Lots of ups and downs in the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League this week, as Division 1 and 3 leaders extend their points margin, whilst in Division 2 leaders Maldon A suffer a rare and humiliating defeat.  But the story of the week must be Cold Norton D in Division 2 – up until now the only winless team across the whole league – who, out of nowhere, lay down an amazing 9-1 victory over a very tough opponent – sport at its finest. 

Cold Norton B have maintained their drive to retain the League crown over the Xmas period, and this week came through a tricky tie with the in form Mapledene B.  The final score was 7-3, but Mapledene were a player down and the scores could have been a lot closer had they been fully loaded.  On the night Cold Norton’s hitman Ian Wall was in fine fettle and didn’t drop a match all evening.  Mapledene’s Kieran Skeggs picked up 2 wins including a very notable victory over Sam Lowman.  Fambridge continue to stay in touch with the league leaders and are now the only credible threat.  This week they triumphed over a young and zestful Woodham A side with a stand-out win for the stoic Mark Stones over the recently crowned Chelmsford Singles champion Dan Young.  That epic win was enough to give Stones a hat-trick and a very deserved player of the match accolade.  Stones was ably supported by Paul Sayer with 2 wins and Bruce Kettle with a single point – a classic ‘Dusty Bin’ 3-2-1 combo.  For Woodham, Young won his other matches and Dan Zeffie came through a tough 5 setter with Kettle, clinching it 12-10 at the death.  To complete the scoring Woodham took the doubles for an overall 6-4 win for Fambridge.  Mapledene A outblasted Cold Norton A with a 7-3 victorious scoreline.  Liam Squirrell remains the ‘man to beat’, but none of the Nortonians came close as Squirrell added to his impressive win rate tally to remain at the top of the singles chart with just one loss all season.  Steve Muth added 2 points to the Mapledene tally and George Reeves chipped in with a very tight win over the tricky Kim Shead – going all the way to 14-12 in the decider.  Norton’s Matt Stringer showed some metal coming from behind in both his 5 set victories over Muth and Reeves.

Division 2 leaders Maldon A were dealt a low blow this week when they were roundly embarrassed by their own C team in a Maldon derby that could yet sway the destination of this years title.  For the C team both Dawn Baldry and Marty Englander hit spectacular hat-tricks, with Chris Ravenhill chipping in with a 5 set point over Ross Kirby, and the doubles with Englander.  Despite the final score the matches were all close with none being settled in straight sets and half of the matches going to 5 sets – of which the C team won 4!  Luckily for Maldon A their nearest rivals were doing battle this week and Mapledene C came away with a very tight 6-4 win over Blackwater A where a 5 set doubles victory was enough to separate the peloton pushers.  Another game with a plethora of 5 setters – including Tony Ayliffe hanging on for dear life against the defending talents of Denis Balic that saw Ayliffe take a hat-trick and secure the victory in the final match of the evening.  Lin Roff had a good evening with wins over Noah Sage and Neil Freeman, and she partnered up with Ayliffe for that all important doubles point.  The shock of the week was winless Cold Norton D discovering a bucketload of gumption and from nowhere destroying the regular Stow Maries B team – before the opening ping of the night Paddy Power had Cold Norton as 6/1 outsiders in a two horse race!  What a performance.  Hat-tricks for the crafty Peter Lucraft, and Dick Wyman playing up from the E team, and 2 wins for regular Terry Hyland gave the previously hapless D team a 9-1 victory.  Cold Norton D were the only winless team up until this moment across the whole league – new team supremo Michael Carrick is how hoping they will finish in the promotion places.  In the final match of the week Woodham C condemned Maldon B to bottom place with a steady 8-2 win.  For Woodham there were hat-tricks for Tim Pulham and Scott Perry – with Pulham throwing a nine dart finish, and only dropping one leg in the doubles which he blamed on partner Alan Dadswell anyways.

It remains all about Blackwater C in Division 3 as they steam towards the title – another 10 points this week as they whitewashed their own E team.  Relatively straightforward hat-tricks all round for the impressive trio of Gary Smith, Peter Davenport and Tina Hutchinson.  This win gives them a 43 point gap to the nearest rivals – I reckon they’ll be ok.  Maldon D had a good week as they came out of the traps strong in their encounter with Blackwater F this week.  At 9-0 it looked like a whitewash was a certainty.  In the final match Shirley Carroll went 2-0 up against David McHattie, but as her colleagues started to gather their possessions ready to leave McHattie came alive and rattled off the next 3 legs for an unexpected whitewash avoiding victory – great effort.  Hat-tricks for both James Raymond and Luca Riedling.

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Eamonn Hall, Press Officer

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

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Pic 1 – Bruce Kettle clinching a point for Fambridge this week.

Pic 2 – Peter Davenport with a hat-trick for runaway Div 3 leaders Blackwater C.

Pic 3 – Ian Wall starring for leaders Cold Norton B

Pic 4 – Tim Pulham completing his hat-trick for Woodham C against Garry Eames

Pic 5 – Scott Perry skipping his way to a hat-trick for Woodham C

Report by Eamonn Hall

As a result of the final Group stage matches of the Handicap Cup Competition organised by the Clacton and District League, the last sixteen teams will comprise seven from Division One, six from Division Two and three – Holland Hurricanes, Nomads Leopards and Windsor Falcons – from Division Three.

After two convincing wins in Group C, the Hurricanes ended their programme with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of Holland Lancasters. They still finish top but, eventually, by just a single point. For the Lancasters’ trio of Peter Evans, Dave Wright and Tony Aresti, it was a case of ‘what-might-have been’ had they not had to concede their opening match against Nomads Ocelots and therefore forfeit the nine points. In the end, they finished bottom of the table but a mere three points behind the Hurricanes.

