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

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

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

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

Report by Duncan Taylor

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

Report by David Barnes

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

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

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

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

Team of the Week – Runnymede

Player of the Week – Randy Santiago

Report by Paul Strutt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Report by David Woolmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RESULTS : HANDICAP CUP

Group A

Walton B 2 Brotherhood F 7;

Nomads Panthers 4 Windsor Falcons 5.

Group B

Brotherhood D 6 Windsor Buzzards 3;

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

Group C

Holland Hurricanes 7 Nomads Ocelots 2;

Brotherhood G 4 Holland Lancasters 5.

Group D

Windsor Eagles 7 Windsor Kestrels 2;

Windsor Penguins 4 Windsor Hawks 5.

Group E

Windsor Magpies 1 Brotherhood B 8;

Holland Vulcans 2 Nomads Leopards 7.

Group F

Lawford 2 Brotherhood A 7;

Brotherhood E 5 Walton A 4.

Group G

Nomads Jaguars 1 Windsor Harriers 8.

Group H

Brotherhood J 6 Walton C 3.

Report by Tony Oswick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RESULTS : HANDICAP CUP

Group A

Brotherhood F 5 Windsor Falcons 4;

Walton B 8 Nomads Panthers 1.

Group B

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

Nomads Tigers 5 Brotherhood D 4.

Group C

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

Holland Hurricanes 6 Brotherhood G 3.

Group D

Windsor Hawks 9 Windsor Kestrels (w/o);

Windsor Penguins 4 Windsor Eagles 5.

Group E

Nomads Leopards 8 Windsor Magpies 1;

Brotherhood B 5 Holland Vulcans 4.

Group F

Lawford 1 Walton A 5;

Brotherhood A 7 Brotherhood E 2.

Group G

Brotherhood C 5 Windsor Harriers 4.

Group H

Walton C 2 Nomads Lions 7.

Report by Tony Oswick

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

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

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

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

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

Report by Duncan Taylor

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

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

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

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

Report by David Barnes

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

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

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

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

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

Team of the Week – Stanford C

Player of the Week – Richard Sloman

Report by Paul Strutt

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

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

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

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

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

Report by David Woolmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Division 2

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

Division 3

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

Report by Ron Fosker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Report by Ron Fosker

Champions Netts A completed the first half of the season in the Braintree Table Tennis League with another win to give them nine out of nine.

But they had to work hard to overcome Liberal A, who for only the second time this season turned out both Scott Dowsett and Adam Cuthbert.

They won twice each to limit Netts’ margin of victory to 6-4, the closest so far.

Netts were grateful to an in-form James Hicks, who won his three singles, plus the doubles with Andy Holmes, although it was a knife-edge victory over Cuthbert, who stretched him to 13-11 in the fifth game.

With Netts B and Sudbury Nomads inactive, Black Notley A took advantage to jump back up to second place with a resounding 9-1 win over Sudbury Wanderers.

Luke Burridge and Steve Noble were unbeaten while David Hitchen took the one for Wanderers.

At the other end of the table, Notley’s B team could not quite do enough to lift themselves off the bottom rung.  They succumbed 6-4 to Rayne B, despite three wins from Steve Kerns, recovering from the unexpected nil return in his previous match.

In division two, Rayne D moved up to second place with a 6-4 win over Notley D. Dean Andrews and Peter Rickwood won two each for Rayne, while Graham Chinnery and Matt Stephenson did likewise for Notley.

Rayne D take over second spot from Notley C, who tumbled 8-2 to Sudbury Strollers, for whom David Fiddeman and John Colvin were unbeaten.

Finchingfield A jumped up two more places with a 7-3 win over Yeldham Whitlocks A.

James Grimston tasted defeat for the first time in Netts C’s 7-3 win over Rayne E when Charles Calisin got the better of him.

Netts’ E and F teams shared the points when they faced each other.

Adrian Boeriu and Tony McShane were the E team’s main scorers, with two each, but Tom Verrier held the F team together with his three singles.

At the top Notley E pulled further away from Finchingfield B, who were again without a match, by dispatching their own F team 8-2. 

The headlines nearly belonged to the F team’s Wendy Day, who had a match point in her favour when two games and 11-10 up against Dave Parker.  But the vital point was lost and Parker preserved his record of one defeat in his seven matches so far.

Notley G jumped up two places by beating Rayne G, the team immediately above them, 9-1 while Sudbury Drifters moved up one with a 7-3 win over Notley H.

