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

RESULTS

Handicap Cup: Round One

Brotherhood C 5 Windsor Falcons 1;

Walton A 0 Brotherhood J 5;

Nomads Lions 5 Windsor Harriers 1;

Holland Hurricanes 3 Brotherhood A 5;

Windsor Hawks 5 Nomads Leopards 3;

Brotherhood G 0 Nomads Tigers 5;

Brotherhood D 5 Brotherhood B 2;

Windsor Eagles 3 Brotherhood F  5.

League

Division Two

Brotherhood J 6 Lawford 4.

Division Three

Holland Vulcans 4 Walton C 6;

Walton C 10 v Nomads Ocelots (walk-over).

Report by Tony Oswick

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.

Report by Ron Fosker

17-year old Joe Sherwin emerged unbeaten and unscathed to dominate the Clacton League’s 2026 Handicap Singles  Tournament to take the Gordon Denton Trophy for the first time, in the final defeating his Brotherhood J team-mate, 16-year old Ruby Gallagher.

Sherwin (-5), displaying an array of forehand and backhand attacking shots, allied with the strategic and intermittent use of positive defensive pushing, was always in control against Gallagher (+1) who wasn’t quite able to produce the exceptional form she’d shown on her way to the final. 

Sherwin took the first set 11-4 with ease but Gallagher, to her credit, showed great spirit in fighting back, narrowly losing the second 12-10 and, using her slight handicap advantage to good effect, giving herself hope by taking the third 11-7.

But Sherwin was not to be denied and, despite a slight wobble at 9-7 up in the fourth, he powered his way to a well-merited 11-4, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9 victory to end the day unbeaten in all his seven matches.

Sherwin had qualified for the Knock-Out stage by topping a very competitive Group comprising Scott Campbell, Paul Newbould and another of his team-mates, Lucy Carvell. Indeed, it was Carvell (+1) who provided him with his closest match of the day, Sherwin (on -5) recovering from a poor start to win 3-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9.

In the Knock-Out phase, he showed no mercy against Hazel Blanche in Round One, eliminated a third Brotherhood J team-mate, Tom Bryden, in the quarter-final before defeating Ferdy Rodriguez in the semi-final.

Gallagher had qualified second in her Group, looking most impressive in defeating Gerry Widnell and then Tricia Salter in a match played off scratch, before losing to the 2011 and 2023 champion, Russell Hillier.

But she was irresistible in the first three Rounds of the Knock-Out stage, surprising many of the spectators, as well as her opponents, with her flowing and consistent attacking play. In Round One (on +3) she eliminated top-ranked Ethan Lloyd (-11) 11-7, 11-0, 11-0, then (on +1) dominated Gary Stallwood (-6) 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 before, in the semi-final (on +1) getting the better of the dangerous Kelvin Olano-Harper (-6) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.

During the day, there were many other notable performances, none more so than from Ferdy Rodriguez who played out of his skin to reach the semi-finals. He was also involved in two of the closest matches of the day, in the Group stage (on -5) edging past Gary Barnes (+1) 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 15-13, and in the quarter-finals (on +2) winning a marathon see-saw encounter with the highly-talented Scott Campbell (-8) 11-6, 8-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-9.

Honourable mentions should also go to five of the League’s less-celebrated players from the Third Division. Hazel Blanche, Adrian Sexton and James Horsler, all players who regularly support the Tournament year in, year out, deservedly all qualified for the Knock-Out stage for the first time, as did Gary Barnes and Tony Aresti, both playing in their first League season.

But credit should go to all 32 competitors who, throughout the day, played their matches in a first-class sporting manner which contributed once again to an excellent tournament.

Main results – Final : Joe Sherwin (-5) beat Ruby Gallagher (+1) 11-4, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9; Semi-finals : Sherwin (-6) beat Ferdy Rodriguez (+1) 12-10, 11-6, 11-9; Gallagher (+1) beat Kelvin Olano-Harper (-6) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9; Quarter-finals : Sherwin (-3) beat Tom Bryden (+1) 13-11, 11-9, 1-11, 11-6; Gallagher (+1) beat Gary Stallwood (-6) 11-4, 11-8, 11-4; Rodriguez (+2) beat Scott Campbell (-8) 11-6, 8-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-9; Olano-Harper (+1) beat Russell Hillier (-1) 11-5, 11-6, 15-13.

For the record, Joe Sherwin was the 35th different winner in the Tournament’s 42-year history. Of the 32 competitors in the 2026 Tournament, 23 were veterans but only two made it to the quarter-finals – six of the eight players, including three juniors, who reached the quarter-finals were members of the League’s younger generation, an indication of their dominance this year.

