The game of leapfrog at the lower end of division two of the Braintree Table Tennis League continues apace.
In the latest set of matches, one team jumped from eighth to fourth by beating the team one place above them, one leaped from bottom to fifth with a win against the team four points ahead of them and another team suffered a totally unexpected 10-0 defeat to slump from fourth to eighth.
Finchingfield A, who footed the table for some time after losing their first five matches, are now fourth after a win over Black Notley D.
An unbeaten Peter Clark was the man in form.
Yeldham Whitlocks A made sure their stay at the bottom did not last long by beating Rayne E 7-3. Roy Hooper and Doug Sanders were unbeaten in the singles and combined to win the doubles.
The big fallers were Notley C, who unaccountably failed to score against Rayne D, who they had beaten 9-1 earlier in the season, with only one change of personnel on each side.
Lewis Armstrong-Kirton and Peter Rickwood both beat Jamie Brooks and Lawrence Grantham, who they had lost to first time round.
Netts D have now taken their turn at the bottom after losing 8-2 to leaders Rayne C.
In division one Netts A increased their lead at the top with a 9-1 win over their own B team while second-placed Sudbury Nomads beat Notley A 7-3.
Notley’s Sam Burrows had his best night of the season in the latter match, winning all three.
There was also a first treble of the season for Steve Pennell in Rayne A’s 6-4 win over Notley B.
After dropping to their first defeat a week earlier, division three title hopefuls Finchingfield B improved their chances with a 10-0 win over Notley F while leaders Notley E dropped three points to their own G team.
Finchingfield’s win was notable for the unusual line-up in the doubles when a father and son, Ray Bradford and Lucien Nolan-Bradford, faced father and son Victor and Jonathan Acharya.
Their defeat had come at the hands of Netts F, when they were only able to field two players.
Stewart Grant, making a return after a lengthy injury lay-off, and Trevor Laird won two for Finchingfield while James Howard and Tom Verrier did likewise for Netts F, who won the match 6-4.
Netts F were held to a draw by Sudbury Drifters in their next while Rayne F, their rivals for third place, beat Yeldham B 8-2. Dave Whiting was unbeaten
It was a good night for Chris High, who remained unbeaten in Rayne G’s 6-4 win over Notley H.
Such has been their dominance, Blackwater C have won the Division 3 title of the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League with 3 matches to go following their 7-3 victory over nearest rivals Blackwater D. What a season the team have had with multiple whitewash victories. Are they nervous or excited for their jump to the higher division next season? .
In Division 1 Fambridge have finally caught up with long time leaders Cold Norton B after their 9-1 destruction of Cold Norton C this week. Leaders Cold Norton B have Arron Chandler to thank for taking the sole Cold Norton point against Mark Stones which keeps Cold Norton B clinging on to top spot by virtue of the number of games won only. What a run in we now have – especially as the two protagonists meet next week in the mother of all winner-takes-all clashes. Fambridge’s Keith Adams and John Poysden both hit trebles on the night to keep the pressure on. An unusual looking Woodham A side cast aside availability concerns as they brushed aside the expectant Stow Maries trio in a 9-1 turnover. The Woodham trio of Harry Sawford, Dan Piglet, and most notably Dave Penrose all hit hat-tricks on the night. That would be Penrose’s first top flight hat-trick in Burnham, and his first player of the match accolade – bet he’s glad he got the call up now! Despite the crushing singles defeats Stow’s Gary Brignall and Ken Sheard rallied for the doubles and took the unexpected bonus point off Piglet and Sawford in straight sets. The final match of the week saw Mapledene B host Woodham B at their stunning alternative venue. Woodham were a bit out of sorts and left in awe of the venue and facilities and in dismay at their performance as they fell to a 9-1 loss with Peter Harverson saving the whitewash with a final set victory over David Jacob. Jacob won his other matches, coming back from 2-0 down against Eamonn Hall in an opening match thriller. Mapledene’s Simon Jacob and Colin Chatfield both went undefeated in excellent displays using their variety of bats and rubbers to great use, and the Jacobs brushed aside the Woodham duo in the doubles for the extra point.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Woodham B side this week as they fought their way to the Handicap Cup Final following a 5-1 win over the much fancied Blackwater A. Blackwater got off to a great start nicking the opening doubles but that only pushed Woodham to up their game in the remaining evenly contested matches. Peter Harverson edged past Neil Freeman 19 & 20, and Graham Briggs came through a tricky encounter with Denis Balic. Noah Sage was on great form all evening for Blackwater playing a thoughtful and mature style with caused problems for his opposition. The match against Eamonn Hall went to 3 legs and was very much in the balance until the last few points where Hall produced a masterful set of 5 serves to take the final leg. The middle doubles was extremely even and well contested throughout. At the business end of the deciding leg Blackwater had 5 match points to extend the match but failed to take them – eventually Woodham found themselves with a match point at 25-24 and duly wrapped up the game to take an overall 4-1 lead. Blackwater hearts were broken. Up stepped Sage to take on Harverson and he blasted his way to the opening leg. Harverson came back to square things up in the second only to find himself considerably behind in the final leg – it was time to dig deep. Harverson eventually tied the match at 16 all but relaxed a little too much and found himself 19-17 behind with Sage on the march. Time to dig deep again, and Harverson rattled off 4 points to take the leg, that match and secure his team’s path to the Final later in the season.
