Category Archives: County Juniors

Wonderful Woodham teams maintain their Perfect Records

Gallery November 26, 2023 Paul Strutt

Cold Norton B and Woodham A continue to bear down on Mapledene A who currently top the leader board of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League, whereas perennial champions Fambridge slip back as they drop points at Maldon. The title this season is really shaping up to be a proper sporting bunfight and long may it continue.

Woodham A delivered another stoic performance to lay down an 8-2 victory away to Mapledene B – but with 6 of the 10 matches going to 5 sets it could easily have been a much closer scoreline. Kaung Htet Paing was unbeaten for Woodham but 3 of his 4 victories came in 5 sets including the doubles where he paired up with Lee McHugh. For Mapledene you have to feel for their strongest two players – John Monk played a full 20 individual legs for 3 losses and just 1 win over Dan Piglet. That’s a tough evening for Monk, but Mapledene’s pen-hold legend Colin Chatfield had it worse as he played just one less leg than Monk but went home empty-handed. A proper battle that one and a result that maintains Woodham’s 100% win rate and keeps them significantly in contention for a podium finish. Woodham’s other top division side didn’t fare so well as they fell 9-1 to a strong Cold Norton B side. Eric Green and Dave Richardson were in fine fettle and went unbeaten all evening across both the singles and doubles formats. Captain Dan Anderson added the further 2 wins, with his only loss coming via a rollercoaster 5 setter against Dan Patynski. Fambridge arrived at the Maldon arena a player down this week and despite winning 6-4 will know those lost points may come back to haunt them come the reckoning day. Fambridge captain John Poysden was able to put down a comfortable hat-trick of singles to be named star baker of the week. Poysden’s wingman on the night was Mark Stones and his only loss came courtesy of the trusty left hand of Maldon’s Jon Stokes. Cold Norton C recorded their second win of the season thanks to the singles form of Kim Shead and Arron Chandler both hitting excellent hat-tricks. Despite their seemingly unbeatable form this didn’t translate into their doubles play where they were duly trounced by Gary Brignall and Richard Storey as Stow were grateful for the extra bonus point.

Woodham C appear unstoppable in Division 2 as they blasted their way to a ninth consecutive victory to maintain their 100% win rate. Not only do they win every week but they win heavily and this week was no exception as they wrapped up they fifth 9-1 mauling of the season. This week the Woodham victims were the very competitive Maldon C regular trio. Maldon’s Steve Aspland and Colin Barrell saved the whitewash with an unexpected doubles victory, otherwise it was hat-tricks all round for Woodham’s Chris Hancox, Graham Briggs and David Meah. Woodham D were hoping to help their C team by putting a dent in second placed Mapledene C’s campaign. An ‘A’ for the intention but probably only an ‘E’ for achievement as they fell 10-0 to the Mapledene crew of Barrie Delf, Sue Body and Lin Roff. Woodham Captain Alan Dadswell gave it a good go with two 5 set defeats that included one specific leg with Roff going to 21-19, but that was as close as they got to helping out their stablemates. Maldon B continue to strive for a top three finish and were able to win out 7-3 against Blackwater A with all their points coming from Dawn Baldry and Colin Napper who were unbeaten. In Napper’s case that was almost undone by Blackwater’s Denis Balic who took the game to a couple of deuces in the fifth set before folding at 11-13. The lovable Dave Goody was on sparkling form for his Stow C team this week – having discarded his pimples he has found some great form of late and this week’s hat-trick is testament to that. Goody’s points were the bedrock of his team’s 7-3 victory over Maldon D. For Maldon the effervescent Brian Riedling won 2 of his singles including a long 5-setter with Pete Layzell. Stow D managed the same scoreline against Blackwater B with Tim Pulham back in great form with 4 wins on the night including the doubles with partner Ken Sheard. Sheard won 2 for Stow and Blackwater’s Louis Gunn matched that with 2 of his own. Cold Norton D curtailed their losing streak with a hard-earned draw against Stow B. Stow’s Nicky Reece-Ford blasted his way to winning all his singles matches with that booming forehand of his and that put Cold Norton in all sorts of trouble. With such a variety of styles on display every player managed to win at least one game so the result came down to the doubles. Stow’s Dave Marsh and the unbeaten Reece-Ford stormed to a 2-0 lead which must have irked Cold Norton’s pairing of Dave Hancox and Peter Lucraft as some kind of mettle was stirred as they fought back and took the final two legs 11-9 to secure the bonus point which facilitated the overall draw.

In Division 3 leaders St Lawrence maintained their undefeated status despite losing a player due to illness after just the first match of the evening’s entertainment against the delightful Blackwater C trio. For St Lawrence Mike Pratley won all his singles including a 5 set marathon against Deb Ginn that went past deuce in that deciding leg, and Roy Hutchins won 2 of his singles including another post-deuce 5^th set victory over the unlucky Ginn. Hutchins did fall to the capable play of Kath Little – again in 5 sets. So to complete the theme Hutchins won his remaining singles against Phil West in 5 sets, and then paired up with Pratley for the doubles, and yes that was in 5 sets too. If, over the next few days, anyone spots Hutchins hobbling around the streets of the Dengie, looking like John Wayne after a 4 hour horse ride, then you’ll know why! Blackwater E travelled to Woodham and came home with the spoils following a 6-4 win led by a Peter Davenport hat-trick and 2 wins for David Sage. For Woodham the ever improving Peter Harverson scored two impressive victories to bolster his confidence and reputation. The final game of the week was a much anticipated Maldon Derby – a youth versus experience encounter with an average age/experience gap of 50+ years. After the first rounds of the singles the match was even at 3-3. Then the youth of Maldon E Jude Mayet and Arthur Shadforth outshone the experienced F team pairing of Brian Dixon and Roger Warren to take a 4-3 lead. The F team’s Dennis Eraut evened up the match again with a 4 set victory over Matthew Copsey. So going into the final two games and late into the evening would the strength and vitality of the youth overcome the tiring limbs and concentration of their experienced foes. Well yes it did and rather emphatically too as Shadforth and Mayet wrapped things up with 2 quickfire straight sets victories to once and for all confirm that youth trumps experience. 6-4 to the youthful Maldon E trio.

Pic 1 – The runaway Div 2 Leaders Woodham C – Graham Briggs, Chris Hancox & David Meah

Pic 2 – John Poysden racking up another hat-trick for Fambridge against Lloyd Bennett-Smith of Maldon A

Pic 3 – Woodham A’s unbeaten Kaung Htet Paing in action this week

Pic 4 – St Lawrence’s hard-working Roy Hutchins playing a full 20 legs this week – in his 5 set victory over Phil West

Pic 5 – The proof that youth can prevail over experience – Maldon E trio – Arthur Shadforth, Jude Mayet and Matthew Copsey.

County Juniors

Matt ties them up in knots!