Also, it was only the third time in the Tournament’s history that the final had been contested by two juniors, the previous occasions being 2006 (when Matt Wright beat Jason Gale) and in 2010 (when Matt Wright defeated James Denyer). And although detailed records do not exist, it must be the rarest of events when a winner of the Tournament defeats all three of their League team-mates on their way to taking the title. 

* The big match in Division One of the League between current favourites Brotherhood A and reigning champions Nomads Panthers ended with honours even.

In what proved to be a highly-competitive encounter, yet one played in played in the most affable of spirits, James Denyer stayed unbeaten for the Panthers. For Brotherhood, there were two each for Gary Young and Kevin Gowlett and one for Daniel Young, who suffered his first reverses of the season at the hands of Denyer and Greg Green. Five of the individual matches went all the way, with Green involved in three of them, losing 11-9 in the fifth to Kevin Gowlett and 15-13 in the fifth to Gary Young but defeating Daniel Young 11-6 in the fifth.

Nomads Lions met bottom-team Windsor Buzzards and were predictable 10-0 winners, a result which, temporarily at least, moves them to the top of the table. One-from-bottom Walton B also suffered a whitewash defeat, this at the hands of Windsor Hawks, John Barton notching up a first treble of the season.

Brotherhood C beat Brotherhood B 7-3, ‘C’ team reserve Adi Kamma unbeaten, while Gary Cattermole won three, and John Pattrick and Phil Smith two each as Windsor Eagles defeated  Walton A 8-2, Mark Gale getting the Walton points.

In Division Two, Brotherhood G defeated a two-player Brotherhood D 7-3, Mark Boyland unbeaten in his two singles and sharing a doubles victory with John Gallagher.

There were three each for Neil Chegwidden and Paul Alden in Brotherhood F’s 8-2 win against Windsor Harriers. Tricia Salter so nearly got her hat-trick, her three singles going the distance, winning two, including a fine victory over Barry Allen, but edged out 13-11 in the decider by Isabel Barton.

A Paul Woolnough treble was the highlight of Windsor Penguins’ 6-4 victory against Nomads Jaguars, Woolnough beating Andy Hart 11-7 in the fifth and Chris Petrou 11-9 in the fifth. Kelvin Olano-Harper won two for the Penguins, as did Hart for the Jaguars.

Nomads Tigers celebrated with a first win of the season, 6-4 against Windsor Kestrels. Tom Wilkin won three, Alex Baldock two and Sam Watling one, but it was a close-run thing for the Tigers, Wilkin edging past Peter Aumord 12-10 in the decider and Baldock just getting the better of Allen Denyer 11-9 in the decider.

In Division Three, pace-setters Brotherhood H defeated a below-strength Windsor Magpies 10-0, Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Owen Woollard the winning trio.

Doug Green and Dominic Joannou remained undefeated as Nomads Leopards beat Windsor Falcons 8-2, although the match was closer than the score-line suggests, the Leopards winning four of the five matches which went the distance. Green’s 16-14 in the decider victory over Matt Thomas was the closest.

There were hat-tricks for Lynette Sparks and Maggie Earle in Walton C’s 8-2 win over Holland Lancasters. Earle had a tight 15-13 in the fifth win against Dave Wright while Holland’s Tony Aresti enjoyed a debut League success, 13-11 in the fifth against Debroah Pallett.

Finally, Holland Vulcans were narrow 6-4 winners against Brotherhood E, Bob Keefe’s maximum including a 13-11 in the decider win against Rodney Betts, thus denying Betts a first hat-trick of the season.  

* The League’s Quiz Evening is on Saturday 21st March at the Brotherhood Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. It’s for teams of up to six people and the cost 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

Nomads Panthers 5 Brotherhood A 5;

Walton A 2 Windsor Eagles 8;

Brotherhood C 7 Brotherhood B 3;

Windsor Buzzards 0 Nomads Lions 10;

Windsor Hawks 10 Walton B 0.

Division 2

Brotherhood D 3 Brotherhood G 7;

Windsor Harriers 2 Brotherhood F 8;

Nomads Tigers 6 Windsor Kestrels 4;

Nomads Jaguars 4 Windsor Penguins 6.

Division 3

Windsor Falcons 2 Nomads Leopards 8;

Walton C 8 Holland Lancasters 2;

Brotherhood E 4 Holland Vulcans 6;

Brotherhood H 10 Windsor Magpies 0.