Maldon A continue their march towards the Division 2 title. This week they saw off a spirited Stow B side in a 7-3 score that saw all 3 Maldonites winning two singles, but none of them were able to better the fireball that is Adi Kamma. Kamma took his second hat-trick for his new Club which included a ding dong 5 setter with Colin Napper. Second placed Blackwater A failed to capitalise on Kamma’s gift as they were held by an unusually strong Cold Norton D trio. Blackwater’s defensive master Denis Balic was on top form as he completed his hat-trick with a deciding set victory over the unbeaten Neil Want. With only 3 games to play this week’s draw may have dashed any lingering hopes of the championship for the Blackwater Gang. Mapledene C had a busy week. In their opening match they saw off the challenge of Blackwater B with an Andy Seaman inspired 7-3 victory, and that was followed by a defeat at the hands of Woodham C where they went down by the same 7-3 scoreline. Whilst Seaman was a picture of concentration for his treble in the first match, the same couldn’t be said for the Blackwater comedy trio as they had to deal with a wardrobe malfunction as they had to play the matches in a variety of random and ill-fitting footwear due to a lack of care when packing for the match. In the doubles both Mervyn Perriman and Simon Quelch wore one of Roger Slade’s shoes to make Roger feel better about being dropped – they lost and Roger wasn’t happy! In the second match it was Woodham’s Tim Pulham that caused the most trouble as he went unbeaten across his 3 tough matches that included an edge-of-your-seat 12-10 final set triumph over Sue Body. Body had a busy night as all her singles went the distance. She came out on the right side of a deuce final set against Alan Dadswell, but lost out to Allan Steel 11-6 in another 5th set. Dawn Baldry was on fire for Maldon C this week as she led her team to a tight 6-4 victory over Cold Norton E. Baldry smashed her way to a hat-trick of victories in the singles and partnered up with Marty Englander to take the crucial and match-winning doubles point. For Cold Norton both Dick Wyman and Tony Forster won 2 singles but couldn’t get close to the hard-hitting Baldry.
In the most expected news of the week, Blackwater C have secured the Division 3 crown following their 7-3 victory over second placed Blackwater D. The Galacticos of Division 3 came through 7-3 on the night and that was enough to widen the gap beyond the reach of the rest of the division. It was a traditional ‘dusty bin’ 3-2-1 performance for the champions, with Andrea Alleyne taking a hat-trick, supported by Peter Davenport with 2 wins and Tina Hutchinson taking a point off Roger Tiffin. Hutchinson was unfortunate not to add to her tally as her other matches all went deep in to the deciding sets – with her match with Dave Benstead finally ending with a 15-13 energy sapping loss. With Blackwater D dropping points in the top-of-the-table clash, Maldon D snuck into second place with a 7-3 win over Blackwater E. James Raymond continued his impressive form with another hat-trick, with Luca Riedling taking 2 wins and Shirley Carroll taking a single point. Maldon E had a good week with an 8-2 victory over St Lawrence A, followed by a draw with Woodham D. Kym Eames was the star of the St Lawrence battle as she recorded her first treble of the season against the experienced opposition. This included a 4 set victory over Dave Bateman who himself was in great form as he won all his other matches. In the Woodham match Maldon had a 3-0 headstart as Woodham were short a player and unfortunately came up against a determined Simon Thomas who went unbeaten all night despite a very tight 5-setter against John Leavett. Thomas kept up his unbeaten antics as his Woodham team (full complement this time) took a 7-3 win over Blackwater F. The toughest match of the night saw Thomas and Jason Bush go toe-to-toe in an all out 5 set battle where Thomas had to come back from 2-0 down to maintain his winning form. The sartorial explosion that is Chris Crooks won 2 of his singles to support the Thomas haul, and the pair of them combined for a comfortable doubles point.
Pic 1 – Blackwater C – Division 3 Champions 2026. Tina Hutchinson, Peter Davenport, Gary Smith, & Andrea Alleyne.
Pic 2 – Gary Brignall versus Harry Sawford this week.
Pic 3 – Dave Penrose taking his first ever top flight treble for Woodham this week.
Pic 4 – Simon Jacob completing his hat-trick for Mapledene against Peter Harverson.
Report by Eamonn Hall
Championes! Blackwater CGary Brignall (left) v Harry SawfordDavid PenroseSimon Jacob (left) v Peter HarversonDavid Penrose
The Southend and District Table Tennis League Championship finals came to fruition on Friday night and new Men’s and Ladies Champions were crowned as Dan Young overcame reigning champion Mark Mulley and Barbara Chabior beat Dawn Baldry.
No less than seven finals and two semi – finals were played at host club Hockley TTC and, not surprisingly, even though the event started at 6.30pm it was gone 11.00pm by the time it finished. There were some long and very evenly contested matches throughout the evening.
The final of the Vets Doubles set the tone as Duncan Taylor (Rayleigh Mill) and Kevin Read (Rawreth) took on the Jacob brothers (Brand Identity), Simon and David, which eventually saw regular partners Taylor and Read come back from 2-1 down to win 10/12 11/7 10/12 13/11 12/10. A five set match turned out to be the last thing Taylor wanted as he still had four, possibly five matches still to play!
Next on court was the Mixed Doubles final between Debbie O’Neill (Matchpoint) and Les Hoey (Basildon) and Stanford pairing Tina Hutchinson and Mitchell Jones. This turned out to be one of the shortest matches of the evening as Hutchinson and Jones won easily 11/4 11/5 11/8.
The Vets Over 40’s final pitched seasoned doubles partners Taylor and Read against each other and the script was probably pre-written here as they produced a long and intriguing five set encounter eventually won 15/13 10/12 12/10 8/11 11/9 by Read. There were some intense rallies throughout as Read sought to impose his attacking game on Taylor’s staunch defending and the final set saw even more drama as Taylor had a spectacular fall with the score at 6/7. Whilst he soon recovered, without apparent injury, it would have been the last thing he wanted at such a crucial time.
The first of the Men’s Singles semi – finals came next and this turned out to be a very straightforward affair as Mark Mulley (Hadleigh Forum) beat Ian Wall (Thorpe Bay) 11/7 11/3 11/8.
Not much time to rest for Taylor as he took to the floor against Dan Young (Rawreth) in the other semi final and another long four set match ensued. Taylor’s firm defence came out on top in the first set winning 11/9 but Young showed he can play the waiting game too probing steadily for an opening to enable him to unleash his big hitting game. It couldn’t have been much closer as he won the next three sets 11/9 17/15 14/12.
