On the 29th May Mossford TTC met to celebrate their 75th anniversary! Former Chairman Dave Humble writes as follows:-
“We had well over 200 attendees at our venue and, as an aside, raised well over £400 for a local child hospice charity. The day was an outstanding advert for table tennis both for devotees and newcomers. The Mossford committee has put on a wonderful show. Emotionally I am just about recovering today.
I was asked to put together a brief history of the club and this was available on the day and is also available on request by either hard copy or email attachment from the club. Josh Dye held court on the TT side with Sam Walker being the star attraction. Tony Cantale handled the presentation and some publicity, but as usual attempted to keep in the background – no chance. Our reasonably recent Chairman John Bath is a wonderful acquisition and is backed by a very strong team.
All in all, a fabulous day for a fabulous club.”
I’m sure everyone in the Essex table tennis community will wish to congratulate Mossford on their achievements over the first 75 years and hope for their continued success in the future.
We are into the fifth week of the Southend and District Summer League and already it’s not too hard to see who are likely to be the winners in Division 1. Northlands sit top having played and won three games, dropped just one point, and are two points clear of second placed Basildon who have played a game more.
The Northlands team is packed full of Premier Division talent being able to call on the likes of Kevin Read, Keith Adams, Gurjit Bhambra and Deborah Auvache, all top 40 ranked players. They have already beaten closest rivals Basildon 8-1 and that point was in the doubles so all their players boast 100% records in singles at the present time.
Basildon, having played the top team, have also played Brand Identity currently sitting third, and fared much better winning 6-3 with Ian Wall picking up two good wins beating the Jacob brothers Simon and David.
There is already a seven point gap between third and fourth where we find Hockley A and, a point behind them but with a game in hand, are Invicta A. Based on rankings it looks like Invicta have the stronger line up but it will be interesting to see how Sid Dorn performs for Hockley who returns to league action after some time, and they also feature Joseph Odegbami who is making his Southend league debut this season. Good to see young Harry Sawford showing improving form having won 5 of his 6 singles matches so far.
Hadleigh Forum haven’t made the best of starts but are full of experienced Div 1/Prem players like Dave Bassett, Anton Ranjit-Singh and Tony Jacks, and these three saw them to a first win of the season 6-3 against Hockley this week.
At the bottom of the table at the moment are Stanford and RESSC who may struggle to make an impact featuring players more used to Div 2 level. RESSC have enjoyed two highly successful seasons in the lower divisions but it will be interesting to see how this team of really experienced players will do against the top Premier players in this league.
In Division 1 Wakering are one of three unbeaten teams, and top the table at this stage, albeit that they have played more games than their closest rivals. The backbone of the side is the trio of Stew Mills, Paul England and Zac England. These three performed well in the recent winter league and their good form has clearly continued.
Hockley ‘B’ occupy second place, 6 points off the top having played a game less. With Paul Strutt and Ben Cook currently unbeaten in singles, and good experience at this level in their squad, they seem sure to be challenging for the title at the end of the season.
The third unbeaten team is Basildon ‘B’ who have games in hand on both the top two, although they have 15 points to make up. Another experienced squad includes Szymon Jarka who has only been beaten once in singles, and that defeat came against a tough Premier League opponent. Of the other 6 players who have turned out for Basildon, 3 of them remain unbeaten.
Runnymede are in fourth position and could yet challenge the top sides, but only if their quality players, Tony Millward and Dmitry Kisil, turn out together on a regular basis.
Of the other teams, Invicta ‘B’ seem likely to finish in the top half of the table. They have 2 players new to our league, Barbara Chabior and Martin Shaughnessy, who have both shown good form, Barbara is unbeaten and Martin has won 6 of his 8 singles.
Hadleigh Forum ‘B’ occupy the mid table position. They have a largely inexperienced squad but the experience and quality of Neal Barker has ensured that they have stayed away from the lower reaches of the division.
The remaining 5 teams are separated by only 4 points and have won only 3 matches between them.
Although winless, Megazone have picked up seful points in every match so far. Jonathan Allen is their leading player to date, and with a number experienced players to back him up, their first win is surely not far away.
Stanford ‘B’ and Invicta ‘C’ are locked together on 11 points after 5 games matches played. Stanford were the winners when these 2 sides met earlier in the season, and they have picked up good points in 2 other matches, but have also suffered two 9-0 defeats.
Trisha Winter is the leading player so far for Invicta ‘C’ with 5 wins from her 8 singles, but she will need some support from the rest of the squad if they are to move up the table.
Hockley ‘C’ are on 9 points but have played a game less than the 3 teams above them. Their sole win came against a Hadleigh Forum side who were without Neal Barker, but they have only managed to pick up 3 points in their other matches.
Canvey ‘B’ are bottom of the table and lost their first 4 matches, gaining only 2 points. However, they have recently added Jo Hills to their squad and this paid immediate dividends as she was player of the match when they defeated Invicta ‘C’ to record their only win to date.
Reports provided by Paul Strutt (Div 1) and David Woolmer (Div 2).