Report by Tony Oswick

With just over three weeks of the season to go things are really hotting up in the Southend Premier Division title race as the top two collided in a star studded Wednesday evening in Daws Heath. It was current champions Thorpe Bay A that edged the night with a 5-4 victory against Rawreth B with some of the individual games as tight as the overall score suggests. Two matches went the distance and finished 12-10 in the final game and both went to Thorpe Bay A, Mark Stones over Keith Adams and Ian Wall over Dan Zeffie and so it is easy to see how the overall score could have easily gone the other way. Ian Wall receives the player of the match award as he picked up wins against Gary Young and Adams to go with his win over Zeffie, a great night’s work for the Great Wall of Daws Heath.

Elsewhere Rayleigh Mill consolidated their solid season by beating Hadleigh Forum  6-3, three wins each for Ben Warner and Colin Chatfield with the Hadleigh Forum trio of Berti Makolli, Martin Turner and Neal Barker picking up a win each against Steve Maltby while Rawreth A eased to a comfortable 8-1 win over Hockley A who were only able to field two players, a decent consolation win mind for Dan Patynski over Charles Sweeney.

One late result from last week worth noting and that was a good 5-4 win for Basildon A over Hockley A, good wins for Les Hoey and Lee Marson over Tarun Goel in that one.

Report by Duncan Taylor

It was a case of “what might have been” for Rawreth C when they visited league leaders Hockley B. Despite only having two players (Michael Rigg and Gary McCarthy) the visitors narrowly lost 5 – 4. Had they had a third player things could have been so different. No player was unbeaten on the night, with Michael and Gary claiming two victories apiece. Closest match of the evening was Hockley’s Keith Abbott overcoming Gary 13 – 11 in the fifth set. 

Second-placed Hockley C outclassed their opponents Hadleigh Forum B with a most emphatic 9 – 0 victory. James Evesham, Elliott Brackenbury and POM Tim Pang were all too strong for Forum. Anthon Ranjit-Singh pushed James to five sets, but the visitors offered little other resistance. 

Veteran Hadleigh Forum C captain Graham Farmer did his best to help his side overcome guests Canvey A with a win over Peter Cray and a particularly well fought victory over Ray Wilson 11 – 9 in the fifth set. However, a hat trick from Bob Skews, a pair from Ray and one for Peter gave Canvey a comfortable 6 – 3 win. Mark Everard got the home side’s other point.

Lin Roff was the star for Mapledene in their 5 – 4 away win at Stanford Le Hope B. Lin managed three wins without dropping a single set all night. Both Bill Smith and Andy Seaman played supporting roles, winning one contest each. Apart from Lin’s matches, there were some close encounters, with three matches going to five sets. Tina Hutchinson won two for the home side and John Handscombe and Mark Downey winning one each.

Report by David Barnes

The top four clubs were all in action this week and whilst it was business as usual for three of them Hockley D were undone by the revitalised Runnymede side who won 6-3.

Leaders Wakering B went to Matchpoint C and came away with a 6-3 win. Regular starters Callum Turner and Michael Grout both chalked up hat tricks (Grout didn’t lose a set) but Andrew Deadman, who hadn’t played since October, found the going a bit too hard losing his three games. Matchpoint sit two places above bottom place five points ahead of Hockley E who have a game in hand.

Canvey B stay in second place after beating Stanford C 6-3. Trevor Hayes recorded a perfect hat trick and he was supported by two wins for Kevin Walsingham and one for Tony Westwell. Vaughan Chambers got two wins for Stanford, one a hard fought five set match against Westwell coming back from two sets down, with Chris Crooks providing the other point. Canvey are three points clear of Matchpoint B who have a game in hand.

Matchpoint’s 7-2 win at Invicta was enough to reduce the deficit to Canvey by one point and it was their star player Hannah Harbour returning yet another hat trick who led the way. Colin Barham weighed in with a brace as did Samuel Morgan. Invicta had to fight hard for their two points John Blackman beating Barham in five sets having been 2-1 down and Trisha Winter repeating that format beating Morgan in another lengthy five setter 11/13 15/13 6/11 16/14 11/8.

Runnymede chalked up their seventh win in eight matches in beating Hockley D 6-3 and put a great big dent in Hockley’s promotion hopes. They now sit nine points behind third placed Matchpoint B.

