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Chelmsford Closed Championships -Unseeded Harry Buckle fights his way to mens singles semi final

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In one of the more “open” Championships in recent years seedings didn’t count for much in the mens singles at the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League Closed Championships which were played at St John Payne School over the weekend. Three seeded players failed to win their groups. Trevor Lloyd missed out against Josh Bickles, whilst Eric Green lost against Harry Buckle and James Liddiard lost to Dan Pigott. The shocks continued into the knock out stages.

Top seed Duncan Taylor, who not only played on Friday night in the Veterans events but travelled to St. Neots in Cambridegshire to play for Essex Veterans first team on the Saturday would have had a justifiable excuse if he had lost.  It didn’t effect his performance and he beat Babul McLeod (11-9, 11-9, 11-5), and Matthew Mulley (1-11, 12-10, 13-11, 11-5) to make it to Finals Night.  Matthew Mulley had previously beaten Gary Young (6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-1).

Duncan Taylor will play Daniel Young in the semi-final. Daniel Young beat Martin Archie (11-2, 11-3, 11-7), Bruce Kettle (11-5, 11-6, 11-4) and Mark Mulley (11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9). Mark Mulley had made his mark (no pun intended) by beating Charlie Craig (11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5). Charlie had earlier scored one of the wins of the day (make that the weekend) by ousting James Liddiard (8-11, 10-12, 16-14, 11-9, 11-9).    

In the bottom half of the draw the up-and-coming attacking players ran riot. Harry Buckle stole the show. Josh Bickles beat Rob Shrimtpon (8-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-2, 11-4) before losing very narrowly to Harry Buckle (11-7, 13-15, 9-11, 10-12). Harry Buckle had previously defeated Ken Sheard (11-8, 11-8, 14-12) and Daniel Piggott (11-6, 11-5, 11-6) and with everything to play for Harry Buckle beat Josh Bickles to make it through to Finals Night on Tuesday 15 February 2022 at Old Chelmsfordians Association.

Harry will play Lee McHugh who had already won the Under 40s Singles on the Saturday. Lee defeated Neil Freeman (11-4, 11-8, 11-4), Steve Martin (11-4, 11-4, 11-3) and Sam Lowman (9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9) who he had previously beaten in the Under 40s singles final.  Sam Lowman had excelled and he scored a gem of a win by beating the second seed – Keith Adams 11-5, 14-12, 11-7. 

The ladies singles has been played to a conclusion and the favourite Dawn Baldry has won the title. She beat Nyree Marsh 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 in the final.  Nyree beat the second seed Frances Hutt in the penultimate round 11-7, 12-10, 12-10 whilst Dawn fought her way past Jacqueline Smith 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.

The mens doubles will be played on finals night. It didn’t go to plan. Daniel Young/ James Liddiard fought their way past Charlie Craig / Harry Buckle 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 and then in a really nail-biting encounter top seeds Gary Young / Keith Adams 5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 3-11, 12-10. They booked their place in the final by beating brothers -Mark and Matthew Mulley 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 11-4. They will play the third seeds – Trevor Lloyd and Bruce Kettle. Lloyd and Kettle needed five ends to get the better of Dan Anderson / Sam Lowman (5-11, 5-11,11-3, 11-3, 11-5) in their quarter-final and if that wasn’t hard enough they prevailed 6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9 after a thrilling semi-final battle against Duncan Taylor / Lee McHugh.   

The ladies doubles saw Frances Hutt / Ella Sach capture the title at their first attempt. They came out on top 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10 against Shirley Carroll / Dawn Baldry after a really hard-fought encounter. Trailing 10-6 in the decider they must have thought their chance had slipped away but they didn’t give up and they eventually went on to win a thrilling decider12-10.

The mixed doubles competition has also been completed. Top seeds Harry Buckle / Dawn Baldry are the champions and they beat Lee McHugh / Nyree Marsh 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 in the final. Lee and Nyree had upset the seedings by getting the better of second seeds Paul Sturton / Frances Hutt 11-5, 12-14, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6 a round earlier. Dawn / Harry had been extended to four ends in their semi-final by Adhuna Das / Gary Young (6-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-6).

The veterans (O40s) singles final will be played on Finals Night. Holder and top seed Gary Young booked his place in the final by beating Eric Green (11-3, 11-9, 11-4) and Trevor Lloyd (11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-3) and he will face Keith Adams in the final. Keith saw off Kim Shead (11-9, 11-6, 11-9) and in his semi-final he fought back strongly from 2-0 down to get the better of second seed – Duncan Taylor – in one of the best matches of the weekend (4-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8). After a slow start this match became positively gripping and the last few rallies were for the connoisseur !.

Duncan Taylor took immediate revenge for his Veterans Singles defeat by bouncing back to win the veterans doubles. Paired with Babul McLeod they secured a fine 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 win over the veterans singles finalists – Gary Young / Keith Adams. The fourth seeds Mark Allaway / Kim Shead were beaten by Rod Maclennan / Neil Freeman 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 5-11.

Keith Adams, the favourite made no mistake in the over 50s singles. He powered his way past Sanjay Saptarshi (11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8), Babul McLeod (11-9, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3) and in the final he made no mistake against Bruce Kettle (11-8, 11-0, 11-4). Bruce Kettle excelled on this occasion by getting the better of Trevor Lloyd (11-7, 10-12, 13-11, 16-14).  