Gallery November 21, 2023 Paul Strutt

Three results from the Southend Premier Division this week and two tight affairs to start off with. The first saw a 5-4 win for Rawreth B against Hockley A. All three Rawreth players chipping in with wins and it was great to see the lesser spotted Mike Hayes and Andrew Halling back playing this season with Halling picking up two wins as did Peter Barrett and Hayes picking up a win which in the end proved to be the difference. No Rawreth player could get the better of Player of the Match Matt Stringer though as he took all his three singles.

Equally tight but perhaps only because Thorpe B had 2 players was their 5-4 victory over Rayleigh Mill. Kieran Skeggs won all his against Eric Green, Steve Maltby and Steve Sawyer while Rich Stubbington also overcame the two Steve’s. Green beat Stubbington in a close 5 setter for the Miller’s extra point.

The final game of the week saw Irons A record a 7-2 win over Brand Identity A. Reece Seddon leading the way with another three wins ably backed up with two wins apiece from Babul McLeod and John Monk. One win each for Simon Jacob and Richard Jackman for Brand Identity.

Invicta A managed to keep a fingertip hold on to first place in Division 1 this week, courtesy of a strong 7 – 2 win away to Rawreth Megazone C. Steve Marr was again POM, winning all his three matches, a feat emulated by his team mate Lee Marson. Gary Hartgrove and George Davis (playing up) got one each for the home side.

Stanford Le Hope A remain second, but the gap between them and Invicta is now two points. They had a stiff test at home to Brand Identity B. Despite two wins by stalwart Barrie Delf for the visitors, another hat trick from Stanford’s Mitchell Jones, together with two successes from Ian Sangster, gave their side a 5 – 4 victory.

Lentern had a bit of struggle at home to an improving Hadleigh Forum B. However, thanks to a Martin Archie treble, they squeezed out a 5 – 4 result. The match was a close affair with several five setters. The visitor’s David Woolmer was unfortunate to lose out 11 – 9 against Lentern’s Paul Sims in the fifth set of their contest.
David and colleague Tony Jacks scored one success each, but Mick Tappenden was the visitor’s star performer with two wins.

Brand Identity’s setback has pushed them one place down the table, with Rawreth Megazone D taking the opportunity to leapfrog them by handing out a hiding away to bottom side Hockley C. Cleon Fernandez’s maximum gave him the POM prize, but his team mate Adi Kamma was also unbeaten. Ollie George got Hockley’s consolation win in an 8 – 1 drubbing.

RESSC are beginning to move in an upwards direction. This week they travelled to Canvey A and came away with a comfortable 7 – 2 victory. John Holland was POM and skipper Bob Skews also won all his contests. Peter Cray and Ray Wilson won one each for Canvey.

Despite a pair of wins from Dave Thomas Hadleigh Forum C did not have enough in the tank as they entertained Mapledene. An Andy Seaman threesome and two each from Charles Yeung and Bill Smith gave the visitors a comfortable 7 – 2 win.

What goes around comes around so they say and it did for Hockley D in Division 2 this week. In their match last week they could only field two players, lost 5-4, and missed a great chance to chalk up their first win of the season. This week they met Basildon B in a vital bottom of the table clash and found themselves playing a two man side as Covid had taken out Basildon’s best player this season Jenne Seibolt. Hockley took full advantage running out 8-1 winners, ending their winless run and moving up to eighth place in the table. Paul Ogden claimed his second POTM award with two wins, Paul Strutt also won two and Neal Klyman claimed the other point. Richard Reibold was Basildon’s lone winner.

There was no change in the bottom two teams with Rawreth Megazone also succumbing to an 8-1 defeat against Canvey B. The Islanders should possibly be renamed the Murraymints as their recent surge up the league table continues to be inspired by Andrew Murray’s performances. Four games, four wins and four POTM awards leaves them in sixth place and they are now closing the gap on fifth placed Wakering. To be fair to Rawreth the score could have been closer as four games went the full distance but only Steve McQuillan managed to claim a win beating Des Duffield. Kevin Walsingham also completed his hat trick.

Invicta B fell to their seventh successive defeat, not surprisingly against Matchpoint A, and they sit two off the bottom albeit with a six point advantage. Barbara Chabior provided their consolation point beating Jeremy Giffin in five sets but otherwise there was a perfect hat trick for Harry Sawford and another three wins for Evie Knaapen.

Having played a two man team last week Runnymede found themselves a player short against Basildon A. Steve Wisbey and Tony Millward both managed to beat Stephen Walters who unfortunately had to play with a wrist injury and Tony fully extended Les Hoey going two sets up before the Basildon man ran out the last three sets 11/4, 12/10, 11/3.

Closest match of the week was Wakering’s 5-4 win at Stanford B with Zac England’s hat trick proving to be the difference supported by a win each from Stewart Mills and Paul England. Mark Downey and Robert Salvage shared the points for Stanford but there was no joy on the night for David Arnett. Stanford stay in third place on games won as they Matchpoint B and Wakering all have 45 points.

Player of the Week – Harry Sawford

Team of the Week – Hockley D

‘Very much a derby game’ was how the meeting of the Stanford ‘C’ and ‘D’ teams in Division 3 was described. ‘C’ team skipper Mark Farley certainly thought so and, in determined mood, he recorded a flawless hat-trick and this, added to two wins from Randy Santiago, meant a 5/4 win and ensured the bragging rights for his team. All the ‘D’ team players contributed on the night with Martin Winter their best player with two wins. Andrew Jessop and Peter Moxham also chipped in with a win apiece.

Matchpoint ‘D’ picked up a couple of valuable points as they try to move away from the lower reaches of the Division 3 table. Rawreth Meggazone ‘F’ were their opponents, and for them, Robert Garlick was the POTM with an unbeaten performance, well supported by Edward Philcox and Mike Webb with two wins each. Matchpoint’s Richard Sloman was their points winner with wins over Gloria Acheampong and Ethan Russell. Despite this defeat, the Matchpoint team were commended for their attitude and sportsmanship throughout.

The match between Canvey ‘C’ and Invicta ‘C’ was a close affair, notable mainly for the performance of Invicta’s Trisha Winter who put an end to the long unbeaten run in this division of Canvey’s Trevor Hayes. Despite her heroics, she ended up on the losing side as Steve Kemp’s maximum was the mainstay of Canvey’s 5/4 victory. Trevor added the other two points for the Islanders, whilst for Invicta there were two wins for Trisha plus a win apiece for teammates David Youngman and Jonathan Gould.

The meeting of two of our junior sides turned out to be a very one-sided affair as the Matchpoint ‘C’ trio of Max Mayo, Lotte Mills and Alex Bowden proved to be far too strong for the very young Hockley ‘F’ team and ran out 9/0 winners in double quick time. Alex was the POTM as he maintained his unbeaten record this season. Despite the scoreline, this match was played in good spirits by all the players. With this big win, Matchpoint have moved into third place in the league, hot on the heels of the joint leaders, Stanford ‘D’ and Invicta ‘C’.