The Ladies Doubles final saw Barbara Chabior (Wakering) and Tina Hutchinson (Stanford) take on Matchpoint pair Debbie O’Neill and Hannah Harbour. Yet another five set match saw Chabior and Hutchinson come back from two sets down to take the title 12/10 in the decider. They were even behind 7/3 in the final set so quite a comeback! Final score 5/11 7/11 11/8 11/9 12/10.
Taylor stepped up for his third final of the night, this time partnered by Daniel Bronziet (Rawreth), in the final of the Men’s Doubles against Mulley and Wall. It turned out to be a successful partnership as well as, after exchanging the first two sets 12/10, they edged the next two 11/7 11/8.
Just the two main singles finals left and it was the ladies turn first with first time finalist Barbara Chabior taking on the experienced and former winner Dawn Baldry (Mapledene). The bookmakers would probably have put their money on Baldry for this one but Chabior got off to a winning start taking the first set 11/6 and then successfully came through a tight second set edging home 16/14. Baldry got her attacking game going in set three and won another close set 11/9 but, unfortunately, she couldn’t maintain this recovery losing the fourth set 11/6. A great night for Barbara taking home two trophies on her finals debut!
The Men’s final completed the evening between reigning champion Mulley and 21 year old Young who had actually appeared in the final four years earlier but finished runner up. It featured some tremendous hitting but, in the end, it was Young’s steadier defensive play that made the difference. He couldn’t have had a better start winning the first set 11/3 with Mulley making far too many mistakes in his attacking game. He recovered in the second to push Young all the way but just lost 14/12 to put Young in a very strong position. Not one to surrender his title easily, Mulley came back brilliantly in the third set taking it 11/4 and leaving the crowd with high expectations of another five set match. It proved not to be however as Young played steadily, returning Mulley’s attacking shots confidently and waiting for an error or a chance to hit his own attacking shots. He triumphed 11/7 to take his first Men’s Singles title.
All in all the evening produced some thrilling matches with great hitting, stubborn defence, amazing rallies and even a fair share of outrageous nets. Thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd even though the finish was past some of their bedtimes!
Congratulations to all the winners, commiserations to the runners up, and thanks to all those who helped organise and run the event.
Reportby Paul Strutt
Dan Young – Men’s Singles ChampionLadies Doubles Final – Champions Tina Hutchinson and Barbara Chabior (left) runners up Debbie O’Neill and Hannah Harbour. Paul Brown – umpireMixed Doubles winners – Mitchell Jones and Tina HutchinsonMens’s Singles finalists Dan Young and Mark Mulley (right)Ladies Singles finalists Dawn Baldry (left) and Barbara ChabiorLadies Singles Champion Barbara ChabiorMen’s Doubles winners Daniel Bronziet (left) and Duncan TaylorVets Singles winner Kevin ReadVets Doubles winners Kevin Read and Duncan TaylorAction from the Men’s Doubles finalMixed Doubles final – Mitchell Jones and Tina Hutchinson (winners) Umpire John Lott and runners up Les Hoey and Debbie O’NeillAction from the Men’s Singles final Mark Mulley v Dan YoungMens Doubles finalists – Dan Bronziet and Duncan Taylor (winners) Umpire Anthon Ranjit-Singh and runners up Mark Mulley and Ian WallMen’s final – Young v Taylor
There’s little to choose between Holland Hurricanes and Nomads Leopards in Division Three of the Clacton League, as was evidenced when they met this week, the match ending all-square.
Gary Stallwood took his customary three whilst there was one each for Ian Gwillim and Gerry Widnell, skipper Widnell taking a crucial last-gasp victory in the final match of the evening to secure the draw with a narrow 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9 victory over Anne Bonny. For the Leopards, Dominic Joannou and Doug Green each took two, and shared a four-set doubles victory over Stallwood and Widnell.
The result, a repeat of their early-season encounter, leaves both teams level on 82 points in joint-second place, the Leopards having played a game more.
Meanwhile, title favourites Brotherhood H reached 100 points for the season and extended their lead at the top with a 9-1 victory over Holland Vulcans. Dan Grindrod and Owen Woollard took trebles whilst Derek Foxley picked up a consolation point for the Vulcans with a win over Danny Still.
The Division also produced one of the more bizarre score-lines of recent seasons, Windsor Magpies beating Nomads Ocelots 7-1, this as a result of the Magpies playing with one guest player and the Ocelots with two. For the record, the Magpies took five points from ‘conceded’ matches and the Ocelots one, with John Plummer and Alan Rutledge defeating Hazel Blanche in the only two ‘valid’ matches.
Back in Division One, Nomads Panthers were predictable winners over Windsor Buzzards, John Hatley and Denes Somodi unbeaten in their 8-2 victory. But the Buzzards will take heart they were able to take two points off the champions, Andy Hart inflicting a first defeat of the season on Kevin James, 11-6, 9-11, 13-15, 11-9, 11-8, while Hart and Ray Chillingworth enjoyed an unexpected 11-9, 12-10, 10-12, 5-11, 11-8 doubles win over Hatley and Somodi.
Russell Hillier was in sparkling form for Brotherhood B against Windsor Eagles, his treble including a 14-12 in the fifth victory over John Pattrick. Alas for Hillier, they were his side’s only points, Pattrick, Gavin Price and Phil Smith each taking a couple for the Eagles in their 7-3 win against a weakened Brotherhood B.
Brotherhood C beat Walton B 6-4, Graham Playle and Martin Edwards each winning two and Dave Miller one, although none of them could get the better of Pete Burrows who remained undefeated for the losers. But Walton will feel that, with a little luck, they might have squeezed a victory, Graham Buxton going down 11-9 in the decider to Playle, while John Marshall lost 11-5 in the decider to Miller and 12-10 in the decider to Playle.