Calling our women and girls’ attention to this tournament in West Sussex on Saturday 1st July. These women and girls’ tournaments are becoming very popular and already 50 women and girls have entered this tournament. They have room for up to a hundred entrants so if you would enjoy a whole day of table tennis against other women and girls’ please drop Tournament Organiser Sally Hughes a line. Details below. Entry deadline is 23rd June.
Event: Sussex Women and Girls Summer 2 STAR Singles Table Tennis Tournament Venue: The Triangle Leisure Centre, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 8WA Date: Saturday 1st July 2023 Start: 9am Deadline for entries: 23rd June 2023
Schedule9.00am – 1.45pm Girls U139.00am – 1.45pm Girls U159.00am – 1.45pm Girls U19 9.00am – 1.45pm Women 19-39 9.00am – 1.45pm Women 40 and over 1.45pm – 6pm Women and Girls Open (All Ages) Request an entry form from Sally Hughes at: sally@worthingttc.com Enquiries to Sally by email or tel: 07837406996
This week saw the players and officials from the Burnham & District Table Tennis League bedecked in their sartorial elegance as they descended upon the League’s Annual Awards Presentation Evening. “ I don’t recognise you with your clothes on” seemed to be the most common phrase as friends and foes united to support this year’s winners and runners up in both the league and tournament events. Big winners on the night were Maldon’s Harrison Hill who bagged 4 winners trophies, Eric Green (Cold Norton) who won 3 winners trophies and 2 runners up, for the biggest haul of the evening. Lin Roff (Mapledene) and Duncan Taylor (Cold Norton) both won 4 trophies with a nice even split on winners and runners-up. Alex Wilson (Woodham) chipped in with 4 awards including 1 winner. Some of us got nothing and we were happy with that!
Reece Seddon was presented with the coveted Men’s Singles Cup by League President Peter Ballard, and an unexpecting and unprepared Colin Napper was awarded the President’s Trophy for his services to the League once he had endured the slow handclap as he was plucked from the facilities. No handshake ensued!
Big thank yous to organisers Kath Little and Dawn Baldry, to Alan Dadswell for his compere stint and history lesson on the origin of each Cup, and Eamonn Hall for sourcing and managing the trophies and press duties. We were also delighted to have Wendy Richardson to present the Dan Richardson Trophy named in honour of her son who was taken from us way too early, Marina Partridge who was able to present the Bob Partridge Trophy awarded to the best junior at the tournament, and Dave Goody for presenting the Brian Ellis award for the best player in Division 2. The remaining trophies and awards, including the Peter Ballard Cup, were presented by League President Peter Ballard.
Pic 1 – Peter Ballard presents the Men’s Singles Cup to Reece Seddon of Mapledene TTC
Pic 2 – Colin Napper receives the Presidents Trophy from League President Peter Ballard
Pic 3 – Marina Partridge presents Harrison Hill with the Bob Partridge Trophy
Pic 4 – The Peter Ballard Cup presented by Peter Ballard to John Poysden of Fambridge TTC
Pic 5 – Members of the Stow Maries ‘D’ Team collecting their Division 3 Winners Trophy
Pic 6 – Lin Roff and the Ladies Singles Winner’s Rose Bowl – presented by Peter Ballard
Pic 7 – Peter Ballard with Duncan Taylor for one of his many awards of the evening
Pic 8 – John Poysden collects the Division 1 Trophy for his outstanding Fambridge Galacticos
Burnham Table Tennis League – Honours List 2022/23
Danbury F, runaway winners of division three of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League added the division three Knock Out Cup to their trophy haul with a 5-0 win over division three runners-up Danbury K. Chris Buer, Gus Heath and Steve Buer carried all before them. The opening doubles went to five ends but Gus Heath and Steve Buer prevailed (8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6) against Mervyn Perriman and Denis Crapnell. Danbury F established a 2-0 win when Chris Buer defeated Denis Balic (6-11, 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4) and thereafter they cruised to victory.
Writtle B (Paul Sturton, Matthew Brown and Trevor Collin) excelled to win the division two Knock-Out Cup, beating a composite Galleywood B team 5-3 in the final featuring James Hicks of Galleywood A and John Holland and Mark Glenister of Galleywood B. Paul Sturton led the way with a five game win over John Holland (8-11, 11-5,10-12, 11-5, 11-6) and with his side leading 4-3 he produced a superb performance to beat James Hicks (11-9, 11-5, 11-9). Trevor Collin played his part with a vital (11-6, 13-11, 6-11, 2-11, 11-9) victory over Mark Glenister.
Favourites Chelmsford A (Harry Chivers, Saul Chivers and James Donald) annexed the Junior Knock Out Cup, beating Chelmsford B (Nikita Tkachuk, Harrison Hill and Omar Mohammad) 7-1 in the Final. Nikita Tkachuk scored an excellent (14-12, 11-7, 11-4) win over Saul Chivers and he also extended Harry Chivers to five ends before succumbing (11-13, 14-12, 11-7, 3-11, 5-11).