Trevor Lloyd came through a strong field to capture the over 60s singles. He disposed of Graham Naggs (3-0), Ian Whiteside (3-0), Trevor Collin (3-0) and he beat Bruce Kettle 11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 7-11,11-7 in a fluctuating final. Trevor Collin had excelled, taking out Babul McLeod 3-0 whilst Babul had ended the hopes of John Holland 3-2.   

The over 70s singles is another new event and John Holland completed the full set of titles, having previously won the over 40s singles, over 50s singles and over 60s singles. He beat Ian Whiteside 3-0 after three closely contested games in the final.

The Handicap Singles is very difficult to predict. A player can seemingly be going well for a few rounds but can perish very quickly if a handicap is just too far out of reach. Arguably the top -rated player in the event – Daniel Young (playing off a handicap of 89) looked good as he powered his way past Phil West (20), Ella Sach (29), Davina Brazier (23) and most impressively Andrea Alleyne (47). He met his match against Roger Slade (40) in the semi-final who won 18-21, 21-12, 21-17.  Slade had also seen off Rev Matthews (60), Sudheep Kamma (63), Mervyn Perriman (67) and Denis Crapnell (58). Nyree Marsh (30) dominated the bottom half of the draw beating Vineeth Kamma (60), Josh Bickles (88), Saul Chivers (73) and in the semi-final Dan Anderson (76) 21-15, 19-21, 21-18. Dan Anderson had also impressed with wins over Harry Buckle (87), Robert Shrimpton (77), Lee McHugh (90) (a close one this: 21-14, 16-21, 22-20) and Deb Ginn (23) before he lost to Nyree. In the final Nyree made no mistake by beating Roger 21-5, 21-17.  

If the Handicap Singles is difficult to predict it is nigh on impossible to select a winner in the Handicap Doubles. Not only do the handicaps come into play but certain styles are more compatible than others. Dawn Baldry and Cleon Fernandes (with a combined handicap of 44) eventually emerged as winners beating Roger Slade / Lee McHugh (combined handicap of 65) quite convincingly 21-9, 21-9 in the final.

Top seed Lee McHugh (who had an excellent weekend) won the first of the new events – the Under 40s Singles. He beat Aaron Chandler (11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8) and Sam Phillips (14-12, 11-4, 11-5) to book his final appearance and he defeated Sam Lowman – the second seed, in a free-flowing final (11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-3). Lowman had to work hard to get the better of Rob Shrimpton (7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8) and Dan Anderson (11-9, 11-6, 14-12).

The under 19 singles will be played on finals night and it replaces the defunct under 21 singles. Dan Young and Harry Buckle who both played so well in the mens singles will contest the final. Dan Young beat Saul Chivers 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 in his semi-final whilst Harry Buckle turned it on to defeat Charlie Craig 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 at the same stage. Saul Chivers ended the aspirations of Josh Bickles 2-11, 11-9,11-4, 11-7.    

The under 19 doubles was played on a round robin basis and Harry Buckle and Charlie Craig came out on top.

Ben Chivers is the 2002 Under 15 singles champion. He claimed the title by beating Alesha Ellis-Austin 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-4 in the final. Felix Reeve and Oliver Martin were the losing semi-finalists.

The division two singles is traditionally one of the more open events. The top seed has often failed to live up to expectations. Not this year.  The favourite – Chris Buer came out on top. He beat Ken Sheard, Richard Baxter and Sanjay Saptarshi 13-11, 17-19, 11-7, 12-10 in a very well contested final. Richard Baxter made his mark in no uncertain terms beating Hamish Innes and Saul Chivers. Sanjay Saptarshi’s run to the final saw him see off Eamon Hall, John Holland and Daniel Piggott.    

The division three singles final will be between John Holland and Mark Glenister and it will be played on Finals Night. John Holland used all of his experience to beat Nikita Tkachuk 11-7, 12-10, 11-9 and he will play Mark Glenister who scored a superb 11-9, 12-14, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7 semi-final win over Hamish Innes, a game which lasted close to 45 minutes. Glenister had earlier done well to end the hopes of Sam Phillips (11-3, 11-7, 11-13, 11-9) and Dusan Doszkoty (11-2, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9).

Denis Crapnell was crowned the division four singles champion. He beat Mervyn Perriman (who had lost to Adi Kamma in his group) 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 and Harry Chivers (12-10, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7) and in the final he powered home 11-4, 11-4, 11-1 against Dusan Doszkoty. Dusan had booked his final place by beating Adi Kamma (11-4, 11-6, 11-8) and Farooq Ahmed (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8).   

Bob Hillis is the division five singles champion. He came through closely fought games against Davina Brazier (12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8), Deb Ginn (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7) and in the final he beat Jacqueline Smith (11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9). Jacqueline had beaten Jamie Elliott (8-11, 11-9, 13-11, 12-10) at the semi-final stage. A pleasing feature of this year’s event was just how many of the successful players in the divisional tournaments take part in the League’s Bat&Chat sessions. John Holland, Denis Crapnell, Bob Hillis and Jacqueline Smith all fall into this category.  