And so the Ocelots of Division Three and Second Division Brotherhood G were left  to fight it out for the second qualifying spot, with Brotherhood requiring seven points or more to get through. And they did it by the skin of their teeth, winning 7-2, but having to win the three matches which went the distance to do so. Paul Metcalf (-5) beat Andrews Cousins (+1) 11-7, 2-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7, John Gallagher (-1) beat Mike Wellum (+1) 8-11, 12-10, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, and, in the very last match of the evening, Gallagher and Mark Boyland (-6) scraped past Wellum and Cousins (+1) 1-11, 12-10, 12-14, 11-6, 11-7.

Group C certainly proved to be the closest of all the eight Groups, with just three points separating the four teams – the Hurricanes (on 15 points), Brotherhood G (14 points), the Ocelots (13 points) and the Lancasters (12 points).

The Leopards did well to win all three of their matches and finish top of Group E, looking particularly impressive in defeating top-flight Brotherhood B 5-4 in their third match, Doug Green, Dominic Joannou and Anne Bonny winning all three doubles. Brotherhood, whose points came from two singles wins apiece from Simon-Smith Daye and Russell Hillier, qualify in second place. 

The second Group result was therefore academic but it ended 9-0 for Holland Vulcans against Windsor Magpies, Bob Keefe, Derek Foxley and James Horsler unbeaten. 

The Falcons were the third team from Division Three to qualify, finishing as runners-up in Group A, a Group which had hitherto been one of the tightest of the Groups but which ended with two whitewash score-lines.

In a winner-takes-all encounter, the Falcons produced a stellar performance against top-flight Walton B, Matt Thomas, Gary Barnes and Nigel Rolph taking full advantage of their handicap advantage to run out 9-0 winners.

The result left Nomads Panthers needing at least seven points from their final match to qualify alongside the Falcons, but they failed to secure a single against Brotherhood F who made it three Cup wins in a row with a convincing 9-0 victory. Mark Salter, Paul Alden and Tricia Salter were once again the victorious trio.

There were rather more dramatic happenings in Group F where another Third Division side, Brotherhood E, came close to qualifying, all coming about when Cup favourites Brotherhood A, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, failed to arrive for their match with Walton A. Walton, reluctantly, claimed the match 9-0, points which were sufficient to leave them as Group leaders.

Although it still left Brotherhood A in pole position to qualify after two previous 7-2 wins, Brotherhood E could still make it through ahead of their ‘A’ team if they beat Lawford by an unlikely 8-1. Despite a tremendous effort, they could only manage a 7-2 victory, Jack Hillier and Rodney Betts outstanding to remain unbeaten. It meant they finished level on fourteen points with Brotherhood A but the ‘A’ team qualified having won the individual match between the two teams.

Elsewhere, Brotherhood D had already qualified from Group B so it was down to the final match between Nomads Tigers and Windsor Buzzards to determine who would join them. After a tightly-contested encounter, it was the Tigers who edged it 5-4, Sam Watling their most successful player, winning one singles and his two doubles, both of which went the distance.

In Group D, Windsor Hawks edged past Windsor Eagles 5-4, the points for each side sufficient to ensure both teams qualified for the next Round. John Barton was the Hawks’ best player, winning both singles and one doubles, while the Eagles’ Gavin Price took one singles and was successful in both doubles. The closest matches were the first and last doubles of the evening, the Eagles winning them both, Price and Phil Smith (-3) beating Barton and Scott Campbell (+1) 11-8 in the decider, while Price and John Pattrick defeated Campbell and Andy Vincent 11-6 in the decider in a scratch-match.

The result meant that Windsor Penguins needed a whitewash victory over Windsor Kestrels if they were to qualify but their eventual 6-3 victory against a two-player Kestrels’ side was not enough and so both these Second Division sides bowed out of the competition.

In the first of the three-team Groups, Nomads Jaguars of Division Two beat First Division Brotherhood C 5-4 in Group G, Bob Jillins taking one singles and both his doubles. But it was insufficient to see them to a top two place, Brotherhood C qualifying alongside Windsor Harriers.

Both Brotherhood J and Nomads Lions had already qualified before their final Group H match against each other. For the record, it ended in a 7-2 victory for Brotherhood, Joe Sherwin and Joe Bryden unbeaten in both singles and doubles.

* Round One of the Knock-Out stage takes place during week commencing 9th February. Details about the draw and players’ grades will be sent to those teams remaining in the competition by Saturday 31st January at the latest.

* There are just a handful of places left for the League’s Handicapped Singles Tournament which takes place on Saturday 7th February at St James’ Hall. Any interested players should contact League Secretary Isabel Barton.

* The League is holding a Quiz Evening on Saturday 7th March at the Brotherhood Hall. It starts at 7.30 pm, for teams of up to six people. 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 : HANDICAP CUP

Group A

Nomads Panthers 0 Brotherhood F 9;

Windsor Falcons 9 Walton B 0.

Group B

Brotherhood H 0 Brotherhood D 9 (w/o);

Nomads Tigers 5 Windsor Buzzards 4.

Group C

Holland Hurricanes 2 Holland Lancasters 7;

Brotherhood G 7 Nomads Ocelots 2.

Group D

Windsor Kestrels 3 Windsor Penguins 6;

Windsor Hawks 5 Windsor Eagles 4.

Group E

Holland Vulcans 9 Windsor Magpies 0;

Nomads Leopards 5 Brotherhood B 4.

