With all games going to form this week in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League, the drama came in the individual battles.  Fambridge remain sitting pretty at the tip of the league pyramid following a comfortable 8-2 dismission of Cold Norton C.  Mark Stones was the dominant player for Fambridge with an unbeaten evening across singles and doubles.  He was taken all the way to a deciding leg by the youthful Sam Lowman but came through 11-6.  But that was only the beginning for the Cold Norton talisman as he next took on and defeated Fambridge Supremo John Poysden and then came from behind to deny Gary Young his hat-trick with a 5 set marathon victory dance.  Young and Poysden won their other matches against Dick Wyman and Tim Cramphorn to complete the scoring.  Cold Norton B remain in the running and this weeks 7-3 margin of victory over a very strong Mapledene B side will help their cause.   A strange set of scores for this one with each of the Mapledene stars winning a singles point but strangely all against different players – so at least everyone went home with a win under their belt.  The Cold Norton trio of Eric Green, he’s here he’s there he’s everywhere Sam Lowman, and Captain Dan Anderson all won 2 singles and Green and Lowman combined for the bonus doubles point.  Mapledene’s Colin Chatfield beat Lowman in straight sets for some healthy ranking points, David Jacob squeezed past Anderson in 5 sets, and Keith Willett held on miraculously for a very long and hard fifth set victory over Eric Green.  Willett almost made it two wins in another 5 setter with Anderson but lost out 12-10 in the decider having had match point at 10-9 – you bet he’d like to play those 3 points again!  In the final top division encounter of the week the winners podium wasn’t really the focus of discussions as the two bottom sides faced off in an all Woodham encounter.  Woodham C were going extremely well and took a 3-2 lead courtesy of the enigma that is Adi Kamma.  Kamma came back from 0-2 down against both Dan Patynski and Eamonn Hall to win both matches in 5 sets and each 5^th leg was very comfortable at 11-2 – what excellent form.  Hall made up for that early loss to Kamma with an unexpected dominant tactical display against Graham Briggs to even the scores going into the break.  Whatever was said to the Woodham B side must have done the trick as they then rattled off the next 4 matches to complete the scoring for a welcome 7-3 victory.  The B team’s Harry Sawford finally broke the Kamma duck despite a Kamma-comeback in the 3^rd leg that had the bookies in a tizz. The Woodham B team have now finally registered their first league win of the season, but the wait goes on for the beleaguered C team.

The title race in Division 2 is hotting up as we have 3 contenders starting to pull away from the peloton.  Maldon A continue to dominate all their matches and this week overcame the defences of a well stacked Mapledene C trio.  Lloyd Bennett-Smith showing great form for his hat-trick, with wingmen Colin Napper and Hamish Innes chipping in with a brace of wins each.  For Mapledene Tony Ayliffe proved the most stoic of combatants with deciding set wins over Napper and Innes.  Woodham D leapfrog into second place following their 10-0 whitewash over Blackwater B early in the week, although the scoreline doesn’t reflect the quality of the play from the Blackwater team on the night.  Woodham’s Mal Henstock was the player of the match as his quirky style was enough to throw his opponents and force error after error.  Henstock was backed up by young Peter Harverson and his ferocious leftie loops, and the not so young Eamonn Hall with his more measured approach.  For Blackwater Simon Quelch almost stole the opening point of the night but finally fell to Hall in the dying points of the deciding set, and Gary Smith had a mighty battle with Harverson in a match he lost 3-0 but actually had game point in all 3 legs for a 11-13, 19-21, 10-12 loss – but great entertainment for the crowds watching on.  Stow Maries A have a few games to catch up but will be in the mix come the reckoning weeks.  This week they travelled the short distance to Cold Norton D – and in a smash and grab raid that didn’t take long they stole away all 10 points.  Hat-tricks all round for the talents of Richard Storey, Gary Brignall, and Tim Pulham, with only Pulham’s victory over Neil Want going the full distance.  Be warned they are up and running and on the march.  Neil Freeman was the star player in the drawn tie betwixt Stow Maries B and Blackwater A – a result that bumps Stow B off the bottom of the table.  Freeman won all his singles and added the doubles with Alan Scammell as his partner. He didn’t have it all his own way though as Stow’s Peter Hance took their match all the way to 5 sets before Freeman could complete the task.  Hance won his other 2 matches against Scammell and Roger Slade, a feat repeated by the hard-hitting Nicky Reece-Ford.  Dave Marsh completed the scoring with a straight sets win over Slade.