In Division Two, leaders Brotherhood G were 10-0 winners against a Windsor Penguins’ side fielding two reserves, Mark Boyland, Mark Beckham and Paul Metcalf the winning trio. However, the Penguins came near to getting on the score-sheet, Beckham only just beating Paul Woolnough 11-9 in the fifth, Metcalf getting past Windsor reserve Matt Thomas by an even closer 13-11 in the fifth, and Beckham and Metcalf taking the doubles 11-6 in the fifth against Woolnough and Thomas.
The all-Brotherhood clash between the ‘D’ and ‘F’ teams was a close-run affair which ended with honours even, a first draw of the season for both sides. Mark Salter took a treble and Neil Chegwidden two for the ‘F’ team, with Russell Stone winning two for the ‘D’ team. Four matches went close in five, Mark Salter defeating both Stone and Fred Gallone 11-9 in the decider, while the ‘D’ team also won two crucial five-setters, Stone and Gallone edging past Mark Salter and Tricia Salter 11-8 in the decider in the doubles, and Lily Liu emphasising her recent improvement with an 11-9 in the decider win over Tricia Salter.
Three for Joe Sherwin, two for Tom Bryden, one for Ruby Gallagher, plus a Bryden/Gallagher doubles win, gave Brotherhood J a 7-3 victory over Nomads Tigers. For the Tigers Matt Sage won two, while Alex Baldock beat Gallagher 11-6 in the fifth in the only encounter which went the distance.
Windsor Harriers drew for the second week running, this time against Windsor Kestrels, Barry Allen and Ferdy Rodriguez both taking a couple. But Peter Aumord of the Kestrels was the player of the match, notching up a first treble of the season and, with Allen Denyer, taking a crucial doubles victory 13-11 in the decider against Allen and Rodriguez. Denyer picked up the fifth Kestrels’ point.
Finally, Nomads Jaguars defeated a two-man Lawford 7-3, a result that probably quashes Lawford’s outside chance of a top-two place. Andy Hart remained unbeaten for the Jaguars, whilst Charlie Denholm picked up a couple for Lawford.
* Entries are now open for the League’s Closed Championships which is being held on 11thand 12th April at the Lift Clacton (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall. The closing date is Friday 20th March. There are events for players of all standards. To qualify, players must have played at least four League matches by the closing date. Full details are on the League’s website.
* For more information about the League’s Quiz Evening on Saturday 21st March at the Brotherhood Hall, contact Ferdy Rodriguez (Tel : 07565 767266 or 01255 830951; e-mail fernando.rodriguez@sky.com). The cost, for teams of up to six people, is £5.00 per person, bring your own drinks and nibbles.
In six of the eight matches in the second round of the Braintree Table Tennis League handicap cup, it was the lower ranked team who came through.
Five of the teams advancing to the quarter final are from division three while second division teams fill the other three places.
First division teams Sudbury Nomads, currently second in the league, plus Rayne A, Netts B, Black Notley B and Sudbury Wanderers all fell by the wayside.
Nomads were the major sufferers, falling 9-0 to division two Netts C.
Facing opponents with starts between 11 and 14 up to 21, they took five sets to three games but Aron Jordan’s defeat at 21-19 in the third against Peter Lewis was the closest they got.
Lewis, Chris Krelle and David Montgomery were on duty for Netts.
Nomads’ second team, the Wanderers, managed three sets against Notley G – all from David Hitchen, conceding 8, 11 and 14 – but could get no further.
Black Notley B also failed to score, although opponents Finchingfield B declared at 5-0. Lucien Nolan-Bradford (2), Ray Bradford (2) and Peter Dacey (1) saw them home.
Rayne A were the A team in name only, featuring as is allowed in the cup, two second division players plus one from division three.
But Sudbury Drifters’ Terry Hunneybel (2), Tim Matthews (2) and Geoff Barrett (1) eased to a 5-2 win.
Of all the division one teams, Netts B came the closest to success. They pulled back from 1-4 to 4-4 against Sudbury Strollers before Ian Whipps (off +14) crept past Sean Clift.
Yeldham Whitlocks B had a walkover against Finchingfield A.
The two teams to buck the trend were Rayne E and Netts F.
Netts F came past Notley H, one place below them in the league, and it was as close as might have been expected, with two unbeaten players, Ann Peart of Notley and Tom Verrier of Netts facing each other in the final singles with the score at 4-4.
Verrier overcame the 12-point handicap to pull his team through.
Rayne E also came through 5-4 against Notley F and again needed the final set to take their place in the quarter final.
Richard Whiteside, who had lost his previous two singles, overcame Tony Brown (off +12)
The first division matches played before the cup week proved to be mostly predictable affairs.
The top three won 9-1 (Netts A over Liberal B), 9-1 (Sudbury Nomads over Rayne B), 10-0 (Nomads again, this time over Notley B), and 9-1 (Rayne A over Sudbury Wanderers).
The exception was Netts B’s draw with Notley A, where Chris Parr won three sets against his former clubmates.
John Poysden, the Fambridge Captain, wasn’t sure whether to curse or cuddle Mapledene’s Liam Squirrell this week as Squirrell’s unbeaten streak of wins first held Fambridge to a frustrating draw and thwarted their increasing chances of ‘stealing’ the Division 1 title away from Cold Norton B, but then he acted as talisman as Mapledene A inflicted a second defeat on leaders Cold Norton B bringing Fambridge firmly back into contention. It’s all to play for now in the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League.