Group F

Walton A 9 Brotherhood A 0 (w/o);

Brotherhood E 7 Lawford 2.

Group G

Nomads Jaguars 5 Brotherhood C 4.

Group H

Brotherhood J 7 Nomads Lions 2.

Report by Tony Oswick

There was an up and down flavour to the first round of matches in the Braintree Table Tennis League handicap cup with most clubs winning and losing in almost equal measure.

The Black Notley club won three ties and lost four, Rayne had one win and four defeats, Netts had two up and two down while Yeldham won one and lost one.

The exceptions were Finchingfield and Sudbury who both had two wins out of two.

Finchingfield A were the only team not to drop a set.  They declared at 7-0 against Rayne G, taking all but the first two sets in straight games.

It was a much tighter affair for their B team, who had a close battle with Notley E, their rivals for the league division three title, before a win in the final set gave them a 5-4 victory.

Ray Bradford was for once not overshadowed by his son Lucien, winning his three sets compared with two for Lucien.

Ray made use of his three points start against Ken Wilding for an apparently comfortable 16-21, 21-8, 21-11 win while Lucien was unable to make up the six points he had to concede.

Sudbury Drifters eased through with an 8-1 win over Notley C.  Terry Hunneybel and Geoff Barrett were unbeaten but Matt Brooks (+3) became the first person this season to beat Graham Turner.

David Fiddeman on the other hand carried his league form into the cup and remained unbeaten in Sudbury Strollers’ 6-3 win over Notley D.

The fourth Notley side to depart were the A team but they had the consolation of losing to their own H team.

It was a good night for Ann Peart, one of the league’s unsung players, who won twice for the H team and only bowed out at 24-22 in the third game in her other set.

BNCA H will be joined in the next round by the club’s G and F teams, who beat Rayne F 5-4 and Rayne G 5-0 respectively.

Barbara Turner, another player who rarely makes headlines, was unbeaten for the G team.

The Yeldham club had two matches against Rayne teams. The A team went down 5-4 to Rayne E but the B team made sure the club were represented in the next round with a 5-2 win over Rayne C.

Ethan Collins was unbeaten for Rayne E while Richard Taylor won two out of two for Yeldham B.

The four Netts teams came up against each other, C beating D 8-1 and F beating E 6-3.

Chris Krelle and David Montgomery were unbeaten for the C team and James Howard likewise for the T team.

Report by Ron Fosker

Thorpe Bay A cemented their place at the top of the Premier division with a thumping 9-0 win over Stanford A who were without their talisman Mitchell Jones. Rawreth B kept up the pressure on Thorpe Bay A by recording an 8-1 win of their own against Hockley A with Keith Adams and recently crowned Chelmsford league champ, Dan Young going undefeated. Hockley picked up their point with a good win for Joseph Odegbami over Kim Shead.

There was a ding dong battle between Thorpe Bay B and Rawreth A this week with the Rawreth side just coming out on top in a 5-4 win. Despite winning the match none of the Rawreth trio could get the better of the player of the match Kieran Skeggs.

Rayleigh Mill stumbled this week and went down 7-2 to Brand Identity. Ben Warner picking up two wins against Steve Muth and Simon Jacob but could not get the better of Richard Jackman who recorded an impressive hatrick against the Millers.

And in the final game of the week Invicta recorded a much needed 8-1 victory over Matchpoint A. Matchpoint started the evening well with a good win for Alex Deacon over Tony Ayliffe but this is as good as it got for them as they went down 8-1 with Paul Sims and Steve Marr both coming away with maximum wins.

Report by Duncan Taylor

Hadleigh Forum B may be a little off the pace in fourth place in the division. However, when it comes to friendliness and hospitality, they are miles ahead of everyone else. This week their visitors Canvey A were treated (as are all visiting teams) to tea and chocolate biscuits and, since everyone knew each other and had been rivals over many seasons, the match was played in a great spirit. In fact, Forum’s hospitality went a little too far, with them succumbing to Canvey 5 – 4. In a match with many close-fought encounters, Bob Skews was unbeaten and took the Player of the Match prize.
Rawreth C put out a strong side when Stanford Le Hope B called on them. Paul Brown was unbeaten and yet again their star, although Trevor Collin was also unbeaten. Dave Hancox overcame the home side’s Colin Clements for Stanford’s only victory in an 8 – 1 drubbing by Rawreth. 
Leaders Hockley B easily overcame luckless Hadleigh Forum C in a 9 – 0 whitewash. It was a one-sided affair with Hockley’s Joe Odegbami, Keith Abbott and David Colwill all undefeated. 
The dominance of the two Hockley clubs in this division was underlined by their second-placed C team recording an emphatic 8 – 1 away win at lowly Basildon B. Mind you, the home side could be forgiven for thinking their chances were looking good as, in the first contest of the evening, their Stephen Walters overcame Tim Pang in five sets. Unfortunately, though, it was all downhill from there on. Elliot Brackenbury and James Evesham both recoded hat tricks and Tim won his other two rubbers.

Report by David Barnes

No doubt about the game of the week in Division 2 which saw Stanford C lock horns with Hockley E. Mid table Stanford would have been favourites to win this against relegation threatened Hockley and, in the end, they did 6-3, but only after a marathon contest. No less than seven of the nine games went to five sets which is the most I can remember in all the years I’ve been reporting. Randy Santiago was the Player of the Match with a maximum but all three of his wins went the distance as did Jake Santiago’s two wins. Chris Crooks provided the other point. For Hockley Richard Kidd claimed two wins including a superb comeback from two sets down against Crooks and Richard Coulon got the other point for Hockley. All his games, like Randy Santiago’s, went to five sets.

