Southend League Division 1

The season-long unbeaten run from Mitchell Jones showed no sign of easing this week. Leaders Stanford Le Hope A’s star player captured his tenth POM award in ten outings in his side’s 7 – 2 home win over Hadleigh Forum B. Furthermore, he hasn’t dropped a single set in this run. Surely, he is an odds on favourite to take the divisional title at the upcoming Closed Championships? Team mates Pat White and Ian Sangster won two each, but were both beaten by Forum’s Paul Fawell.

Canvey’s Andy Murray has been playing in Division 2 for some time, despite having a previous long and successful tenure in Division 1. This week saw him return to the higher level playing for Canvey A away to Lentern. His return couldn’t have gone better, winning all his contests and securing the POM prize. However, his side were unable to capitalise on his good form, going down 5 – 4 to the home side. Paul Sims and John Tendler each won two, and Peter Lucraft one for Lentern, with Ray Wilson picking up Canvey’s other success.

Hockley C’s Joseph Odegbami is another player who was unbeaten, only to see his side lose out. Visitors Brand Identity B were eventual 5 – 4 winners thanks to two wins each for Adam Jackman and Barrie Delf, with Mick Grout chipping in with one. David Chenery got the home team’s other success.

RESSC were only able to field two players for their away match at Mapledene and slumped to an 8 – 1 defeat. The home side’s Anthon Ranjit-Singh was unbeaten as was his colleague Lin Roff. Match of the evening saw the two veterans Bill Smith and Mike Worship come head to head. In a five set thriller, Mike took the last two sets to win the visitor’s only rubber.

Invicta A keep up the pressure on leaders Stanford with a comfortable 8 – 1 away win at the basement side Hadleigh Forum C. Mark Everard got the home side’s only success. Both Lee Marson and Steve Marr were unbeaten for Invicta.

The Division 2 title may well have been decided this week as Matchpoint A emerged victorious in the battle of the titans 7-2 against Basildon A. These two teams have been battling it out at the top all season but now, with just three games to go for both sides, Matchpoint have opened up a five point gap at the top of the table. Looking at their final fixtures Basildon look to have the slightly easier games against Invicta, Runnymede and Hockley whereas Matchpoint face Invicta, Stanford and, interestingly, their own B team in the last match of the season. Five points should just be enough to see them home.

The match itself featured three of the top four performers in the league this season, Les Hoey of Basildon and James Elliot and Evie Knaapen of Matchpoint and after the two matches they have played this season they are level on the number of wins. This time Les Hoey got revenge against Knaapen winning in four sets but lost to Elliot in five who claimed revenge for his defeat earlier in the season. The two wins for Hoey were all Basildon could offer as team mates Arun Joy and Szymon Jarka fell short against Elliot, Knaapen and Harry Sawford. Sawford almost matched his teammates hat tricks but for Hoey who came back from two sets down to claim victory. 

Wakering kept up the pressure on the top two cantering to a 9-0 win against Invicta B, Zac and Paul England and Stewart Mills recording their personal hat tricks. They sit eight points behind Basildon in third place whilst Invicta sit just two places above the bottom spot.

Basildon B, who occupy that bottom spot, found their attempt to pick up a much needed win prevented by having to field just two players against Canvey B. Somewhat ironic this as Canvey, also a man short, were able to call on Trevor Hayes from their C team. That move couldn’t have worked out better for Canvey as he won both his games whilst team mates Des Duffield and Tony Westwell both succumbed to Jenne Seibolt. Canvey ran out 7-2 winners.

Fellow contenders for relegation Rawreth Megazone E didn’t fare any better than Basildon in their quest for points as Matchpoint B  hammered them 8-1. Stephen Heard and Ben Murray both recorded hat tricks for Matchpoint and Debbie O’neil added two more but couldn’t overcome Richard Kidd’s steady play who came back from two sets down to record their consolation point.

There was another big win as Hockley D dismissed Runnymede 8-1 with Ben Cook taking the POTM award whilst Neal Klyman recorded his first hat trick of the season. Tony Molisso won two but eventually succumbed to Tina Hutchinson after a roller coaster five set match. Hockley go above Runnymede with this result now sitting in seventh place.

