Nomads Panthers and Windsor Hawks have occupied the top two spots in Division One of the Clacton League for most of the season so far, but Nomads Lions this week recorded two wins and are emerging as the third challenger for top honours.

Their first victory was a decisive 9-1 success over Brotherhood A, both Paul Hume, making his first appearance of the season, and Ethan Lloyd taking maximum points. Jason Lloyd won a couple but fell foul of Russell Hillier, who won their individual encounter 11-6 in the fifth.

And the Lions followed this up with a 7-3 victory against Walton B, Hume again staying unbeaten, with Jason Lloyd and Adam Wilkin each winning two. Mark Gale and Mark Ratcliffe took a point each for Walton, and also won the doubles.

In their second match, the Walton B side enjoyed a 7-3 win of their own against Brotherhood B, despite having to play with a guest. Gale and Ratcliffe took maximum points and shared an 11-6 in the fifth doubles win against the Plummer brothers.  

Meanwhile, leaders Nomads Panthers had a comfortable 9-1 victory over a below-strength Windsor Eagles, Greg Green and James Denyer taking three each, and Gill Locke two. John Pattrick defeated Locke for the Eagles’ point.

Windsor Hawks maintained their interest at the top with victory over Lawford, Gary Young, Andy Vincent and Felipe Rodriguez all unbeaten in the 10-0 win, in an encounter where only two matches were extended to a fourth set.

Three for Pete Burrows, two for Graham Buxton and a doubles victory for the pair gave Walton C bragging rights over Walton A, winning 6-4. Dave Binns won two for the ‘A’ team, and Andy Foster and Derek Willis one each.

In Division Two, Windsor Buzzards had a good scrap with Brotherhood E before ending as 8-2 winners. Scott Campbell took his maximum, with Dave Martin and Pete Bloomfield each winning two, although it was a mighty close 16-14 in the fifth decider for Bloomfield against Fred Gallone. Kevin Pryor won the two Brotherhood points.

There was a treble for Jonathan Hockley, and two each for John Hockley and Callum Hogg, in Nomads Jaguars’ 8-2 success over Windsor Penguins. For the Penguins, there was one each for Kayley Rodriguez, in her first appearance of the season, and Paul Woolnough. Woolnough was involved in two five-setters, including an interesting-looking encounter with Jonathan Hockley who took the match 8-11, 13-15, 11-7, 19-17, 11-1. 

A Boyland-less Brotherhood C failed to win for the first time this season, held to a draw by Windsor Harriers, mainly thanks to an unbeaten performance from Barry Allen. The Harriers edged both matches which went the distance, Allen beating John Gallagher 12-10 in the decider and Isabel Barton beating Mark Beckham 11-9 in the decider. Gallagher and Paul Metcalf each won two singles, and combined for a doubles success.

Brotherhood D were 9-1 victors over bottom-team Windsor Magpies, Mark Salter and Paul Alden undefeated. Only John Plummer’s win over Tricia Salter prevented the whitewash.   

It was also 9-1 for Nomads Tigers against Brotherhood G, Bob Jillins and Dave Miller both taking trebles, and Zein Shafat two. Brotherhood’s reserve Tom Bryden was their best player on the night, defeating Shafat 11-7 in the fifth and taking Miller all the way before eventually going down 11-8 in the fifth.

In Division Three, leaders Brotherhood F beat Windsor Falcons 7-3 but no-one could get the better of an unbeatable Kelvin Olano. Ruby Gallagher, Tom Bryden and Lucy Carvell all won two, with Gallagher and Joe Sherwin taking the doubles in the closest match of the evening, 11-8 in the fifth against Olano and Nikki Hayes.

Hat-tricks for Andrew Cousins and Arthur-Wells-Garrett saw Nomads Ocelots home 8-2 against Holland Vulcans, although Wells-Garrett needed all five sets to beat both James Horsler and Derek Foxley. There was a point each for Foxley and Horsler, the latter scaping past Hazel Blanche 12-10 in the decider in the closest encounter of the evening.  

And the Vulcans suffered a second 8-2 defeat, this at the hands of Walton D, Maggie Earle and Lynette Sparks unbeaten. Foxley and Horsler again picked up a point apiece for the Vulcans, Horsler beating Deborah Pallett 11-4 in the fifth.

Three for Dominic Joannou, two for Anne Bonny and one for Mark Taylor gave Nomads Leopards a 7-3 victory over Holland Lancasters. For the Lancasters, Dave Wright won two and Ann Peart one, Peart also taking Bonny close before going down 12-10 in the decider.

Finally, Brotherhood H were 10-0 winners against Holland Mosquitoes who were forced to field a guest, whilst it was also 10-0 for the Bobcats in their all-Nomads fixture with the Ocelots.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton C 6 Walton A 4;

Brotherhood A 1 Nomads Lions 9;

Windsor Hawks 10 Lawford 0;

Nomads Panthers 9 Windsor Eagles 1;

Brotherhood B 3 Walton B 7;

Nomads Lions 7 Walton B 3.