Closest match of the week and the biggest surprise was the clash between Canvey B and Runnymede. Bar week one Canvey have been in the top four all season whereas Runnymede had been in the bottom three  until a recent run of four wins has seen them rise to sixth position. That run continued as they edged a nip and tuck game 5-4 Tony Millward beating Trevor Hayes to clinch the match in the final game of the evening. That win completed Millward’s hat trick and a win each from Wisbey and Barrie Edgar completed the win. Des Duffield  and Trevor Hayes got two wins each for Canvey.

This surprise defeat left the door open for Hockley D to narrow the gap between them and they did it in style beating Basildon C 9-0. It wasn’t entirely straightforward as Victor Galben took both Paul Strutt and Brian Bissenden to five sets and four other matches went to four. Paul Ogden made up the winning trio and took the Player of the Match award.

It was business as usual for Wakering B as they also ran out 9-0 winners against Invicta B and now sit 15 points clear of Canvey at the top of the league. The bookmakers have stopped taking bets on where they might finish! Regulars Callum Turner, Michael Grout and Paul England took the honours.

Team of the Week – Runnymede

Player of the Week – Randy Santiago

Report by Paul Strutt

Four matches this week in Division 3 and all resulted in convincing home wins for the home teams.

Longtime League leaders Invicta ‘C’ kicked things off at the start of the week with a 9/0 whitewash over Hadleigh Forum ‘D’.  Sarah Ball was the POTM here with a perfect maximum, well supported by her wingmen, Harry Venables and Steve Lennox. For Hadleigh, Douglas Brown took Harry and Steve deep into deciding sets, before eventually succumbing, but that was as good as it got for his team.

Invicta now lead the table by 29 points and seem destined to be crowned champions come the end of the season.  Second placed Hockley ‘F’ have a game in hand, but seemingly have too much ground to make up.

The other three matches all ended up as 7/2 wins for the hosts.

Canvey ‘B’ welcomed the youngsters of Evolve ‘B’ to their Island home, but despite a couple of good wins for Jonah Omigie, the home side, led by an unbeaten Scott Giddens, prevailed.  Steve was backed up by teammates Andy O’Rawe and John Saunders, who both recorded two wins.  After the match, the Canvey captain, Ray Baker, was fulsome in his praise for the young players from Evolve.  He remarked on how polite they were and that they were a credit to their parents and their club.

Deepak Nanda is enjoying a good first season in our league and his second, successive hat-trick for Wakering ‘C’ was the basis of his side’s win over Hockley ‘F’.  Joanna Gaudini, also new to the league, added two wins, as did Alwine Jarvis.  Ross Collins provided the main resistance for Hockley, with a double.

Evolve ‘A’ are making a strong bid for a top two finish, and now lie in third place, only four points behind Hockley ‘F’.  This follows a good win over Matchpoint ‘D’.  Teddy Kent led the way for them with an unbeaten performance, winning all his games in straight sets, without conceding more than 6 points in any of them.  Harley Dowding and Edward Feeley contributed two wins each, but both lost out to Matchpoint’s David McHattie.

Report by David Woolmer

Of all the eight Groups in the Handicap Cup Competition organised by the Clacton and District League, Group A is proving the closest, with all four teams – Division One sides Nomads Panthers and Walton B, Division Two’s Brotherhood F and Windsor Falcons from the Third Division – still in with a chance of qualifying for the Knock-Out stage.

Brotherhood F currently top the Group after recording a second impressive win, this week a 7-2 victory over Walton B, taking the last five matches of the evening to clinch the victory. But it was a close-run thing, the final three matches all being five-setters which could easily have swung Walton’s way. The closest was Paul Alden’s 16-14 in the decider win against Paul Newbould in a match played off scratch. Mark Salter remained unbeaten for Brotherhood.

Windsor Falcons will feel pleased with their 5-4 victory over Nomads Panthers, Matt Thomas, Gary Barnes and Nigel Rolph crucially taking the three doubles between them. In an encounter where all the matches were best-of-three sets, the Panthers were forced to work hard for their points, Kevin James (-17) beating Barnes (+3) 12-10 in the third, John Hatley (-15) beating Thomas (+3) 11-8 in the third while Denes Somodi (-15), who won both his singles, beating Barnes (+2) 11-8 in the third.

So although the Panthers are bottom of the Group with just five points, a good result in their final match against Brotherhood F could still see them through, while the Falcons v Walton B tie will be a winner-takes-all match, with the victorious side certain to qualify.   

In Group B, Brotherhood D’s 6-3 win over a two-player Windsor Buzzards means that have definitely qualified for the Knock-Out stage of the competition. Ray Chillingworth and Andy Foster of the Buzzards each picked up a singles win, and shared a doubles success, Chillingworth’s (+1) 11-8 in the decider victory over Kevin Pryor (-1) the closest match of the evening. The Buzzards’ fate now rests with their final match against Nomads Tigers, with at least six points needed to secure a qualification place.

Holland Hurricanes won all three doubles in beating Nomads Ocelots 7-2 in an all-Division Three clash in Group C, but it was Ian Gwillim who starred for a second week running, staying unbeaten in both singles and doubles. The win for the Hurricanes almost, but not quite, guarantees them a place in the Knock-Out stage.

Holland Lancasters of Division Three played well to overcome Second Division leaders Brotherhood G 5-4. Peter Evans and Tony Aresti won both their singles matches and shared a doubles success for the Lancasters. But, having conceded their first match, the Lancasters are almost certainly out of the running for a qualification place, while Brotherhood G will need a convincing win against the Ocelots in their final match to get through.