Team of the Week – Matchpoint A

Player of the Week – James Elliot

Things are hotting up at the top of Division 3 and, after this week’s round of matches, the top 3
teams are separated by a mere 6 points, with a further 4-point gap to the fourth and fifth placed
teams. Stanford ‘D’ have a 5-point lead at the top and look to be favourites to take the title as they
have played a game less than all their rivals. There are still plenty of points to play for though and
anything can happen.
On the table this week, Jan Thorpe was once again the leading light for Rawreth Megazone ‘F’ as
they overcame Stanford ‘C’ in a close match. Jan’s maximum was supplemented by a double from
Graham Back as Rawreth edged this one 5/4. For Stanford there were 2 wins for Randy Santiago and
a win each for Karen Kempster and James Parker.
There was another 5/4 scoreline in the match between Matchpoint ‘C’ and Invicta ‘C’, two of the
teams in contention at the top of the table. Despite a fine hat-trick from Invicta’s Trisha Winter, it
was Matchpoint who came out on top with Roger Sherman getting the better of Keith Baxter in the
5 th set of the last game of the match. Roger also added a win over Brendan Raja and youngsters
Lotte Mills (2 wins) and Max Mayo (1 win) also made important contributions. Keith gained the
other point for Invicta, coming from 2 sets down to beat Max in the final end.
Stanford ‘D’ moved to the top of the table following a comprehensive 9/0 win over the young
Hockley ‘F’ side. The experienced Stanford trio of David Arnett, Vaughan Chambers and Andrew
Jessop were in clinical form and wrapped up the match with the loss of only 3 sets. Vaughan
Chambers took the POTM award here.
The junior Evolve side found things equally as tough in their match against Hockley ‘E’, although they
put up a good fight and the 8/1 scoreline in favour of Hockley was hard on them. Three of the
games that went Hockley’s way were only decided in the 5 th set and, on another night, the final score
could have been a lot closer. For Hockley there were 3 wins each for Keith Denyer and Graham
Gregory, with Richard Coulon adding a double. Evolve’s only point came courtesy of a fighting, 5 th
set win for Teddy Kent over Richard.
Hadleigh Forum ‘D’s Jean Catley, who achieved her first maximum of the season last week, quickly
added another as she led her team to a 7/2 win over Matchpoint ‘D’. Her teammates Douglas Brown
and Todd Barker had two wins each, although neither could overcome Oliver Milchard who was
Matchpoint’s best player on the night.

If it’s tough at the top, it’s even tougher at the bottom, and this
week witnessed a meeting of the two teams at the foot of
Division Three of the Clacton League.
And, in the all-Nomads clash, victory went to the Lynx, who
defeated the Ocelots 9-1. Gerry Widnell and Ian Gwillim both took
hat-tricks, and they combined to share a narrow 7-11, 11-4, 8-
11, 17-15, 12-10 doubles victory over James Horsler and Anne
Bonny.
For the Ocelots, the improving Bonny had an excellent individual
win over Dave Wright, and took Gwillim close before going down
11-5 in the fifth.
At the other end of the table, leaders Brotherhood E were 7-3
victors over Nomads Leopards, taking three of the four matches
which went the distance. Fred Gallone stayed undefeated while
Tony Edmonds took two, as did Bob Jillins for the losers.
Windsor Harriers beat Brotherhood F 8-2, an undefeated Isabel
Barton the player of the match. Brotherhood’s Joe Sherwin and
Tom Bryden each picked up a win over Jenny Higgins.
Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Gary Simpson recorded trebles for
a second successive week as Brotherhood G defeated Nomads
Bobcats 10-0, a repeat of their early season score. No individual
match went the distance, but seven were extended to a fourth
set.
Three for John Plummer, two for Alan Rutledge and one for
Malcolm Caley saw Windsor Magpies to a 7-3 win against Walton
E. Maggie Earle won two for Walton and Adrian Sexton one, and
although Debrorah Pallett failed to get on the score-sheet for
Walton, her three defeats came in matches which went to five.
In Division One Brotherhood A beat Walton C 10-0, Kevin
Gowlett, Gary Young and Russell Hillier undefeated. The closest of

the two five-setters saw Young and Hillier scrape the doubles 9-
11, 11-8, 11-7, 15-17, 11-7 against Mark Gale and Mark Ratcliffe.
The result puts the Brotherhood side one point ahead of Nomads
Panthers at the top of the table.
Nomads Lions and Windsor Buzzards each fielded a reserve but it
was the Lions who came out 7-3 winners, Ethan Lloyd taking
three, Jason Lloyd two and reserve Dave Miller one. Buzzards’
reserve Scott Campbell played well to take two for the losers.
It was also 7-3 as Walton B defeated a weakened Windsor Eagles.
There were two each for Gavin Price, Graham Buxton and Paul
Newbould but none of them could get the better of Mel Rampton
who secured his hat-trick with an 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7
victory over Price in the final match of the evening.
Finally in Division One, Windsor Hawks were 10-0 winners against
Walton A who fielded a guest player, none of the matches going
the distance.
In the meeting of Division Two’s top and bottom teams,
Brotherhood predictably beat Windsor Kestrels, but the 6-4 score-
line was something of a moral victory for the Kestrels. Windsor
captain Graham Bunce had good wins over Kevin Pryor and James
Smith-Daye, Allen Denyer recorded an unexpected 9-11, 8-11,
14-12, 11-5, 12-10 win over Smith Daye, whilst Bunce and Debra
Found shared an excellent three-straight doubles success. But,
through all this, Simon Smith-Daye notched up yet another treble
for Brotherhood who now look unstoppable at the top.
Lawford are clear of the pack in second spot, this week defeating
Walton D 6-4 in a hard-fought encounter in which six matches
went the distance, Lawford winning two of them. Every player
picked up at least one point but James Tindle remained unbeaten
for Lawford. Clive Allenby won two for Walton.
Chris Petrou took a hat-trick for Nomads Jaguars with fine wins
over John Owen, Barry Allen and Paul Alden, but Brotherhood C
emerged 6-4 winners, Alden and Allen each taking two.
Trebles for Denes Somodi and Dave Miller were good enough to
give Nomads Tigers a 7-3 victory over Brotherhood C. Both
players were involved in tight five-setters, Somodi beating Mark
Boyland 11-6 in the decider and Miller going even closer against
the same player, winning 9-11, 8-11, 15-13, 15-13, 14-12.
RESULTS