Some decisive action in Division 3 this week but perhaps less so for the early leaders Maldon C who were pegged back a bit by Woodham E’s very own Superman – Mr Allan Steel.  Steel by name steely by nature as Woodham’s top player was unscathed in his singles this round against Maldon C dropping just a solitary leg along the way.  Alas this was not enough to force the victory with key wins for Maldon’s Marty Englander and Brian Riedling against the pocket rocket that is Chris Crooks leading to a Maldon 6-4 overall win and this keeps them in top spot for now.  St Lawrence are still trying to make up lost ground from a few poor results in the opening weeks of the season and this week they registered an 8-2 triumph over Blackwater F.  Dave Bateman went unbeaten and team-mates Mike Pratley and Mike Burton only lost to Andy Simmonds both in 4 sets.  Blackwater C overcame the majority of the Maldon E pressure this week with a team-worked 7-3 win, but none of the Blackwaterians could outdo the guile and skills of the dogged John Leavett.  Leavett had to work extremely hard to overcome his opponents with plenty of deuce legs along the way including a fifth set 12-10 victory over Chris Rolison.  So Rolison and his crew of Phil West and Jacqui Treacy each won 2 matches, with Rolison and West combining for the extra doubles point.

Pic 1 – Hat-trick man Mark Stones in action at Fambridge this week

Pic 2 – Gary Young with 2 wins for Fambridge to keep them at the top of the league .

Pic 3 – Adi Kamma (Woodham C) plays catch-up against Dan Patynski (Woodham B)

Pic 4 – Woodham B’s player of the match Dan Patynski

Pic 5 – Maldon A’s unbeaten leader – Lloyd Bennett-Smith

Pic 6 – Maldon E’s hero of the week – John Leavett

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Stanford B continue to set the pace in Division 2 of the Southend League beating fourth placed Hockley C 7-2 to give them their fifth straight win, and are now two points clear of Matchpoint B with a game in hand.

John Handscombe and Adrian Armstrong both remained unbeaten with Mark Downey adding the other point. Brian Bissenden and Paul Ogden picked up a point each for Hockley and Bissenden came within two points of winning another going down in the fifth set 11/9 to Handscombe in the last match of the night.

Whilst Matchpoint B unexpectedly lost points against Stanford C, winning 5-4, Canvey B took full advantage thrashing Matchpoint C 9-0 to close the gap between them to just two points.

Matchpoint’s best efforts came in the first three games at Canvey with Roger Sherman extending Trevor Hayes to five sets eventually going down 11/6 in the deciding set. Alwine Jarvis then took a set off Des Duffield and Zach Samuels took a set off Terry Giddens but after that the final six games all finished in three sets. A comprehensive win for Canvey which leaves Matchpoint some 7 points adrift at the foot of the table.

The match between Rawreth Megazone D and Runnymede featured a clash between two seasoned veterans who are probably more at home in Division 1 than Division 2. Rawreth’s Gus Heath had only lost one games so far this season and Runnymede’s Tony Millward was unbeaten so their match was crucial to the result of this game. Not surprisingly it went to five sets with Millward winning 11/5 in the decider. That win put Runnymede 3-2 ahead on the night and they extended that to 5-2 before Rawreth won the last two singles. Milllward remained unbeaten and Andrew Humphris provided the backup with two wins, whilst for Rawreth, Heath finished with a brace and there was a point each for Graham Back and Steve McQuillan. Rawreth stay above Runnymede in the league by four points.