Aaron Price led the way for Evolve as his team overcame the challenge of Hadleigh Forum ‘D’, a 6/3 win being the outcome. Aaron recorded a ‘perfect’, straight sets hat-trick, with his teammates Ben Berwick, two wins, and Teddy Kent, with a single win, completing a solid team performance. Todd Barker, with a brace, was Forum’s best player on the night with Douglas Brown adding their other point.

County Juniors

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

Gallery November 20, 2023 Paul Strutt

Sage & Bush – a Recipe for Success

Woodham C continue to dominate proceedings in the second division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League as they remain the only team across the whole league with a 100% win rate. Whilst in Division 3 David Sage and Jason Bush cooked up a fine win for Blackwater E as they ‘got one up’ on their very own C Team.

The developing story of Division 2 this season is whether any opponent will be able to beat the dynamic Woodham C team. Woodham C are firmly lodged at the top of the table with an impeccable 8 wins from 8 matches – and only one of those has been anywhere near a close encounter. This week they travelled the short distance to Cold Norton D and came away with another 9-1 victory. Adi Kamma was the player of the match with his hat-trick but was ably supported by Graham Briggs who was also unbeaten, and David Meah with 2 wins as he just lost out to the wily and unconventional style of Gordon Gatheral. Woodham D didn’t fare so well despite Gus Heath’s phenomenal hat-trick against Maldon C – alas they were his team’s only points as the Maldon trio of Colin Barrell, Steve Aspland and Garry Eames each won their remaining singles and as per norm Aspland and Barrell won the doubles. The remaining Division 2 matches were closely fought derbies. Blackwater A and Blackwater B fought out a tight draw with the B team’s Louis Gunn and Noah Sage winning the last 2 singles of the night to come back from 3-5 down to square things up and frustrate the A Team. Neil Freeman was on fine form for the A Team as he won all his matches including a hard-fought 5 setter with Gunn. In the Stow derby the C team hosted the B team, but it seems the C team had given up before they started as they were a player short. Invigorated by the underdog status the C Team’s Pete Layzell was inspired to a superb hat-trick of wins to keep the score more than respectable as they finally went down 4-6.

Division 3 saw all 3 Blackwater teams in action as they compete for the runner-up position – by the end of the week’s competition only 2 points separate the 3 teams with the D Team in the ascendency. Blackwater C will rue their missed opportunity as they were humbled by their very own E team in a humiliating 8-2 reverse. This one will be talked about for years to come down at the West Maldon Community Centre. The C team lost out in three 5 setters as the E Team’s Jason Bush and David Sage completed their hat-tricks. The E team’s third player was the fabled and much respected Norman Hayes who somehow defied human and medical logic to play out all of his matches to deciding fifth sets and two of those went to deuce and beyond – with one win and two defeats, but what an effort. Hayes benevolently left the doubles to Messrs Sage and Bush (if only they ran a local horticultural business!) to complete the 8-2 landslide. Meanwhile Blackwater D travelled to the depths of Mayland to take on the runaway league Leaders St Lawrence. The Blackwater trio all came away with points as they secured an unexpected but very welcome draw, with David Benstead winning the final match of the night for Blackwater. For St Lawrence the experienced duo of David Siggins and Mick Robinson each won two singles and combined to just about take the doubles 14-12 in the decider against Benstead and Jacqui Treacy. Treacy and Chris Rolison took two singles each for the delighted Blackwater team.

In Division 1 Cold Norton A’s streak of good form was halted in dramatic fashion as they succumbed to a very strong Mapledene B side. Cold Norton’s Duncan Taylor was unstoppable as he dominated all of his matches – but unfortunately that was it for Cold Norton on the night as they failed to win another single set as Mapledene ran out 6-4 winners with 2 wins a piece for David and Simon Jacob and Kieran Skeggs. Whilst the Mapledene B side were admirably thwarting the Cold Norton A advance their A team took full advantage to strengthen their position at the head of the table with a comfortable 8-2 victory at home to Cold Norton C. Mapledene’s captain Reece Seddon doing the most damage with a hat-trick of wins with Cold Norton’s in form Kim Shead providing the most resistance as he was able to record excellent wins over Steve Muth and Peter Barrett. In the final match of the week Maldon A were able to muster some decent pointage from their 7-3 win over Stow Maries A which will undoubtedly help their cause come the relegation reckoning. Both Harrison Hill and Derek Balding won all their singles to ensure the healthy winning margin.

Top of page – The mighty Duncan Taylor – another hat trick in Burnham this week.

Pic 1 – Action from the Double Derby at Blackwater – as Norman Hayes holds court whilst Neil Freeman and Alan Scammell discuss doubles tactics on the court behind.

Pic 2 – A frustrated Blackwater A – Alan Scammell in action with Neil Freeman and Merv Perriman waiting in the wings

Pic 3 – The infamous Blackwater chefs – Jason Bush & David Sage

Pic 4 – Woodham C’s Graham Briggs in winning action against Terry Hyland this week.

County Juniors

CHAMPAGNE CORKS POPPING FOR THE KESTRELS

Gallery November 19, 2023 Paul Strutt

Windsor Kestrels will feel entitled to open a champagne bottle or two this week as they celebrated their first win of the season in Division Two of the Clacton League.

Languishing at the foot of the table, the Kestrels enjoyed a 7-3 success over Nomads Jaguars’ second-string side, Graham Bunce staying unbeaten and Debra Found winning two.

In two crucial matches, Bunce beat Chris Petrou 11-6 in the decider, while Bunce and Found edged the doubles 11-9 in the decider against Kevin Hogg and Callum Hogg. Petrou won a couple for the Jaguars.

It was a double disappointment for the Jaguars when, in their second match against Brotherhood C, they went down 6-4. Mark Boyland won three and Mark Beckham two for Brotherhood, but the Jaguars came out on top in another close doubles, Petrou and Kevin Hogg beating Boyland and Beckham 11-7 in the decider.

At the top of the table, leaders Brotherhood D were given a stern test by Walton D, the match ending all-square. Simon Smith-Daye won three and Sam Plummer two, Smith-Daye’s hat-trick including an 11-8 in the fifth win over Andy Foster. Foster won two for Walton, although he struggled before overcoming James Smith-Daye 11-6 in the fifth. Foster and Clive Allenby had the satisfaction of inflicting a first doubles defeat of the season on Brotherhood, beating Plummer and Simon Smith-Daye in four.

Lawford defeated Brotherhood B 7-3 in a match where every player picked up at least one point. James Tindle, in his first appearance of the season, won three for Lawford and Richard Spence two. Charlie Denholm chipped in with an 11-6 in the fifth victory over Mark Salter in the closest match of the evening.