Division 1 leaders Cold Norton B started the period well with a decent win over Cold Norton A – the final score of 7-3 may have been predictable given the line-ups but there were a couple of upsets as Sam Lowman completed his hat-trick for the B team with a topsy-turvy 5 set victory over Duncan Taylor, and the A Team’s Steve Maltby came out on top in another 5 setter against Dave Richardson. This result seemed much better for Cold Norton B when later in the week when closest contenders Fambridge were held by Mapledene A with the league’s top player Liam Squirrell recording a nine dart hat-trick against the Fambridge trio. Squirrell partnered up with Dan Patynski for the doubles, but the real shock was Steve Muth taking out John Poysden over 5 hard fought sets to set up the draw. For Fambridge Mark Stones and Keith Adams both recorded wins over Muth and Patynski. Mapledene A were by far the busiest team over the period with a further 2 matches. The first was the key battle with leaders Cold Norton B with some of the potential Singles Championship finalists up close and personal. George Reeves came from behind to defeat Eric Green in the opening match to set Mapledene on their way. Mapledene’s Liam Squirrell continued his dominance as he revenged his only defeat of the year with a 4 set triumph over Sam Lowman that secured his hat-trick. Kieran Skeggs was on great form with 2 straight set wins over Eric Green and Lowman, with his only loss falling to Ian Wall. This brings the gap to below 10 points with Fambridge having a game in hand – with the two protagonists meeting in early March in what is becoming a winner takes all affair. Elsewhere in the Division Mapledene B defeated Cold Norton C as Kieran Skeggs and Colin Chatfield combined for all the points in the 6-4 victory, with Chatfield dropping just the one singles to Arron Chandler. Mapledene A came out on top in the Mapledene Showdown as they bettered their own B team 6-4. Yet again it was the indefatigable Liam Squirrell that made the difference as he recorded another treble of straight sets victories. This time Squirrell was excused from doubles duty but his team-mates did him proud as Steve Muth and Dan Patynski edged a 5-setter against Glenn Johnson and Simon Jacob despite having lost all 4 singles to the B team pairing. The final match saw the bottom two sides face up in the wooden spoon cup with Woodham B squeezing out a much needed 6-4 victory. Star of the night was the vastly improved Peter Harverson who hit his first top flight hat-trick including an intense 5 set battle with Richard Storey. Harverson was well supported as Eamonn Hall won 2 and Graham Briggs chipped in with a win over Ken Sheard.
The battle for supremacy in Div 2 looks like a 2 way battle now as Blackwater A continue to pile on the pressure with impressive results. This week they obliterated their own B team in a 9-1 statement victory. For the B team it was Merv Perriman who stopped the whitewash rot with a last gasp end-of-the-evening 4 set victory over Noah Sage. For the A team Denis Balic and Neil Freeman both hit hat-tricks that keep the Blackwaterians in touching distance of leaders Maldon A. Cold Norton D were no match for leaders Maldon A as they succumbed to an 8-2 loss with only Neil Want providing any strong defence. Want scored his team’s 2 points and was unlucky to lose out in the 5 set battle of the undefeated against Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith in the final match. So Bennett-Smith notched his treble with wingmen Colin Napper and Hamish Innes both taking a brace of wins. Stow Maries B came away with an unexpected 8-2 haul against Maldon B. Hat-tricks for both Nicky Reece-Ford and Adi Kamma was the foundation for the win with Peter Hance chipping in with 2 wins of his own.
Blackwater C recorded another 10-0 whitewash victory that sees them just one match away from sealing the Division 3 crown. That’s 6 whitewashes now – its been a long time since we had such a dominant team in any of our Divisions. This week’s victims were Blackwater F, as the C team trio of Gary Smith, Peter Davenport and Colin Barham all recorded untouched trebles in the singles but they did drop a set in the doubles at least. Nearest rivals Blackwater D had 2 decent wins but they just can’t dent the gap to the top. First up they tasted victory over the Blackwater E side recording an 8-2 win with Roger Tiffin the standout player as he continues his impressive season. Tiffin won all his singles with team-mates Dave Benstaead and Jacqui Treacy each winning 2 singles. In their second encounter the D side won out 7-3 against 2 player Woodham D. Despite the loss Woodham’s Simon Thomas was clearly the star player as he was able to beat all of the Blackwater stars for a very hard fought hat-trick. Maldon D appear to have secured 3rd spot with two comprehensive victories. Firstly a 10-0 win over St Lawrence followed by a 9-1 victory over Maldon E. With Maldon E’s John Leavett the only oppo player to secure a point with a consolation win in the final match against Maldon stalwart Shirley Carroll. Carroll took a hat-trick in the St Lawrence fixture, as did her colleagues James Raymond and Tim Huxtable. Raymond repeated his hat-trick shenanigans in the Maldon E match, alongside young Luca Riedling.
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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer
Burnham & District Table Tennis League
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Pic 1 – The treble treble – an unbeaten streak that caused mayhem – Mapledene A talisman Liam Squirrell.
Pic 2 – First top flight hat-trick for Peter Harverson of Woodham B.
Pic 3 – Richard Storey versus Peter Harverson this week.
Pic 4 – Nicky Reece-Ford in winning form against Steve Aspland this week
Pic 5 – Blackwater’s Roger Tiffin with another hat-trick this week.
Pic 6 – The Division 1 as it stands
Report by Eamonn Hall
Liam SquirrellPeter HarversonRichard Storey {left} v Peter HarversonNicky Reece-Ford v Steve AsplandRoger Tiffin
It was a make-shift Brotherhood B side which faced Walton A in Division One of the Clacton League but the Brotherhood Club’s strength in depth was fully demonstrated when the ‘B’ team fielded two reserves and still ran out 7-3 winners.
Skipper Simon Smith-Daye, the only ‘B’ team regular, led from the front to win his three, while there were two for first reserve Mark Boyland and one for second reserve Fred Gallone. Only one match went the distance, Smith-Daye edging out Derek Willis 11-6 in the fifth. For Walton, there were two wins for Mark Gale and one for Willis.
Meanwhile, at the top of the table, Brotherhood A lead by a single point ahead of Nomads Lions following their 10-0 victory over Brotherhood C. Daniel Young, Gracie Edwards and Kevin Gowlett settled matters with all matches won in three-straight.
The Lions were 8-2 winners against Windsor Eagles with Paul Hume and Adam Cuthbert both taking hat-tricks, and combining to take a hard-fought doubles 11-9 in the fifth over Gavin Price and John Pattrick. Jason Lloyd took one for Lions but suffered his first reverses of the season at the hands of Price and Pattrick, Pattrick’s win a close 11-9 in the fifth.