There appears to be “no stopping” Chelmsford A in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League. With James Liddiard (18 wins out of 18) and Gary Young both staying undefeated they beat Chelmsford B 8-2. With a massive 77 points out of a possible 100 they lead second placed Writtle A by a huge 26 points. Writtle A also won 8-2, defeating bottom placed side Galleywood A 8-2. Lee McHugh and Duncan Taylor carried all before them. Ryan Pitt came up trumps against Gary Brignall, winning 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9. Danbury C, have moved into fourth place. Trevor Lloyd led the way as they beat Chelmsford B 6-4. With 86 % Lloyd has been an excellent signing. There were some very close games with Shirish Basant Rai getting the better of Ian Whiteside 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 18-20, 17-15 after the longest encounter of the week.  OCA A scored their third win on the trot and it isn’t totally inconceivable that they could challenge for the runners-up spot. They beat Danbury C 6-4 after Trevor Lloyd had again won his three singles. Lloyd defeated Mark Mulley 11-3, 8-11, 11-8, 3-11, 12-10 after a widely fluctuating opening encounter.    

Writtle C have climbed into second place in division two. Gary Ward can’t put a foot (and in his case a powerful back hand topspin) wrong this Season and he again won his three singles as Writtle C beat Chelmsford D 7-3. Harry Chivers won twice for Chelmsford and this included a 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10 victory over John Webber. Chelmsford D were also on the wrong end of a 6-4 defeat against Danbury F. Colin Napper stole the show with three hard fought wins. He beat Vineeth Kamma (11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8), Sudheep Kamma (13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 7-11, 11-3) and Harry Chivers (11-2, 11-13, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7).   Danbury G edged home 6-4 against Hatfield Peverel A. Sanjay Saptarshi sealed the win for his side after an epic 11-7, 5-11, 6-11, 12-10, 12-10 win over Martin Archie in the last game of the night. OCA B won three five enders to beat Danbury F 7-3. Gareth Joice and Trevor Carter were both undefeated. Trevor Carter had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Ken Sheard 11-13, 3-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 whilst Gareth Joice was equally stretched as he saw off Colin Napper 11-5, 5-11, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10.    

Leaders Galleywood B showed their strength in division three. They left John Holland out yet they still beat Hatfield Peverel B 9-1. Mark Glenister and Bryn Thomas both bagged three wins. Phil Shippen was on target for the losers with a 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 win over Gary Copsey. OCA D did well to beat Danbury J 6-4. Richard Baxter was the architect of this win with three successes. John Robinson pipped Ian Butler 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-1, 17-15. A very hard fought fifth end. Danbury J were in turn on the right side of a 6-4 result against Writtle D. Dave Marsh won his three singles and this included a last gasp 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 12-10 victory against Bob Garson. Writtle D put this result firmly behind them and ran out comprehensive 9-1 winners against Chelmsford F. Malcolm Henstock and Peter Layzell both scored hat-tricks. Henstock was tied at 2-2 against Luke Richardson but he surged home in the fifth end to win 5-11, 11-7, 12-10, 10-12, 11-4. OCA D beat Danbury K 7-3 courtesy of a good team performance. Richard Baxter, Richard Upson and Connor Payne all won twice. Peter Hance impressed for the losers with a 11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 14-12 victory against Richard Baxter. Chelmsford E also won 7-3. The improving Rev Mathews led the way with a hat-trick and he secured his third win by getting the better of Richard Allen 11-4, 7-11, 11-4, 15-13. Dave Powell fought back strongly from 2-0 down to get the better of Joachim Mapes 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-1

Danbury L lead the way in division four. Denis Balic and Denis Crapnell were both undefeated in their 7-3 win over OCA E. Denis Balic saw off Farooq Ahmed 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9. Quite a battle. Maldon B (fielding an all-lady line up) emerged as 6-4 winners against Highwood A. Fittingly it was another lady who dominated the action. Melanie Bonnett won her three singles and this included a fine 9-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 win over Andrea Alleyne.  Maldon B added another eight points to their total by beating Highwood B. Bryan Speller and Andrea Alleyne were both undefeated this time.

Division five leaders Hatfield Peverel C ran out 9-1 winners against Danbury N. Mick Carter and Andy Simmonds were both undefeated.  Hatfield Peverel C won the two five setters. Mick Carter beat Graham Naggs 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8 and Andy Whiley beat Steve Martin 11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-8. OCA F emerged as narrow 6-4 winners against Danbury M.  Stuart Wintle was their match-winner and he beat Paul Thirkettle – the best of the Danbury players – 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5. Another all-lady team, this time – Hatfield Peverel D beat Buttsbury 7-3. Davina Brazier took centre stage with three singles wins. She beat Frances Hutt (11-7, 13-11, 3-11, 11-9), Ray Horton (9-11, 11-3, 12-10, 4-11, 11-8) and Oscar Hutt (11-5, 11-7, 11-7).

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

    County Juniors, County Seniors, County Veterans, County Vets 60s+, General, Local League News

    Liddiard leads the way

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    James Liddiard unbeaten in his first two matches

    Chelmsford A scored two emphatic wins in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League, beating Danbury A (8-2) and Chelmsford B (10-0) and they look to be the favourites to take the title. Newcomer James Liddiard and Dan Young were undefeated in both matches whilst Gary Young (who only played against Chelmsford B) was undefeated in that match. For Chelmsford B who had won 10-0 themselves last week it might have appeared to have been a sobering experience but the Chelmsford B side actually acquitted themselves pretty well in defeat. Harry Buckle pushed Gary Young all the way before succumbing 9-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11 and he came similarly close against Daniel Young before missing out 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 3-11, 8-11. Josh Bickles took Daniel Young to five fluctuating ends before he lost 8-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-2, 4-11.  Danbury A did well to beat Chelmsford C 7-3 in their second match.  Dave Richardson scored an impressive hat-trick which included a 11-6, 7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5 win over Simon Jarvis. Wiktor Delimat impressed for the Chelmsford team with his 11-6, 6-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7 victory over Babul McLeod.  