Windsor Penguins and Nomads Tigers enjoyed a tough tussle, the match ending with honours even. Denes Somodi won his three for the Tigers, with Dave Miller getting an important 11-6 in the decider win over Sharon Gowlett. For the Penguins there were two each for Scott Campbell and Annabelle Stallwood, Campbell defeating Miller 11-5 in the fifth and Stallwood edging past Colin Webber by the same score.

In Division Three Windsor Harriers beat Walton E 6-4 despite a sparkling maximum from Walton captain Lynette Sparks. Her toughest match was against Isabel Barton, eventually winning 11-6 in the decider.

Three from John Plummer, and two each from Dave Sweetland and Alan Rutledge, saw Windsor Magpies home 7-3 against Brotherhood F. The improving Ruby Gallagher picked up two points and, with Lucy Carvell, took the doubles against Plummer and Sweetland.

Brotherhood E cantered home 10-0 against Nomads Ocelots, Rodney Betts and Tricia Salter’s doubles win against James Horsler and Anne Bonny the only match extended to a fourth set.

And there was another 10-0 result in another Brotherhood v Nomads encounter, Danny Still, Dan Grindrod and Gary Simpson all taking trebles for Brotherhood F against the Lynx.

In Division One Nomads Panthers brought out the big guns against Brotherhood A and it was enough to see them to a 6-4 victory. James Denyer maintained his 100% record although it was a tight 9-11, 2-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-9 against Gary Young. The doubles ultimately proved pivotal, Denyer and Greg Green beating Young and Kevin Gowlett 11-6 in the decider. Young and Gowlett won two singles apiece for Brotherhood.

Walton A were 6-4 winners against Walton B, Kevin James winning three and Derek Willis two. Pete Burrows, in his first appearance of the season for the ‘B’ team, won a couple, although it was a close 4-11, 15-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 against Willis.

Finally, the all-Windsor clash between the Eagles and Buzzards ended, somewhat predictably, 10-0 in favour of the Eagles, John Pattrick, Mel Rampton and Phil Smith all taking trebles.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton A 6 Walton B 4;

Brotherhood A 4 Nomads Panthers 6;

Windsor Buzzards 0 Windsor Eagles 10.

Division 2

Walton D 5 Brotherhood D 5;

Nomads Jaguars 4 Brotherhood C 6;

Windsor Kestrels 7 Nomads Jaguars 3;

Windsor Penguins 5 Nomads Tigers 5;

Lawford 7 Brotherhood B 3.

Division 3

Nomads Ocelots 0 Brotherhood E 10;

Walton E 4 Windsor Harriers 6;

Brotherhood F 3 Windsor Magpies 7; Nomads Lynx 0 Br

County Juniors

It’s a Sanjay sensation!

Gallery November 14, 2023 Paul Strutt

There were wins for both Hockley teams in the Premier Division of the Southend & District Table Tennis League this week. Hockley A were in fine form as they pulled out an unlikely 9-0 scoreline over Hadleigh Forum A. Sanjay Saptarshi living up to his ‘Sensation’ nickname from the Burnham league won all his games as did Matt Stringer and Player of the Match Dan Patynski.

Hockley B overcame the Millers of Rayleigh 6-3 in a match that saw a number of hard fought games. Three wins as you might expect for Andy Cunningham but there was also a great hattrick for Player of the Match Dave Colwill as he saw off the best efforts of Rob Harris, Colin Chatfield and Eric Green. There was one win a piece for the Rayleigh trio over Keith Abbott.

In a top of the table clash Thorpe Bay A came out on top against Rawreth A 5-4 despite a great hattrick for Liam Squirrell against Paul Sayer, Mark Stones and John Poysden. Stones and Sayer picked up two wins over Charles Sweeny and Kevin Read while Poysden defeated Sweeny for the win.

In the final game this week there was a close win for Irons A over Thorpe Bay B, in the main due to three wins for Reece Seddon. Player of the Match Seddon was backed up with a win each for Dave Bowles and Babul McLeod over Adam Deadman. Kieran Skeggs and Richard Stubbington with two wins a piece for the Bay.

Three wins for Saptarshi

Another week, another leader at the top of the Division 1 table. This time it is Invicta A, albeit only by the finest of margins. They have the same number of points as last week’s leaders Stanford A, but have lost one less match. Invicta’s impetus came from a comfortable 8 – 1 home win against Hadleigh Forum C. The visitor’s Mark Everard was their only player to have any success, overcoming Lee Marson. Tony Ayliffe and Steve Marr were unbeaten for Invicta.

Stanford came a cropper away to Forum’s B team 6 – 3. Tony Jacks was their POM, being unbeaten. It was a team effort, though, with Dave Woolmer adding two and Mick Tappenden one. Pat White got two for Stanford, just edging a five-set thriller against Mick, and Pete Weatherall added one.

Brand Identity B maintain third place with a 6 – 3 win at home to Hockley C. No one player was unbeaten, however. Each of the home side’s John Lott, Jenny Harrison and Mick Grout won two. Brian Bissenden also got two victories for the visitors and David Chenery one.

Lentern are now joint fourth with Rawreth Megazone D. Lentern had Martin Archie to thank for the basis of their away win at Canvey A. His POM hat trick gave his side a 5 – 4 victory, whilst Peter Lucraft and Wayne Farmer chipped in with one win each. Peter Cray and Ray Wilson got two successes each for Canvey.

In a ‘derby match’ between the D and C teams, Rawreth Megazone D came out on top. Yet again, the C team could only muster two players, which contributed to the D team’s 6 – 3 success. Mike Hayes was unbeaten for the winners, whilst Garry Hartgrove got two for the losers.

There were some close contests in the match between RESSC and Mapledene. Both Mapledene’s Lin Roff and their POM Mike Johnston eked out successes in close five-setters. Mike went on to win all three of his rubbers, whilst Lin succumbed to RESSC’s Bob Skews in the very first match of the evening. Bill Smith added one further win for Mapledene to give them a 6 – 3 away win. Bob got two for the home side, and Richard Gill, one.

Matchpoint B took advantage of rivals Stanford not having a game and moved into third place in Division 2 after a 6-3 win against Rawreth Megazone E. Stephen Heard, on his debut, was the POTM and he was supported by a brace from Debbie O’Neill and a single win from Dan Stewart. Debbie had to work particularly hard for her wins beating Jaspreet Singh in five sets after being 2-1 down and then doing even better against Jonathan Allen coming back from two sets down before winning the next three 11/7 11/9 11/7. Richard Kidd picked up two wins for Rawreth and Jonathan got the other point after another five set match this time edging out Dan 11/8 in the decider.