Tony Millward has been the man behind Runnymede’s upturn in form and he chalked up another perfect hat trick and was backed up by Steve Wisbey with a brace and Steve McQuillan with a point. There was a point each for the Hockley trio of Paul Strutt, Paul Ogden and Howard Collins whose match against Wisbey was the best of the night. After exchanging the first two sets Wisbey went 2-1 up with an 11/9 win before Collins fought back winning the next two sets 11/9 13/11. Runnymede now sit comfortably in mid table.

Team of the Week – Runnymede

Player of the Week – Tony Millward

Report by Paul Strutt

Firstly, congratulations must go to Invicta ‘C’ who have clinched the Division 3 title following a 5/4 victory over Canvey ‘C’.  With two games still to play, their points total of 121 puts them out of reach of their closest challengers.  Well done to Mike Keeble and his team.

Steve Lennox led the way for Invicta in this match with an unbeaten performance, and he was well supported by Mike,  who grabbed a double.  For Canvey, Che Martin got a couple of wins, with Scott Giddens and Alex Carruthers chipping in with a win apiece.  This was a first taste of league action for young Alex, and it couldn’t have started better for him, as he won his first game in straight sets.  Things got more difficult for him after that but, overall, he acquitted himself well, and he is certainly a bright prospect for the future.

With the title winners decided, attention turns to the battle for the runners-up spot.  Hockley ‘F’ have held this position for much of the season, but they are now coming under severe pressure from the young Evolve ‘A’ side.

With Hockley not involved in this round of matches, Evolve took full advantage to close the gap between the two teams to just 4 points.  This week their opponents were Hadleigh Forum ‘D’ and, with Miles Bygrave and Edward Feeley unbeaten on the night, and Sasha Syderenko adding a double, an 8/1 victory was the outcome.  Forum skipper Jean Catley was the sole point winner for her team.

The match between two junior teams, Hockley ‘G’ and Evolve ‘B’ proved to be a rather one-sided affair.  The Hockley trio of Kris Chankov, George Higgins and Perry Lazell all went home with hat-tricks under their belts, with Kris taking the POTM honours for his flawless maximum.

Stanford ‘D’ entertained Matchpoint ‘D’ and, once again, the outcome was a convincing win for the home side.  Martin Winter was again in fine form, and his hat-trick and that of Andrew Jessop were the basis of his team’s 8/1 win.  Cooper Hill was the only winner on the night for Matchpoint with a win over Karen Kempster.

Report by David Woolmer

Shockwaves at the very top of the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League this week as leaders Cold Norton B fell to a very strong Woodham A side leaving the door open for Fambridge to sneak in and steal the spoils.  

Until this week Cold Norton B had gone unbeaten in Division 1 and their pursuit of retaining their championship crown looked firmly on course.  But then up pop Woodham A with a trio of Dans, and Cold Norton became undanned as Woodham took home a 6-4 away victory.  The ‘Danage’ was all done by Dans Young and Zeffie who both took a hat-trick of singles victories.  Dan Zeffie had the trickiest evening with two 5 setters against Ian wall and Sam Lowman, and a hard fought 4 set battle with Dave Richardson.  Despite this singles domination the Dans were unable to add the doubles point losing out in another 5 setter against the prickly pairing of Lowman and Wall.  Woodham’s third Dan (Piglet) was unable to add to the scoring but was delighted to witness his team’s dominance.  Fambridge Supremo John Poysden was heard to say that this was their best week yet – and they didn’t even play.  Just 4 points now separates the top dogs – with all to play for ahead of their sold-out season defining clash scheduled for early March.  It was a good week for the Mapledene Club as both their Division 1 sides were victorious.  Mapledene A were back to winning ways against Cold Norton C with Steve Muth leading the way with a commendable treble in the 6-4 win.  Glenn Johnson, playing up for the A team, picked up a brace of wins and the rarely used Dan Patynski picked up a point against Tim Cramphorn.  For Cold Norton C Arron Chandler picked up 2 wins and just lost out to Muth in a 5 set thriller.  The busiest player of the night was Cold Norton’s Martin Archie who played a full bag of 15 legs for just the single win 11-9 in the fifth over Patynski.  Mapledene B had a good 7-3 win over Stow Maries A.  Their points haul came courtesy of the Jacob brothers who cleaned up in both singles and doubles.  Simon Jacob didn’t drop a leg all evening, whereas David Jacob came back from the brink of defeat against Stow’s Gary Brignall to take the last 3 legs in a testing 5 setter.