    One point separates the top four teams in division two and it is Danbury E (13 points) who lead the way after two games. Tony Forster, Dick Wyman and Tim Cramphorn all won twice in their 6-4 win over Writtle B. Dick Wyman set them on their way by beating Trevor Collin 12-10, 16-18, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9 in a well contested opening encounter. Gary Ward’s hat-trick gave Writtle C the edge as they beat Danbury D 6-4. Ward had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Chris Buer 11-9, 9-11, 5-11, 14-12, 16-14. Quite a battle. Danbury D were in turn 8-2 winners over OCs C. Steve Buer and Chris Buer were both undefeated on this occasion. Writtle C missed out 6-4 against Chelmsford D for whom Harry Chivers, Sudheeep Kamma and Saul Chivers all won twice. They all missed out against Gary Ward who secured his hat-trick with a 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 12-10 win over Harry Chivers.  It was team-work which enabled Hatfield Peverel A to beat Danbury G 6-4. Martin Archie, Neil Freeman and Gareth Davies all won twice to counter Sanjay Saptarshi’s three wins. Saptarshi fought back from a heavy first game defeat to beat Martin Archie 2-11, 12-10, 11-8, 12-10 to seal his third win of the night.

    Galleywood B lead the way in division three with 16 points. Mark Glenister, Gary Copsey and John Holland powered their way to a 10-0 win over Hatfield Peverel B.  Maldon A led by an unbeaten Hamish Innes ran out 8-2 winners against Hatfield Peverel B. Gareth Davies won twice for the losers and this included a 11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 16-14 win over Brian Riedling. Danbury J were 6-4 winners against Writtle D. Dave Marsh’s hat-trick gave them the ascendancy. Malcolm Henstock pipped Dave Meah 5-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-4, 12-10 in the best game of the night. Writtle D were also on the wrong end of a 6-4 defeat against Chelmsford F. Andy Swales won his three singles for the Chelmsford side and Alex Tkachuk won twice.  Danbury J impressed by beating OCs D 9-1. Dave Marsh, John Robinson and David Meah won all nine singles but drew a blank in the doubles on this occasion. Tom Barker and Ian Butler were surprisingly comfortable 11-9, 11-2, 11-4 winners against Dave Marsh and John Robinson.  Danbury H ran out 6-4 winners against Chelmsford E. Dave Hancox’s three singles was the difference between the two teams. Hancox secured his third win by beating Dave Parker 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 6-11, 11-5 in the last game of the night.

    Second placed Maldon B (15 points) scored their second win of the Season in division four. Dawn Baldry was undefeated as they beat Highwood B 8-2 and she received good support from Brian Speller and Shirley Carroll who both won twice. Newcomer Roger Patient picked up two wins for the Highwood side. Danbury L ran out 7-3 winners against OCs E and they top the table with 16 points. Denis Crapnell led the way with three wins whilst Dave Goody and Kevin Willis both picked up two wins apiece. Farooq Ahmed won twice for the losers.

    Hatfield Peverel C were the week’s big winners in division five. Richard Drozd and Mick Carter were both undefeated in their 9-1 win against Danbury H. Hatfield Peverel E did well to beat Maldon C 6-4, good going as Andrea Alleyne won her three singles for Maldon C. Andrea had to fight back from 2-0 down to get the better of the tenacious Alistair Brown 9-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8. Danbury M were 6-4 winners against OCs F who paid the price for being a player short. Stuart Wintle was unbeaten for the Old Chelmsfordians team and this included a hard fought 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10, 11-6 win against Martin Knights.

    Junior League action is underway and Buttsbury Bees made a winning start in division 1A . Jamie Elliott was undefeated as they defeated Chelmsford Panthers 3-2. The game between Pratham Raut and Jamie Elliott went “to the wire” before Elliott sealed victory 7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6, 12-10.  Chelmsford Leopards beat Buttsbury Bats 4-1. Cleon Fernandes led the way with a 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 win against George Standish and a 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 victory over George Hagland.

    Chelmsford Antelopes were 5-0 winners over Chelmsford Eagles in division 1C. Richard Carter and Arnav Kumar dominated this match.        

    Steve Kerns / Press Officer / Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

      County Juniors, County Seniors, County Veterans, County Vets 60s+, General, Local League News

      Back on the table! Chelmsford league returns

      Table Tennis has returned to the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League after the 2020-21 Season had to be abandoned following the Covid induced break. The League has retained it’s five senior divisions and refreshingly it also has three junior divisions which commence shortly. Doubles play has been retained in League play, something that is no longer the case in the neighbouring Braintree League.

      It has been quite a while since we have had an all teenage line-up in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League. The Chelmsford B side of Josh Bickles (aged 15), Harry Buckle (17) and Charlie Craig (17) powered to a 10-0 win over Danbury C. They will be joined by Shirish Basant Rai and should do well this year in a division one which is missing the 2019-20 winners – Maldon A.   Danbury B were impressive 8-2 winners over Chelmsford C. Newcomer Matt Stringer was undefeated and he set them on their way with a last gasp 11-8, 9-11, 11-2, 8-11, 12-10 victory over Simon Jarvis in the first game. Simon Jarvis fought back with wins over Dan Anderson (3-2) and Sam Lowman (3-1). The match between OCs A and Galleywood A finished tied at 5-5. OCs powered into a 3-0 lead and then found themselves pegged back to 3-3, so perhaps a draw was a fair result.  OCs’ Rob Burton produced a display which can’t be bettered. All three of his games were decided at deuce in the fifth end. Burton fought back from 2-0 down to beat James Hicks 12-10 in the fifth end, but lost to Gary Brignall at 14-12 in the decider. He rounded off an excellent evening’s work with a 14-12 in the fifth end win over Steve Kerns. Gary Brignall and James Hicks both excelled by beating Terry Dowsett.