Wakering bounced back to form and moved within a point of Stanford in fifth place after a comprehensive 8-1 win against Invicta B. The father and son double act of Paul and Zac England both recorded maximums with Andrew Deadman providing the other two points. Barbara Chabior was again Invicta’s best player beating Andrew in straight sets and just going down in five to Paul.

Basildon B find themselves bottom of the table after losing 8-1 at home to a revitalised Canvey B. It’s now three games and nine victories for Andrew Murray since his return and his performances have seen the Islanders climb from tenth place to sixth in those three matches. A perfect hat trick for him, another hat trick for Kevin Walsingham and a double for Des Duffield made it a miserable night for the Basildon boys for whom Jenne Seibolt got their consolation.

In the final game of the week a still winless Hockley D almost picked up an unlikely win away at Runnymede as despite only being able to field two players they took the match to a last game decider which saw Runnymede’s Steve Wisbey beat Neal Klyman in four sets to snatch the win. Hockley’s Paul Ogden took the POTM honours with a perfect hat trick whilst Neal got the better of Barry Edgar for their other point. Anne Adlington got the other win for Runnymede against Neal.

Player of the Week – Paul Ogden

Team of the Week -Matchpoint B

Firstly, a result carried over from Week 7 in Division 3. The young Hockley ‘F’ side took on a (much) older and more experienced Rawreth Meggazone ‘F’ team. The evening started well for Hockley when Kris Chankov got the better of Edward Philcox after the closest of games, Kris eventually winning 12-10, 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the home side with Rawreth eventually running out 8/1 winners with the further loss of only two sets. Jan Thorpe took the POTM honours with Graham Back also unbeaten.

The first three matches played in Week 8 were all close affairs.

Rawreth Meggazone ‘F’ were a player short for their trip up the A13 to take on Stanford ‘C’. Despite this, they made a fight of it, with two wins apiece for Mike Webb and Ro Brett, although neither were able to get the better of Stanford skipper, Mark Farley. With Mandy Till and Karen Kempster unable to add any points, the home team were 5/4 winners.

Alex Bowden continued his impressive run with another unbeaten performance as his Matchpoint ‘C’ side travelled to the home of the league leaders, Invicta ‘C’, and came away with a 5/4 victory. His ‘perfect’ hat-trick was backed up with two wins from Roger Sherman. Indeed, Roger was close to recording a maximum himself. In his game against Trisha Winter, he led by two sets before Trisha rallied and got home 9-11, 5-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9. The Invicta points came from Trisha with two wins with Brendan Raja and Keith Baxter adding a win apiece.

There was a first hat-trick of the season for Matchpoint ‘D’s Blake Stewart in his teams 5/4 win over Hadleigh Forum ‘D’. Teammate Oliver Milchard gave good support with a couple of wins; indeed, it was his 5-set win over Forum’s Jean Catley in the final game of the match that confirmed the win for his team. Todd Barker was Forum’s best player on the night with two wins. Jean and Sineh Ball both with a single win.

It was a tough night for a young Evolve team when they took on Hockley ‘E’. Although Ben Berwick took Graham Gregory to a deciding set, they were only able to win one more set as Hockley ran out 9/0 winners. Keith Denyer took the POTM honours with teammates Graham and Gary Beck also undefeated. 11-year-old Archie Wakerly played his first match for Evolve and will certainly learn and improve as the season progresses.

It was an equally tough night for the junior players of Hockley ‘F’ when they hosted Stanford ‘F’. Vaughan Chambers, Andrew Jessop and David Arnett showing their greater experience in a 9/0 victory. There were though encouraging signs for the future as Elliot Brackenbury forced Andrew into a fifth set and William Evesham pushed David all the way before eventually going down 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11. No scares for Vaughan as he took the POTM with a straight sets maximum

County Juniors

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

Gallery November 13, 2023 Paul Strutt

Cold Norton A Team ‘Love it when a plan comes together!’

There were plenty of fireworks in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League this week as Mapledene A reclaimed top spot and all three division 1 Cold Norton teams recorded banging wins including a memorable evening for the Cold Norton A Team who blasted and whizzed their way passed perennial champions Fambridge.

With Leaders Woodham on a mid-season break it was up to the peloton members to decide who would make the break this week. Up stood early season leaders Mapledene A who put down a vey strong 9-1 winning margin against a competent Maldon A trio. Mapledene’s starlets Daniel Young and Reece Seddon won all their matches including the doubles. Steve Muth won 2 of his singles and was just pipped late on in the deciding set of his encounter with superb Maldon leftie Jon Stokes. Cold Norton A fielded their holy trinity of players this week leaving Fambridge without a prayer. The Cold Norton trio of Duncan Taylor, Charles Sweeny and Kevin Read all won 2 a piece, but none of them could conquer the Fambridge archangel Keith Adams. Adams must have stood in something en route to the venue or it really was divine intervention as he held on and overcame the challenge of both Read and Taylor despite being drawn into a 5^th set shootout in both ties. Read & Taylor did get their revenge in the doubles though, securing the extra bonus point for the overall 7-3 victory. With Cold Norton A of late fielding stronger sides they have pushed themselves back into contention as the league splits down the middle into a championship race, and a race for survival. Cold Norton B are firmly in that championship race and this week’s whitewash against Mapledene B has really pushed them back into the melee. A largely straightforward set of hat-tricks for the Cold Norton B boys Eric Green, Sam Lowman and Ian Wall – although Mapledene’s David Jacob threatened to spoil the party when in the final game of the night he came back from 0-2 down to force Green into a final deciding set he wasn’t expecting. Green recovered his composure and won out 11-8. In the survival race Woodham B lost out to Cold Norton C despite having the unbeaten player of the match in their ranks. Cold Norton triumphed 6-4 with Kim Shead and Arron Chandler taking 2 wins each and then crucially combining for an excellent doubles victory over Sanjay Saptarshi and Dan Patynski. Saptarshi was the star turn winning all his singles for the majority of the Woodham haul.