Division 2

Brotherhood E 2 Windsor Buzzards 8;

Brotherhood G 1 Nomads Tigers 9;

Windsor Harriers 5 Brotherhood C 5;

Windsor Magpies 1 Brotherhood D 9;

Nomads Jaguars 8 Windsor Penguins 2.

Division 3

Holland Vulcans 2 Walton D 8;

Holland Vulcans 2 Nomads Ocelots 8;

Windsor Falcons 3 Brotherhood F 7;

Nomads Ocelots 0 Nomads Bobcats 10;

Holland Mosquitoes 0 Brotherhood H 10;

Nomads Leopards 7 Holland Lancasters 3.

Report by Tony Oswick

In Division 2 of the Southend League the top of the table clash between leaders Stanford B and second placed Matchpoint B, both unbeaten, failed to live up to expectations this week. Matchpoint could only field two players and it was left to teenagers Max Mayo and Lotte Mills to take on the very experienced Stanford team of Rob Salvage, Russell Bright and Adrian Armstrong. The result was a comprehensive 9-0 win for Stanford who now sit eleven points clear of their rivals and have a game in hand. Favourites beforehand to get promotion they are now clear favourites to win the league outright.

With third placed Canvey B without a game Hockley B moved level with them on points after an 8-1 victory against Invicta B. Mike Worship and Paul Ogden both recorded maximums and there was a brace for Paul Strutt whilst Steve Lennox grabbed the consolation point for Invicta. Just two games went the distance on the night Lennox’s win finishing 11/9 in the decider whilst Ogden got the better of Mike Keeble winning 11/8 in the fifth after Keeble had battled back from 2-0 down. Invicta stay sixth in the table.

Bottom of the table Matchpoint C sprang the surprise of the week with a last ditch 5-4 win against Rawreth Megazone D. Player of the match was Rawreth’s Richard Kidd who was unbeaten on the night albeit he was pushed all the way by Roger Sherman before edging home 4/11 14/12 11/6 10/12 14/12. Sherman however went on to win his other two games and he was supported by Alwine Jarvis who picked up her first two wins of the season. With the scores level at 4-4 it was down to the final game of the evening and captain Ollie Milchard overcame the disappointment of losing his other two games by defeating Steve McQuillan in four sets. Jaspreet Singh had got Rawreth’s other point by beating Milchard in another five set marathon, coming from two sets down to win the decider 13/11. Teenager William Evesham was the star of Hockley D’s 6-3 away win at Runnymede. He won all his games as Hockley recorded only their second win of the season and that included a marathon five set match against Tina Hutchinson where he fought back from a two set deficit before clinching the game 11/8 in the decider. Hockley actually lost the first two games of the evening before rattling off six games on the trot. Last game of the evening saw Hutchinson engaged in another five set match against John George and was again pegged back from a two set lead before, this time, winning the decider 12/10. That gave her two wins on the night with Steve Wisbey adding the other point also beating George. For Hockley Ben Cook recorded a brace with George getting the other point. 

Are Black Notley F going to be the Luton Town of the Braintree Table Tennis League?

Luton gained unexpected promotion to the Premier League in 2023 and then finished above the two teams that had gone up with them – a position Notley F now find themselves in.

They went up only because the league expanded to bring three new teams into division three.  Space had to be made for them and so three teams instead of one were put up to division two.

Notley F (G last season) were the third of those.

They will not of course want to pursue the Luton comparison too far in view of their subsequent relegation but the Braintree Table Tennis League is not so draconian as the Premier League and only relegates one team.

And at the moment that does not look like being Notley F, who currently sit in fourth place, with Yeldham Whitlocks A in seventh and last year’s division three champions Netts D eleventh.

Both have had a tougher set of matches and have been missing significant players, Charles Calisin at Netts and Lorraine Burgess at Yeldham, so it could all change, but Notley will be pleased with the way the season has started.

Their latest win came against a Rayne F team boosted by the inclusion of Steve Buer.

But Graham Chinnery outlasted Buer to win at 11-9 in the fifth game and won his other two singles to lead his team to a 6-4 win.

Netts D meanwhile lost 8-2 to Notley E, where Jim Davy was unbeaten, but Yeldham secured an excellent draw with league leaders Rayne D.

Dave Moles found a way past Roy Hooper but was found wanting by Doug Sanders, who in turn lost to Dave Marsh, who went on to lose to Hooper.

Sudbury Wanderers kept up their 100 per cent record with a 7-3 win over Notley D that moves them up to within two points of Rayne D with a match in hand.