Division 1
Brotherhood A 10 Walton C 0;
Windsor Buzzards 3 Nomads Lions 7;
Walton B 7 Windsor Eagles 3;
Walton A 0 Windsor Hawks 10.
Division 2
Windsor Kestrels 4 Brotherhood D 6;
Nomads Jaguars 4 Brotherhood B 6;
Lawford 6 Walton D 4;
Brotherhood C 3 Nomads Tigers 7.
Division 3
Brotherhood F 2 Windsor Harriers 8;
Nomads Bobcats 0 Brotherhood G 10;
Walton E 3 Windsor Magpies 7;
Nomads Leopards 3 Brotherhood E 7;
Nomads Ocelots 1 Nomads Lynx 9.

Woodham A had the Taylor Pest Control company from Cold Norton to thank for their recapture of pole position in the  Burnham & District Table Tennis League this week. 

Woodham A crushed the resistance of Maldon A this week with a dominant 9-1 victory that sees them back atop of the Division 1 table with a game in hand over joint leaders Mapledene A.  Woodham’s Chris Penrose and Lee McHugh went unbeaten all evening whilst third wheel Kaung Htet Paing won 2 of his 3 singles losing out to the leftie genius of Maldon’s Jon Stokes.  However the real drama came in the Mapledene A versus Cold Norton A encounter where so many of the individual encounters could be a forerunner to this year’s League Singles Final.  Mapledene fielded a very strong trio of Gary Young, Liam Squirrell and Reece Seddon but none of them could ‘topple the Taylor’ as Cold Norton’s top player Duncan Taylor laid down his own marker for the upcoming tournament when he destroyed the Mapledene Galacticos.  ‘Destroyed’ might be a bit harsh as the Taylor versus Seddon battle went to a deciding leg, and when disposing of the Squirrell it look 4 long legs before the deed was done.  The Mapledene trio won the rest of the singles including three 5 setters where Young beat Sam Lowman and Charles Sweeny, and Seddon just edged it against Lowman.  Lowman did pair up with the pest control supremo Taylor to flush out and humanely destroy a Young Squirrell combo in the doubles.  A long and eventful evening that finished up with Mapledene as 6-4 winners, and more importantly no rodents were injured or killed during the event.  In the final Division 1 match of the week Fambridge had to forfeit 3 points as they were a player short.  However that was all they gave up during the short and sweet evening’s sport as both John Poysden and Keith Adams won all their matches including the doubles with the only real trouble coming from Stow’s in form Gary Brignall who took Adams to 5 sets.  7-3 to Fambridge.

A full set of fixtures in Division 2 with no real upsets other than Mapledene C unable to win at Stow C.  Woodham C continue to dominate this Division with yet another high scoring victory as they waltzed passed Blackwater B 8-2 to maintain their 100% win rate.  For Woodham Chris Hancox and Graham Briggs both hit home runs with a hat-trick a-piece plus the doubles.  For Blackwater a notable win for Tina Hutchinson as she picked up a valuable point in a 4 leg victory over Dave Meah.  The less fancied Woodham D side had a great start to their match with second placed Maldon B when Eamonn Hall took the opening match in 5 sets against Dawn Baldry.  But despite another three 5 setters and a very long evening that was all Woodham could muster as Maldon B won out 9-1 in a match where the score belied the competitive nature of the match.  Hat-tricks for Colin Napper and Hamish Innes but only just.  Napper hadn’t dropped a set all night until his final match-up, but then the unique and awkward style of Woodham’s Malcolm Henstock caused him to wobble until the very end of the deciding leg where he finished with aplomb to secure his hat-trick and the player of the match tag.  Innes also struggled against Henstock and again had to go to 5 sets to get the job done but this was just a precursor to his main event when in the penultimate match of the night he had a marathon battle with Hall which included Hall saving 10 match points and having 2 match points of his own.  Eventually Innes won out 16-14 in the titanic deciding leg, and as the two athletes fell to the floor the crowd rose in unison to applaud the sport they had witnessed.  Peter Hance was in great form for his Stow B side winning all his singles in a 5-5 draw with Blackwater A.  Despite this form Hance didn’t make the cut for the doubles which Blackwater won and this secured the draw on the night.  Nicky Reece-Ford won the other points for Stow and was on for his own hat-trick until the final leg of the final match of the evening where he succumbed to the trickery of Alan Scammell.  The Stow D team didn’t make the same selection mistake as their B team.  Tim Pulham scored another hat-trick and paired up with Graham Naggs for the doubles point that saw Stow D beat Maldon D 6-4.  Despite the loss there were some good individual performances for Maldon D and especially Ella Sach’s 3 leg victory over the dogged Tim Huxtable.  Maldon C also selected their high scoring players for the doubles and this ensured a 6-4 victory in their match with Cold Norton D.  Maldon’s talismanic Steve Aspland won all of his singles but was pushed hard by the Nortonians.  He was ably supported by Colin Barrell who won twice and of course teamed up with Aspland for the bonus doubles point.  For Cold Norton Dave Hancox was on good form as he took two wins including the Barrell scalp.  In the final match of the week Mapledene C travelled to Stow C hoping for a good win to keep up their podium ambitions.  In a long and tough encounter the result came down to the final match of the night as the two unbeaten top seeds took to the cauldron for a winner takes all skirmish.  With Mapledene 5-4 ahead, the task of redemption fell upon Stow’s Peter Chastin as he faced Mapledene’s Richard Gill.  Before we got to this point both Chastin and Pete Layzell had won 2 points for Stow, including two 5 setters against Mapledene’s Sue Body.  Layzell had beaten Mike Johnston in 5, and then Body atoned for her defeats with her own 5 set victory over Jean Chasmer.  So it had been a tough night all round and the morning was drawing close so naturally the final encounter went into a deciding 5^th set.  As their bodies crumbled Chastin just  held on for an 11-4 final set victory and secured the overall draw that stifles the Mapledene top two challenge.

