold Norton D remain on the precipice with just 2 games to go but curried up an unexpected win this week against a strong Mapledene C side.  A 6-4 victory wasn’t quite enough to jump off the bottom but they are now in a 3 way tie for the automatic relegation slot.  Neil Want hit two wins including a tight 12-10 in the fifth delight over Lin Roff, no doubt the winning shot was a dodgy net.  Rob Harris also chipped in with 2 wins, and then combined with Want for the doubles bonus.  Tony Forster added the final point with another 5 setter as he came from behind to get past the tricky Mike Johnston.  For Mapledene both Denis Squirrell and Roff took two wins for their haul across the evenings play.  Maldon C lost out to Blackwater B by a 7-3 margin and that puts them level at the bottom with both Maldon B and Cold Norton D.  The Maldon trio team took a real Quelching at the hands of Blackwater B as they succumbed to the cultured play of talisman Simon Quelch.  Quelch took his hat-trick although struggled to get past the defensive nous of Brian Riedling and only eventually won out at 14-12 in the decider.  Merv Perriman was in fine fettle with two 3 leg victories and then just lost out to Marty Englander 11-9 in the fifth.   Woodham C in full uniform took a well earned 6-4 triumph over the tricky Cold Norton E trio.  In a friendly atmosphere where little was at stake every player took at least a point.  For Woodham Alan Dadswell and Skippy Perry hit braces, as did Dick Wyman for the Nortonians.  Special mention to Oscar Wyman who won another point for his team as he defeated last year’s Roy Davis Cup winner Allan Steel in straight sets.  Next week sees the much anticipated top of the table clash to see if Maldon A will falter under the burgeoning challenge of Blackwater A.

Positions in Division 3 are largely confirmed already but a full set of fixtures this week saw Champions Blackwater C hit another 10-0 whitewash.  This week’s hapless victims being St Lawrence.  A hat-trick of trebles for Gary Smith, Peter Davenport and Tina Hutchinson.   Maldon E had a very good 7-3 return against Blackwater E with John Leavett in cracking form with another hat-trick to his name.  Blackwater D edged a tight one against Blackwater F courtesy of a fine display from Jason Bush.  Bush went unbeaten in singles and doubles as his D team ran out 6-4 winners, with Keith Thompson the best of the F side with 2 wins on the night.  In the final match of the week Tim Huxtable took centre stage as his hat-trick helped his Maldon D side secure a draw with Woodham D.  In support of the mighty Huxtable, team supremo Shirley Carroll took 2 wins, only losing out in a 4 setter with Woodham’s top player Simon Thomas.

____________________________________________

Eamonn Hall, Press Officer

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

____________________________________________

Pic 1 – Sam Lowman (Cold Norton B) with the most important hat-trick of the week

Pic 2 – Colin Chatfield versus Matt Stringer in a 5 set marathon this week.

Pic 3 – Peter Harverson taking his hat-trick for Woodham B this week.

Pic 4 – Colin Chatfield and David Jacob pairing up for an excellent doubles bonus

Pic 5 – Dick Wyman and Alan Dadswell go toe-to-beard

Pic 6 – Division 1 table.

In the season’s penultimate round of fixtures in Division 1 following a very successful Closed Championships,Hockley C confirmed their second place position with an emphatic 9 – 0 whitewash of visiting Mapledene. The division’s restricted champion William Evesham and team mates Elliot Brackenbury and Stephanie Haddrell were all unstoppable, dropping only one set each all evening. 
Visiting Canvey A were not phased by Wakering A’s Barbara Chabior’s new titles of Ladies Singles and Doubles champion. The new holder was well beaten by both POM Peter Cray and Ray Wilson in a 6 – 3 Canvey victory. Martin Shaughnessy was again the host’s best player winning two, with Barbara getting the other point.
Bottom side Hadleigh Forum C put up a spirited fight against visitors Stanford Le Hope B. A Paul Fawell hat trick, with two wins from Graham Farmer, gave Forum only their second victory of the season. Colleague Mark Everard was unlucky not to get the better of Mark Moxham, losing 14 – 16 in the fifth set. Stanford’s Mark and Ladies and Mixed Doubles winner Tina Hutchinson gained one contest each for the visitors, whilst Robert Savage won two.
Basildon B hosted Hadleigh Forum B in what was both sides’ last match of the season. An excellent maximum from Over 70s runner up Dave Woolmer and one success each for Tony Jacks and Anthon Ranjit-Singh were sufficient to give Forum a 5 – 4 away win. Jenne Seibolt had two victories for Basildon and Kieran Wood and Chudi Ukpaka one each.