Natalie Dodd lost her unbeaten record to Paul Nicol.

Matthew Brown’s spotless record on the other hand remains intact after he took his three singles in Rayne E’s 6-4 win over Notley C.

In division one there were convincing wins for the top two.  Rayne A beat their own B team 9-1 while Netts A had a 10-0 win over Liberal A.

Victor Chan’s win over Adam Buxton for Rayne B was the only ripple on the pond.

Last year’s bottom team Liberal C kept up their unexpectedly impressive start to the season with another win, 6-4 over Netts B.

All three Netts wins came from Szczepan Ziobro.

Against Sudbury Nomads, Notley B gave a debut to 20-year-old Luke Burridge, who started the evening by beating Ken Lewis, something that never comes easily, but he could not repeat the dose against Karl Baldwin, whose three singles helped his side to a draw.

Report by Ron Fosker

Of all thirty-two teams in the Clacton League, there can be few more genial sides than Walton D in Division Three.

A mid-table team for the last two years, and likely to be again so this season, the Walton D trio of Lynette Sparks, Maggie Earle and Adrian Sexton is nevertheless a competitive and determined outfit.

This week, they recorded their third win of the season, 8-2 over Holland Lancasters, with a hat-trick for Sparks, and two each for Earle and Sexton. Dave Wright won two for the Lancasters, although it was a nail-biting 14-12 in the fifth against Sexton.

Elsewhere, Brotherhood F predictably beat Holland Mosquitos 10-0, Tom Bryden, Joe Sherwin and Lucy Carvell taking trebles, as did Kelvin Olano and Ferdy Rodriguez in Windsor Falcons’ 8-2 win over Holland Hurricanes.

Savindu De Silva, Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard stayed unbeaten as Brotherhood H beat Nomads Leopards 9-1, Dominic Joannou narrowly losing 11-9 in the fifth to Woollard but sharing an excellent doubles success with Anne Bonney.

In Division One, Nomads Panthers beat Brotherhood A 10-0, James Denyer, Gracie Edwards and Greg Green undefeated, the same score by which Jason Lloyd, Ethan Lloyd and Charlie Fulcher of Nomads Lions beat Windsor Eagles.

Windsor Hawks were 9-1 winners over Walton B, who lost all three matches which went close in five, Mark Ratcliffe’s 11-9 in the fifth loss to Felipe Rodriguez the closest. 

It was also 9-1 for Walton C against Lawford, Pete Burrows and Clive Newbould both taking three, and Clive Allenby two, their first win of the season.

In Division Two, Neil Chegwidden recorded a third consecutive maximum in Windsor Penguins’ 6-4 victory over Nomads Tigers, although it was a tight 16-14 in the decider against Dave Miller.  

Brotherhood G beat Windsor Kestrels 7-3, despite a hat-trick for Peter Aumord, but later went down 10-0 to Dave Martin, Pete Bloomfield and Ray Chillingworth of Windsor Buzzards.

Kevin Pryor and Duncan Dunne took trebles as Brotherhood E beat Windsor Kestrels 8-2, taking all four matches which went the distance, Kevin Pryor edging past Debra Found 12-10 in the fifth in the closest.

Finally, Nomads Jaguars defeated Windsor Magpies 10-0, John Hockley, Jonathan Hockley and Tom Wilkin all winning three, while Brotherhood D, playing with a reserve, were 7-3 victors over Windsor Harriers, playing with a guest.

* The Windsor Club’s Quiz Evening is next Saturday (16th November) at the Brotherhood Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. To enter a team, contact Jenny Higgins on 07790 240566.

* Details about the Knock-Out Cup competition will be circulated by 24th November at the latest.

RESULTS

Division 1

Windsor Eagles 0 Nomads Lions 10;

Walton B 1 Windsor Hawks 9;

Lawford 1 Walton C 9;

Nomads Panthers 10 Brotherhood A 0.

Division 2

Windsor Kestrels 2 Brotherhood E 8;

Windsor Buzzards 10 Brotherhood G 0;

Windsor Penguins 6 Nomads Tigers 4;

Brotherhood D 7 Windsor Harriers 3;

Brotherhood G 7 Windsor Kestrels 3;

Nomads Jaguars 10 Windsor Magpies 0.

Division 3

Holland Hurricanes 2 Windsor Falcons 8;

Brotherhood H 9 Nomads Leopards 1;

Brotherhood F 10 Holland Mosquitos 0;

Walton D 8 Holland Lancasters 2.

Report by Tony Oswick

League action

Danbury A moved to the top of division one with a 7-3 home win over the previou;sy unbeaten Chelmsford A who slipped to third.  Bruce Kettle fired his second treble of the season and Dave Richardson his first as Chelmsford’s Josh Bickles and Kim Shead secured the only points from singles matches for the visitors. Ryan Pitt went solo in Writtle A’s 10-0 away loss at Chelmsford B while Danbury C were also missing a player though three wins from Trevor Lloyd and two from Gary Young saw them overcome Galleywood A 6-4.