In Division 2 Woodham C continue to pull away from the chasing pack, and at this stage it looks like their only title challengers will be Mapledene C and Maldon B – but of course this can all change in the bat of an eye. Both Woodham teams recorded good wins this week. Leaders Woodham C welcomed the Stow C trio to their manor, and to be honest were poor hosts as they only allowed Stow to go home with a single point courtesy of Pete Layzell’s 5 set win over the previously undefeated Graham Briggs. Kudos to Layzell, but that didn’t help his cause too much as the Woodham trio of Briggs, Chris Hancox and David Meah swept away every other challenge for an emphatic 9-1 victory. Gus Heath was in impeccable form for Woodham D this week, 4 wins in 12 sets which formed the bedrock of his team’s 8-2 winning margin over Cold Norton D. Heath was ably supported by wingmen Mal Henstock and Alan Dadswell. Maldon B continued their efforts to keep in touch with the leaders as they overcame the challenge of Stow B for a 7-3 victory. It was all about team work for the Maldonians as they each won 2 games but none of them had the wit or the guile to defeat the master of the backhand Peter Hance. Hance has now played 9 and won them all – perhaps he should be picked every week! Mapledene C lost some ground on the leaders this week as they were held to a 5-5 draw at the Mapledene Arena by Maldon C. No hat-trick this week for the Maldon Talisman Steve Aspland just the bare minimum 2 wins as he was outfought and outlasted by the gutsy Lin Roff in a tense 5-setter. Roff completed her hat-trick with wins over Colin Barrell and Garry Eames, whereas Barrell and Aspland recovered to grab the match-saving doubles win. In the remaining division 2 matches there were conflicting emotions for the two Blackwater teams. The A-Team ran out 7-3 winners over Stow D with hat-tricks for Neil Freeman and Denis Balic, whereas the B-Team succumbed to a 6-4 defeat against a resurgent Maldon D side despite Blackwater’s Louis Gunn recording the only hat-trick of the evening. Two wins each for Maldon’s youth and experience combination of Brian Riedling and Marty Englander plus a doubles victory to secure the result. That win lifts Maldon D off the bottom of the table at the expense of Cold Norton D.

In Division 3 St Lawrence continue to dominate the leaderboard and this week’s victims were Maldon E. St Lawrence ran out 9-1 winners to keep a stranglehold on the top spot. Hat-tricks for the ever reliable Mick Robinson and Steve King, with Mick Pratley chipping in with 2 wins but just losing out to Maldon starlet Arthur Shadforth. Blackwater D and E fought out an in-house battle for the local bragging rights – but both teams failed as they settled on a draw, shook hands and agreed to return to fight on another day. Blackwater E had Peter Davenport to thank for 4 of their points whereas the E Team shared their successes a bit more evenly with 2 wins for both Jacqui Treacy and Chris Rolison. Blackwater C were much more clinical as they dispatched a 2 man Maldon F team 7-3, with all 3 Maldon points courtesy of the paddle of John Leavett. This fine form deserted the Blackwater C squad as they played their second match of the week losing out in a 6-4 battle with Woodham E. A battle it truly was as 5 of the matches went deep into 5^th sets with Woodham cruelly winning 4 out of these 5 ‘could go anyway’ encounters. For Woodham Chris Crooks won all his singles and paired up with dark horse Mitch Davies for the doubles victory, and for Blackwater both Andy Simmonds and Phil West took 2 wins. Those extra points push Blackwater C into second place but really the whole of the division is in the running for runner-up slot this season.

Top of page – Brian Reiding in unstoppable form this week as he warms up with Maldon team-mate Shirley Carroll

Pictured above clockwise :-

The battle for supremacy betwixt Kim Shead of Cold Norton and Sanjay Saptarshi of Woodham
Fambridge’s Keith Adams hols out against the Cold Norton onslaught
Eric Green and Sam Lowman pair up in the doubles for Cold Norton
Maldon’s Arthur Shadforth saving his team from a whitewashing this week

County Juniors

CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE TABLE TENNIS KIND

Gallery November 13, 2023 Paul Strutt

There are close matches, very close matches and very, very close matches – and the Division Three clash in the Clacton League between Windsor Magpies and Walton E certainly fell into the very, very close category.

The final score was 8-2 to the Magpies but the score-line failed to tell the whole story, with no less than seven of the individual matches going the distance.

Magpies’ skipper John Plummer had 11-8 in the fifth wins against both Maggie Earle and Lynette Sparks, whilst Alan Rutledge’s hat-trick included an 11-6 in the fifth victory over Sparks and an 11-8 in the fifth victory against Adrian Sexton. Dave Sweetland won the Magpies’ fifth five-setter, beating Earle 11-6 in the decider.

Walton managed to take just two of the full-distance matches, Sparks beating Sweetland 11-5 in the decider and then, in her fourth full-distance match of the evening, partnering Earle to take the doubles 11-6 in the decider against Plummer and Sweetland.

With seven matches going to five, two settled in four and just one settled in three-straight, it was – despite the final score-line – one of the most tightly-fought matches in the League for many seasons.

In their second match of the week, the Magpies defeated Nomads Bobcats by a similar 8-2 score, although this time with a little more to spare. On this occasion it was Sweetland who stayed unbeaten, with Rutledge and Plummer winning a pair apiece. Mike Vilka took the two points for the Bobcats.

But Walton suffered a second defeat of the week in their second fixture, a 10-0 reverse at the hands of the fast-improving Nomads Leopards. Dominic Joannou, Bob Jillins and Stu Wilkinson all recorded trebles, Wilkinson’s 11-5 in the fifth win against Maggie Earle the only match which went the distance. Perhaps Walton’s energy levels had run out?

Another 8-2 result in this Division saw Brotherhood E defeat Brotherhood F, Duncan Dunne and Tony Edmonds taking maximum points. Lucy Carvell and JJ Barry took a point each for the ‘F’ team and, although Tom Bryden ended pointless, he played well before losing 11-4 in the fifth to Dunne.

Isabel Barton was the player of the match as Windsor Harriers notched up a second 10-0 win in as many weeks, this time over Nomads Lynx. Only one individual match went beyond a third set, Ian Gwillim testing Jenny Higgins before Higgins took it 11-2, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8.

In Division One everyone picked up at least a point as Nomads Panthers beat Walton A 7-3. Greg Green, making his first appearance of the season, took three, John Hatley two and Gill Locke one. Derek Willis, Kevin James and David Binns each took a point for Walton, James beating Hatley 11-9 in the decider but narrowly losing 12-10 in the decider to Locke, Binns edging out Locke 11-9 in the fifth.

Mark Gale was the best player on show as Walton C and Nomads Lions shared the spoils in the Division’s first drawn match of the season. Two of Gale’s wins were in five, 11-3 in the decider against Martyn Green and 11-9 in the decider against Jason Lloyd. However, the closest match of the evening was Mark Ratcliffe’s 7-11, 12-10, 6-11, 13-11, 12-10 victory over Jason Lloyd. Green and Ethan Lloyd picked up a couple of wins each for the Lions.

Daniel Young stayed unbeaten, whilst there were two for John Barton and one for Ian Fielder, as the all-Windsor clash ended 6-4 in favour of the Hawks against the Buzzards. But the Buzzards will feel a degree of satisfaction in producing their best performance of the season, Andy Cawley winning two, Pete Bloomfield one, with the pair sharing an excellent 11-8 in the fifth doubles win against Young and Fielder.

Brotherhood A were 9-1 winners against a Windsor Eagles’ side fielding a reserve, John Cleasby, Russell Hillier and Gary Young all remaining unbeaten. Phil Smith and John Hobson picked up a consolation point with an unexpected 11-6 in the decider doubles win against Cleasby and Hillier. Smith lost two close singles matches, 11-6 in the fifth to Hillier and 14-12 in the fifth to Cleasby.