Matchpoint B were probably expecting an easier game than they got against Stanford C who have only one win to their credit so far. In the event it all went down to the last match of the evening when Max Mayo beat Mark Farley in straight sets to clinch a 5-4 win. With youngsters Mayo and Lotte Mills in their side Matchpoint had to rely on the experienced Dennis Squirrell who won all his games but was extended to five sets against Tony Papasifakis and Martin Winter coming back from 2-1 down in both matches to claim victory. Mayo finished with two wins for Matchpoint and for Stanford, Winter recorded a brace with a point each for Papasifakis and Farley.

Report by Paul Strutt

Canvey A consolidated their position at the top of the Division 1 table thanks to a comfortable 7 – 2 win away to bottom side Hadleigh Forum C. Both POM Ray Wilson and Peter Cray were unbeaten. Dave Thomas was the home side’s best player, taking both Ray and Peter to a fifth set. Eventually he got a reward when he overcome Canvey’s Lee McGonagle. Graham Farmer got one for Forum as did Lee for Canvey.

Second played third in the match where Basildon A hosted Matchpoint A. The visitors came away with a 5 – 4 victory due in no small part to a hat trick from POM Stephen Heard. Stephen’s team mates Dan Stewart and Oliver Milchard won one each to seal the win. Jenne Siebolt and Rob Burton won two each for Basildon.

A Mike Johnston maximum gave him the POM award and lead his Mapledene side to a 6 – 3 home win against Rawreth Megazone C. Andy Seaman added a further two victories and Lin Roff one. Adi Kamma took two creditable victories for the visitors and Colin Barham overcame Lin 11 – 5 in the fifth.

For their away game at Brand Identity B, Hadleigh Forum B gave an opportunity to their Division 3 player Todd Barker to gain experience at this higher level. Todd didn’t disgrace himself either, taking a set off experienced Mick Grout and Dale Gutteridge, before succumbing to Jenny Harrison in a five-setter. Dave Woolmer was POM with a hat trick and Mick Tappenden got two to give Forum a 5 – 4 win. Jenny was Brand’s best player with two victories.

Report by David Barnes

League action

Ian Wall posted a third treble in his last four matches as Danbury B moved to the top of division one with an 8-2 home win against Writtle A.  Teammates Sam Lowman and Daniel Piggott – making his first appearance for Danbury since March last year – both chipped in with two wins, and while the new leaders have played two fixtures more than most other teams they will be pleased at their upturn in form since losing the first three fixtures of the season.  Adam Brewer, not seen since week three, was the top performing player for the visitors with only Wall managing to better him.  Someone’s ‘0 had to go’ in week seven as the winless Danbury E hosted the winless Galleywood B in an early division two battle at the basement.  It was Galleywood who earned their first triumph of the season as a treble from Gary Brignall backed up by two Will Goodchild wins saw them over the line in a 6-4 triumph.  Goodchild went the distance for both of his successes but was found ‘wanting’ in the opening encounter against two-win Neil Want. Another week, another Roger Patient treble for Highwood A in division four, this time in their 7-3 away win at Hatfield Peverel C. Melanie Bonnett, not seen since week two, won twice for the visitors but was beaten by Peverel’s Bob Hillis who lost in five against Patient.  The honeymoon is over for Hatfield Peverel F as division five leaders Hutton B gave them a 10-0 tonking thanks to trebles from Charlie Gould, Steve Webster and Mahesh Nair. Nair came through in five games against both Alistair Brown and Peter Hughes. There may have been some tired eyes following the 5-5 draw between Hatfield Peverel D and Galleywood E which included five matches that went the distance. “Doug Blaber” may have been the excuse given to partners or employers in the morning as all three of his matches went to five games, the meeting between Blaber and Davina Brazier resulted in a 10-12, 10-12, 14-12, 11-2, 14-12 scoreline. Galleywood are now winless in their last four while Peverel D’s run of three victories came to an end.