The Handicap Knock Out Cup final was another all Chelmsford affair and Chelmsford F emerged as 5-2 winners over Chelmsford C (Alesha Ellis-Austin, Emilie Guilloux and Todd Martin). Dion Fernandes (handicap of 37), Alex Tkachuk (51) and Cleon Fernandes (40) all played a part in this win with Chelmsford F taking the two three setters. Alex Tkachuk beat Todd Martin (41) (16-21, 22-20, 21-14) and he also beat Emilie Guilloux (40) (22-20, 13-21, 21-19) which turned out to be the match-clinching win. Cleon Fernandes powered to wins over Todd Martin (21-10, 21-16) and Emilie Guilloux (21-10, 21-11).
With division four still undecided Buttsbury A were crowned as Champions by beating Hatfield Peverel D 7-3. With 133 points they finished four points clear of Danbury L. Jamie Elliott who has enjoyed a magnificent season with an 89 % record led the way with three singles wins and Kevin Willis (71 %) won twice. Jamie Elliott showed his class by beating Neil Wood, the best of the Hatfield Peverel players (11-2,11-7, 11-9).
Buttsbury B (Ben Brown, Lucy Elliott and Oscar Hutt) completed their division five campaign with a 10-0 win over Galleywood D. The last game of the night looks to have been a roller-coaster encounter with Ben Brown defeating Paul Cockrell (8-11, 11-1, 11-6, 13-15, 11-5).
Buttsbury Bees beat Chelmsford Lions 3-2 in Junior division 2A. Grace Liu was undefeated for the Lions beating Thomas Lewis (11-3, 11-6, 11-5) and Charlie Ware (11-4, 11-3, 11-6).
Buttsbury Bats concluded their season in style, beating the higher placed Chelmsford Antelopes 5-0. Will Fullerton gave his side a winning start with a hard fought (11-7, 12-10, 11-13, 12-10) victory over Hugo Read.
The Chelmsford League Annual General General meeting takes place on Thursday 25 May 2023 at 19.30 hours at Old Chelmsfordians Association. Trophies will be presented. Copies of Officer’s reports will be available on the League Web-Site but printed copies will not be available on the night. Vacancies exist on the Chelmsford Committee for two Committee members plus a Press Officer. Steve Kerns is standing down as Press Officer after 31 years. Looking back at his stint in the role Steve recalls “the early years when Ken Cracknell helped him to write his reports with his extensive and well-informed notes”. Steve also commented on another immensely enjoyable spell in the job where he used to travel into London to work with Graham Turner, and they were able to swap score cards and details of notable performances on the journeys. Steve went onto say that “the Annual Championships were easily the highlight of each year with every single Championships throwing up it’s own head line making stories”.
Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
Last week saw the culmination of the Danbury Table Tennis Club annual championships. With both the Singles and Doubles Final going all the way to deciding 5th ends the crowds were kept enthralled right to the bitter end. Keith Adams got through a tricky semi-final against Dan Anderson and then had to come from behind in the Final to get the better of Ian Wall to retain his Title. Wall played superbly throughout having come through an epic semi-final of his own against ace defender Eric Green. He certainly took the game to favourite Adams and at times seemed to have the better of him with considered play and picking out when to attack with vigour. Adams held on and from the 4th game onwards cut out some of his errors and often pinned Wall against the wall! Wall was not out of it though and at 7-7 in the deciding leg he hit the most ferocious cross court forehand winner of the entire tournament to take an 8-7 lead. Unfortunately that wasn’t the fillip most expected it to be as Adams shrugged off the quality of his opponent’s finish and racked up the final 4 points to win out 11-8 in the 5th leg. A deserved Champion for sure but he was pushed all the way by the hard-working runner-up.
The doubles was an excellent sporting spectacle as both pairings had golden periods throughout a rollercoaster of a Final. Eventually we landed at 2-2 and went into a deciding set. Sanjay Saptarshi and Graham Naggs stormed into an 8-3 lead and seemed to have it in the bag. But the wily Eric Green and his young partner Oliver Martin were not done and eventually caught up at 10-10 having saved a couple of championship points. Then at 10-11 down it seemed Saptarshi and Naggs had somehow rescued defeat from the jaws of victory but Naggs served well and it was all square at 11-11. Saptarshi and Naggs survived the Green serve for another championship point and this time Martin could not return the forceful Saptarshi serve and the Champions collapsed in a heap of sweat and relief.
In the other competitions their were victories for Louis Gunn in the Restricted Singles, Daniel Anderson in the Handicap Singles, and a superb display of ping pong earned Bruce Kettle the Hard Bat Singles crown.
The Club also presented a couple of perennial trophies. Denis Crapnell was considered the most improved player within the Club and was presented with the Village Hall Cup, and Steve Martin was presented with the coveted Elizabeth Award for services to the Club over the season, in particular for his efforts in co-ordinating and managing the junior competitive teams.
Thanks also went to the chief organisers of the tournament Gordon Gatheral, David Gatheral, and Eamonn Hall.