      Division two is often very closely matched. From the look of this week’s results that could be the case this year as well. OCs B drew 5-5 with Danbury G. No player stayed undefeated. Kevin Worthington and Trevor Carter both won twice for Old Chelmsfordians whilst Eamon Hall and Sanjay Saptarshi both bagged two wins for Danbury. Kevin Worthington sealed the draw for OCs by beating Eamon Hall 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6 in the last game of the night. Chelmsford D edged out Danbury F 6-4 after a hard-fought game. Alan Scammell won his three games for the Danbury side but Adi Kamma and Sudheep Kamma “balanced the books” with two wins apiece. Saul Chivers beat Denis Balic 11-5, 12-14, 5-11, 11-9, 19-17. Quite a tussle !.  Danbury E ran out 7-3 winners against OCs C. Neil Want was unbeaten for Danbury and this included a 11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 9-11, 11-9 victory over Mick Richardson, another nail-biter. Hatfield Peverel A were 6-4 winners against Writtle B. Martin Archie led the way with three impressive wins and he concluded an excellent evening’s work by beating Phil Smith 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 in the last game of the evening.

      Division three saw all three games decided by 6-4 scorelines. Galleywood B led by the redoubtable John Holland beat Chelmsford E. Adi Kamma won twice for Chelmsford and this included fighting back from 2-0 down to get the better of Colin Blore 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8.  Chelmsford F beat Danbury H, good going as all three of their players lost to Gordon Gatheral. In the game of the night Gatheral hung on to beat Nikita Tkachuk 14-12 in the decider, after Tkachuk pulled back from 10-6 down. It was a similar story when Danbury K beat OCs D.  Danbury K came out on top even though Richard Baxter remained undefeated for the Old Chelmsfordians side. Baxter completed his hat-trick with a 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10 win over Peter Hance in the final game of the match. Mo Hardy had to pull out all the stops to beat Farooq Ahmed 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 4-11, 12-10.

      Danbury L are the early leaders in division four. Mervyn Perriman, James Gatheral and Denis Crapnell were 9-1 winners against Chelmsford G. Newcomer Vasile Barbulet was the sole winner for Chelmsford with a 11-6, 11-5, 11-13, 6-11, 11-8 win over James Gatheral. Writtle E beat Galleywood C 8-2. Ian Hockley led the way with a hat-trick and this included a 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 success against Colin Blore, Galleywood’s best player. Highwood A are also off to a winning start. Melanie Bonnett led the way as they beat OCs E 6-4. Melanie got the better of David Newman 3-11, 12-10, 11-6, 14-12 to secure the win for her side.

      Hatfield Peverel D have made a flying start in division five. Deb Ginn, Kath Little and Davinia Brazier powered to a 9-1 win over Danbury N. Deb Ginn and Davinia Brazier both bagged hat-tricks whilst Kath Little only missed out to Dan Wise. OCs F led by David Bishop’s hat-trick were 6-4 winners against Hatfield Peverel E. Bishop had to work hard to secure his third win, before he pinched the victory by beating Gary Simmons 11-4, 9-11,11-4, 10-12, 11-8 in the last game of the evening. Chelmsford J’s Peter Davenport, Jacqui Smith and Paul Bullock all won twice as they beat Danbury M 6-4. Paul Thirkettle picked up two wins for Danbury M. Maldon C ran out 7-3 winners over Buttsbury after Andrea Alleyne had led the way with an undefeated performance.

      Jan Fuller, the 2018-19 runner-up in the Ladies Singles at the Chelmsford Closed Championships (and who has recently moved to Norwich) was a triple medallist in the 2021 ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships played in Berlin in September. Gold was achieved in the Ladies Singles with wins over Silke Kind (Germany) 11-7, 12-14,11-9, 11-9 in the Semi-Final and against Margie Alley (USA) 16-14, 11-8, 11-7 in the Final. Jan also won a Silver medal with team-mate George Chan in the Mixed Doubles and a Bronze medal in the Ladies Doubles with Chile’s Digna Lopez-Abarca.

      Steve Kerns / Press Officer / Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

       

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      Top of the League!

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      Central Essex Summer Table Tennis League

      Brand Identity are crowned Champions

      Brand Identity made it six wins out of six by beating Cold Norton 13-7 to capture the Central Essex Summer Table Tennis League first division title with 86 points. Simon Jacob, who has been the League’s outstanding player was again undefeated beating Dan Anderson 5-0 and Sam Lowman over five fluctuating ends 3-2;  (11-6, 10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6). Simon Jacob finished his campaign with 11 wins out of 12. His one defeat was against Chelmsford A’s Gary Young who was undefeated in his four games. Rayne and Chelmsford A fought out a tantalising 10-10 draw. Chelmsford A edged the first two games 3-2 and Rayne fought back to take the last two games by the same score. Ian Whiteside beat Wiktor Delimat 9-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 to earn Rayne their draw. Danbury A have a match outstanding and they beat Chelmsford B 12-8. Eric Green gave them the ascendancy with 4-1 wins over wins over Harry Buckle and Shirish Basant Rai.