Blackwater A now lead the chasing pack in Division 2 but leaders Maldon A still have a 10 point gap on the peloton.  Blackwater A faced a tough Woodham C side this week but still came away with a hefty 8-2 victory.  Denis Balic and Neil Freeman both notched trebles with the only real resistance coming from the effervescent Scott Perry who took Freeman to 12-12 in the 5^th set before caving in.  Having lost to Tim Pulham in 5 sets Blackwater captain Alan Scammell reversed his fortune with a 5 set triumph over Alan Dadswell.  Scammell and Freeman then took the doubles to complete the scoring.  Leaders Maldon A just continue to saunter along seeming unbothered about the chasing pack.  This week, despite some resistance, they plundered through Blackwater B in what could have been a whitewash victory but unfortunately Denis Crapnell was injured in an off-the-table incident at the venue and couldn’t compete in the final match – so a 9-1 victory for the divisional leaders with hat-tricks for Lloyd Bennett-Smith and Colin Napper, with 2 wins for Crapnell plus the void match.  Mapledene C combined for a 6-4 win over Cold Norton E but their trio were thoroughly undone by the Cold Norton superstar Dick Wyman who won all 3 singles and combined with grandson Oscar Wyman for the doubles.  The closest match was an enthralling 5 setter with David Woolmer where Wyman senior had to come from behind the keep his treble intact.  In the final match of the week Cold Norton D couldn’t maintain their winning form as they succumbed to Maldon B in a 7-3 loss.  Maldon’s Steve Aspland was back to his best form with a superb unbeaten evening that included a doubles victory with regular partner Colin Barrell.  Barrell picked up 2 singles points, as did Cold Norton’s Neil Want.

The wheels have definitely come off for Division 3’s top player Gary Smith – not content with giving up his unbeaten status last week, this week he loses twice – surely he cant lose all 3 next week?  Despite Smith’s hiccup his team of divisional Galacticos still came through with a 7-3 victory that keeps them out of touch at the top of the table.  Smith didn’t go down easy as he lost out in two almighty 5 set battles against both Simon Thomas and Chris Crooks plying their trade for Woodham D.  Lots of long matches in this encounter with Andrea Alleyne just nipping ahead at the death against Thomas in the deciding set to help her along her way to a hat-trick of wins, and the Woodham pairing of Jean Chasmer and Crooks held on for a morale boosting 14-12 final set doubles victory.  The star of the show though was the vastly improved Tina Hutchinson who was able to wrap up all her matches without the need for any deciding sets – a fine performance indeed.  Blackwater D have seemingly locked in the runner-up slot and pressed home their advantage with an 8-2 comfortable victory over St Lawrence.  St Lawrence’s Mike Burton was on great form winning his first 2 matches, as had Blackwater’s Dave Benstead, so when they met it was a ‘best on best’ showdown.  Benstead took an early 2-0 lead but Burton fought back with all his northern grit on show.  At 10-10 in the fifth leg the game was precariously balanced and by 12-12 the crowds were on tenterhooks.  Benstead held his nerve and was able to finally douse the Burton fire as he came through 14-12 – what sport that was!  That close fought victory gave Benstead his hat-trick and the player of the match bragging rights.   Blackwater’s other players, Jacqui Treacey and David Sage, wrapped up the scoring with a brace of wins each.  In the only Blackwater derby of the week The E team outplayed the F team to maintain the alphabetical hierarchy in their 8-2 triumph.  Wildman Phil West was on song with an unbeaten and largely untroubled evening of dominance, and was ably supported by his wingwomen Deb Ginn and Kath Little with 2 wins a piece.  For the F team Dave Gardner had a notable victory over Deb Ginn, and Anne Brewer took a point off Kath Little.

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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

____________________________________________

Pic 1 – Division 1 Table – February 2026.

Pic 2 – Simon Jacob – unbeaten this week for Mapledene B.

Pic 3 –Denis Balic of Blackwater A with another Division 2 hat-trick.

Pic 4 – Neil Freeman with another treble for his beloved Blackwater A side

Pic 5 – Chris Crooks of Woodham D and Savile Row infamy

Report by Eamonn Hall

Southend League Division 1

Due to an electrical fault at the Rawreth venue, the scheduled match between Rawreth C and Hockley C had to be postponed. Hopefully, it will be played before too long.