Report by David Barnes

With matters looking very much settled at the top of Division 2 it’s far from decided at the bottom. Whilst Basildon C’s fate was sealed by an 8-1 defeat against Hockley E who goes down with them will be decided in the final week of the season. Matchpoint C occupy that position at the moment but only because Invicta B, who have the same number of points, have won more games. Four points above them lie Hockley E. The final games see Hockley go away to Invicta whilst Matchpoint C must take on their own B team in the other. Bearing in mind the B team could clinch second place and promotion with just two points that will be an intriguing encounter. The C team will have the advantage of knowing exactly how many points they require as they play after the Invicta/ Hockley match. The only definite permutation available is that Hockley will be safe if they get four points. Hockley will go into their match, however, without talisman Dave Chenery who is unbeaten in the three games he has played so far.

The week started with champions Wakering B completing their season with a thumping 8-1 defeat of Stanford B. It wasn’t all one sided though as Michael Grout had to twice come back from two sets down before beating Randy Santiago and Mike Trendell with that pattern being repeated yet again as Trendell lost to Andy Deadman. Otherwise there was another hat trick for Callum Turner, Grout completed his also and Stanford’s solitary point came courtesy of Peter Moxham’s straight sets win against Deadman. Stanford will finish their season in a respectable fifth place.

The other match at the top of the table saw Canvey B take on Hockley D and a Brian Bissenden inspired performance saw them edge a 5-4 win. The evening started well for the Islanders winning the first two games but Hockley hit back in style winning the next five games. Bissenden was at the heart of this winning all his matches and just dropping one set whilst team mates Howard Collins and Paul Strutt added the extra points beating Kevin Walsingham and Tony Westwell respectively. Last game of the evening saw Terry Giddens defeat Collins in five sets coming back from 9-6 down in the final set to win 12/10. Canvey stay second in the table at the moment but having completed their season it seems likely Matchpoint B will push them into third place.  Hockley will finish fourth whatever their result from their final game next week against Stanford.

Hockley E’s win against Basildon C could turn out to be the game that saves them from any threat of relegation giving them a useful four point buffer between themselves and rivals Invicta and Matchpoint C. The fate of this game was virtually determined after the first two games of this match as firstly Richard Coulon withstood a two set comeback from Richard Reibold and won the decider 13/11 and then David Chenery overcame a 2-1 deficit to beat Michael Elemide 11/8 in the fifth set. After that things went entirely Hockley’s way as they won the next six games until Elemide gained a late consolation point beating Coulon in straight sets. Richard Kidd pipped Chenery for the POTM award getting just his second hat trick of the season the first one coming also, against Basildon. Basildon take the wooden spoon then in this division and must now start planning for next season in Division 3.

Matchpoint B travelled to Runnymede with hopes of finishing second still strong but again unable to field their strongest team with no sign of John Lott, Hannah Harbour or Dennis Squirrell. Added to that they knew they would probably be facing Tony Millward who had lost only one match all season. In the end however the two replacements in the side called up from the C team, Richard Sloman and Samuel Morgan, proved more than adequate support for regular Colin Barham as they ran out 6-3 winners. Matchpoint started brilliantly with young Morgan coming back from 2-1 down to beat Millward in five sets winning the last two 13/11 12/10. Richard Sloman then stepped up to beat Steve McQuillan on his way to a POTM performance which also included a comeback win against Millward in five sets. Morgan finished with two wins but was denied a hat trick by Steve Wisbey who edged him out 13/11 in another five set match. Barham got the other point for Matchpoint whilst Wisbey finished with a brace for Runnymede and, unusually, Millward finished with just one win.