Pic 1 – Danbury Singles Champion – Keith Adams receiving his trophy from Club President Norman Smith.
Pic 2 – Danbury Singles Final – Keith Adams versus Ian Wall (above)
Pic 3 – Danbury Singles Champion – Keith Adams
Pic 4 – Danbury Doubles Champions – Graham Naggs and Sanjay Saptarshi receiving their trophy from Club President Norman Smith
Pic 5 – Danbury Doubles Final – Sanjay Saptarshi and Graham Naggs v Eric Green and Oliver Martin
Pic 6 – Steve Martin being presented with the Elizabeth Award by Club President Norman Smith
All roads lead to Stow Maries for the Burnham & District Table Tennis League Team Handicap Cup Final 2023. An auspicious venue for an eagerly awaited Final. Players are handicapped according to ability and ranking at the start of the season to try and provide a level playing field for teams across all divisions to compete. The higher ranked players are heavily penalised and have to win a significant number of extra points, whereas the lower ranked players are given a tasty head start so they can relax and try and out hit or outsmart their opponents knowing they have a healthy lead and a few nets or edges will change the face of the game.
Our two Final protagonists come from different ends of the league spectrum so the points differentials were going to be massive – just what the baying crowds wanted to see. Cold Norton B have a wonderful selection of tried and tested top division players who play competitively every day of the week across the County and have recently achieved runners-up slot in the Ist Division. By comparison Woodham D play in the lowest division of the Burnham League and rotate their squad amongst a group of 5 or so players – however they had a very good finish to the season and come into the final on good form, and of course with those healthy handicaps. The Cold Norton trio have come through all the previous rounds pretty comfortably despite their heavy handicaps with the closest encounter being a 5-2 victory in the semi-final against Stow Maries A. Woodham D had a tough quarter-final against their own B team, winning through in the deciding leg of the deciding match, but were then comfortable 5-1 winners over Mapledene C in their semi-final where they used their handicaps to great effect.
The Final was hosted at the Stow Maries Arena in Smythe Hall – Cold Norton came out strong with a heavily handicapped trio of Ian Wall (-18), Eric Green (-16), and Captain Dan Anderson (-12). Woodham D in return fielded their semi-final winning trio of Joe Cooke (+6), Valerie Board (+6), and Alex Wilson (+15). It doesn’t take Einstein to work out that some of the points differentials were going to be huge with a maximum of 31 points in favour of Wilson should we get as far as match 7 when he is scheduled to take-on the Mighty Green.
So best of 9 matches, a mixture of 6 singles and 3 doubles interspersed across the evening’s entertainment. Up first Green and Anderson (-14) versus the dynamic duo of Wilson and Cooke (+10). Two very long ends ensued and the first went to deuce at 20-20 and then took another 6 points to eek out a winner as the underdogs from Cold Norton edged the very first leg to put the frighteners up Woodham, and a declaration that they meant business. The second leg was another close call but again the Cold Norton duo pulled back the deficit with some determined and patient play and won out 21-18. Next up was Wall (-18) against the lovable Val Board (+6). Board had a flyer and comprehensively won the first leg 21-5 but this only angered her opponent who showed there were no chinks in his wall as he tightened up the error count in leg 2 and eventually caught up the handicap at deuce and then went on to brake Board’s resolve with a 23-21 win and then took the final leg comfortably 21-12 for an overall 2-0 lead – but that could have gone the other way for sure. In the next leg Green (-16) had too much control and retrievability for the hard hitting Cooke (+6) and won out in 2 legs. So at 0-3 down who you gonna call – HandicapBuster Alex Wilson and his enormously flattering +15 starting point. A young player who has markedly improved across the season and needs to make the most of his early season handicap as he will never see the likes of it again! So Wilson (+15) is up against Cold Norton captain Anderson (-12). With family pride at stake the players face each other for the first time ever in a competitive environment. Anderson’s cagey and defensive style with the use of his favoured pimpled bat will not suit Wilson at all – this could be very close. Well that was the pre-match thoughts but Wilson paid no attention to that and battered his way to a very quick straight sets victory 21-0, 21-4 – family BBQ’s may be a bit awkward this Summer! So Woodham trouble the scoreboard at last but can they springboard on from here. In the next doubles encounter Wall and Green (-17) take on Cooke and Board (+6) and have a lot of work to do to chase down the lead. Again hard work and patience pays off as they force another victory to take the team closer to the edge of glory. In the sixth match-up we have Anderson on a -12 handicap, and with his tail firmly between his legs, against the plucky Board (+6). As in her previous singles match Board comes out all guns a-blazing and secures the first leg with some room to spare. Anderson is nothing if not determined so after a tete-a-tete with himself he knuckles down and as Board tires from all the exertion he starts to take control with thoughtful movement and variety of shots that flummox his opponent, and eventually takes the final two sets 12 & 17 for his redemption victory and more importantly the fifth win required to take the title and bring the Cup home to Cold Norton.
It’s a shame we didn’t get to see Eric Green trying to overcome that 31 point differential that was scheduled for the next match – that would have been a fun one! Congratulations to both teams for all their efforts in getting to this Final, and of course to the Cold Norton trio who have shown incredible patience and resolve throughout this tournament.