No change at the top of division two as undefeated leaders Buttsbury A won for the fourth consecutive match and delivered Danbury D their fourth consecutive loss, Paul Sturton and Evie Knaapen fired trebles for Buttsbury in a 9-1 away win.  Chelmsford C are another undefeated team and they managed to squeeze past Writtle B 6-4 thanks to their new recruits Wiktor Dellimat (three wins) and Kelvin Edeh (two wins).  Eight weeks in and this was Edeh’s fourth different team in four different divisions – a player clearly on the rise!  Maldon A remain second thanks to an 8-2 success at Galleywood B, Derek Balding was back in action with his third hat-trick in only his third appearance this season. OCA B lost their sixth straight match of the season as three wins for Peter Chastin and David Penrose led Danbury D to a 9-1 home win.  Writtle C are back to winning ways after last week’s defeat with Gary Ward undefeated in his three singles matches for the third time in five outings this season.  John Webber chipped in with a second treble of the season as Writtle beat Danbury F 8-2.

Buttsbury B moved to top spot in division three thanks to a 9-1 home win over OCA C in a match which saw a first treble of the season for Dennis Squirrell and a fourth for Harry Sawford. The unbeaten Writtle D powered to a fourth successive win as they beat Danbury H 7-3 despite a double from the returning Gordon Gatheral.  Matthew Brown fired his fourth hat-trick in a row for Writtle though rather strangely they currently sit in fifth place in the table.  Another player with four successive trebles is Galleywood C’s Gary Copsey, his side beat Writtle E 7-3 to move second in the table. Rev Matthews and Andy Swales were both undefeated for Chelmsford E in their 6-4 win at clubmates Chelmsford D while Denis Crapnell and Denis Balic did the business for Danbury G in a 9-1 win against Danbury J in a match which saw six five-gamers.  Hatfield Peverel B and Chelmsford F drew 5-5 as Neil Freeman hit his third division three treble of the season.

Highwood A’s Melanie Bonnett timed her first treble of the season to perfection as Hutton A tasted defeat for the first time in a tight 6-4 loss.  Roger Patient chipped in with two wins for Highwood which ended his run of four successive trebles in division four. On the back of five doubles in six matches, Danbury L’s John Manning finally got over the line and earned his first hat-trick of the season as his side won 6-4 against Hatfield Peverel C, while the two-man team of David Bishop (three wins) and David Newman (two wins) just earned a 5-5 draw with last years division five champions Danbury M.

There was a second treble of the division five season for Bruce Wickham as his Hatfield Peverel D handed Highwood B their fifth successive defeat by an 8-2 scoreline.  Wickham was well backed up by two wins apiece for Davina Brazier and Richard Drozd who were both undone by Highwood’s Keith Pallett.  Anglia Ruskin University remain winless this season as they fell to an 8-2 loss against Galleywood E as Steve Peacock hit his third treble of the season and earned a good win over ARU ace Douglas Bawuah.  Maldon C’s Gary Eames was in action for the first time this season and he hit the ground running with a treble in his teams 9-1 win over the back-to-full-strength Old Chelmsfordians E.  Arthur Shadforth fired his second hat-trick of the season though was taken to a decider by Suzanne Shaw who had earlier beaten James Raymond for OCA’s sole point.  Michael Anthony won all three of his matches as Writtle F were victorious by 7-3 at Hatfield Peverel E. Peverel are still searching for their first win of the season though points gained means they are three places above the bottom. Chelmsford H cruised to a 9-1 home win over Hatfield Peverel F with Shengbing Zhu and Peter Davenport winning all of their matches.