      Ramsden Rockets ran out 12-8 winners against Danbury B in division two. Arron Chandler gave Ramsden the edge with two 3-2 wins. He beat Chris Buer (12-10, 11-7, 4-11,11-8, 7-11) and Steve Buer (12-10, 8-11, 11-5,  8-11, 11-5). Similar sets of scores although the two games didn’t follow the same pattern.

      Danbury F are the division three Champions with 84 points. They captured the title with a 14-6 win over OCs B. Sanjay Saptarshi (10 wins out of 10) led the way with two commanding 5-0 wins over Richard Baxter and Richard Upson. Danbury E finished second on 70 points. They defeated Danbury G 14-6 as well. Ken Sheard and Tim Pulham won all four games against Denis Crapnell and Dave Marsh.  Tim Pulham set them on their way with a 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 victory against Dave Marsh.   Chelmsford D did well to beat the higher placed OCs C 13-7. Sudheep Kamma scored two 4-1 wins with his 11-6, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10, 11-7 victory against Mick Hayes looking to be the pick of the night’s action.

      Sudheep Kamma was also in action for Chelmsford G in division four. He scored 4-1 wins over Peter Wright and Dave Hancox as Chelmsford G defeated Cold Norton C 13-7. For those who look out for  the unusual, Sudheep’s win over Peter Wright offered a slightly unusual score line – 11-7, 11-7, 11-13, 11-7, 11-7 – the first time a player has won four games by the same score.

      OCs E ended their season in division five with a handsome 17-3 win over Danbury H to finish second. Dave Newman and Russ Hall were both on good form with Dave Newman concluding proceedings with a 5-0 (11-8, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3) victory against Ken Wilding. Hockley B are the Champions of this division and they made it five wins out of five by beating Danbury H 16-4. Jorg Poeschus (six wins out of six) and Brian Bissenden (four wins out of four) carried all before them.  Jorg Poecshus ramped up the pressure by beating Paul Thirkettle (5-0) 11-4,11-8, 11-8, 11-3, 11-5.

      Division six isn’t decided yet. Buttsbury C have 49 points from four games but Chelmsford Leopards with 42 points from three games have them firmly in their sights. Buttsbury C were clear cut 16-4 winners over Buttsbury B. Jamie Elliott and Jacob Lawrence were both undefeated. Ironically the one game which was decided 5-0 produced the closest set of scores with Jacob Lawrence beating George Standish 12-10, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.

      Congratulations to Kent’s Will Bayley for taking the runners-up medal in the class seven Men’s category in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo where he lost in the Final 3-1 to World no. one Yan Shuo. Bayley who soared to national attention after appearing on TV’s Strictly come Dancing where he suffered a very bad injury would surely have missed the Tokyo Games had they not been rescheduled. He had been Champion in Rio in 2016 as well as runner up in London in 2012.

      Steve Kerns / Press Officer / Central Essex Summer Table Tennis League

      County Juniors, County Seniors, County Veterans, County Vets 60s+, General, Local League News, News

      Simon sets the pace in Summer League

      Gallery

      Brand Identity have been the outstanding team in the first division of the Central Essex Summer League and their record of 73 points out of 100 is testimony to that. This week they beat Chelmsford B 13-7 after Simon Jacob won both of his games. With 9 wins out of 10 Simon has proved to be the player to beat. Josh Bickles impressed for the losers with a 11-9, 11-2, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9 win over David Jacob whilst David atoned for this loss with a fine 11-8, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 victory against Shirish Basant Rai. Cold Norton B (Dan Anderson and Sam Lowman) impressed this week with a 16-4 win over Chelmsford A. All matches were won 4-1, the first time this has happened. The smooth flowing Sam Lowman excelled by stopping Victor Chan 11-4, 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7. Hockley A have climbed into second place. Matt Stringer dominated proceedings as they beat Danbury A 14-6. Stringer scored 4-1 wins over both Babul McLeod and Bruce Kettle. Ian Wall made his mark with a fine 11-13, 11-8, 13-11,  11-5, 11-3 win over Bruce Kettle. Hockley A also beat Rayne 13-7, although Rayne were a player short. Ian Whiteside made his mark with a 4-1 victory over Dan Patynski and a 3-2 success against Tim Pang.

      There is everything still to play for in division two. Chelmsford C lead the way with 61 points from five matches whilst Cold Norton A have 60 points from five matches and Danbury C have 52 points from four matches. Danbury C fared best this week. They beat Writtle A 16-4. Gus Heath and Sanjay Saptarsh were both undefeated. Sanjay  gave Danbury a winning start with a fluctuating 11-9, 10-12, 11-1, 11-5, 9-11 victory against Ryan Pitt.   Cold Norton also did well, beating Danbury B 12-8. Tim Cramphorn who had beaten Steve Buer 4-1 came through a real hum-dinger of a fourth game against Chris Buer (9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 12-10).  Danbury B in turn ran out 14-6 winners against OCs A. Charles Yeung was on target for the losers with an 8-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 win over Steve Buer. Further down the table Ramsden A beat Writtle A 13-7. Arron Chandler and Trevor Collin won all four games, three of them by 3-2 margins.

      In division three the leaders Danbury F were 15-5 winners against Chelmsford D. Sanjay Saptarsh  was undefeated whilst Sudheep Kamma was on target for the losers with a 4-1 win over Eamon Hall. Danbury E also won, with Ken Sheard scoring 4-1 wins over David Meah and Mervyn Perriman as they saw off the higher placed Danbury D 13-7.