In the all-Windsor Group D, Gary Cattermole was unbeaten in the Eagles’ 7-2 victory against the Kestrels, although (on -8) he had to summon all his fighting talent and experience against Peter Aumord (+3) before winning a narrow 5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10 encounter.

In the second Group match, the Hawks led the Penguins 5-0 at the half-way stage but a magnificent rearguard action from the Penguins saw the final score end as 5-4. No player remained unbeaten but, unusually, all six players picked up at least one singles victory.

The Eagles and Hawks look favourites to qualify but the Penguins, who have narrowly lost both their matches 5-4, are still in with a shout and a good result in their final match against the Kestrels could yet see them through.

Group E is the most clear-cut of all the eight Groups, where Nomads Leopards and Brotherhood B are odds-on to qualify for the Knock-Out stage.

In an all-Third Division tie, the Leopards defeated Holland Vulcans 7-2, winning all three doubles. The final match turned out to be a nail-biter, Doug Green and Dominic Joannou (-6) scraping home 12-10 in the decider against Derek Foxley and James Horsler (+1). Joannou was the Leopards’ best player, staying undefeated on the night. 

Division One Brotherhood B won two five-setters on their way to an 8-1 victory over Third Division Windsor Magpies. In those two matches, Simon Smith-Daye (-8) defeated John Plummer (+2) 11-8 in the decider while Joe Plummer (-8) edged past Alan Rutledge (+2) 13-11 in the decider. The Magpies’ sole point was Dave Sweetland’s (+2) win in four against Joe Plummer (-8).

Daniel Young, Kevin Gowlett and Gracie Edwards recorded a second 7-2 win in Group F for Brotherhood A, who are fast emerging as Cup favourites. In the two matches which went the distance, Kevin Gowlett (-8) beat Charlie Denholm (+2) 11-9 in the decider, and Gowlett and Young (-8) beat Denholm and Ian Sherwood (+3) 11-7 in the decider.

Brotherhood E of Division Three are making a great effort to secure the second qualification place, this week winning 5-4 in their encounter with top-flight Walton A. Jack Hillier took both his two singles and, with Rodney Betts (on +2) won the crucial final doubles 11-7, 6-11, 11-8 against Mark Ratcliffe and Derek Willis (-10) in a best-of-three encounter.

Windsor Harriers defeated Nomads Jaguars 8-1 in an all-Second Division tie in the three-team Group G, Barry Allen leading the way for the Windsor side with an unbeaten performance. The win guarantees the Harriers a place in the Knock-Out stage, while the Jaguars are left needing a 7-2 win or better in their final match with Brotherhood C to stay in the competition. 

But it’s the end of the road for Third Division Walton C after losing for a second time in Group H, this week 6-3 to Second Division Brotherhood J. Walton took two of the three doubles, but two singles wins each for Joe Sherwin and Tom Bryden, one from Ruby Gallagher, plus a Bryden/Gallagher doubles success, saw Brotherhood J safely home. Both they, and Nomads Lions, are now guaranteed a place in the last sixteen.

* Entries for the League’s annual Handicapped Singles Tournament which takes place on Saturday 7th February at Windsor’s St James’ Hall venue can be sent on-line to Isabel Barton or by post to Tony Oswick. The entry fee is £4.00. Entry is limited to 32 players and the closing date is Friday 30th January.

RESULTS : HANDICAP CUP

Group A

Walton B 2 Brotherhood F 7;

Nomads Panthers 4 Windsor Falcons 5.

Group B

Brotherhood D 6 Windsor Buzzards 3;

Nomads Tigers 9 Brotherhood H 0 (w/o).

Group C

Holland Hurricanes 7 Nomads Ocelots 2;

Brotherhood G 4 Holland Lancasters 5.

Group D

Windsor Eagles 7 Windsor Kestrels 2;

Windsor Penguins 4 Windsor Hawks 5.

Group E

Windsor Magpies 1 Brotherhood B 8;

Holland Vulcans 2 Nomads Leopards 7.

Group F

Lawford 2 Brotherhood A 7;

Brotherhood E 5 Walton A 4.

Group G

Nomads Jaguars 1 Windsor Harriers 8.

Group H

Brotherhood J 6 Walton C 3.

Report by Tony Oswick

Five of the ties in this week’s Group Stage of the Handicap Cup Competition organised by the Clacton and District League ended in tight 5-4 results. But none of them was tighter than the all-Second Division scrap in Group B which saw Nomads Tigers take the final three matches of the evening to edge past Brotherhood D.

In total, five of the nine matches went the distance, with Tigers’ skipper, Alex Baldock, involved in four of them. In his singles, Baldock (+1) got past Lily Liu (-1) 11-8 in the fifth but (on +1) lost by the same score to Kevin Pryor (-6). In his doubles, he and Tom Wilkin (+1) shared an 11-7 in the fifth victory against Pryor and Fred Gallone (-5) but, with Sam Watling (+1), they went down 9-11, 14-12, 11-13, 11-4, 3-11 to Gallone and Liu (-3).

In Group A, an all-Division One clash saw Walton B defeat a two-player Nomads Panthers 8-1. Both Paul Newbould and John Marshall were unbeaten for the winners, with John Hatley picking up the Panthers’ consolation point.

But the second match in the Group proved far closer, Brotherhood F of Division Two clinching a 5-4 victory over their Third Division opponents Windsor Falcons by taking the final match of the evening. Mark Salter and Paul Alden each won two singles for the winners and also shared a doubles success, but it was Alden’s (-8) 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10 victory against Matt Thomas (+1) which proved the pivotal match.