Report by Ron Fosker

Eleven wins and two losses, the record of both Thorpe Bay A and Rawreth B as we head into the festive break. In the final week before Santa arrives Thorpe Bay A won 9-0 and Rawreth B won 7-2 meaning the difference at the top of the table is that Thorpe Bay lead by a meagre three points and sets us up for a great second half of the season. John Poysden, Ian Wall and Mark Stones were largely untroubled by Matchpoint A dropping just three legs in their match while an unfamiliar looking Rawreth B line up of Jamie Elliott, Kim Shead and Arron Chandler were victorious against Brand Identity. Neil Barker and Martin Turner picking up good wins against Chandler and Shead.

Rayleigh Mill find themselves in third place in the table and their lofty position is mainly due to the unbeaten start to the season for Liam Squirrell. They were without Squirrell this week but still managed an 8-1 win over Invicta A with Duncan Taylor and Colin Chatfield winning their three and Steve Saywer picking up the other two, just coming up short against Steve Marr.

In the battle of the West we saw Stanford really do a number on Basildon A with Mitchell Jones, Vivaan Babbar and Joshua Freeman winning all their games in a 9-0 victory and in the final game of the week Rawreth A beat Brand Identity 7-2. Kevin Read was in good form and his three wins were backed up by three from Eric Green and there was a single win for the mercurial Charles Sweeeny over Richard Jackman.

The two protagonists at the top of the Division 1 table, Hockley B and Hockley C, were both playing at home on the same night this week. I guess it made it easy to see how each other were progressing. As it turned out, both teams finished 8 – 1 winners, so their league positions remain unchanged moving into the New Year. 
Leaders Hockley B spoiled Christmas for their opponents Wakering A. Joe Odegbami and David Colwill were both unbeaten, whilst Stuart Adshead took two, succumbing to Wakering’s Martin Shaughnessy.
Second place Hockley C entertained lowly Hadleigh Forum C. Player of the Match Will Evesham and Elliott Brackenbury had maximums, with Stephanie Haddrell adding two more, losing out to Forum’s Paul Fawell.
Elsewhere, Rawreth C continue to make a strong showing. This time around they overcame visiting Mapledene 7 – 2 thanks to a hat trick from James Grimston and two victories each from Gary McCarthy and David Gatheral. Single wins from the visitor’s Dawn Baldry and Mike Johnston gave them a little seasonal cheer.
Bottom side Basildon B gave themselves an early Christmas present with their first win of the season at home to Stanford Le Hope B. Chudi Ukpaka made a rare appearance for them and rewarded his inclusion with three wins in his side’s 6 – 3 victory. Peter Hilton got two more and Tony Molisso one. Rob Salvage was Stanford’s best player, recording two successes, with Adrian Armstrong getting the other one for the visitors.

No doubt about the match of the week in Division 2 as league leaders and title favourites Wakering took on second placed Matchpoint B. Unbeaten Wakering have swept all before them this season whereas pre – season favourites Matchpoint have got off to a slower start than might be expected and trailed Wakering by five points going into this match. Wakering also have a game in hand. A big chance then for Matchpoint to reduce that deficit and if the occasion wasn’t big enough already, this also saw the clash of two unbeaten players Callum Turner of Wakering and Hannah Harbour of Matchpoint.

A close match would have been forecast for this one and that is how it turned out albeit most of the games were settled in three sets. The early sparring saw the sides locked at 2-2 and then the clash of the unbeaten Turner and Harbour took centre stage. A five set thriller? No, far from it as Harbour demolished Turner in straight sets 11/7 11/8 11/9. She is now the only unbeaten player in the division. This result would have raised Matchpoint’s hopes of victory but instead it prompted another upset as Paul England overcame the always hard to beat John Lott in five sets. With three games left  Matchpoint edged ahead again as Harbour beat Michael Grout but two more wins for Turner and England gave Wakering a 5-4 victory and they now sit six points clear of their rivals plus that game in hand.

Canvey B solidified their position in third with a 6-3 win against Invicta B Trevor Hayes recording a maximum supported by two wins for Des Duffield and one for Kevin Walsingham. Andrew St. John, Trisha Winter and Keith Baxter all picked up a point each for Invcita.

Basildon C recorded their fourth win in six games but they still find themselves bottom of the table after they picked up a surprise 5-4 win at Stanford C. 3-1 down at one stage they fought back to lead 4-3 before the match was decided in the final game of the evening between Basildon’s Michael Elemide and Stanford’s Randy Santiago. Elemide won in straight sets to clinch the win. He and Victor Galben won two games each for Basildon plus one for Dave Walton whilst Vaughan Chambers and Jake Santiago shared the points for Stanford.