St Lawrence A put their recent mixed form behind them this week when they overpowered highly placed Blackwater C in a 7-3 victory that sees them solidify their top-of-the-division placement.   Steve King showed his class and determination with 3 fine wins in his singles matches and then teamed up with the vastly experienced Mike Pratley to secure the doubles.  Pratley took 2 singles for himself but wasn’t able to overpower the confident play of Blackwater’s pocket rocket Phil ‘Wild’ West.  West took 4 legs to get passed Pratley but then came from behind to beat Mick Robinson in 5 – two great wins for the Blackwater Buccaneer.  Blackwater E have now eased their way into the runner-up spot following a 10-0 whitewash over a 2-player Woodham E side.  A full house for all the Blackwater trio of David Sage, Peter Davenport and the ever-improving Jo Hart.  In the Maldon derby this week F defeated E in yet another extensive and tough encounter.  The F team’s John Leavett was the undoubted star of the show with 4 wins over the course of the evening including a vary lengthy 5 set comeback victory over James Raymond.  Raymond won his other 2 matches for the E team and Roger Warren matched this for the F side.

 

Pic 1 – Liam Squirrell in action against Duncan Taylor this week

Pic 2 – Colin Napper – taking the player of the match accolade for his Maldon B side

Pic 3 – Hamish Innes (Maldon B) working hard for his hat-trick this week

Pic 4 – Jon Stokes (Maldon A) v Lee McHugh (Woodham A) – as Woodham A go back to the top of the league

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For a fourth year running, a member of the younger generation tasted success in the Clacton and District League’s Handicap Singles Tournament, 24-year-old Matt Sage taking the Gordon Denton Trophy, following in the footsteps of James Denyer, Jason Gale and Russell Hillier.

In a quality final, Division Three Sage (+1), in his first season of League table tennis, defeated another surprise finalist, Sharon Gowlett (-1) from Division Two side Windsor Penguins, 13-11, 11-7, 11-8, employing a series of attacking shots which edged each set by the narrowest of margins.

It was a well-deserved victory for Sage who had impressed throughout with his aggressive play, his only defeat of the day occurring during the Group stage, Sage (-3) surprisingly going down 11-8 in the fifth to his Nomads Bobcats’ team-mate Jack Riddleston (+1).

In Round One of the Knock-Out stage, Sage’s handicap advantage (+3) and uninhibited play was enough to defeat Daniel Young (-15), one of the top-ranked players, 11-6, 11-4 in a match played over two-sets.

And Sage followed this with another fine win in the quarter-finals, (on +2) defeating the 2019 champion John Barton (-8) in three-straight.

His semi-final opponent was yet another Division One player, John Hobson, but Sage (+1) displayed a degree of maturity in out-pointing the stylish and vastly-experienced Hobson (-6) 12-14, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9.

Sharon Gowlett had also experienced a demanding day’s table tennis, like Sage qualifying for the Knock-Out stage by virtue of finishing runner-up in her Group.

In Round One, Gowlett (+2) eliminated defending champion Russell Hillier (-8) 11-0, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-0 before, in the quarter-final, defeating fellow-Division Two player John Gallagher in one of the encounters of the day.

With both players being equally matched, their tie went to the wire, Gowlett (+1) edging past Gallagher (-1) 12-10, 13-11, 12-14, 8-11, 13-11, a match as close as the score-line suggests.

And Gowlett made it to the final by defeating Gerry Widnell (+2), another player in his first League season and a player who had surprised everyone, not least himself, in reaching the last four, but eventually succumbing to Gowlett (-8) 11-8, 16-14, 11-9.

Main results – Final : Matt Sage (+1) beat Sharon Gowlett (-1) 13-11, 11-7, 11-8; Semi-finals : Sage (+1) beat John Hobson (-6) 12-14, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9; Gowlett (-8) beat Gerry Widnell (+2) 11-6, 16-14, 11-9; Quarter-finals : Sage (+2) beat John Barton (-8) 11-0, 11-9, 11-0; Gowlett (+1) beat John Gallagher (-1) 12-10, 13-11, 12-14, 8-11, 13-11; Hobson (0) beat Barry Allen (0) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7; Widnell (+1) beat Tom Bryden (-5) 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-1.

Of the sixteen qualifiers from the Groups, eight came from the Third Division, including three juniors, Joe Sherwin, Lucy Carvell and Tom Bryden, and four of the up-and-coming younger generation, JJ Barry, Alex Baldock, Jack Riddleston and, of course, Sage who took pride of place with the victor’s crown.