Nomads Panthers defeated Walton B 9-1. James Denyer and Greg Green remained unbeaten while Gill Locke took two but went down 11-4 in the fifth to Walton’s Pete Burrows. Despite the win, the Panthers’ twelve-year hold on the Division One title seems to be gradually slipping away.
Trebles from Andy Vincent and Scott Campbell, plus a couple from John Barton, saw Windsor Hawks home 9-1 against bottom team Windsor Buzzards. Andy Foster picked up the Buzzards’ consolation point and took Rodriguez close before going down 11-6 in the decider.
In Division Two, leaders Brotherhood G were given a stern test by Nomads Jaguars before taking the final match of the evening to win 6-4. Mark Boyland took his maximum for the winners whilst there were a couple each for Andy Hart and Chris Petrou of the Jaguars.
But the ‘G’ team are now just one point ahead of club-mates Brotherhood F who defeated the Brotherhood J juniors 8-2 for a second time this season. Mark Salter was the ‘F’ team hero, his treble including a nail-biting 11-8 in the decider victory over Joe Sherwin in the only match which went to five. Paul Alden and Neil Chegwidden each took two for the winners whilst Sherwin took the two points for the losers.
A strong Brotherhood D line-up ensured them an 8-2 win over Lawford. Adi Kamma won three, with Kevin Pryor and Russell Stone each taking two. Pryor had a narrow 11-5, 11-13, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7 victory over Ian Sherwood but lost out 11-7 in the fifth to Charlie Denholm. Richard Spence beat Stone for Lawford’s second point.
Nomads Tigers and Windsor Harriers are separated by just four points towards the foot of the table and so it was little surprise their encounter ended all-square, with four matches going the distance. Tom Wilkin starred for the Tigers with a hat-trick while Sam Watling produced his best form of the season to win two. Barry Allen took two of the three Harriers’ five-set victories, beating Watling 11-6 in the decider and Alex Baldock 11-7 in the decider.
Three for Kelvin Olano-Harper, two for Paul Woolnough and one for Paul Stanton were enough to give the Penguins a 7-3 win in the all-Windsor tie against the relegation-threatened Kestrels. Peter Aumord’s two wins for the Kestrels were both close affairs, beating Woolnough 11-9 in the decider and Stanton 11-8 in the decider.
In Division Three, Brotherhood H were comfortable 10-0 winners over a Nomads Ocelots’ side fielding two guest players, the victory maintaining their fourteen-point lead at the top.
In an all-Holland encounter, second-placed Hurricanes, who have a match in hand over Brotherhood H, were 9-1 victors against the Vulcans. Gerry Widnell and Gary Stallwood were unbeaten, and Ian Gwillim won two. Derek Foxley was the Vulcans’ sole points-scorer, beating Gwillim 11-4 in the fifth but losing out 11-9 in the fifth to Widnell.
Three each for Matt Thomas and Gary Barnes, plus a shared 11-9 in the decider doubles win against Adrian Sexton and Deborah Pallett, saw Windsor Falcons to a 7-3 success against Walton C. There was one each for Walton’s Sexton, Pallett and Maggie Earle, Pallett defeating Nikki Hayes 11-9 in the decider.
Holland Lancasters won 7-3 against Windsor Magpies, who were playing with a guest. Peter Evans remained unbeaten for the Lancasters. Alan Rutledge and John Plummer picked up a point each for the Magpies, and shared an 11-6 in the fifth doubles win over Evans and Tony Aresti. Rutledge was also involved in two other matches which went all the way, beating Dave Wright 11-8 in the fifth but losing out to Aresti 14-12 in the fifth.
Finally, Nomads Leopards were 9-1 winners against an injury-hit Brotherhood E side forced to field a guest player. Dominic Joannou and Doug Green remained unbeaten while Anne Bonny had two tight matches, beating Joe Hillier 11-9 in the fifth but losing by the same score to Rodney Betts.
* The draw for the quarter-finals of the Handicap Knock-Out Cup sees Brotherhood A drawn against Windsor Hawks in the only all-Division One tie. First Division title challengers Nomads Lions face Division Two Brotherhood J, a repeat of a Group stage match which Brotherhood won 5-1. In an all-Brotherhood clash, the top-flight ‘C’ team faces the second-tier ‘’D’ side, while a Division Two side is guaranteed a place in the semi-finals with Nomads Tigers drawn against Brotherhood F. Matches are to be played during week commencing 9th March.
* Entry forms for the League’s Closed Championships have been sent to all players. The tournament is being held over the weekend of 11thand 12th April at the Lift Clacton (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall. Entries can be made on-line or by post to Tony Oswick. To qualify, players need to have played four League matches by the closing date of entry (Friday 20th March).
The tournament is the League’s premier event of the season and, as well as being highly competitive with thirteen titles up for grabs, is always a highly sociable and friendly occasion for players of all standards.
* The League’s Quiz Evening is on 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, 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
Hockley A had to call up two players from their B team this week in the Southend Premier Table Tennis League to play the league leaders and current champions Thorpe Bay A. A tough task at the best of times. Hockley duly lost the match7-2 but their points came from two significant wins. Firstly, Dan Patynski reversed an early season defeat to Paul Sayer by beating him in five hard fought sets coming back from 2-1 down and clinching the final set 11/5. A great win for Patynski against the highly rated Sayer. The other point, and perhaps of even greater significance, came from 14 year old Elliot Brackenbury who beat England Vets International John Poysden in four sets. Brackenbury was stepping up from the Hockley B team for the second time this season and, having won all his games previously, he has added another impressive name to his list of conquests. He, and fellow Hockley teenager William Evesham, are becoming increasingly highly regarded in local table tennis circles. Thorpe Bay’s Chris Ballard got the better of all the Hockley team to take the Player of the Match award.