Cup action

Writtle C are through to the next round following a 5-2 handicap cup win over Buttsbury A.  John Parodi (+1) was the difference between the teams with three victories, the last of which was a come-from-behind 2-1 success over David Gatheral (-2). Writtle F joined their clubmates in the next round with a 5-3 victory over Buttsbury F, Dave Moles and Ron Tam won twice each to secure safe passage through. Buttsbury E go into the next round following a 5-1 triumph against Buttsbury C, Joshua Freeman and Vivaan Babbar were able to take advantage of favourable handicaps.

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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The twin steamrollers of Finchingfield A and Sudbury Strollers continue to roll on in division three of the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Finchingfield have won all five of their matches and Strollers all four as they head to the crunch meeting between the two on November 27.

It is Finchingfield who lead the way with only four points dropped after wins of 9-1 and 10-0 in their last two matches.

Black Notley I perished by the former score and Netts E by the latter.

John Barrett and the club’s promising 16-year-old Lucien Nolan-Bradford were unbeaten against Notley I, where Ben Southgate picked up the solitary point by beating Peter Clark.

Barrett was also on duty against Netts E where he was joined by Ray Bradford and Stewart Grant.

Strollers’ wins came against Netts F, who they beat 7-3, and Rayne H, where they won 8-2.

Natalie Dodd was undisturbed in the first match and David Hitchen and Richard Kemp in the second.

Notley G are third after wins of 7-3 over Yeldham Whitlocks B and 6-4 against Finchingfield B.

Peter Davenport was unbeaten in both matches.

Finchingfield B also lost 6-4 to Rayne G, where no one could follow Stewart Grant’s example in remaining unbeaten.

The position is tight at the other end of the table where five points cover four teams.

Netts E and Notley I fared best in the two-week period.

Netts E beat Notley H 8-2, with three wins from David  Montgomery, while Notley I got the better of an inexperienced Netts F team by 8-2.

Notley H earned a creditable draw with Rayne G, five places above them, thanks to Nigel Parmenter’s unbeaten evening.

In the team knock-out cup there were wins for Rayne B, 8-1 over Rayne E, and Sudbury Nomads, 5-2 against Notley B.

Rayne E’s Matthew Brown had a good win over Steve Pennell for Rayne E while Aron Jordan remained unbeaten for Nomads.

In the restricted cup there were predictable wins for three second division teams against teams from the division below.

Netts C came past Rayne G 9-0, Rayne F declared at 5-0 against Notley I and Netts D beat Notley G 7-2.

Netts D’s win was closer than the score suggests with four wins coming  at 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 and 12-10 in the final game.

The closest match in either cup competition was Notley F’s 5-4 win over Yeldham A, where they came back from 4-3 down.

Mel Cooch and Elliot Game ensured their passage to the semi-final with the tightest of tight wins in the final doubles 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9.

Report by Ron Fosker

Paul Metcalf is not one of the Clacton League’s most celebrated players but, week-in week-out, he’s an exceptionally effective performer. And he stepped into the limelight this week with a top-class hat-trick in Brotherhood C’s 7-3 victory over Brotherhood E in Division Two.

The underrated ‘C’ team regular was the only unbeaten player on the night, but it was a hard-earned hat-trick, Metcalf coming from behind to edge past Fred Gallone 9-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8, 12-10 before taking the scalp of Kevin Pryor 11-9, 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9.

Metcalf’s team-mates John Gallagher and Mark Boyland each won a couple, but Boyland surprisingly went down to Pryor, 11-6 in the fifth. Pryor and Gallone took the doubles for the ‘E’ side by the same score against Metcalf and Gallagher.