In Group C, Holland Hurricanes of Division Three took the final two matches of the evening against current Second Division leaders Brotherhood G to record an impressive 6-3 victory. Ian Gwillim was Holland’s most successful player, staying unbeaten in both singles and doubles, one of his singles’ victories (on +2) a fighting 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 comeback win against Paul Metcalf (-8) Significantly, the Hurricanes won all three doubles matches.

In Group D, Division One Windsor Eagles led Division Two Windsor Penguins 4-0 at one point but had to settle for an eventual 5-4 victory. Phil Smith was the Eagles’ best player, undefeated in his two singles which (on -6) included an important 11-8, 4-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 success over Paul Woolnough (+1).

Top-flight flight Brotherhood B found themselves 4-2 down against Division Three Holland Vulcans in Group E but fought back to take the tie 5-4. In an encounter where all the matches were played as best-of-three sets, Brotherhood enjoyed the two closest victories, Joe Plummer (-17) beating James Horsler (+2) 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, and Simon Smith-Daye and Sam Plummer (-13) edging past Horsler and Bob Keefe (+2) 7-11, 11-6, 11-9.

In an all-Third Division Group E match, Nomads Ocelots defeated Windsor Magpies 8-1. The Magpies were unfortunate in having to concede two matches through player injury but the Ocelots were, nevertheless, worthy winners, Anne Bonny and Dominic Joannou remaining unbeaten.

All the matches in the Group F encounter between Brotherhood A and Brotherhood E were best-of-three matches, but the current Division One leaders, Brotherhood A, proved too good for their Third Division opponents, winning 7-2. Daniel Young and Gary Young were unbeaten for the victors, Jack Hillier and Joe Hillier taking a win each for the losers.

Walton C and Lawford only played six matches in their tie but it was First Division Walton who emerged 5-1 victors over their Second Division opponents. It was good to see Paul Hewitt back in action for Lawford and he was involved in one of two close encounters on the night, Hewitt and Ian Sherwood (+1) going down 11-8 in the fifth to Mark Gale and Paul Meikle (-3), while Sherwood (+1) went down by an even closer 11-9 in the fifth to Mark Ratcliffe (-6).

The only match in the three-team Group G saw First Division Brotherhood C edge past Second Division Windsor Harriers 5-4. John Cleasby and Tim Leung won both their singles, while Dave Miller (-5) secured an ultimately crucial 11-9 in the fifth win over Isabel Barton (+1). The Harriers won all three doubles matches.

Finally in Group H, Cup-holders Nomads Lions got off to a winning start in the second of the three-team Groups, defeating Third Division Walton C 7-2, Ethan Lloyd the only player to stay unbeaten.

* Entries are now open for the League’s annual Handicapped Singles Tournament. This takes place on Saturday 7th February at Windsor’s St James’ Hall venue, with play starting at 9.30 am. Entries can be made on-line to Isabel Barton or by post to Tony Oswick. Entry is limited to 32 so players are encouraged to get their entries in early.

RESULTS : HANDICAP CUP

Group A

Brotherhood F 5 Windsor Falcons 4;

Walton B 8 Nomads Panthers 1.

Group B

Windsor Buzzards 9 Brotherhood H 0 (w/o);

Nomads Tigers 5 Brotherhood D 4.

Group C

Nomads Ocelots 9 Holland Lancasters 0 (w/o);

Holland Hurricanes 6 Brotherhood G 3.

Group D

Windsor Hawks 9 Windsor Kestrels (w/o);

Windsor Penguins 4 Windsor Eagles 5.

Group E

Nomads Leopards 8 Windsor Magpies 1;

Brotherhood B 5 Holland Vulcans 4.

Group F

Lawford 1 Walton A 5;

Brotherhood A 7 Brotherhood E 2.

Group G

Brotherhood C 5 Windsor Harriers 4.

Group H

Walton C 2 Nomads Lions 7.

Report by Tony Oswick

A New Year and it was back into league action for the players of the Southend & District Table Tennis League and it was a welcome return to a player who hasn’t played in the Southend league for some time but will be well known to many of our players. Ben Warner made his debut for Rayleigh Mill and it didn’t take long for Ben to remind us what a good player he is as he dispatched his three Matchpoint opponents with the loss of only one game. Colin Chatfield also weighed in with three wins giving the Millers a 6-3 win to kick of 2026. Good wins for the Matchpoint trio of Harry Sawford, Stephen Heard and Debbie O’Neill over Steve Maltby for their three points.

Rawreth B started the year like a team looking to challenge for the title all the way till the end of the season as they opened up 2026 with a 9-0 drubbing of Invicta A, Kim Shead, Keith Adams and Arron Chandler all unbeaten on the night.

There were  also strong wins for both Thorpe Bay teams as the A team beat Brand Identity 8-1 and the B team beat Basildon A 7-2. Hatricks all round for Paul Sayer, Ian Wall, Kieran Skeggs and Keith Willett but some notable consolation wins for Charles Yeung and Les Hoey over Justin Jeffery and David Jacob over Mark Stones.

Rawreth  A also had a debutant playing up from their C team in James Grimston. Grimston picked up a win against Ian Sangster which along with three wins from Chris Penrose and two from Charles Sweeney gave Rawreth a 6-3 win over Stanford A.

The final match of the week was a tight affair as Hadleigh Forum helped by a maximum from Mark Mulley managed to sneak a 5-4 win away to Hockley A, Dan Patynski and Stuart Adshead with two wins each for the home side.