In Division Two Brotherhood D proved their season’s start was no flash in the pan by defeating Lawford 8-2. Simon Smith-Daye won his three, whilst there were two each for Kevin Pryor and Joe Plummer. Richard Spence was Lawford’s best player, taking two points for the losers.

Trebles for Dave Miller and Colin Webber, with a couple from John Hockley, saw Nomads Tigers to a 9-1 win over Windsor Kestrels who, even at this early stage of the season, are beginning to look isolated at the bottom. Debra Found took the Kestrels’ consolation point.

* Details of the draw and fixtures for the Group stages of the Handicap Cup competition should be with Team Secretaries by 18th November.

RESULTS

Division 1

Windsor Eagles 1 Brotherhood A 9;

Walton C 5 Nomads Lions 5;

Windsor Hawks 6 Windsor Buzzards 4;

Nomads Panthers 7 Walton A 3.

Division 2

Brotherhood D 8 Lawford 2;

Nomads Tigers 9 Windsor Kestrels 1.

Division 3

Windsor Magpies 8 Nomads Bobcats 2;

Windsor Magpies 8 Walton E 2;

Windsor Harriers 10 Nomads Lynx 0;

Brotherhood E 8 Brotherhood F 2;

Nomads Leopards 10 Walton E 0.

Aerial photo from a drone captured in February 2023 of Clacton-on-Sea’s Pier based in Essex, UK. The pier dates back to 1871.

County Juniors

Game, set and Matchpoint!

Gallery November 13, 2023 Paul Strutt

When an irresistible force meets an immovable object something’s got to give! That’s what the song says and that’s what happened when the two top teams in Division 2 of the SDTTL met at the Riverside this week. Riverside School not football ground that is.

The match couldn’t have been set up more perfectly with the home side Matchpoint A sitting at the top of the table just one point clear of arch rivals Basildon A, both teams unbeaten, and three players also boasting individual unbeaten records. Only one player emerged afterwards with their record intact.

The evening started with a five set match between Evie Knaapen and Szymon Jarka the first of six consecutive such games at the end of which, not surprisingly, the teams were level at three all. Knaapen started well going two sets up before Jarka fought back to level only to lose the fifth 11/6.

In the second game the home side’s Harry Sawford raced into a two set lead against Arun Joy but a superb comeback from the Basildon man saw him take the next three 11/8 11/2 12/10.

Match three saw teenager James Elliott take on Basildon’s very experienced Les Hoey and he led 2-1 before going down 11/9 in a close deciding set. Basildon lead 2-1.

Harry Sawford met Szymon Jarka next and a two set lead for Jarka soon evaporated but a closely fought decider eventually fell 13/11 in his favour. 3-1 to the Basildon boys!

The fifth game was now all important for the Matchpoint side, to go 4-1 down would leave them a mountain to climb, and this match between Knaapen and Hoey, both unbeaten this season, was to prove a turning point. First set to Knaapen 11/7, second to Hoey 13/11, third set to Knaapen 11/6, fourth set to Hoey 11/5. Fifth and final set and it’s the teenager Knaapen who wins 11/8 to bring the overall score back to 3-2 to Basildon and ruin Hoey’s unbeaten record.

Elliott stepped up next to take on Arun Joy and although it was another five set match it must have been a quick one as Joy rushed through the first two sets 11/8 11/4, but the tables turned completely after that as Elliott won the next three sets 11/5 11/6 11/5. Joy’s unbeaten record falls and the match now level at 3-3.

The next two games didn’t go to five sets as Hoey defeated Sawford in four but Elliott then restored the equilibrium beating Jarka in three sets and leaving the match score at 4-4. The crucial last and deciding game saw the still unbeaten Knaapen take on Joy, both sides with everything to play for.

Like all the other five set games before, this one swung back and forth as Knaapen won the first two sets 11/4 12/10 only to see Joy fight back winning the next two 11/8 11/8 to level the match. The fifth and final set couldn’t have been closer but in the end game set and match went to Knaapen 13/11.

A fitting end to an exceptional match played in very good spirit and congratulations Matchpoint A – still top of the league!

County Juniors

End of an era – a tribute to Brian Baines

Gallery November 10, 2023 Paul Strutt

BRIAN BAINES

The League’s most senior Vice-President, Brian Baines, died last week, just a few weeks after celebrating his 90th birthday. As a player, supporter and official, Brian had been associated with the Clacton and District Table Tennis League for over seventy years, the only person still connected with the League who could trace his table tennis heritage back to the post-war era of the early 1950s.

It was a lifetime of dedication to local table tennis, yet without any great fuss or ostentation. But that was Brian’s way. Quiet, gentle, modest. His loyalty and service to the League was recognised in 1993 when he was awarded the Bob Phillips Trophy for services to the League, and he was further honoured in 2001 when he was made a Vice-President of the League, a position he held until his death.

When Brian started playing League table tennis, circumstances were so different from now. He would tell of playing in away matches when, at a time of few private motor cars, players would travel by bus in the early evening from Clacton to Walton for League matches – and return on the last bus home when the match had finished.

Brian would never claim to have been a table tennis player in the classical style, but he was a competent performer on the table who could hold his own in Division One without ever hitting the heights. He was a steady player, compact in style, determined in defence with the occasional burst of aggression. He was certainly neither flashy nor overtly aggressive in his play, but that only reflected his reserved and modest nature.

Because Brian’s links with the League go back so far, records for that time are either incomplete or no longer in existence. But, for a number of years in the 1960s and 1970s, at a time when there were four or five Divisions, Brian played for the GPO Club (or Post Office as they later became) where he won trophies alongside regular team-mates Terry Walker and Ron Ridgeon. It was only in the mid-1980s that he transferred to the Brotherhood Club, where he stayed for the rest of his table tennis career.

For a number of those years, Brian see-sawed between the top two Divisions, and the records show he was a Division Two winner in 1969, 1975, 1981 and 1986, and a runner-up in 1965, 1979, 1984 and 1991. However, it might be the trophy in 1991 which gave him most satisfaction in that it was achieved as a three-man team alongside his good friend, Barry Howe, and his son, Paul, who also played in the League for several seasons.

Throughout his career, Brian rarely achieved success outside the League, although 1994 was something of an exception, when he won the Handicap Singles Trophy for the first and only time and, with Brian Rowlen and Sylvia Meakin, finished as a runner-up in the Senior Combination Tournament.

As time went by, Brian stepped down a Division, now see-sawing between Divisions Two and Three, but he still had his successes. A Division Three winner in 1999 and 2002 and, after finally moving permanently down into Division Three as late as 2009, he was still good enough to win a Division Three runners-up medal in 2014, aged 81 years and still averaging over 60%.