And the Handicap Singles event once again showed its ability to produce surprise winners, Sage becoming the thirty-second different winner in the Tournament’s forty year history.  

* It was a good week for Mark Gale and Walton C in Division One of the League, the Walton team recording their first win of the season against Walton A, and repeating the 8-2 score-line the following day against Windsor Buzzards.

Gale and Mark Ratcliffe took trebles in the first match, and Paul Meikle a couple, with Gale again unbeaten against the Buzzards, Ratcliffe and Meikle taking a pair apiece.

Walton B were 6-4 winners against Windsor Hawks, Peter Burrows undefeated and Gavin Price taking two. Felipe Rodriguez won two for the Hawks and, with John Barton in the doubles, shared an 11-8 in the decider win against Burrows and John Marshall.

Leaders Nomads Panthers were 9-1 victors against Windsor Eagles, a repeat of their early season score. James Denyer and Gracie Edwards stayed undefeated, with Mel Rampton beating Gill Locke 11-6 in the fifth for the Eagles’ consolation point.

But second-placed Brotherhood A are still hanging on to the Panthers’ coat-tails, this week beating Nomads Lions 7-3, Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young taking maximum points.

In Division Two, Brotherhood D’s relentless push towards the title continued with another success, Sam Plummer and Joe Plummer unbeaten in their 9-1 win over Nomads Jaguars.

Nomads Tigers defeated Brotherhood B 6-4, Denes Somodi winning three and Dave Miller two. The doubles proved unbearably close, Mark Salter and Barry Allen edging home 12-10, 5-11, 11-9, 3-11, 21-19 against Somodi and Miller.

Windsor Penguins beat Walton D 7-3 for a second time this season. Neil Chegwidden was unbeaten while Scott Campbell was denied his hat-trick by Andy Foster who won their individual encounter 11-9 in the fifth.  

James Tindle was Lawford’s unbeaten hero in his team’s 6-4 win against Brotherhood C, but the score could so easily have been 9-1, Brotherhood winning three of the last four matches deuce in the fifth, the closest Paul Metcalf’s 15-13 in the decider victory over Ian Sherwood.

And in a match that’s spanned ten weeks, Windsor Kestrels and Brotherhood C resumed their encounter which had been prematurely ended in November by the illness to Peter Aumord, the final score ending 9-1 to Brotherhood.

In Division Three, leaders Brotherhood E stayed on top after beating Windsor Magpies 7-3, Fred Gallone and Duncan Dunne taking maximum points, whilst their nearest challengers, Windsor Harriers, were pushed all the way before defeating Nomads Bobcats 10-0.

Ruby Gallagher won her three as Brotherhood F defeated Nomads Lynx 8-2, with Lucy Carvell taking a couple but losing out 11-9 in the fifth to Dave Wright. Wright took the two Lynx points.

Brotherhood G recorded two wins to lift them to fourth place in the table. Firstly, in a  match where no player stayed unbeaten, they defeated Nomads Leopards 7-3, Danny Still, Dan Grindrod and Gary Simpson all winning two. And they followed this with a 7-3 success against Nomads Ocelots, this time the Grindrod, Still and Simpson trio all winning three.

And the unfortunate Ocelots suffered another 10-0 defeat, Walton E’s Maggie Earle, Adrian Sexton and Deborah Pallett all taking trebles, a debut League hat-trick for Pallett.

* There will be at least one Division Three side in the semi-finals of the Knock-Out Cup, with Nomads Bobcats and Brotherhood E drawn to play each other in the quarter-finals. The third Division Three side, Brotherhood F, will play top-flight Walton C. The full draw is Brotherhood F v Walton C; Nomads Bobcats v Brotherhood E; Nomads Panthers v Windsor Penguins; Brotherhood D v Windsor Hawks. The matches are to be played during w/c 19th February.

RESULTS

Division 1

Nomads Lions 3 Brotherhood A 7;

Walton C 8 Walton A 2;

Windsor Buzzards 2 Walton C 8;

Windsor Hawks 4 Walton B 6;

Windsor Eagles 1 Nomads Panthers 9.

Division 2

Brotherhood D 9 Nomads Jaguars 1;

Brotherhood B 4 Nomads Tigers 6;

Windsor Kestrels 1 Brotherhood C 9;

Walton D 3 Windsor Penguins 7;

Lawford 6 Brotherhood C 4.

Division 3

Brotherhood G 10 Nomads Ocelots 0;

Windsor Harriers 10 Nomads Bobcats 0;

Brotherhood G 7 Nomads Leopards 3;

Brotherhood E 7 Windsor Magpies 3;

Nomads Ocelots 0 Walton E 10;

Nomads Lynx 2 Brotherhood F 8.