Report by Duncan Taylor

The New Year fixtures kicked off with what could possibly be the title-deciding match. Second place Hockley C entertained the leaders Hockley B. Things were pretty even early on – the B team took the first two rubbers through Dave Colwill and Player of the Match Joe Odegbami. Then the C team levelled it with wins for youngsters Will Evesham and Elliot Brackenbury. The penultimate game of the evening, between Will and Dave, was the most closely fought, with the first two games being won by Dave 18 – 16 and 15 – 13. Will then pulled back, winning the next two, before succumbing 6 – 11 in the fifth. The last rubber of the evening was rather an anti-climax with Joe displaying his supremacy over Steph Haddrell, retaining his 100% record, and closing the tie as a 6 – 3 victory for the B’s. Credit to the youngsters Will and Elliot, who demonstrated excellent play and made the B team fight all the way for their victory, 

Rawreth C could only muster two registered players for their visit to Canvey A, so it was no surprise they went down 6 – 3 to the Canvey team of Ray Wilson, Bob Skews and Lee McGonagle. However, none of the Islanders could get the better of the visitors’ Adi Kamma. Ray Wilson came closest, taking him to a fifth set before losing 7 – 11. 

In a tight match between Wakering A and Basildon B, the outcome wasn’t decided until the final rubber of the match. There were many close contests, with Basildon’s Tony Molisso’s 15 – 13 fifth-set victory over Jeremy Giffin the closest of them all. The final rubber went to Barbara Chabior, giving Wakering a 5 – 4 home win and Barbara the Player of the Match award.

A hat trick from veteran Tony Jacks gave him the POM prize, and also gave his Hadleigh Forum B side a 6 – 3 win on their visit to Mapledene. Tony was aided by two wins for Dave Woolmer and one from Mick Tappenden, whilst Lin Roff got two, and Dawn Baldry one for the home side.

Report by David Barnes

Canvey B have started the new year in Division 2 with a bang as they thumped Hockley E 9-0 and have narrowed the gap significantly between themselves and second placed Matchpoint B. The Islanders, Terry Giddens, Trevor Hayes and Tony Westwell didn’t drop a single set against relegation threatened Hockley although the home team weren’t helped by an injury mid match to Amar Al-Soufi who had to concede his games against Hayes and Giddens. Hockley now sit just one point above bottom placed Basildon C who have played a game more.

Hockley E may have finished with two players but Stanford C could only start their match with two against Invicta B. Fortunately for them Vaughan Chambers and Mike Trendell were in fine form Chambers claiming a hat trick and Trendell a brace as they clinched a 5-4 win in the final match of the evening. Sarah Ball got Invicta’s only win with an excellent five set win against Trendell. The win cements Stanford  their mid table place fifth in the league.

Matchpoint B fell foul of injury and sickness losing their top two players Hannah Harbour and John Lott so a much changed team took to the table against Hockley D. Richard Sloman and Ollie Milchard stepped up from the C team to join young Lotte Mills and they were just pipped 5-4 on the night. Sloman was the POTM with a hat trick and Milchard provided the other point coming back from two sets down against Paul Ogden to win the last three sets 15/13 17/15 11/8. The only other five set match was the one between Sloman and Paul Strutt which finished 13/11 in the deciding set. Brian Bissenden joined Strutt in winning two matches and there was a single win for Ogden. No joy on the night for Mills. Hockley are 14 points adrift of Canvey B and 15 adrift of Matchpoint but do have two games in hand on both of them.

Tony Millward led Runnymede to a narrow 5-4 win against Matchpoint C. He not only secured a perfect hat trick but also clinched the match for Runnymede in the final match of the evening. Steve Wisbey provided the other two points for the home side whilst Ollie Milchard got two wins for Matchpoint plus there was a win each for Richard Sloman and Samuel Morgan.

Wakering continued their inexorable march to the Division 2 title with a 7-2 win against bottom of the table Basildon C. A hat trick for Callum Turner and two wins each for Mike Grout and Paul England gave  Wakering the win but there was also a glimmer of light for Basildon in the performance of Wayne Mcalear. He made his debut for the home side having not played for a few years and was rewarded with two good wins against Grout and England. He could prove to be a useful addition to the Basildon team as they fight to avoid relegation.

Team of the Week – Stanford C

Player of the Week – Richard Sloman

Report by Paul Strutt

Our first match of 2026 saw Invicta C travel to Stanford to take on their hosts ‘D’ team.  The outcome was a 7/2 win for the visitors and a good team performance.  Mike Keeble and Steve Lennox both recorded two wins for Invicta.  Their teammate, Harry Venables, had won his first two games, as he took on Stanford’s Martin Winter in the final game of the match.  Martin was also unbeaten at this stage and must have been eyeing up a maximum as he went into a 2-set lead.  Harry, however, had other ideas and hit back to take the next 3 games to complete his hat-trick and take the POTM.

Hockley ‘F’ lost a bit of ground in their pursuit of Invicta at the top of the table, after a narrow, 5/4 win over Evolve ‘A’.  Hockley skipper, Gary Beck, led the way with an unbeaten performance, and he was well supported by George Clark who recorded two wins.  For Evolve, there was a double for Teddy Kent and a win apiece for Harley Dowding and Sasha Syderenko.

The young Hockley ‘G’ side had a good 6/3 win over Matchpoint ‘D’.  There were two wins each for the trio of Perry Lazell, George Higgins and Kris Chankov, with Perry picking up the POTM.  David McHattie was the best on the night for Matchpoint with a brace and Cooper Hill picked up the other point.