The win keeps Brotherhood C as joint-leaders of the Division alongside title favourites Windsor Buzzards who were also 7-3 winners, this against Nomads Tigers. Scott Campbell and Dave Martin stayed unbeaten for the Buzzards, with Campbell and Ray Chillingworth sharing an 11-6 in the decider doubles victory over Bob Jillins and Zein Shafat.

Hat-tricks for Paul Woolnough and Neil Chegwidden, together with a doubles win for Chegwidden and Paul Stanton, saw Windsor Penguins home 7-3 against Windsor Magpies. Alan Rutledge of the Magpies opened his account for the season with an 11-7 in the fifth victory over Stanton.

Nomads Jaguars were forced to field a guest against Windsor Harriers but were still good enough to win 6-4. Chris Petrou took  three, Tom Wilkin two, with the pair sharing a doubles success.

In Division Three, Dominic Joannou of Nomads Leopards inflicted a first defeat of the season on Joe Sherwin of leaders Brotherhood F. But Joannou himself suffered his first reverse of the season, two of them in fact, by Ruby Gallagher and Lucy Carvell. Both Gallagher and Carvell went on to record trebles in their side’s 9-1 win.

Brotherhood H were also 9-1 winners, this over Holland Lancasters, and remain eight points behind in second place. Savindu De Silva was another to lose his 100% season record, Dave Wright of the Lancasters winning their individual battle 9-11, 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4 in the opening match of the evening. Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard remained unbeaten for the winners.

Nomads Bobcats, 7-3 victors over Windsor Falcons, are a further seven points adrift in third place. Jack Riddleston, Alex Baldock and Sam Watling all won twice, with Watling edging past Nikki Hayes 11-7 in the decider in the closest match of the contest. But none of them could get the better of Kelvin Olano who remained unbeaten.

There was another three for Olano, together with two from Nigel Rolph and one from Nikki Hayes, as the Falcons beat Holland Vulcans 7-3. Derek Foxley picked up two for the losers.

There was a maximum for Lynette Sparks, and two each for Maggie Earle and Adrian Sexton, in Walton D’s 7-3 success against Nomads Ocelots. Walton were made to fight hard for their victory, Sparks beating Andrew Cousins 11-7 in the fifth and Earle edging past the same player 11-9 in the fifth. Cousins and Arthur Wells-Garrett each won one for the losers, and shared an excellent doubles win against Sparks and Sexton.

The all-Holland clash between the Hurricanes and the Mosquitos ended in a comfortable 10-0 victory for the Hurricanes, Gerry Widnell, Ian Gwillim and Pam Cousins all taking trebles.

In Division One, a strong Windsor Eagles trio defeated Brotherhood A 7-3. Gary Cattermole won three, John Pattrick two and Phil Smith one, Pattrick beating Siu Leung 11-6 in the fifth while Smith lost to Brotherhood’s Martin Edwards by the same score. John Cleasby took a couple for the losers.   

Graham Buxton was in fine form for Walton C, staying unbeaten in his side’s match against Walton B. And although his team-mate Clive Allenby enjoyed a fine win over Jason Gale, it was the ‘B’ side who emerged triumphant, winning 6-4, Paul Meikle and Mark Ratclife each getting a couple.

Walton A fielded a guest against Nomads Lions and, unsurprisingly, went down 9-1. Adam Cuthbert and Ethan Lloyd stayed unbeaten for the Lions. Adam Wilkin had a tight 9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 15-13, 11-6 win against Gavin Price but went down in three-straight to Derek Willis, Walton’s sole points-scorer.

Finally, Brotherhood B fielded a weakened side against Nomads Panthers, the 10-0 result proving somewhat inevitable, with none of the individual matches extended beyond three sets. James Denyer, Gracie Edwards and Denes Somodi were the winning trio.

* The Windsor Club’s Quiz Evening is on Saturday 16th November at the Brotherhood Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. For more details or to enter a team, contact Jenny Higgins on 07790 240566.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton C 4 Walton B 6;

Nomads Lions 9 Walton A 1;

Brotherhood A 3 Windsor Eagles 7;

Brotherhood B 0 Nomads Panthers 10.