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• 

Matt Sage and Sharon Gowlett top of page

Things are hotting up in Division One of the Clacton League
following two significant results.
Champions for the last ten seasons, Nomads Panthers are facing
one of their toughest challenges, this week losing for a second
time in a month to Windsor Hawks.
The Panthers, who were without James Denyer, still fielded a
high-class trio in Greg Green, Gill Locke and Gracie Edwards, but
fine hat-tricks from Daniel Young and Andy Vincent gave the
Hawks a well-deserved 7-3 victory. The crucial match proved to
be match nine, with Young defeating Green 11-9 in the decider.
And the Panthers’ insecurity was compounded when their nearest
challengers, Brotherhood A, recorded an emphatic 10-0 win over
Windsor Buzzards. Kevin Gowlett, John Cleasby and Martin
Edwards, who was making his first appearance of the season,
were all unbeaten, with only the doubles extended to a fourth set.
The result leaves Brotherhood just seven points behind the
Panthers but with a game in hand.
Trebles for Adam Cuthbert and Charlie Fulcher, and a couple from
Jason Lloyd, saw Nomads Lions home 9-1 against Walton A. Their
closest win was an 11-8 in the fifth success for Fulcher over Dave
Binns. Derek Willis took Walton’s consolation point with a hard-
fought 11-7, 7-11, 14-12, 11-13, 11-8 win over Lloyd.
Walton B took three of the four matches which went the distance
to edge past Walton C 6-4. Pete Burrows was unbeaten, although
he was taken to five by both Mark Ratcliffe and Mark Gale. Gavin
Price won a couple and shared an 11-7 in the fifth doubles win
with Graham Buxton against Gale and Ratcliffe. For Walton, Gale
won two, and Ratcliffe and Paul Meikle one each, Meikle beating
Buxton 15-13, 9-11, 13-11, 7-11, 12-10.
In Division Two, Brotherhood D strengthened their position at

the top with a 10-0 victory over a Nomads Tigers’ side without
Denes Somodi and fielding a guest player. Simon Smith-Daye,
Sam Plummer and Joe Plummer all stayed unbeaten. Colin
Webber took Smith-Daye to the limit before going down 11-5 in
the fifth, whilst the Plummer brothers were pushed by Dave Miller
and reserve Bob Jillins in the doubles, eventually taking it 11-6 in
the decider.
Windsor Penguins had an excellent 7-3 result against Lawford,
Scott Campbell and Neil Chegwidden each recording trebles.
Campbell defeated Charlie Denholm 11-6 in the decider, the same
score by which Chegwidden beat Richard Spence. Denholm and
Spence took a point each for Lawford, with Denholm and Ian
Sherwood winning the doubles.
The Penguins followed this with a 6-4 success against
Brotherhood B, although the Brotherhood side was hampered
when Barry Allen was forced to concede two matches. Scott
Campbell was again unbeaten for the Penguins, beating Mark
Salter 9-11, 7-11, 15-13, 11-6, 11-9 in the encounter between
the team’s leading players.
Andy Foster and Paul Woolnough remained unbeaten, and Mo
Hardy took two, as Walton D beat bottom team Windsor Kestrels
8-2, the same score as their early season encounter. For the
Kestrels, Debra Found beat Hardy 11-7 in the fifth and, with
Graham Bunce who only played in the doubles, shared a doubles
success against Foster and Hardy.
In Division Three, pace-setters Brotherhood E won 10-0 against
a Walton E side fielding a guest. Fred Gallone, Tricia Salter and
Tony Edmonds were the winning team, Edmonds involved in the
only five-setter of the match, beating Adrian Sexton 11-5 in the
decider.
Tom Bryden, JJ Barry and Joe Sherwin of Brotherhood F were too
good for Nomads Ocelots, winning 10-0. The closest match was
the doubles, Bryden and Barry defeating Anne Bonny and James
Horsler 11-6 in the fifth.
And, in a third 10-0 result, the Bobcats defeated the Lynx in an
all-Nomads clash, Alex Baldock, Matt Sage and Jack Riddleston
taking maximum points. Riddleston just getting the better of
Gerry Widnell 11-7 in the fifth.
Finally, Brotherhood G beat Windsor Magpies 7-3, Dan Grindrod
taking three, and Danny Still and Gary Simpson two apiece. Dave

Sweetland won a couple for the Magpies and, with Alan Rutledge,
beat Grindrod and Simpson in the doubles.

• Entries for the Handicapped Singles Tournament, which takes
  place on Saturday 3rd February at Windsor’s St James’ Hall,
  should be sent to either Tony Oswick or Peter White. The closing
  date for entry is Saturday 27th January. The entry fee is £4.00.
  Full details have been sent to all players.
  RESULTS
  Division 1
  Walton B 6 Walton C 4;
  Brotherhood A 10 Windsor Buzzards 0;
  Nomads Panthers 3 Windsor Hawks 7;
  Walton A 1 Nomads Lions 9.
  Division 2
  Windsor Kestrels 2 Walton D 8;
  Windsor Penguins 7 Lawford 3;
  Brotherhood B 4 Windsor Penguins 6;
  Nomads Tigers 0 Brotherhood D 10.
  Division 3
  Brotherhood F 10 Nomads Ocelots 0;
  Windsor Magpies 3 Brotherhood G 7;
  Nomads Bobcats 10 Nomads Lynx 0;
  Brotherhood E 10 Walton E 0;
  Brotherhood G 3 Brotherhood E 7.

As we pass the halfway mark of the season the title likelies are becoming ever more apparent in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League.  St Lawrence are firm favourites in Division 3  as the Blackwater teams continuing to scupper each other.  Woodham C have a stranglehold in Division 2, and it’s now looking like a 2 horse race to the finish in Division 1 betwixt the Galacticos of Mapledene A and the surprise package that is Woodham A.  Let the fun begin!