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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With all games going to form this week in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League, the drama came in the individual battles.  Fambridge remain sitting pretty at the tip of the league pyramid following a comfortable 8-2 dismission of Cold Norton C.  Mark Stones was the dominant player for Fambridge with an unbeaten evening across singles and doubles.  He was taken all the way to a deciding leg by the youthful Sam Lowman but came through 11-6.  But that was only the beginning for the Cold Norton talisman as he next took on and defeated Fambridge Supremo John Poysden and then came from behind to deny Gary Young his hat-trick with a 5 set marathon victory dance.  Young and Poysden won their other matches against Dick Wyman and Tim Cramphorn to complete the scoring.  Cold Norton B remain in the running and this weeks 7-3 margin of victory over a very strong Mapledene B side will help their cause.   A strange set of scores for this one with each of the Mapledene stars winning a singles point but strangely all against different players – so at least everyone went home with a win under their belt.  The Cold Norton trio of Eric Green, he’s here he’s there he’s everywhere Sam Lowman, and Captain Dan Anderson all won 2 singles and Green and Lowman combined for the bonus doubles point.  Mapledene’s Colin Chatfield beat Lowman in straight sets for some healthy ranking points, David Jacob squeezed past Anderson in 5 sets, and Keith Willett held on miraculously for a very long and hard fifth set victory over Eric Green.  Willett almost made it two wins in another 5 setter with Anderson but lost out 12-10 in the decider having had match point at 10-9 – you bet he’d like to play those 3 points again!  In the final top division encounter of the week the winners podium wasn’t really the focus of discussions as the two bottom sides faced off in an all Woodham encounter.  Woodham C were going extremely well and took a 3-2 lead courtesy of the enigma that is Adi Kamma.  Kamma came back from 0-2 down against both Dan Patynski and Eamonn Hall to win both matches in 5 sets and each 5^th leg was very comfortable at 11-2 – what excellent form.  Hall made up for that early loss to Kamma with an unexpected dominant tactical display against Graham Briggs to even the scores going into the break.  Whatever was said to the Woodham B side must have done the trick as they then rattled off the next 4 matches to complete the scoring for a welcome 7-3 victory.  The B team’s Harry Sawford finally broke the Kamma duck despite a Kamma-comeback in the 3^rd leg that had the bookies in a tizz. The Woodham B team have now finally registered their first league win of the season, but the wait goes on for the beleaguered C team.

The title race in Division 2 is hotting up as we have 3 contenders starting to pull away from the peloton.  Maldon A continue to dominate all their matches and this week overcame the defences of a well stacked Mapledene C trio.  Lloyd Bennett-Smith showing great form for his hat-trick, with wingmen Colin Napper and Hamish Innes chipping in with a brace of wins each.  For Mapledene Tony Ayliffe proved the most stoic of combatants with deciding set wins over Napper and Innes.  Woodham D leapfrog into second place following their 10-0 whitewash over Blackwater B early in the week, although the scoreline doesn’t reflect the quality of the play from the Blackwater team on the night.  Woodham’s Mal Henstock was the player of the match as his quirky style was enough to throw his opponents and force error after error.  Henstock was backed up by young Peter Harverson and his ferocious leftie loops, and the not so young Eamonn Hall with his more measured approach.  For Blackwater Simon Quelch almost stole the opening point of the night but finally fell to Hall in the dying points of the deciding set, and Gary Smith had a mighty battle with Harverson in a match he lost 3-0 but actually had game point in all 3 legs for a 11-13, 19-21, 10-12 loss – but great entertainment for the crowds watching on.  Stow Maries A have a few games to catch up but will be in the mix come the reckoning weeks.  This week they travelled the short distance to Cold Norton D – and in a smash and grab raid that didn’t take long they stole away all 10 points.  Hat-tricks all round for the talents of Richard Storey, Gary Brignall, and Tim Pulham, with only Pulham’s victory over Neil Want going the full distance.  Be warned they are up and running and on the march.  Neil Freeman was the star player in the drawn tie betwixt Stow Maries B and Blackwater A – a result that bumps Stow B off the bottom of the table.  Freeman won all his singles and added the doubles with Alan Scammell as his partner. He didn’t have it all his own way though as Stow’s Peter Hance took their match all the way to 5 sets before Freeman could complete the task.  Hance won his other 2 matches against Scammell and Roger Slade, a feat repeated by the hard-hitting Nicky Reece-Ford.  Dave Marsh completed the scoring with a straight sets win over Slade.

Some decisive action in Division 3 this week but perhaps less so for the early leaders Maldon C who were pegged back a bit by Woodham E’s very own Superman – Mr Allan Steel.  Steel by name steely by nature as Woodham’s top player was unscathed in his singles this round against Maldon C dropping just a solitary leg along the way.  Alas this was not enough to force the victory with key wins for Maldon’s Marty Englander and Brian Riedling against the pocket rocket that is Chris Crooks leading to a Maldon 6-4 overall win and this keeps them in top spot for now.  St Lawrence are still trying to make up lost ground from a few poor results in the opening weeks of the season and this week they registered an 8-2 triumph over Blackwater F.  Dave Bateman went unbeaten and team-mates Mike Pratley and Mike Burton only lost to Andy Simmonds both in 4 sets.  Blackwater C overcame the majority of the Maldon E pressure this week with a team-worked 7-3 win, but none of the Blackwaterians could outdo the guile and skills of the dogged John Leavett.  Leavett had to work extremely hard to overcome his opponents with plenty of deuce legs along the way including a fifth set 12-10 victory over Chris Rolison.  So Rolison and his crew of Phil West and Jacqui Treacy each won 2 matches, with Rolison and West combining for the extra doubles point.

Pic 1 – Hat-trick man Mark Stones in action at Fambridge this week

Pic 2 – Gary Young with 2 wins for Fambridge to keep them at the top of the league .