Division 2

Windsor Harriers 4 Nomads Jaguars 6;

Windsor Magpies 3 Windsor Penguins 7;

Nomads Tigers 3 Windsor Buzzards 7;

Brotherhood E 3 Brotherhood C 7.

Division 3

Windsor Falcons 3 Nomads Bobcats 7;

Holland Vulcans 3 Windsor Falcons 7;

Holland Lancasters 1 Brotherhood H 9;

Nomads Ocelots 3 Walton D 7;

Holland Mosquitos 0 Holland Hurricanes 10;

Nomads Leopards 1 Brotherhood F 9.

This week saw the opening round of the Team Handicap Cup in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League.  The Handicap Cup is played across the whole league using the old style first to 21 scoring system with players giving a handicap based on their playing level.  It’s supposed to provide a level playing field but like any subjective assessment the arguments on who got a generous or harsh handicap continue long into the night after the sport has finished. 

Cold Norton B are the absolute masters of this form of the sport having won a variety of tournaments across Essex last season, and they continued where they left off with a mainly comfortable 5-0 victory over Blackwater C from Division 3.  As an example of the handicap system in play Cold Norton’s Ian Wall (-18) had to start with a deficit of 24 points against Blackwater’s Chris Rolison (+6) but still managed to win 21-16, 21-19 – long games for sure!  The only real trouble for the holders was in match #4 when Jacqui  Treacy (+7) came out all guns ablazing against Dan Anderson (-12) and everything she hit went on to take leg 1 21-15.  Wily Anderson dug in deep and started to wear down the Treacy attack to take the final two legs 15,12 but he certainly knew he had been in a battle.   The biggest upset of the week was Division 2’s Blackwater B destroying one of the league’s top teams Cold Norton A in straight sets.  Poor Cold Norton didn’t even get to register a single leg won on a night to forget for the boys from Latchingdon.  Noah Sage (-1) was the star player for Blackwater with a singles victory over Neil Want (-11), plus two good doubles wins with partners Simon Quelch (-3), and Gary Smith (+1).  But what of the other top division sides – well Woodham C go through on a walkover, and Woodham B had to work hard to overcome the challenge of Cold Norton D.  Terry Hyland (-2) was on great form for the Cold Norton crew and this showed through in his opening match with Daniel Patynski (-12) as he gave away his 10 point lead in the opening 10 points of leg 1 before he got his eye in and started to compete with some ferocious forehand hitting.  Patynski eventually won the first leg 21-16, but then struggled to close the gap in the final 2 legs losing out 11,17 with Hyland a deserved winner.  That levelled up the match score at 1-1 but that was the end of the scoring for Cold Norton despite a couple of tough games for Woodham’s highest scoring player on the night Eamonn Hall (-5) who had to overcome the dogged Roy Gandy (+1), and then faced Hyland fresh from his impressive display earlier in the evening.  Hall eventually caught up the handicap at 20-20 but Hyland hit 2 great winners to take the opening leg.  Hall then got into his stride, restricting the Hyland forehand and hitting his own winners from either side of the table to take the final 2 legs 8,10.