Hadleigh Forum ‘D’ have climbed to fourth in the table thanks to a 7/2 victory over Canvey ‘C’.  The ever consistent Jan Thorpe came up with another unbeaten performance, with his teammates Jean Catley and Dean Johnson adding to wins each, although neither could get the better of Canvey’s Steve Kemp.

Evolve ‘B’ welcomed Wakering ‘C’ to the Megacentre, but it was the visitors who returned home with a 7/2 win under their belts.  Jonah Omigie and Oliver Willson recorded a win each for Evolve, but Deepak Nanda, with a maximum, and Joanna Gaudini and Kamil Pachalko with two wins each for Wakering secured the victory.

Report by David Woolmer

The top teams in divisions one and two of the Braintree Table Tennis League may be sailing off into the sunset – Rayne C’s lead in division two is on a par with Netts A’s in the top division – but division three has the makings of a tight run to the finishing line.

At the season’s halfway point, Black Notley E were leading Finchingfield B by 14 points.

The latter had two matches in hand but neither will be straightforward.

One is against Rayne F, who were sandwiched in between the top two, four points behind the leaders but from one more match.

The other is against fourth-placed Netts F, whose team of fast-improving juniors will be no pushover.

Finchingfield looked well set at the start of the season.   They beat Notley E 7-3 in their fourth match and after seven matches had a lead of seven points.

But then came a stumble against Notley H, who held them to a draw, while Notley E finished the half strongly with wins of 9-1, 9-1 and 8-2.

Finchingfield have been led by 17-year-old Lucien Nolan-Bradford, unbeaten in his six matches, while Dave Parker (19 wins out of 20) and Peter Davenport (16 out of 18) have kept Notley E in the hunt.

No such drama for Rayne C who had a lead of 18 points in division two.  With a team of Matthew Brown, Steve Buer, Dave Marsh and Paul Wellington that was no surprise.

Rayne E are adrift at the bottom, but the other eight teams in the division ended the year amazingly within five points of each other.

Rayne D and Notley C led the pursuers, both on 46 points, the latter climbing impressively from ninth place last season.

But Sudbury Strollers, five points behind, have a match in hand while Finchingfield A have gradually moved into contention after losing their first five matches.

Individual averages up to the end of the year (qualification one-third of team’s matches):

Division 2

1 David Fiddeman 9 wins in 9 sets, average 100 per cent; 2 Matthew Brown 22-24, 91.7; 3 Charles Calisin 19-21, 87.5; 4 Dean Andrews 12-14, 85.7; 5= Roy Hooper 20-24, Richard Whiteside 10-12, 83.3; 7= John Colvin 15-20, Matt Stephenson 9-12, 75; 9 Jamie Brooks 17-24, 70.8; 10= JJ Calisin, Lawrence Grantham 10-15, 66.7

Division 3

1 Lucien Nolan-Bradford 18-18, 100; 2 Dave Parker 19-20, 95; 3 Trevor Laird 14-15, 93.3; 4 Ben Southgate 22-24, 91.7; 5 Peter Davenport 16-18, 88.9; 6= Karl Bowden, Dave Whiting 18-21, 85.7; 8 Conrad Gomes 12-15, 80; 9 Tom Verrier 7-9, 77.8; 10 Wayne Wilson 20-26, 76.9

Report by Ron Fosker

If not exactly nailed on, Netts A’s hold on the Braintree Table Tennis League championship title is pretty firmly attached at the league’s halfway point.

With nine wins out of nine, the league champions entered the new year 20 points ahead of the pack, on 57 points to second-placed Black Notley A on 37.

Having combined their A and B teams of last season, Netts have husbanded their resources successfully to ensure they were never found wanting.

Paul Davison, still unbeaten, James Hicks and Andy Holmes, the nucleus of last season’s title-winning team, have again formed the basis, with at least two of them turning out in every match.

The exception was against Rayne B where Joe Meleschko, who has played in six of the nine matches, Szczepan Ziobro, making his only appearance of the season, and Charles Calisin, playing up from division two, comfortably secured an 8-2 victory.

Davison had identified Sudbury Nomads as their most likely challengers pre-season and took no chances when the teams faced each other by turning out his top team, who responded by taking all ten sets.

Nomads are in the pack of four teams covered by four points from second to fifth and will jump up to second if they gain four points from their match in hand, but that is against Rayne A, who will join the chasing pack if they pick up expected points in their two outstanding matches.

The foot of the table has the not unexpected look of two of the promoted teams in the bottom three places.

Sudbury Wanderers, the division two champions, are two places up from the bottom, having secured some strong results for a newly promoted side.

Notley B, unexpectedly promoted from second place, have found life tougher but have picked up a couple of draws and are only just behind Liberal B, a combination of last season’s B and C teams.

Individual averages (qualification one-third of team’s matches):

1 Paul Davison 15 wins in 15 sets, average 100; 2 James Hicks 20-21, 95,2; 3 Aron Jordan 13-15, 86.7; 4= Alistair Hill, James Mullane, Ian Whiteside 7-9, 77.8; 7 Luke Burridge 18-24, 75; 8 Andy Holmes 8-11, 72.7; 9 Richard Fifield 16-24, 66.7; 10 Sean Clift 17-27, 62.9; 11 Zach Harrington 13-21, 61.9; 12 Steve Noble 11-18, 61.1; 13 Chris Parr 16-27, 59.3; 14= Steve Pennell 10-18, David Razzell 5-9, 55.6; 16 Joe Meleschko 9-17, 52.9; 17= Karl Baldwin, Neil Freeman 11-21, 52.4; 19 Adam Clift 12-24, 50; 20 Sam Burrows 10-21, 47.6.

Report by Ron Fosker