Elliot Brackenbury – Hockley A takes on John Poysden – Thorpe Bay A
The Champions elect go marching on! Hockley B’s 7 – 2 win away to Hadleigh Forum B, gives them a comfortable, if not unassailable, eighteen point lead over their nearest rivals, who have two games in hand. David Colwill’s hat trick was the basis of this week’s success, although Stephanie Haddrell and Stuart Adshead added two victories each. Tony Jacks got both Forum’s scores. However, commiserations to Forum’s Anthon Ranjit-Singh. Things could have been so different – he lost all his games in five sets.
A close fought encounter between Mapledene and Wakering A ended in a 6 – 3 win for Mapledene. Dawn Baldry was the player of the match, ending up unbeaten. However, there were some close very run things, with no less than five encounters going the whole way to five sets. Dawn was supported by two wins from Dave Reynolds, making his season’s debut, and one from veteran John Tendler. Victor Xi Wei got two wins for Wakering and Martin Shaughnessy one. This week’s other two contests both resulted in 8 – 1 home wins. When Basildon B visited Rawreth C only a Dale Gutteridge 11 – 8 victory in the fifth set against Adi Kamma saved his team’s blushes. Paul Brown was again in fine form for Rawreth with an unbeaten performance matched by team mate James Grimston. In a similar vein, Stanford Le Hope B went down 8 – 1 as they ventured onto the island. Canvey A recorded an almost perfect night with maximums from Peter Cray and skipper Ray Wilson. Only Dave Hancox’s fifth set victory over Bob Skews in the penultimate meeting of the evening saved Stanford from a whitewash.
With the end of the season now just a couple of games away for most clubs, the Division 2 title has now been finally decided after this week’s results. Beforehand there was still the mathematical possibility that Matchpoint B could equal Wakering B’s points total but a win for Wakering and a surprise defeat for Matchpoint have confirmed what everyone has known for some time, Wakering are Division 2 champions and will be promoted to Division 1 next season. They are one match away from finishing the season unbeaten and they deserve many congratulations.
Wakering beat second placed Canvey B 6-3 to clinch the title and, as it has been for most of the season, Callum Turner and Michael Grout supplied their points whilst Stewart Mills, stepping in for regular Paul England, found the going a bit too tough. Canvey though, didn’t go down without a fight, as the opening two games both went to five sets with both Turner and Grout having to come back from two set deficits against Terry Giddens and Trevor Hayes respectively. The other games went pretty much to form after that but Grout was pushed again to five sets by Des Duffield. Canvey still sit in second place but Matchpoint B are just three points behind and have a game in hand.
Matchpoint B’s defeat came surprisingly at the hands of relegation threatened Hockley E. A much changed Matchpoint side were without their top players John Lott, Hannah Harbour and Dennis Squirrell and brought in Ollie Milchard from their C team alongside squad members Lotte Mills and Colin Barham. Hockley made one significant change to their team with David Chenery getting just his second runout of the season coming back after injury. The match was virtually over after the first four games with Hockley storming into a 4-0 lead with two wins for Chenery, one for Richard Kidd and a significant five set win for Richard Coulon over Barham. Milchard led a bit of a fightback in the second half as he chalked up wins against Kidd and Coulon and Mills also added a point but Kidd beat Barham in five sets and then Chenery completed his hat trick to secure a 6-3 win. Hockley stay one but bottom but are just four points behind Matchpoint C with a game in hand.
Matchpoint C picked up a surprise win themselves beating Hockley D 5-4 Richard Sloman clinching victory in the final game of the evening. It was an all round performance by the Matchpoint team with Sloman and Samuel Morgan both winning two and Roger Sherman the other point. It was a Hockley player who took the Player of the Match award however, as Brian Bissenden remained unbeaten all night including a hard fought five set win against Sloman. Paul Ogden got Hockley’s other point.
Basildon C are now 10 points adrift at the bottom of the table after they were edged out 5-4 by Invicta B. That meant that all three teams immediately above them won their games and are now separated by just four points. The evening had started perfectly for Basildon with Dave Walton coming back from a two set deficit against Sarah Ball to win 11/9 in the fifth and then wins for Richard Reibold and Andy Roff gave them an impressive 3-0 lead. It suddenly went downhill for Basildon however as Invicta raced through the next five games to give them the win. Ball made the crucial breakthrough winning another five set match against Reibold coming back from 2-1 down. Two wins for John Blackman and another five set win for Trisha Winter over Roff gave them an important win.
Team of the Week – Hockley E
Player of the Week – David Chenery
Report by Paul Strutt
Harry Venables turned in an unbeaten performance for Invicta ‘C’ as they just got the better of their long-time pursuers at the top of the table, Hockley ‘F’, with 5/4 the final outcome. Steve Lennox added a couple of wins, but it was a blank night for Invicta skipper, Mike Keeble. Ross Collins was the best on the night for Hockley with 2 wins.
Hadleigh Forum ‘D’ made the trip to Hullbridge to take on Matchpoint ‘D’, and emerged as 8/1 winners. Douglas Brown was the POTM with a straight sets hat-trick, with Jean Catley also unbeaten. Cooper Hill was the Matchpoint point scorer with a win over Sineh Bali.
There was a big win for the junior Hockley ‘G’ side. Wakering ‘C’ were their opponents and 8/1 the final score. Perry Lazell and Kris Chankov fired maximums for the home side and George Higgins added a double. Jacek Bednarek was the solitary winner for Wakering with a straight sets win over George.
The Evolve ‘derby’ ended in a convincing win for the ‘A’ team over their ‘B’ team and, as a result, they have now moved above Hockley F into second place in the table following this 9/0 triumph. Sasha Syderenko, Miles Bygrave and Teddy Kent were all in dominant form with just one set dropped between them all evening.
So, with Invicta ‘C’ already crowned as champions, the battle to be runners-up takes centre stage. Following this week’s matches, Evolve ‘A’ have moved above Hockley ‘F’ into second place, but only one point separates them, with both teams having played the same number of games.
It was an exceptional week for the Brotherhood Club in Round One of the Clacton and District League’s Handicap Cup, with five of their teams reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.