The Woodham Club are looking good for this year’s Cup with all 4 of their teams progressing to the quarter-final stage.  Woodham D did well to come out on top against a generously handicapped St Lawrence trio.  Not surprising there were a lot of long games in this one as the Woodham trio had to play catch up in every match.  For Woodham the only unbeaten player was Peter Harverson (0), an improving player who is likely to have a negative handicap in future years.  He contributed to the opening doubles alongside Mal Henstock (-4) as they defeated Dave Bateman (+9) and Nigel Brand (+12) in 3 long sets – St Lawrence unlucky not to go through having taken leg 1 and getting to match point in leg 2 before losing out.  Harverson also won his singles against Brand but went all the way to 24-22 in the winning leg.  The closest contest of the whole week was betwixt Blackwater E of Division 3, and high flying Maldon B of Division 2.  Blackwater got off to a flyer taking the opening 2 matches, both in 3 sets, but this did not dampen the Maldon spirits as they fought back courtesy of Captain Steve Aspland (-9) with a straight sets triumph over Phil West (+7).  Having watched Aspland play his Captains role to perfection the Blackwater Supremo Kath Little (+9) took to the arena a little anxious but held on as she battled her way to a very tight victory over Kym Eames (+9) to put her team into a 3-1 lead.  Both sets going all the way to 23-21.  Maldon took the next doubles to close the gap before Little went back into battle, this time against Garry Eames (-1) and used her handicap points advantage to good use for a straight sets victory.  Staring down the jaws of defeat the Maldon team rallied and Aspland and Kym Eames took the next 2 matches to set up a winner takes all final doubles encounter.   Deb Ginn (+5) & the unbeaten Little for Blackwater versus Garry and Kym Eames for Maldon.  Each pair took a leg to extend the tension and the evening into a final leg decider.  Off we set and Little and Ginn quickly extended their 3 point handicap to open up the gap and this allowed the pair to relax and hit their shots more freely, going on to record a final and winning set margin of 21-13.  If only they had the strength left to celebrate!!

So on to the quarter-final stage – where we have 4 teams from Woodham, 3 from Blackwater and the lonely Cold Norton B.  With Cold Norton the heavily backed odds-on favourites, surely they have a chink somewhere in their considerable armour?

Pic 1 – Kath Little in dominant form for Blackwater E this week

Pic 2 – Terry Hyland (Cold Norton D) takes on Woodham’s Eamonn Hall in their handicap encounter this week.

Pic 3 – Terry Hyland (Cold Norton D) serves for the match against Dan Patynski (Woodham B)

Wakering recorded their first ever win in Southend League Division 1 this week. In part this was due to visiting Mapledene only being able to muster two player. Nonetheless, maximums from POM Callum Turner and Andy Deadman were the major factors. Charles Yeung and Lin Roff got one win apiece, but Wakering ended up  7 – 2 winners. Closest contest of the night saw Charles narrowly lose to Andy in the fifth set.

Basildon A’s Les Hoey and Arun Joy continued their unbeaten runs when their side went to Canvey A. Both returned maximums, with Les taking the POM prize. However, the home side’s Andy Murray did well to take Les to five sets before capitulating 11 – 6 in the fifth. In a similar manner, Canvey’s Bob Skews was also unfortunate to lose to Les 11 – 8 in the fifth. This was a top of the table clash. With Basildon winning 6 – 3 they are in second place, two points behind Canvey but, importantly, they have a game in hand over the Islanders.

Brand Identity B were another side unable to find a third player. Consequently, their 7 – 2 away defeat to Matchpoint A was no great surprise. Captain Harry Sawford and POM Alex Deacon both got hat tricks, whilst the away team’s Dale Gutteridge and Mick Grout shared their side’s points.

In terms of results it was the tightest week yet in Division 2 with every match finishing 5-4! It also saw two clubs record their first wins of the season and two octagenarians meet in the the clash of promotion rivals Hockley C and Matchpoint B.

First team to record a 5-4 win, and also their first of the season, was Hockley D on their visit to Stanford C. Hockley have been picking up points steadily this season but that elusive first win has now come and all down to teenagers Elliot Brackenbury and William Evesham. Brackenbury claimed his second hat trick of the season and this time a perfect one not dropping a set. Evesham provided the back up with a brace but the opposition proved a bit too strong for Graham Gregory.  Peter Moxham and Chris Crooks both claimed a point and Martin Winter two for Stanford. Closest match of the night was Evesham’s 12/10 in the fifth set win against the very experienced Crooks.