Just six points now separate the bottom five teams in the division with, strangely, bottom club Basildon C the in-form team. The team just above them, Hockley E, must be hoping for a similar run of form and they will be encouraged by a nerve jangling 5-4 win against fellow relegation rivals Matchpoint C. The opening six games left the teams level at 3-3 before Matchpoint edged ahead as Richard Sloman completed a POTM performance by beating John George in straight sets. Hockley were not to be denied however as firstly Richard Coulon levelled the match beating Zach Samuels before George Clark became their hero. Called up from their F team he had lost his earlier matches but hit form in this one as he beat Blake Stewart in straight sets. Coulon and George both won two games for Hockley whilst Samuels provided the fourth point for Matchpoint.

Team of the Week – Basildon C

Player of the Week – Hannah Harbour

Another week when only two matches were possible.

Stanford ‘D’ have climbed to third place in Division 3, level on points with second placed Hockley ‘F’, thanks to a 6/3 win over Canvey ‘C’, although Hockley have played two games less.  Another Player of the Match performance from Martin Winter for Stanford, his third in as many weeks, was backed up by Andrew Jessop’s maximum.  For Canvey, there was a win each for Scott Giddens, Andy O’Rawe and Chong Lam.  

Hadleigh Forum ‘D’ were hampered by the lack of a third player when they visited Wakering ‘C’.  Despite the best efforts of Forum’s Jan Thorpe, who dropped only one set on his way to a maximum, the Wakering trio of Kamil Pachalko, Stew Mills and Joanna Gaudini took the remaining games to register a 6/3 win for the home team.

The other two scheduled fixtures this week had to be postponed because the home venues of Hockley ‘G’ and Evolve ‘B’ were not available to them.

Reports by

Duncan Taylor – Premier Division

David Barnes – Division 1

Paul Strutt – Division 2

David Woolmer – Division 3

Two successive 9-1 wins have taken Black Notley E to the top of division three of the Braintree Table Tennis League.

They followed their win over Netts E by beating Rayne G by the same score.

Ken Wilding and Peter Davenport were unbeaten while Ian Rubens earned Rayne’s point with a win over Jacqueline Smith at 11-9 in the deciding game.

The win takes Notley E six points ahead of Finchingfield B, who have a match in hand.

Notley teams were also successful in the other two matches in the division.

The F team overcame Sudbury Drifters 7-3 where Sudbury’s new signing Graham Turner won his three singles, all in straight games.

Notley H had a 6-4 win over Yeldham Whitlocks B, for whom Steve Willis was undefeated, including a victory over Wayne Wilson, beaten only three times in 21 sets up to that point.

It was close, though: 8-11, 15-13, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9.

In division two, leaders Rayne C were back in normal mode after their first defeat the previous week by recording an 8-2 win over Notley D.

Rayne’s new signing James Grimston, making only his second appearance of the season, was unbeaten, just as he had been in the first.

Netts D moved to within touching distance of second place but could only muster four sets against Yeldham A.

Roy Hooper and Doug Sanders took Yeldham’s six sets between them, three for Hooper, two for Sanders plus the doubles.

Rayne D follow two points behind after a 6-4 win over Sudbury Strollers.

It’s the fifth time in seven matches that Strollers have had a 6-4 scoreline, three in their favour and two against.

After registering their first win the previous week, Finchingfield A made it two in a row with a 7-3 victory over Netts C

Peter Clark took his individual record to its logical conclusion.  After winning none in his first outing, where he had to retire injured, he has now won one, two and three in his next three matches.

In division one, Sudbury Nomads moved up to second place after a 9-1 win over Notley B.

Karl Baldwin and Aron Jordan were undefeated, while Neil Freeman ensured Notley B did not go home empty-handed by getting the better of Richard Fifield.

Nomads are on 49 points, with the next four teams all bunched up behind them: Netts B, who have played one more match, on 48, Liberal A on 47, Notley A 44, and Rayne A, who have a match in hand on the two teams above them, on 39.

Rayne A suggested they could soon move up by beating Netts B 6-4.  John Andrews was unbeaten.

Notley A and Liberal A faced each other, and took home five points each.

No one won all three or lost all three. Steve Noble for Notley, Alistair Hill and Ashley Skeggs for Liberal took two each.

Rayne’s B team ended a run of five defeats by overcoming Sudbury Wanderers 6-4, despite three wins from Wanderers’ Colin Moss.

Report by Ron Fosker