Cold Norton B – Handicap Cup Winners 2023
Pic 1 – Cold Norton B – Team Handicap Cup Winners 2023 – Eric Green, Ian Wall, and Dan Anderson
Pic 2 – Woodham D – Team Handicap Cup Runners-Up 2023 – Joe Cooke, Valerie Board, and Alex Wilson
Pic 3 – Cold Norton’s unbeaten Ian Wall in action during the cup final
Pic 4 – Valerie Board taking both her opponents to a deciding leg in her singles matches.
Alesha Ellis-Austin unbeaten in Chelmsford Ladies Knock Out Cup Final
Maldon are the 2023 Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League Ladies Knock Out Cup Champions. However, their 3-2 victory over Chelmsford was extremely hard-fought with the hard-hitting Alesha Ellis-Austin winning both her singles. Alesha showed she meant business by beating Andrea Alleyne (11-7, 11-8, 11-3) in the opening encounter and in her second singles she scored a gem of a win, beating 2023 Chelmsford Ladies Singles Champion Dawn Baldry (9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 14-12). It all came down to the doubles and Dawn and Andrea pulled through in five roller-coaster ends, against Alesha and Emily Guilloux (11-8, 12-14, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7).
First division Champions OCA A completed their Season in fine style with a 9-1 win over Chelmsford B. Brothers Mark and Matt Mulley were joined by Adam Buxton as OCA A produced yet another strong performance. Mark Mulley powered his way to three singles wins, beating Nikita Tkachuk (11-2, 11-8, 11-5), Wiktor Delimat (11-4, 11-7, 11-8) and Simon Jarvis (11-2, 11-5, 11-3). Nikita Tkachuk gave a fantastic account of himself against Matt Mulley (27 wins out of 27 / 100 %) before succumbing (6-11, 5-11, 11-7, 13-11, 9-11) whilst Simon Jarvis defeated Adam Buxton (8-11, 11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-7). With 16 wins from 18 games and 129 points out of a possible 180 points OCA A never came under any real pressure.
Galleywood A, the division two winners also completed their fixtures with a 9-1 win, defeating Maldon A. They finished the Season with a massive total of 170 points out of 220 points with James Hicks and Peter Barrett both winning their three singles. The evergreen Steve Whiteley (Chelmsford Mens Singles Champion in 1974 and 1975) gave them lots to ponder missing out narrowly to James Hicks (11-5, 8-11, 13-11, 6-11, 9-11) and to James Mullane (5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-13). Hamish Innes beat James Mullane (16-14, 11-7, 11-7).
Danbury L finished second in division four with 129 points, just four points behind Buttsbury A. Danbury L beat OCA E 8-2 after Dave Powell had remained unbeaten. Powell was the best of the Danbury L players with 84 % whilst Jamie Elliott (Buttsbury A) with 89 % also enjoyed a magnificent Season. Fast improving Harrison Hill (97 %) (Chelmsford G) enjoyed an even better Season. Chelmsford G were without Harrison Hill in their last game against OCA F which they won 6-4. Omar Mohammad led the way with three wins, beating David Bishop (8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9), Stuart Wintle (11-3, 11-4,11-3) and Mike Morecroft (7-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-5). Danbury M led by a maximum return from Tim Pulham beat Galleywood C 6-4. Graham Naggs won twice which included a last gasp (11-5, 8-11, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10) victory over Steve Peacock.
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) drew 5-5 with the higher placed Chelmsford J in division five. After leading 4-1 they might have expected more. Douglas Bawuah won his three singles and Bobby Suthisa won twice. Jacqui Smith notched up two singles wins for the Chelmsford side including an impressive (11-9, 11-4, 11-6) success against Bobby Suthisa. Chelmsford J also beat Writtle F 9-1. James Grimston and Peter Davenport were both undefeated. Davenport had a close call against Jo Hart, finally winning (11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9). Buttsbury B (Charlie Ware, Oscar Hutt and Lucy Elliott) ran out 8-2 winners against Maldon C. Ella Sach defeated Charlie Ware (9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 11-8) in a well contested last game.
Chelmsford Tigers (eight wins out of eight and an all-conquering 35 points out of 40) were very comfortable winners of Junior division 2A. Pavanaj Srinavasmurthy (10 wins out of 10) completed an undefeated Season in their 4-1 win over runners-up Buttsbury Bears. It was a close call against Joseph Hutt and Pavanaj finally sneaked over the finish line (11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9). Joseph Hutt also had a monumental battle against Omar Mohammad and this time he won (6-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-7, 12-10). Danbury Dragons beat Buttsbury Bears, this time 5-0, with Alex Wilson and Oliver Martin carrying all before them. Alex Wilson came through a gruelling five ender against Joseph Hutt (this is a recurring theme if ever there was one), winning (12-10, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8).