Team of the Week – Matchpoint B

Player of the Week – Richard Sloman

Report by Paul Strutt

With the destination of the Division 3 title already decided, attention has turned to the
battle to be runners-up.
Hockley ‘F’ have occupied second place for much of the season and, in the 2-week
break for the Closed Championships, they played a couple of rearranged matches.
Their opponents in these matches were the junior teams of Evolve ‘B’ and Hockley ‘G’
and no mercy was shown in either, as they recorded successive 9–0 victories. Gary
Beck and his team are clearly doing all they can to get promoted.
In the scheduled matches in week 25, they were first out of the blocks as they
entertained Stanford ‘D’. Although the visitors were only able to field two players,
Hockley failed to take full advantage, as none of their team were able to lower the
colours of Martin Winter, who has been in good form all season, and turned in an
unbeaten performance. So, with a 6/3 victory here, Hockley completed their fixtures for
the season, and set a stiff target of 24 points from 3 matches for their rivals, Evolve ‘A’,
to pip them for second place.
They set about this challenge in determined fashion, with a 9-0 win over Wakering ‘C’.
Miles Bygrave, who has been their stand-out player this season, duly delivered again
with a perfect hat-trick, well supported by his team-mates Teddy Kent and Sasha
Syderenko.
In the battle between two teams at the lower end of the division, Evolve ‘B’ achieved
only their second win of the season, recording a 7/2 win over Matchpoint ‘D’. Zac
Eighteen was the POTM with a maximum with his comrades, Joseph Omigie and
Charlie Renshaw, adding a double each.
The other match this week saw Hockley ‘G’ entertain Canvey ‘C’, and it was the visitors
who prevailed. Young Alex Carruthers, in only his second match led the way with a fine
maximum. Andy O’Rawe was also unbeaten, and David Coverley added a brace as the
Islanders returned home with an 8/1 victory. George Higgins was the solitary point
winner for Hockley.
With one round of scheduled matches to play, Hockley ‘F’ have 112 points, but they
have completed their fixtures. Evolve ‘A’ have 98 points but still have two matches to
play. Game on in the race for second spot in Division 3!

Report by Dave Woolmer

Any lingering hopes Sudbury Nomads may have had of wresting Netts A’s Braintree Table Tennis League title from them were emphatically extinguished when the two met for a second time.

Netts’ 8-2 win was as convincing as it looks and left the champions 20 points clear at the top.

Paul Davison was at his most devastating.  He was never stretched beyond 11-6 in any of his nine games and conceded a total of only 34 points throughout the evening.

Andy Dosher also won his three sets, although he was stretched to four games twice, while Nomads’ only consolation was that Andy Holmes could not follow suit, losing to Aron Jordan and Richard Fifield.

The most notable feature of Liberal A’s 8-2 win over Netts B was the sight of Peter Hayden’s name on the scorecard for the first time since his knee operation in November.

Not yet the vintage Hayden, but good enough to take two sets.

He said afterwards: ‘It’s healing nicely and muscle is building well. I just haven’t got the work into it in terms of any endurance. I was knackered taking my tracksuit off!’

It was Chris Parr who got the better of him, but he lost to Scott Dowsett, who took all three for Liberal.

Liberal’s B team shared the points with Sudbury Wanderers in a merry-go-round of a match.  For Liberal, David Razzell and Ashley Skeggs won two and Garry Fryatt one while Wanderers’ Ian Shrubsole won twice with David Hitchen and Colin Moss picking up one each.

Not so much a merry-go-round as a steep slide for Black Notley B when facing their own A team.  Alesha Ellis-Austin, Roger Hance and Steve Noble took all ten for the A team.

Division two continues to entertain.

This week it was Netts D’s turn to bounce back after sinking to the bottom.  They rose from tenth to sixth place with a 7-3 win over third-placed Rayne D.

They were indebted to a surge of form from Clive Forster, who took his three singles after a run of only four wins in his 15 outings so far this season.

The other major jumpers were Notley C, who recovered the four places they lost the previous week with an 8-2 win over Finchingfield A.  Jamie Brooks was unbeaten with Matt Brooks and Lawrence Grantham scoring twice.

Sudbury Strollers, still behind on their matches, again showed their potential with a 6-4 win over second-placed Netts C.