There was a close fought meeting (and, no doubt, the tea and biscuits were readily available!) as Hadleigh Forum hosted Wakering A. The result could have gone either way, but it was Forum who edged it 5 – 4. No less than four out of the nine contests went to five sets. The first one was between the home side’s captain Dave Woolmer and the visitors’ Barbara Chabior. It was taken by Dave 14 – 12 in the fifth. The next was between Anthon Ranjit-Singh and Wakering’s Martin Shaughnessy. This again resulted in a home win 12 – 10 in the fifth. After these first two battling encounters, things settled down somewhat. Firstly Forum raced to a 4 – 0 lead, then Wakering pulled it back to 4 – 2. POM Anthon then stopped the recovery and won the match for the home side with victory over Xi Wei. However, there was still time for Wakering to take the last two rubbers. It was hard work though, both going to five.

In a bottom of the table clash, home side Basildon B gained some distance between themselves and bottom side Hadleigh Forum C with a 6 – 3 win. Chudi Ukpaka was again Basildon’s star, winning all his matches and taking the POM prize. Team mate Kieran Wood chipped in with a pair of wins and Dale Gutteridge added another. Graham Farmer got two for Forum, including a very close victory over Kieran 11 – 9 in the fifth. Mark Everard got Forum’s other victory.

Although the overall result was a close 5 – 4 win for home team Mapledene over Canvey A, unlike fixtures elsewhere, only one contest went to five sets – the very first one – with Canvey’s Ray Wilson overcoming Andy Seaman in the final round. Canvey’s Bob Skews took the POM award with two victories, but it would have been poor consolation for his side’s defeat. Andy and colleague Lin Roff got two wins each and Mike Johnston one. Ray Wilson got the visitors other two successes.

Report by David Barnes

All eyes were on Hockley this week in Division 2 as their D and E teams met both in search of points but for entirely different reasons. The D team have been on the brink of the promotion places all season but needed a big win to keep the pressure on the teams above them. The E team on the other hand are currently in a fight to avoid relegation and with injuries hitting the squad points were vital.

If ever the E team needed a hero then now was the time, and they found it in the return of David Chenery playing his first league match in probably over a year. He turned in a POTM performance with the perfect hat trick to lead his team to a surprise 5-4 victory. Richard Kidd backed him up with two wins whilst Brian Bissenden matched him for the D team with a point each for Paul Ogden and Paul Strutt. Hockley E are now eight points clear of bottom club Basildon C and just two points behind Matchpoint C.

Injuries have played a part in Matchpoint B’s recent form losing John Lott and still without Dennis Squirrell. Squirrell returned, however, for their match against Basildon C and he, and Hannah Harbour, both collected hat tricks as they ran out 8-1 winners. Olly Milchard stepped up from the C team to win two. With Squirrell back and Harbour still unbeaten this season it looks like being a close battle between them and Canvey B for the second promotion place. Ross Letham earned Basildon’s point the hard way beating Milchard in five sets. Matchpoint are just four points behind Canvey with a game in hand.

Matchpoint C remain in trouble at the wrong end of the table and were looking for points when they visited Stanford C. An opening hard fought five set win for Roger Sherman over Vaughan Chambers boded well for the visitors and they led 3-2 after Richard Sloman picked up two wins but it was all downhill after that as Stanford reeled off the last four games to win 6-3. Mike Trendell led the way for them with a hat trick, Chris Crooks weighed in with two and Chambers added the final point. Sloman was unlucky not to win his three for Matchpoint losing to Trendell in five sets.

Only three games completed this week as Runnymede had to concede their match to leaders Wakering B who have too many points already!!

Report by Paul Strutt

Another week and another big win for Invicta ‘C’.  On this occasion, Wakering ‘C’ were the opposition but, apart from a Stew Mills win over Mike Keeble, it was a blank night for the visitors.  Steve Lennox and Harry Venables were unbeaten for the league leaders, with Harry the POTM.  8/1 the final score here.

Second placed Hockley ‘F’ kept up their dogged pursuit of Invicta but fell further behind, despite a 6/3 win away at Canvey ‘C’.  Skipper Gary Beck led the way with a maximum, but he was pushed all the way by Canvey’s Steve Kemp, who went into a 2-set lead before Gary recovered to take the game to a 5^th set, which he finally won 12/10.  Ross Collins with a double and Ivan Arabadzhiev with a single win provided him with good support.

A young Hockley ‘G’ side took on a considerably older Hadleigh Forum ‘D’ team, and it was no real surprise that age and experience prevailed over youthful enthusiasm.  Kris Chankov did well to earn a couple of points for his team with wins over Sineh Bali and Douglas Brown, but they were the only successes on the night for Hockley.  Jan Thorpe turned in another unbeaten performance for Forum as they ran out 7/2 winners.