Pic 3 – Adi Kamma (Woodham C) plays catch-up against Dan Patynski (Woodham B)

Pic 4 – Woodham B’s player of the match Dan Patynski

Pic 5 – Maldon A’s unbeaten leader – Lloyd Bennett-Smith

Pic 6 – Maldon E’s hero of the week – John Leavett

• 

Stanford B continue to set the pace in Division 2 of the Southend League beating fourth placed Hockley C 7-2 to give them their fifth straight win, and are now two points clear of Matchpoint B with a game in hand.

John Handscombe and Adrian Armstrong both remained unbeaten with Mark Downey adding the other point. Brian Bissenden and Paul Ogden picked up a point each for Hockley and Bissenden came within two points of winning another going down in the fifth set 11/9 to Handscombe in the last match of the night.

Whilst Matchpoint B unexpectedly lost points against Stanford C, winning 5-4, Canvey B took full advantage thrashing Matchpoint C 9-0 to close the gap between them to just two points.

Matchpoint’s best efforts came in the first three games at Canvey with Roger Sherman extending Trevor Hayes to five sets eventually going down 11/6 in the deciding set. Alwine Jarvis then took a set off Des Duffield and Zach Samuels took a set off Terry Giddens but after that the final six games all finished in three sets. A comprehensive win for Canvey which leaves Matchpoint some 7 points adrift at the foot of the table.

The match between Rawreth Megazone D and Runnymede featured a clash between two seasoned veterans who are probably more at home in Division 1 than Division 2. Rawreth’s Gus Heath had only lost one games so far this season and Runnymede’s Tony Millward was unbeaten so their match was crucial to the result of this game. Not surprisingly it went to five sets with Millward winning 11/5 in the decider. That win put Runnymede 3-2 ahead on the night and they extended that to 5-2 before Rawreth won the last two singles. Milllward remained unbeaten and Andrew Humphris provided the backup with two wins, whilst for Rawreth, Heath finished with a brace and there was a point each for Graham Back and Steve McQuillan. Rawreth stay above Runnymede in the league by four points.

Matchpoint B were probably expecting an easier game than they got against Stanford C who have only one win to their credit so far. In the event it all went down to the last match of the evening when Max Mayo beat Mark Farley in straight sets to clinch a 5-4 win. With youngsters Mayo and Lotte Mills in their side Matchpoint had to rely on the experienced Dennis Squirrell who won all his games but was extended to five sets against Tony Papasifakis and Martin Winter coming back from 2-1 down in both matches to claim victory. Mayo finished with two wins for Matchpoint and for Stanford, Winter recorded a brace with a point each for Papasifakis and Farley.

Report by Paul Strutt

Canvey A consolidated their position at the top of the Division 1 table thanks to a comfortable 7 – 2 win away to bottom side Hadleigh Forum C. Both POM Ray Wilson and Peter Cray were unbeaten. Dave Thomas was the home side’s best player, taking both Ray and Peter to a fifth set. Eventually he got a reward when he overcome Canvey’s Lee McGonagle. Graham Farmer got one for Forum as did Lee for Canvey.

Second played third in the match where Basildon A hosted Matchpoint A. The visitors came away with a 5 – 4 victory due in no small part to a hat trick from POM Stephen Heard. Stephen’s team mates Dan Stewart and Oliver Milchard won one each to seal the win. Jenne Siebolt and Rob Burton won two each for Basildon.

A Mike Johnston maximum gave him the POM award and lead his Mapledene side to a 6 – 3 home win against Rawreth Megazone C. Andy Seaman added a further two victories and Lin Roff one. Adi Kamma took two creditable victories for the visitors and Colin Barham overcame Lin 11 – 5 in the fifth.

For their away game at Brand Identity B, Hadleigh Forum B gave an opportunity to their Division 3 player Todd Barker to gain experience at this higher level. Todd didn’t disgrace himself either, taking a set off experienced Mick Grout and Dale Gutteridge, before succumbing to Jenny Harrison in a five-setter. Dave Woolmer was POM with a hat trick and Mick Tappenden got two to give Forum a 5 – 4 win. Jenny was Brand’s best player with two victories.