Junior division 2 B was much closer and a mere three points covered the top three teams. Chelmsford Cougars (with 23 points from seven games) are Champions and they beat Danbury Griffins (4-1) and Buttsbury Bulldogs (3-2). Joshua Freeman was undefeated against Danbury Griffins with wins over Oscar Wyman (11-6, 11-7, 11-4) and Peter Harverson (11-3, 11-9, 11-6) whilst Amir Chetittah won his two singles against Buttsbury Bulldogs beating Freya Hart (12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6) and Francesca Hart (7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7).
Chelmsford Jaguars (Zane Kwantreng, George Gregory, Paras Jinturkar and Grace Liu) have won Junior division 2 C with 33 points from eight games. They finished six points ahead of Buttsbury Beavers. In their last game Buttsbury Beavers beat Chelmsford Leopards (4-1) with Charlie Gould winning twice. Charlie Gould beat Theo Peiris 3-0 although his game against Ryan Peiris was a close one and he eventually won (7-11, 15-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7). There was a first defeat for Vivaan Babbar who lost to Ryan Peiris (11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 9-11). Chelmsford Panthers came out on top 3-2 against Chelmsford Pumas. Harry Tarpletts beat Damon Chow (11-9, 11-6, 11-7) and Bernard Chow (11-2, 11-5, 11-2).
Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
The battle to avoid relegation from the top division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League really hotted up in April culminating in a final match of the season do-or-die escape to victory-esque thriller for Woodham B.
Woodham B have been propping up Division 1 all season and have looked firm favourites to yoyo back down to Division 2 following their experimental year mixing it with the big boys. They started off the month with a 7-3 loss to runners-up Cold Norton B and came away having played very well but thinking the 3 points might not be enough as they were still 5 points adrift of second bottom Stow Maries A and 12 points behind the next team Maldon A. With all 3 teams in action across the final 3 matches of the season mathematically any of the 3 teams could still be relegated and the fat non-binary person still hadn’t sung their song! So to the action – first up the ‘Live at the Smythe’ special as the bottom two teams met at Smythe Hall for a relegation six pointer. Some of the table tennis on the night was of a tip top standard as Stow’s Gary Brignall and Woodham’s Sanjay Saptarshi battled for supremacy. Brignall was on fire like you had never seen before – rumoured to have had not 3 but 4 Weetabix* that morning (*other breakfast cereals are available). He dispatched the other Woodham players Trevor Collin and Eamonn Hall and saved Saptarshi for last. Then overall match score was evenly poised at 3-3 after the first round of singles and the Stow pairing of Brignall and Ryan Pitt looked to have the better of Saptarshi & Hall in the early knockings of the key doubles match. The order of play was key in this one and the match eventually went to 2-2 only for Hall & Saptarshi to finally get their noses in front and then finished off in style for the oh-so-important doubles bonus point. In the final run-in Collin overcame Pete Layzell for a 5-3 lead to Woodham and then the sparks flew as Brignall and Saptarshi took to the Octagon for an all-out table tennis smashfest of the absolute highest order. No initial nerves or cautiousness – just straight into it from the start. The heat coming from the Brignall camp was evident as he blasted his way to an opening set 11-2 but then felt some of that backdraft as Saptarshi fought back for an 11-3 second set. Brignall took a cagey 3rd set and then steamed ahead in the 4th and had at least 3 match points before finally succumbing 14-16 as Saptarshi somehow recovered from the precipice of defeat. That effort and disappointment knocked the stuffing out of Brignall and a buoyed Saptarshi rattled off the final set for an overall commanding 6-3 lead for the Woodham boys. Standing ovations around for both of these fighters! Pitt overcame the dogged Hall for the final point of the match for an overall 6-4 victory to Woodham B.
The previous result probably saved Maldon A any final match concerns as they took on Mapledene A at the Maldon Arena. Mapledene A arrived with a slightly weaker than normal side but still had plenty in their locker to dispatch Maldon. For Mapledene both John Monk and David Jacob won all their singles without much trouble, and Maldon’s only singles victory came courtesy of the returning lefty Jon Stokes who outlasted Keith Willet in a hard fought 5 setter. However Maldon pair Steve Whiteley and Stokes were far too good for their opponents as they eased their way to a straight sets victory in the doubles giving them 2 points on the night and surely enough to ensure they were now safe.