But that only emphasised how committed Brian was to his table tennis. Whereas some players would be deterred by losing to players who, years before, they would have easily beaten, Brian preferred just to ‘carry on playing’. In some seasons towards the end in Division Two, he won only a handful of matches, but he was always there for his team, always encouraging his team-mates, and always with a friendly smile on his face.

Brian hung up his bat after the 2014/15 season. Whether in the highest or lowest Divisions, his enthusiasm for the sport never waned, even at the end of his playing career when his mobility was limited and he sometimes found it physically difficult.

When he stopped playing, Brian enjoyed coming to Tournaments and the Brotherhood Club as a spectator and supporter whenever he could, even though he struggled at times to do so. Eventually, even that became too much, and it disappointed him that he could no longer come.

But beneath all the records and statistics is one undeniable fact. Brian was a genuinely nice man. Quiet, reserved, neither boastful nor pushy, he was an eminently likeable person, and he was well-respected among the table tennis community. Indeed, he was one of those rare people you occasionally come across in life about whom no-one has a bad word to say.

We send our deepest sympathy to Joan and her family, our thoughts are with you all. Rest in peace, Brian. A true gentleman.

County Juniors

Halloween heaven for the ping pong wizards of Woodham

Gallery November 6, 2023 Paul Strutt

This Halloween week was all about the Woodham teams in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League as unbeaten Woodham A took over the top spot in Division 1, Woodham B climbed off the bottom of Division 1 and Woodham C continued their winning streak to remain firmly in control of Division 2. What curses have the Woodham witches put on all the other teams?

Unbeaten Woodham A conquered the challenge of a strong Cold Norton C squad with an emphatic 8-2 victory. As with previous champions it is often down to the number of deciding sets you can get through unscathed, and in this match Woodham managed to win all 3 matches that went the distance. Good form indeed. Kaung Htet Paing led the way with his singles hat-trick and paired up with Dan Piglet for the doubles, and Piglet and Chris Hancox each took a brace of wins. For the Cold Nortonians Tim Cramphorn blasted his way passed Piglet for his point and Kim Shead was able to take a comfortable win over Hancox. It took Woodham B until March last season to get their first win so they are way ahead of schedule this season with a 7-3 turnover of Maldon A. For Woodham it was Dan Patynski who led the charge especially in his battle with Derek Balding, coming back from 0-2 down and deuce in the third set to finally win out 11-9 in the 5^th – a great battle of styles. Patynski’s stablemates couldn’t cope with Balding’s mixed style of play that proved so effective and this led to a Dusty Bin set of results for Woodham B as Patynski won 3, Sanjay Saptarshi took 2 points, and Eamonn Hall chipped in with 1 win over Steve Whiteley. Due to the inclement weather and a fear of puddles the fixture betwixt Stow Maries A and Cold Norton A was abandoned before it could get underway, and in the only other Ist division encounter Fambridge recorded a solid 8-2 scoreline against Mapledene B with hat-tricks for both Bruce Kettle and John Poysden. Mapledene’s John Monk came out on top in the most contested match as he took the notable scalp of Mark Stones in a rollercoaster 5-setter. That result pushes Fambridge back into contention just a point behind the leading two teams.

A full programme of fixtures in Division 2 facilitated a top two showdown at the Maldon Arena. The wizards of Woodham C arrived in great form and Halloween spirit only to meet a steely eyed and determined Maldon trio. After the traditional greetings and hakas it was down to the action and Maldon got a flier as Dawn Baldry took the opening game against Alex Wilson. For Woodham Graham Briggs won both his openers and this helped to square things up at 3-3 going into the doubles. The statistical gods were on Woodham’s side as their 100% doubles win rate pairing of Hancox and Briggs continued their fine form and shimmied their team into a 4-3 lead going into the final singles. Briggs just about beat Colin Napper going deep into the deciding set. Hamish Innes then repaid that fate on Alex Wilson as the night got longer and longer. So Woodham were 5-4 up going into the final countdown which featured Baldry versus Hancox – a hittingfest in the making. Well the rallies were short as was the match as Hancox won through in straight sets to maintain the 100% win rate for the leaders Woodham C, but they knew they had been in a battle. Third placed Mapledene C took great advantage of the top two clash by putting down a whitewash 10-0 result against Cold Norton D – hat-tricks all round for Barrie Delf, Dave Woolmer, and Richard Gill. That result pushes Mapledene into second place between our earlier protagonists. Looks like this one will go all the way. Elsewhere in the division Blackwater A excelled with a surprising 10-0 clear-out against Maldon D. It was largely plain sailing for a very strong Blackwater team of Denis Balic, Merv Perriman and Neil Freeman, although Maldon’s Marty Englander did take Perriman for a little stroll into a fifth set tie-break but couldn’t quite get through the resolve of the seasoned campaigner. Blackwater B also registered a healthy scoreline with an 8-2 win over 2-man Stow Maries B with Simon Quelch managing the only hat-trick of the shorter-than-usual evening. Woodham D got themselves back to winning ways this week and remain in contention with the peloton. Woodham’s Gus Heath was untroubled throughout his singles campaign with a 9 dart finish for his perfect hat-trick. Heath was very ably supported by wingman Trevor Collin who continues to impress on his journey to full recovery on this occasion matching his talisman with 3 wins of his own. Steve ‘hat-trick’ Aspland was up to his usual Tuesday evening trick or treats for his Maldon C side against Stow Maries D with, yes you’ve guessed it, another fine faultless evening of exhibition singles. The man is a machine. For Maldon Tim Pulham put up the most resistance with good wins over Colin Barrell and Garry Eames.

The third division is proving very tight this season. St Lawrence have a healthy lead and are the bookies favourite for the championship but under them there is not much to separate all of the other competitors. So any decent wins can really make a difference in league standings and always provide a confidence boost. A perfect illustration being Blackwater D’s most welcome 7-3 triumph over nearest rivals Woodham E. A result that propels the Blackwaterites into the runner-up slot just ahead of the slain Woodham E. Blackwater’s Dave Benstead was in fine fettle with 3 wins to maintain his 100% win rate for the D team. Benstead’s team-mates Jacqui Treacy and the legend that is Norman Hayes both won 2 of their matches to ramp up the score. For Woodham it was the up and coming Peter Harverson who kept the score somewhat respectable with great wins over Treacy and Hayes, plus combining with Reece Arundell for a very important doubles point that went to deuce and beyond in the fifth leg of an almighty battle. The final match of the week was a typical encounter in this years third tier as the E teams from Maldon and Blackwater went toe-to-toe until the Blackwater trio emerged triumphant in a tight 6-4 awayday victory. Peter Davenport of Blackwater fame was the main reason for the victory with 3 solid singles points that were the bedrock of the winning margin.

Headline picture – Stow-in-the-Slow – the journey to Stow was too much for the Cold Norton tractors