Report by David Barnes

League action

Ian Wall posted a third treble in his last four matches as Danbury B moved to the top of division one with an 8-2 home win against Writtle A.  Teammates Sam Lowman and Daniel Piggott – making his first appearance for Danbury since March last year – both chipped in with two wins, and while the new leaders have played two fixtures more than most other teams they will be pleased at their upturn in form since losing the first three fixtures of the season.  Adam Brewer, not seen since week three, was the top performing player for the visitors with only Wall managing to better him.  Someone’s ‘0 had to go’ in week seven as the winless Danbury E hosted the winless Galleywood B in an early division two battle at the basement.  It was Galleywood who earned their first triumph of the season as a treble from Gary Brignall backed up by two Will Goodchild wins saw them over the line in a 6-4 triumph.  Goodchild went the distance for both of his successes but was found ‘wanting’ in the opening encounter against two-win Neil Want. Another week, another Roger Patient treble for Highwood A in division four, this time in their 7-3 away win at Hatfield Peverel C. Melanie Bonnett, not seen since week two, won twice for the visitors but was beaten by Peverel’s Bob Hillis who lost in five against Patient.  The honeymoon is over for Hatfield Peverel F as division five leaders Hutton B gave them a 10-0 tonking thanks to trebles from Charlie Gould, Steve Webster and Mahesh Nair. Nair came through in five games against both Alistair Brown and Peter Hughes. There may have been some tired eyes following the 5-5 draw between Hatfield Peverel D and Galleywood E which included five matches that went the distance. “Doug Blaber” may have been the excuse given to partners or employers in the morning as all three of his matches went to five games, the meeting between Blaber and Davina Brazier resulted in a 10-12, 10-12, 14-12, 11-2, 14-12 scoreline. Galleywood are now winless in their last four while Peverel D’s run of three victories came to an end.

Cup action

Writtle C are through to the next round following a 5-2 handicap cup win over Buttsbury A.  John Parodi (+1) was the difference between the teams with three victories, the last of which was a come-from-behind 2-1 success over David Gatheral (-2). Writtle F joined their clubmates in the next round with a 5-3 victory over Buttsbury F, Dave Moles and Ron Tam won twice each to secure safe passage through. Buttsbury E go into the next round following a 5-1 triumph against Buttsbury C, Joshua Freeman and Vivaan Babbar were able to take advantage of favourable handicaps.

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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The twin steamrollers of Finchingfield A and Sudbury Strollers continue to roll on in division three of the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Finchingfield have won all five of their matches and Strollers all four as they head to the crunch meeting between the two on November 27.

It is Finchingfield who lead the way with only four points dropped after wins of 9-1 and 10-0 in their last two matches.

Black Notley I perished by the former score and Netts E by the latter.

John Barrett and the club’s promising 16-year-old Lucien Nolan-Bradford were unbeaten against Notley I, where Ben Southgate picked up the solitary point by beating Peter Clark.

Barrett was also on duty against Netts E where he was joined by Ray Bradford and Stewart Grant.

Strollers’ wins came against Netts F, who they beat 7-3, and Rayne H, where they won 8-2.

Natalie Dodd was undisturbed in the first match and David Hitchen and Richard Kemp in the second.

Notley G are third after wins of 7-3 over Yeldham Whitlocks B and 6-4 against Finchingfield B.

Peter Davenport was unbeaten in both matches.

Finchingfield B also lost 6-4 to Rayne G, where no one could follow Stewart Grant’s example in remaining unbeaten.

The position is tight at the other end of the table where five points cover four teams.

Netts E and Notley I fared best in the two-week period.

Netts E beat Notley H 8-2, with three wins from David  Montgomery, while Notley I got the better of an inexperienced Netts F team by 8-2.

Notley H earned a creditable draw with Rayne G, five places above them, thanks to Nigel Parmenter’s unbeaten evening.

In the team knock-out cup there were wins for Rayne B, 8-1 over Rayne E, and Sudbury Nomads, 5-2 against Notley B.

Rayne E’s Matthew Brown had a good win over Steve Pennell for Rayne E while Aron Jordan remained unbeaten for Nomads.

In the restricted cup there were predictable wins for three second division teams against teams from the division below.

Netts C came past Rayne G 9-0, Rayne F declared at 5-0 against Notley I and Netts D beat Notley G 7-2.

Netts D’s win was closer than the score suggests with four wins coming  at 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 and 12-10 in the final game.

The closest match in either cup competition was Notley F’s 5-4 win over Yeldham A, where they came back from 4-3 down.

Mel Cooch and Elliot Game ensured their passage to the semi-final with the tightest of tight wins in the final doubles 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9.

Report by Ron Fosker

Paul Metcalf is not one of the Clacton League’s most celebrated players but, week-in week-out, he’s an exceptionally effective performer. And he stepped into the limelight this week with a top-class hat-trick in Brotherhood C’s 7-3 victory over Brotherhood E in Division Two.

The underrated ‘C’ team regular was the only unbeaten player on the night, but it was a hard-earned hat-trick, Metcalf coming from behind to edge past Fred Gallone 9-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8, 12-10 before taking the scalp of Kevin Pryor 11-9, 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9.

Metcalf’s team-mates John Gallagher and Mark Boyland each won a couple, but Boyland surprisingly went down to Pryor, 11-6 in the fifth. Pryor and Gallone took the doubles for the ‘E’ side by the same score against Metcalf and Gallagher.