So going into the final match of whole league season Woodham B found themselves 3 points adrift from Stow Maries A and 8 points adrift from Maldon A, and up against tough opponents Mapledene B who themselves could finish in 4th place. With a large crowd in attendance the final match got underway and Woodham captain Eamonn Hall kicked things off with an opening victory against an in-form Anthon Ranjit-Singh, and this was swiftly followed up when Woodham talisman Sanjay Saptarshi overcame the unique style of Colin Chatfield in a match that saw some tremendous rallies. Mapledene fought back as the fearsome Keith Willett took a lively 5 setter against Dan Patynski, and Chatfield made amends for his earlier loss with a victory over Hall. Patynski endured another 5 setter against the hard-hitting Ranjit-Singh but just pipped it at the death and then Willett smashed his way through the Saptarshi defence to level the match up at 3-3. All very nail-biting for the Woodham crowd assembled behind the barriers. Mapledene’s dynamic doubles duo of Chatfield and Willett were a class above the Woodham pair and won out comfortably to take a 4-3 lead going into the final stretch of matches. Chatfield completed his excellent nights play with a tricky 5 set victory over Patynski and Willett triumphed in 4 sets against Hall to secure Mapledene’s victory on the night and 4th place in the league overall. So for Woodham B it all came down to the final game of the final match of the season. By all accounts traffic had come to a standstill in both South Woodham and Stow Maries as the residents waited with baited breath for the outcome of this most anticipated encounter. In the Blue corner Saptarshi – weighing in at 12 Stone 4lbs, ranked #24, and his opponent from the Mapledene Academy in the red corner Anthon Ranjit-Singh – weighing in at 14 stone 6lbs, ranked #92 but with a far bigger reach! Round 1 and Ranjit-Singh was off to a flier but Saptarshi came back and edged the opening round 11-9. Ranjit-Singh fought back and took a comfortable 2nd leg 11-7. The third leg was cagey and at 8-8 could have gone either way. Advantage Ranjit-Singh at 9-8 but then a couple of errors allowed Saptarshi back in and he took the 3rd for a 2-1 lead. With lots of fluids and biscuits being taken on board and the corners working hard on tactical changes the 4th set started of a bit cagey but Saptarshi edged ahead with some trademark smashes at the end of some wonderful exchanges between these two warriors. As we entered the business end of the leg Saptarshi pulled away and as he won out 11-6 the crowds erupted with a mixed sense of relief and joy. So 6-4 to Mapledene B on the night, and a thoroughly deserved victory. Mapledene B secure 4th place in the league and Woodham B leapfrog Stow Maries A by a single point to come off the bottom of the table for the very first time all season and get to do it all again next season!
The rumour that Stow Maries Village has cancelled all Coronation events following this relegation saga can neither be confirmed nor denied.
Pic 1 – The final League table
Pic 2 – Mapledene’s Captain Anton Ranjit-Singh in action
Pic 3 – Gary Brignall versus Sanjay Saptarshi in the showstopper
Pic 4 – Mapledene B’s Colin Chatfield and Keith Willett
Pic 5 – Woodham B, The Great Escape Artists – Hall, Saptarshi and Patynski
Highwood B won four singles in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League division five Knock Out Cup Final, and on most occasions that would have been sufficient for them to capture the title. Not this time. It was the doubles prowess of Highwood A’s Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Nicola Pippen which won the day. Keith Fitz-John / Nicola Pippen gave them a 1-0 lead by beating Roger Patient / Keith Pallett (11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 11-3) in the opening doubles and Melanie Bonnett / Keith Fitz-John defeated Roger Patient / Dave Cockrell (8-11, 11-6, 15-13, 11-9) in the middle encounter. With the scores tied at 4-4 and with everything to play for Melanie Bonnett / Nicola Pippen sealed the victory by defeating Dave Cockrell / Keith Pallett (11-4, 14-12, 11-5). 5-4 to Highwood A. A strong Writtle A side (Duncan Taylor, Kevin Read and Lee McHugh) won the open Knock Out Cup. They beat Danbury A 5-2 in the Final. Eric Green scored an excellent (15-13, 7-11, 13-11, 11-5) win over Duncan Taylor but Writtle had sufficient strength in depth to withstand this. Kevin Read won twice, beating Babul McLeod (11-9, 7-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8) and Bruce Kettle (5-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-7). Lee McHugh secured the Writtle victory by beating Eric Green (11-9, 11-8, 12-10).
Chelmsford G, third in division four overcame second placed Danbury L 5-4 in the division four Knock Out Cup Final. Outstanding prospect Harrison Hill won his two singles; no surprises there, he has a record of 97 % in the League. Alesha Ellis-Austin played her part by beating Rob Kneale (11-9, 11-9, 15-13) whilst Danbury kept their hopes alive in the middle doubles. Dave Powell / Rob Kneale got the better of Harrison Hill/ Alesha Ellis-Austin (12-10, 25-23, 11-5). The second game is the longest on record this Season in the Chelmsford League. It all came down to the final doubles and Alesha Ellis-Austin / Emilie Guilloux came out on top against Rob Kneale / Dave Goody (12-10, 12-10, 11-8).
Second placed Danbury C signed off with a win in division one by beating Danbury B 8-2. Both teams fielded reserves and it was Trevor Lloyd who won his three singles for the C team. Good going as he had to play with a borrowed bat. Denis Crapnell, playing for Danbury C defeated Gus Heath (11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10).