Miles Bygrave was the stand-out player for Evolve ‘A’ in their match against Stanford ‘C’.  His hat-trick included a hard fought 5-set win over the consistent Martin Winter.  Nova Narayanan with a double and Sasha Syderenko with a single win provided the extra points in a 6/3 win.  Martin won his other two games and Andrew Jessop added a third point for Stanford.

Evolve have been making steady progress up the table in recent weeks and have climbed to 4^th place, with games in hand on the teams above them.  A late push for promotion is not out of the question.

Report by David Woolmer

The match between Netts A and Rayne A is not the season-defining fixture in the Braintree Table Tennis League that it has sometimes been in the past, but their latest clash was not without significance.

It brought to an end the league champions’ run of victories since the start of the season as Rayne managed to hold them to a draw.

It was Andy Holmes who Netts had to thank for sustaining their unbeaten record.  He won his three sets and took the doubles with Joe Meleschko.

Netts are still well clear at the top but Sudbury Nomads crept two points closer with a 7-3 win over Netts B, with Aron Jordan unbeaten.

Rayne A share third place with Liberal A, who were beaten by the same score by Black Notley B, the latter’s first win of the season.

Steve Kerns was unbeaten for Notley, a win over Adam Cuthbert suggesting that something of his former self is re-emerging.

The win enabled Notley B to step away from the bottom rung for the first time this season at the expense of Liberal B, who lost 6-4 to Rayne B.

Adi Kamma won his three singles for Rayne B.

In division two, leaders Rayne C ended Finchingfield A’s four-match unbeaten run with a convincing 8-2 win.

Paul Wellington had his best night of the season, joining Matthew Brown in the unbeaten category.

Netts C and Notley C, two contenders for the runners-up spot, shared the points.

Yeldham Whitlocks A had a surprisingly comfortable 9-1 win over the higher-placed Notley D, with both Roy Hooper and Doug Sanders unbeaten, while Rayne E climbed off the bottom after beating their own D team 6-4.

Conrad Gomes, once more called up from division three, played his part with two singles and the doubles with Richard Whiteside, who was unbeaten

In division three, leaders Notley E took all ten points from a two-person Yeldham B, while main rivals Finchingfield B took eight from Sudbury Drifters.

The latter match meant a contest between the division’s two unbeaten players, Lucien Nolan-Bradford and Graham Turner, which went Nolan-Bradford’s way 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7.

Rayne F lost ground when they were only able to field two players and went down 6-4 to Notley F.  Conrad Gomes did all he could by taking his three singles and the doubles with Alastair Brown.

Netts F’s James Howard and Tom Verrier took all seven in their team’s 7-3 win over Notley H.

Netts E played twice in three days but are still searching for that elusive first win.  They lost 7-3 to Notley G and 8-2 to Rayne G.

Report by Ron Fosker

This week in the Southend Premier Division saw the Thorpe Bay Derby and as you might predict it was the A side that came out on top. That said, Thorpe Bay B came with a strong side determined to test their club mates. Paul Sayer was in great form winning his three games against Matt Spero, Kieran Skeggs and Justin Jeffery, Ian Wall chipped in with two wins and Mark Stones picked up his win against Jeffery, resulting in a 6-3 win for our current league leaders.

Rawreth B kept up the pressure on Thorpe Bay by themselves recording an 8-1 away won at Basildon A. Gary Young with the player of the match honours, a maximum for Arron Chandler and two wins for Kim Shead who missed out on his three courtesy of a good win for Robbie Burton.

Two straight forward wins for Rayleigh Mill and Rawreth A this week as they overcame Stanford A and Hadleigh Forum A 8-1 and 9-0 respectively. George Reeves picked up the player of the match award for Rawreth while Liam Squirrell did the same for the Millers. There was a great win for young Vivaan Babbar over Colin Chatfield and along with his team mate Joshua Freeman, Babbar showed why the future is very bright for Stanford and Essex table tennis. Some outstanding shot making and temperament shown from the Stanford youngsters.