Holland Hurricanes of Division Three put up stern resistance against Brotherhood A’s Daniel Young, Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young but class told in the end, the First Division favourites finishing 5-3 victors. Gary Young won two crucial three-set matches in which he had to concede twenty points or more, (on -17) beating Gerry Widnell (+3) 6-11, 12-10, 12-10 and (on -18) beating Ian Gwillim (+4) 8-11, 11-7, 11-7.
Brotherhood F of Division Two enjoyed a hard-fought 5-3 success against top-flight Windsor Eagles. Paul Alden remained unbeaten on the night although his two singles wins were close-run affairs, (on +1) edging past Phil Smith (-5) 12-10 in the decider and (on +2) getting the better of Gary Cattermole (-8) 11-7 in the decider.
There’s no stopping Brotherhood J juniors Joe Sherwin, Tom Bryden and Lucy Carvell who finished 5-0 winners against Walton A. Sherwin and Carvell’s (+1) 11-7 in the fifth victory over Mark Gale and Paul Meikle (-3) in the doubles sealed victory for another Division Two team over a First Division side.
Brotherhood C’s task against Windsor Falcons was made easier when their Third Division opponents were forced to field a guest. Matt Thomas (+2) of the Falcons had a 13-11, 8-11, 11-4 win over Graham Playle (-11) in the first match but, needing just one point from the five valid matches available, Brotherhood settled it at 5-1 thanks to Dave Miller’s (-8) three-straight victory over Gary Barnes (+2).
A Brotherhood side was guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals when the ‘B’ and ‘D’ teams were drawn against each other but it was the Second Division ‘D’ team who came out on top 5-2 against their First Division opponents. Fred Gallone was involved in two of the three ‘D’ team’s wins which went the distance, Gallone and Kevin Pryor (+1) beating Russell Hillier and Joe Plummer (-3) in the doubles, and then (on +1) Gallone beating Hillier (-5) in the singles.
The only Brotherhood side to crash out of the competition was the ‘G’ team who could only field two players in an all-Second Division tie with Nomads Tigers. Tom Wilkin (+1) defeated Mark Boyland (-5) in the first valid match to make the score 5-0.
Cup-holders Nomads Lions are the second Nomads’ team to go through, an unfamiliar-looking trio of Paul Hume, Charlie Fulcher and Martyn Green enjoying a comfortable 5-1 victory over Windsor Harriers, Hume and Fulcher remaining unbeaten.
And so Windsor Hawks, 5-3 victors over Third Division Nomads Leopards, are now the only team from the Windsor Club left in the competition. But their Round One match was unusual in that the only player to remain unbeaten was on the losing side, Dominic Joannou of the Leopards beating both Andy Vincent and John Barton in singles, and sharing a doubles win with Anne Bonny against Barton and Scott Campbell.
The Handicap Cup quarter-finals will therefore consist of four team from each of the First and Second Divisions which means, for the first time since 2014, there’s no Third Division side in the last eight of the competition.
Round Two will be played during week commencing 9th March. Details of the draw and players’ grades will be available by 21st February.
* The one match in Division Two of the League saw Brotherhood J top an excellent week with a 6-4 win over Lawford. Joe Sherwin, who’s only lost two matches all season, recorded another hat-trick while Lucy Carvell’s two wins included an unexpected 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 14-12 victory against Charlie Denholm. Richard Spence took two for Lawford.
There was just one match also in Division Three, Walton C defeating Holland Vulcans 6-4, despite playing with a guest. Lynette Sparks was unbeaten and Adrian Sexton won two for the winners,
the pair also sharing an 11-6 in the decider doubles victory against Derek Foxley and Bob Keefe. Foxley was involved in two close singles matches, defeating Sexton 11-6 in the decider but going down by the same score to Sparks.
* The League’s Quiz Evening is on 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, 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
The scrap to avoid the bottom rung in division one of the Braintree Table Tennis League has developed into a tight three-way battle.
After Black Notley B picked up their first win of the season the previous week, it was the turn of Liberal B to put their first success on the board – with a 6-4 victory over Notley’s A team.
A top-form Ashley Skeggs was mainly responsible, taking his three singles and the doubles with David Razzell.
Notley B meanwhile came off worse by the same score against relegation rivals Sudbury Wanderers.
Rev Matthews was the player in form this time, taking his three singles and a doubles for Notley but they ran into availability problems and had to field two reserves.
The bottom of division two has also livened up after Rayne E, once well adrift, won their third match in a row to lift themselves up three places.
Richard and Scott Whiteside and James Grimston all won twice in the 7-3 win over Notley C but Jamie Brooks proved too good for all of them.
Just four points separate the bottom seven teams, with three teams sharing the bottom rung on 48 points.
Sudbury Strollers are one of those but they improved their position with a 7-3 win over Finchingfield A, bringing them level with their opponents.
Netts D are the third team on 48 points after their 6-4 defeat by their own C team.
That meant a match-up between Charles Calisin, beaten only three times this season, against his father Jimmy, whose defeats outnumber his victories.
But it was no easy ride for Charles, who scraped home 11-6 in the fifth game.
The top two in division three did not have it all their own way. Leaders Notley E were stretched to 6-4 by lowly Sudbury Drifters while second-placed Finchingfield B were held to a draw by a Rayne G side also at the wrong end of the table.
It was a last-gasp win for Finchingfield’s Lucien Nolan-Bradford over Karl Bowden at 11-9 in the fifth that saved their – and his – unbeaten record.
Bowden suffered another deuce-in-the-third defeat when representing Rayne F in their draw against Notley H. It was the third win of the evening for Wayne Wilson.
Notley’s F team were 9-1 victors over Netts E – three wins for Tony Brown and Aivars Taimins – while the club’s G team won the last three sets of the evening to snatch a 6-4 win over Yeldham Whitlocks B.
That match was notable for one of those rarities, a set in which all five games were decided by two points, Steve Baines beating Richard Taylor 15-17, 15-13, 9-11, 12-10, 14-12.