David Fiddeman stretched his unbeaten record to 18 sets

Netts C’s defeat enabled Rayne C to stretch their lead at the top to 31 points (from one more match) with a 7-3 win over Yeldham Whitlocks A.

Report by Ron Fosker

The title fight in Division One of the Clacton League is the closest it’s been for many years, with little to choose between Brotherhood A and Nomads Lions.

Brotherhood A are marginal favourites and they maintained their good form this week with an 8-2 success over the dangerous Windsor Eagles. The ever-reliable Kevin Gowlett remained unbeaten, with Gracie Edwards and Gary Young each winning two. John Pattrick picked up the two Eagles’ points.

Nomads Lions played twice and recorded two 7-3 victories. In their first match, they beat Brotherhood B, Charlie Fulcher’s treble including an 11-6 in the fifth win over Russell Hillier and an 11-4 in the fifth win over Joe Plummer. Jason Lloyd and Adam Wilkin each won two. But Hillier proved a thorn in the Lions’ side, winning two and sharing an excellent doubles success with Plummer over Fulcher and Lloyd.

The vastly-improved Ethan Lloyd was the Lions’ star player in their second match against Windsor Hawks, taking a well-deserved maximum. Jason Lloyd won two, including an 11-7 in the decider win over Scott Campbell, and Adam Wilkin one. Andy Vincent won a couple for the Hawks, although it was a close 11-7 in the fifth against Wilkin.  

The Lions now lead the table by five points but Brotherhood A have a game in hand, and the result of the match between the two teams at the end of March could well determine the final destination of the 2025/26 Division One title.

Elsewhere, the meeting of the Walton A and B teams ended with honours even for a second time this season. Every player picked up at least one point but the ‘B’ team’s Pete Burrows was the undefeated player of the match. Clive Allenby and Graham Buxton, with an 11-6 in the fifth win over Paul Meikle, were the other points-scorers for the ‘B’ team. For Walton A, there were a couple for Mark Gale, one each for Meikle and Derek Willis, plus a Gale/Meikle doubles win, only their second doubles success of the season.

Brotherhood C were 9-1 winners over a Windsor Buzzards’ side fielding a guest player, Dave Miller and Tim Leung staying undefeated. Two matches went the distance, Miller beating Andy Cawley 11-5 in the decider and Dave Martin taking a consolation point for the Buzzards with an 11-8 in the decider victory over Graham Playle.

Top met bottom in Division Two, and, predictably, Brotherhood G beat Windsor Kestrels 10-0. Mark Boyland, Mark Beckham and John Gallagher were the winning trio, although Beckham struggled against Peter Aumord before emerging victorious 11-7 in the decider. It was only the second 10-0 result in the Division all season.

Second-placed Brotherhood F were 7-3 winners against Nomads Jaguars who were forced, at the last minute, to include a guest player. Mark Salter remained unbeaten for Brotherhood while  Chris Petrou’s couple for the Jaguars included the only five-setter of the encounter, defeating Paul Alden 11-9 in the decider.

Hat-tricks for Joe Sherwin and Tom Bryden were more than enough to give Brotherhood J an 8-2 win over Windsor Harriers. Brotherhood’s Lucy Carvell was involved in the only two matches which went the distance, getting the better of Ferdy Rodriguez but going down to Barry Allen. Isabel Barton picked up the second Harriers’ point.

Ian Sherwood produced his best form of the season, the Lawford skipper staying unbeaten to lead his side to an 8-2 success over Windsor Penguins. His hat-trick included an unexpected 11-9 in the decider victory over Kelvin Olano-Harper. John Colvin and Richard Spence won two each for Lawford, as did Olano-Harper for the Penguins.

Another captain, Brotherhood D’s Fred Gallone, was also in good nick, notching up a first hat-trick of the season as his side defeated Nomads Tigers 7-3. Kevin Pryor won two, including an 11-9 in the fifth win over Tom Wilkin, and Lily Liu one. Matt Sage won two for the Tigers.

Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Gary Simpson of Brotherhood H took another step to the Division Three title with a comprehensive 10-0 victory over third-placed Nomads Leopards, a result which probably scuppers the Leopards’ outside chance of finishing as runners-up.