Report by Duncan Taylor

In Division 1 Stanford Le Hope B had a fine 6 – 3 win over visiting Hadleigh Forum B to give themselves a good chance of staying in the division. Rob Salvage was again their hero, winning all his matches, and taking the POM prize. Team mate John Handscombe took two more wins, and Adrian Armstrong one. Anthon Ranjit-Singh was Forum’s stand-out player winning two encounters, including a five-set marathon against Adrian. Mick Tappenden got Forum’s other victory.
Joe Odegbami and Dave Colwill were again in top form for Hockley B as they entertained Basildon B. Both recorded maximums in a 7 – 2 mauling of their visitors. Basildon’s Peter Hilton and Tony Molisso each managed one win.
Rawreth C were too strong for hosts Wakering A. In particular, Trevor Collin was in fine form, easily succeeding in all his games. The home side’s Martin Shaughnessy recorded a fine victory over Paul Brown in an epic struggle that was eventually decided 11 – 9 in the fifth set. His colleague Barbara Chabior had a similar five-set struggle to overcome Rawreth’s Colin Clements, and Paul England also had one win. However, these were the home sides only successes as Rawreth cruised to a 6 – 3 victory.  
Lowly Hadleigh Forum C hosted Mapledene and, once again, were a little too generous with their hospitality, conceding 8 – 1. There were hat tricks for both Andy Seaman and POM Lin Roff. Mark Everard got the home team’s only win, beating Dawn Baldry in four sets.

Report by David Barnes

The big guns were firing on all cylinders in Division 2 this week with Wakering B and Canvey B both recording 9-0 victories which leave them first and second in the table. There seems to be little that can stop Wakering lifting the title but the race is still on for second place. Canvey sit there at the moment but Matchpoint C and Hockley D are still very much in contention.

Hockley D would have been hoping that their team mates in their E team might have taken a few points off Wakering but it wasn’t to be as the leaders cruised to their fifth 9-0 win of the season. Callum Turner, Mike Grout and Paul England returned their usual maximums Turner without losing a set. Richard Kidd did best for Hockley taking Grout to five sets in the last game of the evening but succumbing after leading 2-1.

Canvey B were in even more devastating form as they only lost two sets all night as they demolished Matchpoint C 9-0. Trevor Hayes, Kevin Walsingham and Des Duffield made up the winning team with Hayes securing a perfect hat trick. Roger Sherman took a set off Duffield and Walsingham for Matchpoint. Despite only having won one match this season they do sit two places off the bottom four points clear of Hockley E.

Runnymede continued their remarkable run of form collecting their sixth successive win against Stanford C beating them 6-3 which maintains their sixth position in the league and cuts the gap between them and Stanford, in fifth place, to six points. Needless to say Tony Millward picked up another perfect hat trick with Steve McQuillan recording a brace and Steve Wisbey the other.  Stanford’s points came courtesy of a brace for Vaughan Chambers and one for Mike Trendell. Peter Moxham almost added another but after leading McQuillan 2-0 he succumbed to a five set defeat.

Invicta B against Hockley D turned out to be the closest match of the week with Hockley clinching the match 5-4 in the final game of the evening. Paul Strutt and Brian Bissenden both got two wins for Hockley with Paul Ogden getting the fifth but the star of the night was Invicta’s Andrew St. John who recorded his first hat trick of the season. His toughest match came against Bissenden where he was two sets down before fighting back to win in five. John Blackman got Invicta’s other point.

Team of the Week – Runnymede

Player of the Week – Andrew St. John

Report by PaulStrutt

As we approach the business end of the season, Invicta ‘C’ head the table by 30 points and seem destined to be crowned champions once the final ball is struck.

This week, their opponents were a young Evolve ‘B’ side who, as hard as they tried, had no answer to the greater experience and know how of the league leaders, as they fell to a 9/0 defeat.  Harry Venables was the POTM here for his perfect maximum, with teammates Mike Keeble and David Barlow also unbeaten.

Hockley ‘F’ remain in second place, a position they have occupied for most of the season. Matchpoint ‘B’ were their visitors this week and, with Ross Collins and Gary Beck recording maximums for Hockley, and Graham Gregory adding a double, it was an 8/1 win for the home team.  Matchpoint’s only point on the night came from Cooper Hill, who battled his way to a 5-set victory over Graham.

The match between two mid-table sides, Wakering ‘C’ and Canvey ‘C’ was a much closer affair, ending in a 5/4 victory for the Islanders.  Alternate games were won by each team, until, with the scores level at 4/4, Canvey’s Chong Shing Lam completed his hat-trick with a win over Alwine Jarvis to get his side over the line.  Scott Giddens and Ray Baker both added a point for Canvey, while for Wakering, there were two wins each for Alwine and Nigel Strike.

Stanford ‘D’ have climbed to third place in the table after a 7/2 win over the Hockley ‘G’ juniors.  The ever consistent Martin Winter led the way for them with a 9-set maximum, and he was well-supported by Karen Kempster and Andrew Jessop who both added a double, each losing only to Hockley’s best player on the night, Kris Chankov.  

Report by Dave Woolmer