      Drawn matches have been pretty rare, although that was the result of the division four clash between the leaders OCs D and Ramsden A. Mick Richardson retained his 100 % record for the Old Chelmsfordians side whilst Dave Carter earned his side a share of the spoils by beating Luke Richardson 5-0 in the last game. The scores here 11-9, 18-16, 11-8,  12-10, 13-11 denote just how well contested that game was. Cold Norton C scored their second win beating Buttsbury A 13-7. Dave Hancox scored 4-1 wins over both Kevin Willis and Tomasz Krolikowski. Cold Norton C were also on the wrong end of a 17-3 setback against Chelmsford F. Saul Chivers and Harry Chivers called the shots here.

      In division five Danbury H beat Maldon A 12-8, good going as Marty Englander was undefeated for Maldon A . He beat Ken Wilding 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 12-10, 10-12 and David Smith 7-11, 3-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-7. Marty Englander was also in action for Maldon B against OCs E, but it was the OCs team who powered home 18-2. Russell Hall and Farooq Ahmed dominated.

      In division seven there was a first win for Writtle Racoons. They beat Chelmsford Panthers 12-8, with Luv Goel dominating proceedings. Goel defeated Lotte Mills 14-12, 9-11, 11-9, 16-14, 11-9 in a hotly contested opening encounter.

      Thanks to Steve Kerns, Press Officer, Central Essex Summer League

       

      County Juniors, County Seniors, County Veterans, County Vets 60s+, General

      SUMMER LEAGUE UP AND RUNNING

      The Central Essex Summer League is up and running and no less than 45 teams have been entered spread across 7 divisions. Teams consist of just 2 players but each individual match consists of five sets with points being awarded for each set won so a team could win 20 -0 on the night or even draw 10 -10.  This is giving players a great opportunity to prepare themselves for when normal league competition returns and thanks go to Ken Sheard who has  organised it. The following report on the latest round of matches has been provided by Steve Kerns.

      Chelmsford C, leaders of division two of the Central Essex Summer League tasted defeat for the first time, losing 12-8 to Danbury C. Gus Heath caused them the most problems with two impressive 4-1 wins over Wiktor Delimat and Rajeev Mejta. Rajeev Mehta won once, a really hard fought 9-11, 11-8, 16-18, 14-12, 12-10 victory against Sanjay Saptarshi.

      It was honours even in the first division with Cold Norton drawing 10-10 with Chelmsford B. Chelmsford’s fast improving Harry Buckle scored a fine 11-9, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11 win over Dan Anderson although Anderson hit back with a really hard fought 15-13, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 victory against Shirith Basant Rai. Danbury A were impressive 15-5 winners against Rayne A. Danbury finished the match strongly with Babul McLeod beating Steve Pennell 4-1 and Eric Green seeing off Ian Whiteside 5-0. Chelmsford A were a player short against Hockley A and the 5-15 scoreline reflected that. Chelmsford’s new signing Kim Shead was on target with a 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 win over Dave Chenery. Shead was beaten 11-2, 11-7, 12-10, 13-15, 11-3 by an impressive Ian Wall.

      Danbury F top the division three table and they surged to an 18-2 win over OCs C. Alan Scammell had to work hard to beat Tom Barker 3-2 in the opening game but it was Scammell and Sanjay Saptarshi who dominated the next three games with three 5-0 wins. The match between Danbury E and OCS B was much closer with Danbury shading it 11-9. All four players won once, with Richard Baxter’s hard fought 5-11, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9 win over Ken Sheard perhaps representing the pick of the action.  There was a first win for Chelmsford D, who beat Danbury G 13-7. Keith Martin beat both Dave Meah and Dave Marsh 3-2.

      Chelmsford G rocketed up the table in division four and into second place by beating Buttsbury A 20-0. Nikita Tkachuk and Sudheep Kamma dominated the action.  Ramsden Rockets also won impressively, beating Chelmsford F 15-5. Colin Barham won twice, and this included a fluctuating 6-11, 11-7, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6 success against Harry Chivers. Chelmsford E secured their second win, a 14-6 victory against Buttsbury A. Adi Kamma and Alex Tkachuk came out on top although Kamma missed out 11-5, 14-12, 11-13, 6-11, 6-11 against Kevin Willis. Chelmsford E also lost 12-8 to Cold Norton C.  Three of the four games were decided 3-2, and in that context the 5-0 win for Dave Hancox against Alex Tkachuk proved decisive. Hancox came through 11-8. 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 11-4.

      Hockley B lead the way in division five with 57 points out of 80 and Brian Bissenden scored two 4-1 wins as they beat OCs E 15-5.

      Writtle Rattlesnakes shaded their match 11-9 against Buttsbury B, in division six.  Elliot Gardiner stood out with a 5-0 win over George Standish and a 5-0 victory against George Hagland. Rattlesnakes found it harder against the leaders Chelmsford Leopards and were despatched 16-4. Dion Fernandez and Cleon Fernandez dominated proceedings. Luv Goel came close against Cleon Fernandez, racing into a 2-0 lead before being pegged back and losing 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 4-11, 8-11.

      Chelmsford Pumas scored their first win in division seven. Malachi O’Leary and Pankil Sharma won decisively 17-3, against Writtle Racoons.  although Blake Webster did will to beat Pankil Sharma 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9. A very well contested game. Buttsbury D ran out 13-7 winners against Writtle Racoons. Jamie Elliott was the difference between the two sides with 5-0 wins over both Luv Goel and Kush Goel.  Chelmsford Wildcats are well clear and they made it four wins out of four by beating Chelmsford Panthers 16-4. Harrison Hill and Alesha Ellis Austin were both undefeated. Alesha had to work hard to beat Lotte Mills 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-4.