Leaders Woodham A continued their amazing streak of form with a convincing 10-0 whitewash victory over the usually competitive Cold Norton A.  Hat-tricks for the recent steady trio of Chris Penrose, Harry Chivers and Lee McHugh in a result that solidifies Woodham’s title credentials and condemns Cold Norton to a mid-table finish.  Fambridge bounced back after their recent unexpected losses with a 2-man 7-3 win over the resurgent Woodham B.  Fambridge’s John Poysden and Mark Stones went through the card without dropping a set, a much needed fillip for the team.  Mapledene A hosted the bottom team Stow A and were looking to keep in touch with Woodham A.  However they hadn’t allowed for the Stow pocket rocket that is Gary Brignall.  Brignall was literally on fire – he saw off Peter Barrett 12-10 in the fifth set, then did the same to Babul McLeod, and finished off with a 4 set victory over Steve Muth.  That is right up there with the performance of the season!  Unfortunately Brignall was dropped for the doubles so that was the end of the scoring for Stow as Mapledene cleaned up the rest of the matches for a 7-3 victory.  This would normally be seen as a good points tally but with Woodham racing away the gap is widening each game.  The wily John Monk was the star turn in the final Division 1 match this week.  His hat-trick helped Mapledene B secure an away draw against Cold Norton C.  For Cold Norton both Arron Chandler and Kim Shead picked up a couple of wins.

A full schedule of matches this week in Division 2 with the leading teams all picking up big wins.  Runaway leaders and the still unbeaten Woodham C took a straightforward 10-0 win over the bottom placed team Maldon D.  The singles were all straightforward as Woodham’s trio of Malcolm Henstock, Dave Meah and Graham Briggs all recorded hat-tricks.  However, the doubles was far from straightforward as Maldon’s Ella Sach and Chris Ravenhill put up a proper fight and took Meah and Henstock all the way to a deciding leg.  In a freezing cold venue Mapledene C almost matched the leaders but just fell short of the whitewash against Blackwater B as Neil Thompson managed to beat Richard Gill to register a point for his Blackwater team.  For Mapledene Barrie Delf and Lin Roff went unbeaten in singles and doubles.  Blackwater’s Noah Sage put in a good shift losing out to Gill and Roff in 5 sets, and then going all  the way in doubles with partner Thompson.  In the Maldon derby this week the podium hopefuls Maldon B faced their own C team.  In a very competitive match the B side emerged victorious but the C team boasted the player of the match as C team stalwart Steve Aspland won all his singles including two long 5-setters against Colin Napper and Hamish Innes.  That completes Aspland’s ninth player of the match award for the season so far, but for once the dynamic duo of Aspland and partner Colin Barrell fell short in the doubles in another tight 5-setter as Napper and Dawn Baldry won out 11-8 in the deciding set.  Elsewhere in the Division Blackwater A picked up a fine 7-3 victory over Woodham D with the loopy Neil Freeman unbeaten all evening and ably supported by the tricky Alan Scammell with 2 wins of his own.  Peter Mortensen put up the most resistance from the Woodham trio with 2 wins on the night including a topsy turvy 5-setter with Scammell.  Stow C had the busy Peter Chastin to thank for securing their 6-4 win over Cold Norton D.  Chastin won all his singles and combined with his mother Jean Chasmer for the all-important doubles bonus point.  The Stow B and D teams fought out an honourable draw in the final match of the week.  With their top player Peter Hance unavailable Stow B brought in Tony Forster and what a great replacement he turned out to be.   Forster won all 3 of his matches and even came from behind against the tricky Graham Naggs for a 5 set victory.  For the D team Tim Pulham and Ken Sheard won 2 matches each and then combined for the match-saving doubles win.

St Lawrence remain comfortable leaders at the top of Division 3 despite being held to a draw this week at Maldon E.  However, some might say the Blackwater Club is doing itself a misjustice as their teams keep taking points off each other so that the 3 Blackwater teams in the Division continue to fight it out for the runner-up slot.  This week Blackwater D faced Blackwater E and despite the artic conditions inside the venue managed to run out 7-3 winners.  David Smith and Benstead racked up all their points as they went unbeaten in singles and combined for the doubles with the only real hiccup being the E team’s Ron Tam’s resistance in his encounter with Smith, forcing him to go all the way to 5 long sets.  For St Lawrence Mike Pratley was back to his usual winning ways registering another hat-trick.  For Maldon E Arthur Shadforth and James Raymond both won their other singles and then combined to get one back on Pratley as they won out in the doubles after 5 long sets.

 

Pic 1 – Harry Chivers leads the way for Woodham A in his win over Steve Sawyer of Cold Norton A

Pic 2 – Dan Patynski (Woodham B) versus John Poysden this week  

Pic 3 – Neil Freeman (Blackwater A) v Peter Mortensen (Woodham D)

Pic 4 – Gary Brignall – Stow A – performance of the week

Pic 5 – Division 1 table – as it stands

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Nomads Lions continued their quest for a top three place in Division One of the Clacton League with a 7-3 win over Walton B. There were hat-tricks for Adam Cuthbert and Martyn Green, although it was a narrow 12-10 in the decider for Green against Gavin Price. Price and John Marshall picked up a point each for Walton, and shared a doubles success.