The win keeps Brotherhood C as joint-leaders of the Division alongside title favourites Windsor Buzzards who were also 7-3 winners, this against Nomads Tigers. Scott Campbell and Dave Martin stayed unbeaten for the Buzzards, with Campbell and Ray Chillingworth sharing an 11-6 in the decider doubles victory over Bob Jillins and Zein Shafat.

Hat-tricks for Paul Woolnough and Neil Chegwidden, together with a doubles win for Chegwidden and Paul Stanton, saw Windsor Penguins home 7-3 against Windsor Magpies. Alan Rutledge of the Magpies opened his account for the season with an 11-7 in the fifth victory over Stanton.

Nomads Jaguars were forced to field a guest against Windsor Harriers but were still good enough to win 6-4. Chris Petrou took  three, Tom Wilkin two, with the pair sharing a doubles success.

In Division Three, Dominic Joannou of Nomads Leopards inflicted a first defeat of the season on Joe Sherwin of leaders Brotherhood F. But Joannou himself suffered his first reverse of the season, two of them in fact, by Ruby Gallagher and Lucy Carvell. Both Gallagher and Carvell went on to record trebles in their side’s 9-1 win.

Brotherhood H were also 9-1 winners, this over Holland Lancasters, and remain eight points behind in second place. Savindu De Silva was another to lose his 100% season record, Dave Wright of the Lancasters winning their individual battle 9-11, 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4 in the opening match of the evening. Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard remained unbeaten for the winners.

Nomads Bobcats, 7-3 victors over Windsor Falcons, are a further seven points adrift in third place. Jack Riddleston, Alex Baldock and Sam Watling all won twice, with Watling edging past Nikki Hayes 11-7 in the decider in the closest match of the contest. But none of them could get the better of Kelvin Olano who remained unbeaten.

There was another three for Olano, together with two from Nigel Rolph and one from Nikki Hayes, as the Falcons beat Holland Vulcans 7-3. Derek Foxley picked up two for the losers.

There was a maximum for Lynette Sparks, and two each for Maggie Earle and Adrian Sexton, in Walton D’s 7-3 success against Nomads Ocelots. Walton were made to fight hard for their victory, Sparks beating Andrew Cousins 11-7 in the fifth and Earle edging past the same player 11-9 in the fifth. Cousins and Arthur Wells-Garrett each won one for the losers, and shared an excellent doubles win against Sparks and Sexton.

The all-Holland clash between the Hurricanes and the Mosquitos ended in a comfortable 10-0 victory for the Hurricanes, Gerry Widnell, Ian Gwillim and Pam Cousins all taking trebles.

In Division One, a strong Windsor Eagles trio defeated Brotherhood A 7-3. Gary Cattermole won three, John Pattrick two and Phil Smith one, Pattrick beating Siu Leung 11-6 in the fifth while Smith lost to Brotherhood’s Martin Edwards by the same score. John Cleasby took a couple for the losers.   

Graham Buxton was in fine form for Walton C, staying unbeaten in his side’s match against Walton B. And although his team-mate Clive Allenby enjoyed a fine win over Jason Gale, it was the ‘B’ side who emerged triumphant, winning 6-4, Paul Meikle and Mark Ratclife each getting a couple.

Walton A fielded a guest against Nomads Lions and, unsurprisingly, went down 9-1. Adam Cuthbert and Ethan Lloyd stayed unbeaten for the Lions. Adam Wilkin had a tight 9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 15-13, 11-6 win against Gavin Price but went down in three-straight to Derek Willis, Walton’s sole points-scorer.

Finally, Brotherhood B fielded a weakened side against Nomads Panthers, the 10-0 result proving somewhat inevitable, with none of the individual matches extended beyond three sets. James Denyer, Gracie Edwards and Denes Somodi were the winning trio.

* The Windsor Club’s Quiz Evening is on Saturday 16th November at the Brotherhood Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. For more details or to enter a team, contact Jenny Higgins on 07790 240566.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton C 4 Walton B 6;

Nomads Lions 9 Walton A 1;

Brotherhood A 3 Windsor Eagles 7;

Brotherhood B 0 Nomads Panthers 10.

Division 2

Windsor Harriers 4 Nomads Jaguars 6;

Windsor Magpies 3 Windsor Penguins 7;

Nomads Tigers 3 Windsor Buzzards 7;

Brotherhood E 3 Brotherhood C 7.

Division 3

Windsor Falcons 3 Nomads Bobcats 7;

Holland Vulcans 3 Windsor Falcons 7;

Holland Lancasters 1 Brotherhood H 9;

Nomads Ocelots 3 Walton D 7;

Holland Mosquitos 0 Holland Hurricanes 10;

Nomads Leopards 1 Brotherhood F 9.