Current second-placed side Holland Hurricanes defeated Walton C 8-2 for a second time this season. Gary Stallwood took his three, with Gerry Widnell and Ian Gwillim each picking up a couple. Just one match went to five, Widnell getting the better of Adrian Sexton in a tight tussle, 7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12, 12-10.

The Windsor Falcons v Brotherhood E match ended all-square, a first draw of the season for the Falcons but a third for Brotherhood. Jack Hillier impressed once again for Brotherhood with a treble, Joe Hillier and Rodney Betts both winning one. Gary Barnes and Matt Thomas each won two for the Falcons and shared a five-set doubles win, although Barnes’ 12-10 in the decider win over Betts was the closest match of the contest.

Windsor Magpies have been running on just two fit players for most of the second-half of the season and, as they were again forced to field a guest against Holland Vulcans, it was little surprise they went down 6-4. Bob Keefe remained unbeaten for the Vulcans, with John Plummer winning two for the Magpies.

* This year’s Closed Championships take place on 11th and 12th April at the Lift School (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall. The closing date for entries is Friday 20th March. As well as being a highly-competitive two days table tennis with thirteen titles at stake, the Tournament is a friendly and highly-sociable occasion, with the opportunity to watch the League’s top players in action.  

For a fifth year, the Championships are being sponsored by The Survey Initiative. The League is most grateful to Gary Cattermole for his continued and generous sponsorship of the Championships which, among other things, has enabled the entry fees to remain unchanged since 2017. Very many thanks, Gary.

* The League’s Quiz Evening is on Saturday 21st March at the Brotherhood Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. This is one of the League’s regular fund-raising events and, as it benefits all players in the day-to-day running of the League, the organisers hope that as many players as possible will support it. The cost, for teams of up to six people, is £5.00 per person, bring your own drinks and nibbles. For more information, or to enter a team, telephone Ferdy Rodriguez on 07565 767266 or 01255 830951, or e-mail Ferdy on fernando.rodriguez@sky.com

RESULTS

Division 1

Brotherhood A 8 Windsor Eagles 2;

Walton B 5 Walton A 5;

Windsor Buzzards 1 Brotherhood C 9;

Nomads Lions 7 Windsor Hawks 3;

Brotherhood B 3 Nomads Lions 7.

Division 2

Brotherhood G 10 Windsor Kestrels 0;

Nomads Tigers 3 Brotherhood D 7;

Lawford 8 Windsor Penguins 2;

Brotherhood F 7 Nomads Jaguars 3;

Windsor Harriers 2 Brotherhood J 8.

Division 3

Windsor Falcons 5 Brotherhood E 5;

Walton C 2 Holland Hurricanes 8;

Nomads Leopards 0 Brotherhood H 10;

Holland Vulcans 6 Windsor Magpies 4.

Report by Tony Oswick

In Division 2 of the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League the battle for supremacy was heightened this week as Blackwater A moved within 1 point of long time leaders, and bookies favourites, Maldon A.  These two behemoths of the division meet each other later this month in what is being billed as ‘The Battle of Blackwater’.

Blackwater A, and their variety box of styles and rubbers, have been slowly closing in on long time Division 2 leaders Maldon A.  Following this week’s 10-0 drubbing of Stow Maries B Blackwater are now within a point of the leaders and are busily prepping their tactics and sharpening their pimples for the title defining clash later in March (tickets have already sold out for this one).  The Blackwater trio of Noah Sage, Denis Balic, and Neil Freeman all hit trebles this week with Stow’s Dave Marsh putting up the most resistance with 2 five setters and a long 4 set loss to Balic.   This Blackwaterian crew certainly have the momentum – let’s see if the have the bottle and nous to finish the job.  Elsewhere in the division Steve Aspland led his Maldon B side to a decent 6-4 victory over Dick Wyman’s Cold Norton E.  Aspland notched a hat-trick only really struggling in a comeback 5 setter against Wyman senior.  James Raymond won 2 points for the B team on his call up, with young Oscar Wyamn holding his nerve in a tasty 5 set victory for Cold Norton over Garry Eames.  The Wyman ‘twins’ then combined for a comfortable doubles point to keep the score respectable.  Maldon C hosted Woodham C and in a friendly encounter they all agreed that a draw was the best outcome all round.  The star player was Woodham’s Tim Pulham with a hat-trick of singles even though he survived a mighty comeback from Dawn Baldry to eventually overcome his foe in 5 sets.  Woodham’s Dave Penrose had a busy evening playing 19 out of the maximum 20 legs available to him.  He came through in 5 sets against both Baldry and Brian Riedling but lost out in 4 to Maldon’s best player on the night Marty Englander.  Baldry and Englander paired up for the ever-so-close and ever-so-important doubles point – only squeezing through 12-10 in the decider – to ensure the draw.