       

      County Juniors, County Seniors, County Veterans, County Vets 60s+

      2014-15 County Championships

      Next season’s County Championships Divisions are now online. Find the full set of 2014-15 divisions here:  This opens as a PDF document.

      Essex have 10 teams entered for next season:-

      Senior division 1B Essex 1, Avon, Buckinghamshire, Devonshire 1, Hertfordshire,  Middlesex 2 and Surrey 1.

      Senior division 2D Essex 2, Hampshire, Kent 2, Surrey 2, Sussex 2, and Sussex 3.

      Junior division 1B Cornwall 1, Devonshire 2, Dorset 1, Essex 1, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex 2, Sussex 2.

      Junior division 2D Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Essex 2, Oxfordshire, Sussex 3, Surrey 2, Wiltshire.

      Cadet division 1B Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire 1, Buckinghamshire 2, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent 2, Middlesex 2, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey 2.

      Veterans division 1B Berkshire 1, Dorset 1, Essex 1, Kent 2, Middlesex 1, Surrey 1, Sussex 2, Wiltshire 1.

      Veterans division 2A Cambridgeshire 1, Cheshire 2, Durham, Essex 2, Norfolk 1, Northamptonshire 1, Northumberland, Yorkshire 3.

      Veterans division 2B Bedfordshire 1, Buckinghamshire1, Devonshire 1, Essex 3, Hertfordshire 2, Oxfordshire 1, Somerset 1, Surrey 2.

      Over 60’s Premier division  Cheshire 1, Essex 1, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire 1, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Sussex, Yorkshire 1.

      Over 60’s division 1B Berkshire 1, Berkshire 2, Buckinghamshire, Essex 2, Hampshire, Hertfordshire 2, Kent 1.

       

       

       

      County Veterans

      Essex Vets update

      Vets Secretary Neil Brierley provides a round up of Essex vets teams in action so far.

      1st team : Captained by John Monk and with Alex Abbott, Paul Cuming and Gill Locke completing the team, they faced a really tough weekend in Div 1A at Woodfield in the Midlands. As such, a draw with Oxfordshire, and narrow 6-4 defeats to Worcs and Yorks was a highly commendable performance.

      2nd team : led by Keith Fung backed up by Phil Walker , Paul Martindill and Sue Hickman, they were always going to find Div 1B at Graham Spicer venue exceptionally tough. So it proved with 8-2 defeats to Avon and Middx.

      3rd team : Lin Attridge runs this team and had John Poysden, Dave Bowles and Stuart Kimm to support her. Playing in Div 2B at BATTS , they had great results with a 6-4 win over Middx 2 and 5 all draws with Surrey and Beds. Highlight in this last match was a win for Lin over Sandra Harper.

      0 60 1st team : Dave Bowles runs this side with Stuart Gibbs, Peter Radford and Marjorie Dawson and this season they welcomed “youngster” Terry Guymer into the squad in the hope he would make an impact. What an impact he made with an amazing 8 wins out of 8 at Milton Keynes. The upshot was fine wins over Kent and Sussex, a draw with Surrey and a narrow 6-4 defeat to Lancashire. All to play for second half !

      0 60 2nd team : Led by Chris Jacob and featuring Sue Body in the absence of Shirley Carroll, Alan Burgess and yours truly completed the team. Sue was the star and was unbeaten in the singles and the team won 2 matches and lost 2 matches over the weekend at BATTS.

      Check out the link to county championship tables to see how all the Essex teams are doing.

      County Veterans, County Vets 60s+

      Essex Vets campaign news

      Veterans Match Secretary Neil Brierley reports on the progress of the Essex Vets teams in the County Championships so far this year.

      The following link provides latest table for all the county sides: http://etta.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/county_championship_tables-2011-12.pdf

      5 of our 6 vets sides have commenced their campaign and round up as follows:

      ESSEX 1 – Team of captain Tony West plus Clive Carthy , Mark Wicker and Lucy Wang. Played at Keighley and lost 9-1 to Kent, drew 5 all with Leics and lost 6-4 to Sussex. Lucy unbeaten but matches very tough and still have hopes of staying up with second weekend at  Ashford in February.

      ESSEX 2 – Led by John Monk with Alex Abbott, Paul Cuming and Elaine Sayer , they have made a great start with wins over Durham, Cambs and Yorks  and were unlucky to lose 6-4 Notts.

      ESSEX 3- Captain Paul Martindill , Phil Walker, Ray Lam , Marjorie Dawson and Sue Hickman have made a steady start beating Herefordshire  9-1, drawing 5 -5 with Worcs and losing 6-4 to Herts.

      ESSEX 4- Captain Lin Attridge has picked Dave Bowles, John Poysden and Gary Baker  and they beat Bucks 7-3 and lost by the same score to Northants.

      ESSEX OVER 60 FIRST TEAM – Captain Dave Bowles has picked Stuart Gibbs and Peter Radford plus Marjorie Dawson  and have made a great start in defence of their national  crown . They beat Herts 7-3,  drew 5-5 with Surrey and beat Worcs 7 -3. All to play for on 25/26 Feb at Milton Keynes.

      ESSEX OVER 60 SECOND TEAM – Shirley Carroll captains this team and they play their first weekend later this month.