Leaders Nomads Panthers fielded a reserve against Walton C but still ran out 8-2 winners, James Denyer and John Hatley unbeaten. Mark Gale and Paul Meikle picked up a point each for Walton.

Windsor Hawks v Windsor Eagles ended all-square, the first draw of the season for both teams. Mel Rampton with three and Phil Smith with two were the Eagles’ points-scorers, whilst Andy Vincent took a couple for the Hawks.

Dave Martin of Windsor Buzzards defeated Walton A’s Dave Binns in the opening match of the encounter, but that was the Buzzards’ sole success, Derek Willis and Colin Dearman notching up hat-tricks in Walton’s 9-1 victory. The closest match saw Binns come back from two sets down to beat Pete Bloomfield 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-6.

In Division Two Brotherhood D and Brotherhood B shared the four matches which went the distance, the ‘D’ side edging the encounter 6-4. Simon Smith-Daye took three and Kevin Pryor two, with the pair sharing a crucial 11-5 in the fifth doubles win against Mark Salter and Paul Alden. James Smith-Daye ended pointless, losing close in five to both Salter and Barry Allen. Salter won two for the ‘B’ team.

Lawford were comfortable 10-0 victors against bottom team Windsor Kestrels, a result which puts Lawford just five points behind Brotherhood D at the top. Alex Dunne, Charlie Denholm and Ian Sherwood were the winning Lawford threesome.

Daryl Lott made only his third appearance of the season for Nomads Jaguars and his treble was instrumental in his side’s 6-4 win over Walton D. Kevin Hogg’s two for the Jaguars included an excellent win over Andy Foster. Clive Allenby won two for Walton and took Lott close before going down 11-8 in the decider.

No-one stayed unbeaten as Brotherhood C beat Windsor Penguins 6-4 in a tie where only two matches were extended to a fourth set. For Brotherhood, Mark Boyland and Mark Beckham each won two, Boyland losing to Scott Campbell and Beckham to Neil Chegwidden. For Brotherhood, Campbell and Chegwidden both won two, Chegwidden going down to Boyland and Campbell going down to Beckham.

Nomads Tigers defeated Nomads Jaguars 8-2, Denes Somodi unbeaten, with Mike Wellum and Dave Miller each taking two. Chris Petrou won the two Jaguars’ points, whilst Kevin Hogg so nearly picked up another, going down 12-10 in the decider to Wellum.

In Division Three, the all-Windsor clash between the Harriers and the Magpies ended 7-3 in favour of the Harriers, Isabel Barton remaining unbeaten. The Harriers suffered only their second doubles defeat of the season, Dave Sweetland and John Plummer beating Barton and Jenny Higgins in four.

Five of the matches between Brotherhood F and Walton E went the distance, Brotherhood edging a tight match 6-4. Joe Sherwin emerged unbeaten, his closest match being an 11-6 in the fifth win against Maggie Earle. Lucy Carvell won two but lost 11-6 in the fifth to Earle, whilst Ruby Gallagher won one but went down 12-10 in the decider to both Earle and Adrian Sexton.  

There were debut League hat-tricks for Jack Riddleston and Alexander Baldock in Nomads Bobcats’ 9-1 win over Nomads Ocelots. But Anne Bonny of the Ocelots had the satisfaction of an excellent 11-5, 12-14, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7 win over Matt Sage.

Nomads Leopards were forced to field a guest player against Nomads Lynx but were still good enough to win 7-3, Dominic Joannou and Bob Jillins unbeaten.

* The draw for Round One of the Cup sees Cup-holders Brotherhood A face a tough tie against current Division Two pace-setters Brotherhood D. In the only all-Division One tie, Walton C take on Windsor Eagles. The full draw is : Nomads Bobcats v Walton D; Windsor Hawks v Nomads Leopards; Brotherhood A v Brotherhood D; Windsor Penguins v Nomads Tigers; Brotherhood F v Brotherhood C; Walton C v Windsor Eagles; Windsor Kestrels v Nomads Panthers; Brotherhood E v Lawford. The matches are to be played during week beginning 22nd January.

* The Handicapped Singles Tournament takes place on Saturday 3rd February at Windsor’s St James’ Hall venue, and entries should be sent to either Tony Oswick or Peter White. Entry will  be limited to 32 players on a first-come basis. Full details have been sent to all players and are also on the League’s website.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton C 2 Nomads Panthers 8;

Windsor Buzzards 1 Walton A 9;

Windsor Hawks 5 Windsor Eagles 5;

Nomads Lions 7 Walton B 3.

Division 2

Walton D 4 Nomads Jaguars 6;

Brotherhood D 6 Brotherhood B 4;

Lawford 10 Windsor Kestrels 0;

Brotherhood C 6 Windsor Penguins 4;

Nomads Jaguars 2 Nomads Tigers 8.

Division 3

Nomads Lynx 3 Nomads Leopards 7;

Windsor Harriers 7 Windsor Magpies 3;

Walton E 4 Brotherhood F 6; Nomads Ocelots 1 Nomads Bobcats

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