In Division 3 we have already reported that Blackwater C have secured the title with weeks to go.  This week they continued their winning form with a 7-3 turnover of Shirley Carroll’s Maldon D.  Gary Smith was back in action and he hit his customary treble and was ably supported by Colin Barham and Andrea Alleyne with a brace of wins each. Smith was out for revenge against arch nemesis Tim Huxtable who had robbed him of his 100% win rate only a few weeks earlier – it wasn’t going very well for Smith when he found himself 2-1 down and looking down that uncomfortable but oddly familiar barrel of Huxtable bragging rights.  Smith had a word with himself, sorted out his serves, pulled his sleeves up and battled his way to a ‘revenge never tasted sweeter’ 5 set victory – oh the relief!  Huxtable did get some revenge though as he and partner James Raymond somehow took the doubles off the Blackwater Galactico duo of Smith and Alleyne.  The battle for second place is a bit of a damp squib – with neither of the protagonists showing much spirit in these crucial weeks.  With Maldon D dropping points at the champions surely Blackwater D would take advantage.  Instead of a much need boost Blackwater D travelled to Woodham D and came away battered and bruised following a 6-4 loss.  Woodham’s Simon Thomas remains in great form and hit yet another hat-trick with minimal resistance from his opponents.  Thomas was well supported by Chris Crooks who edged past Jacqui Treacy 12-10 in the fifth, and beat Dave Benstaed in 4 set, losing only to Jason Bush.  To cement their win Thomas and Crooks squeezed past Treacy and Bush 11-9 in the final set in the doubles.  Mixed emotions for the remain Blackwater sides this week as the E team laid down a perfect set of 9 singles victories but somehow then lost the doubles in a 9-1 win over St Lawrence with hat-tricks for Phil West, Kath Little, and Deb Ginn – with Mick Robinson and Nigel Brand taking the unexpected doubles point for the Baysiders.  Blackwater F struggled against a rampant Maldon E trio in an 8-2 reverse that saw Maldon’s John Leavett record his 6^th hat-trick of the season.  For Maldon Keith Thompson was in great form winning both his sides points with victories over Kym Eames and Patrick Coyne.

As we eagerly await the battle of the giants in Division 1 the middle order is being decided.  Cold Norton C have been the surprise package this season and continue to rack up the results.  This week they saw off the depleting challenge of Woodham B with an 8-2 win.  Kim Shead was on top form and hit his third hat-trick of the season that included a tough 5 set battle with leftie Harry Sawford.  In fact Sawford had the busiest night of anyone playing in four 5 setters for just the single point against Martin Archie which he won 12-10 in the fifth after saving 4 match points when 6-10 down in the fourth leg.  Supporting Shead were Archie and Arron Chandler who both won a brace.  Woodham’s Peter Harverson taking a notable 5 set victory over Chandler.  As much as Cold Norton C have impressed this year, Cold Norton A have underwhelmed.  This week they drew with bottom placed Stow Maries and had Arron Chandler playing up to thank as he hit a treble of singles and combined with Steve Maltby for the extra doubles point.  For Stow Richard Storey and Adi Kamma both hit two wins beating Neil Want and Maltby, with Ken Sheard adding the final point to secure the draw.

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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

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Pic 1 – Neil Freeman leading from the front for his Blackwater A side

Pic 2 – Kim Shead with another top flight hat-trick this week.

Pic 3 – Kim Shead taking his hat-trick against Peter Harverson this week.

Pic 4 – Arron Chandler taking a treble for Cold Norton A this week

Pic 5 – Tim Pulham versus Marty Englander in the battle of the unbeatens this week.