Galleywood A (James Hicks, Peter Barrett and Gary Brignall) claimed the division two title in style. They powered home 10-0 against Chelmsford B. All three players have enjoyed magnificent Seasons. Their records speak for themselves. James Hicks – 93 %, Peter Barrett – 88 % and Gary Brignall – 77 % with support from James Mullane – 57 % and Ben Page – 52 %. With one match left their points total of 161 points from 21 games is also very impressive. Danbury D finished second and they completed their Season with two 6-4 wins. They beat Maldon A with Sanjay Saptarshi leading the way with a hat-trick. Sanjay battled back from 2-0 down to beat Steve Whiteley (3-11, 8-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-8). They also beat OCA A with Chris Buer standing in and winning his three singles. It’s relegation for Galleywood B who lost to the team immediately above them – Chelmsford C, 9-1. Robert Shrimpton and Victor Chan were both undefeated. Shrimpton completed his trio of wins by beating John Holland (11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10). Writtle B completed the Season strongly by beating Danbury E 7-3, and they finished above their opponents on games countback with both teams tied on 106 points. Richard Storey and Paul Sturton were both undefeated. Richard Storey defeated Tim Cramphorn (7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4, 13-11) in the closest game of the evening. Hatfield Peverel A also completed their Season with a win, beating Maldon A 6-4. No one player stayed undefeated but Martin Archie and Alastair Piper both won twice to give Hatfield Peverel the edge. Hamish Innes won twice for Maldon, missing out to Alistair Piper (10-12, 11-9, 3-11, 9-11). Maldon A beat Chelmsford C 6-4. Hamish Innes was undefeated, beating Mike Johnston (11-7, 11-7, 12-14, 11-8), Victor Chan (8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6) and Dusan Doszkoty (9-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-4, 12-10).
Danbury F, the division three Champions beat Maldon B (7-3) and Writtle D (8-2) to make it 17 wins out of 20 with just one defeat. Gus Heath was undefeated in both games. They were a class apart all Season as can be seen by the records of their players – Chris Buer (93 %), Gus Heath (92 %), John Tendler (83 %) and Steve Buer (63 %). Danbury K finished second, and they beat OCA D 8-2. Denis Balic and Denis Crapnell were both undefeated. Tom Barker was on target for the losers with a (11-4, 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8) win over Mervyn Perriman. Maldon B and Writtle E are relegated but both teams scored well for demoted sides. Maldon B (74 points) drew with Danbury H. Newcomer Chris Ravenhill won twice and this included a (8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 14-12) win over Peter Hance. David Meah won his three singles and he beat Chris Ravenhill (9-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-8). Writtle E (76 points) finished their Season well after beating Chelmsford D (7-3). Neil Thompson was undefeated beating Joachin Mapes (9-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6), Dave Parker (11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4) and Rev Matthews (9-11. 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5). Chelmsford F signed off with a 8-2 win over Maldon B. Dusan Doszkoty won his three singles. Maldon’s Andrea Alleyne fought back from 2-0 down to beat Andy Swales (10-12, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6). David Meah finished his Season in style and he was undefeated as Danbury H beat Hatfield Peverel B 7-3. He had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Neil Freeman (11-4,8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10).
Division four isn’t finished yet but Buttsbury A (126 points) are in the ascendancy with a five point lead over Danbury L. The two teams met and the match finished tied at 5-5. Jamie Elliott (88 %) was undefeated notching up wins over Rob Kneale (11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-4), Dave Powell (9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7) and Dave Goody (11-3, 11-3, 11-13, 11-8). Buttsbury A also did a “job” on fifth placed OCA E, winning 9-1. Jamie Elliott was joined by Alex Ware in winning his three singles.
Highwood A and Highwood B have dominated division five this Season. Highwood A – Melanie Bonnett (83 %), Keith Fitz-John (75 %), Nicola Pippen (67 %) and Keith Pallett (39 %) finished five points ahead of Highwood B. Highwood B completed their programme by beating Galleywood D 9-1. Steve Peacock was target for the losers, beating Russell Downton (11-7, 11-8, 11-9). Danbury N who have finished third beat Hatfield Peverel F 7-3; Oliver Martin and Graham Naggs were both undefeated although Dave Benstead gave Oliver Martin a “scare” before he succumbed (11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 9-11, 9-11). Hatfield Peverel E completed their Season in style, beating Writtle F 8-2. Davina Brazier and Phil West both bagged hat-tricks.
Buttsbury Bees did well to beat the higher placed Buttsbury Bears 3-2 in junior division 2A. Charlie Ware beat both Joseph Hutt (16-18, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6) and Lucy Elliott (11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 13-11). Chelmsford Lions and Danbury Dragons are level on 12 points and when the two teams met the Lions edged it 3-2. Atharv Gupta won twice, getting the better of Peter Harverson (11-7, 5-11, 17-15, 11-7) and Oliver Ware (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11).
In junior division 2B top team Chelmsford Antelopes tasted defeat, losing 3-2 to Danbury Griffins. Ben Robinson won twice for the Antelopes but he missed out in the doubles. Peter Harverson and Oscar Wyman secured the victory (11-8, 11-5, 11-5) against Hugo Reed and Ben Robinson.
Junior division 2C Champions Chelmsford Jaguars made it seven wins out of seven by beating Chelmsford Leopards 4-1. Zane Kwantreng beat both Theo Peiris (12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8) and Sean Kwan (11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 11-4).
Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