Matchpoint C were the other team to pick up their first win of the season when they beat Invicta B. In a match that swung back and forth Matchpoint were 4-3 down but wins for Roger Sherman and Oliver Milchard swung the match in their favour. Sherman and Milchard both won two matches but there was an important single point won by Zach Samuels who came from two sets down to beat Michael Keeble 11/6 in the fifth. Player of the match, however, was Invicta’s Sarah Ball who recorded her first hat trick of the season. Matchpoint stay bottom of the table despite their win.

At the other end of the table third placed Hockley C met second in the table Matchpoint B and a John Lott inspired team saw them race to a 5-2 lead before two late wins for Hockley restored respectability for the home side. Featured match of the night was the clash of octagenarians  Lott and Mike Worship. These two opponents have met many times over the years and games are normally evenly spread but this time it was Lott who emerged victorious in four sets. Lott was ably supported by Alex Bowden who won two but young Max Mayo missed out. Worship picked up two wins and there was a point each for Neal Klyman and Paul Strutt. Matchpoint are now level on points with Stanford B at the top of the table but have played one game more.

In the final game of the week Canvey B moved into second place by just edging out Runnymede 5-4. Terry Giddens was the POTM with a fine hat trick and there was a point each for Des Duffield and Tony Westwell. For Runnymede Andrew Humphris and Steve Wisbey both won two but Tina Hutchinson just missed out going to five sets against Westwell having led 2-0.

Player of the Week – Elliot Brackenbury

Team of the Week – Matchpoint C

The three Danbury teams in division one enjoyed an excellent week as the A team won 9-1 at Writtle, the B team won 10-0 at home to Galleywood A, and the C team posted the same result at home to Chelmsford B.

Division 1

There were three dominant victories for the Danbury teams in division one as Danbury A moved equal on points with leaders Chelmsford A thanks to a 9-1 win at Writtle A.  While it was Penrose’s third treble of the season, McLeod chipped in with a first and Cramphorn would have been pleased with the two victories given his slow start to the season in division two for Danbury E. Danbury C are in third position just a point off the top two following a 10-0 win over Chelmsford B – Danbury’s strength in depth again showing by the reappearance of John Poysden alongside Reece Seddon and Liam Squirrell – a fearsome threesome to face anyone in the county. Having previously slipped from third position to fifth, Danbury B moved up to fourth place with a 10-0 success over Galleywood A – Lowman, Anderson and Wall firing trebles together for the first time this season.

Standings div 1: 1:  Chelmsford A 35 points (from 5 matches), 2: Danbury A 35 points (5 matches), 3: Danbury C 34 points (5 matches).

Division 2

A 6-4 away win by Hatfield Peverel A at Old Chelmsfordians B was enough to move them to the top of division two, Martin Archie and Alastair Piper fired trebles in the same fixture for the first time this season.  Maldon A continue to maintain a challenge at the top following an 8-2 home win over Writtle C. Hamish Innes reminded us that Maldon’s success this season will not only depend on Lloyd Bennett-Smith and Derek Balding, by firing the only treble of the contest.  Gary Ward was once again the toughest nut to crack in the Writtle C lineup – he won two of his three matches. Writtle B were the biggest movers in the division this week despite being held to a 5-5 draw at home by Galleywood B.  Writtle’s Trevor Carter won two matches but was beaten in five by Mark Taylor who won all three of his.  Taylor had taken a 2-0 lead before the Carter fight back to square the match only for Taylor to take the decider 12-10. A second treble of the season for Ian Whiteside and doubles for Ken Sheard and Alan Scammell were enough for Danbury F to see off their clubmates Danbury E 7-3, Neil Want was the only player to see success for the E side – denied a treble by Whiteside in the fifth.

Standings div 2: 1: Hatfield Peverel A 37 points (6 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 36 points (from 5 matches), 3: Maldon A 32 points (5 matches).

Division 3

To date, no team has taken control of division three this season with the top seven teams separated by only five points at the end of week six.  Just one of those seven sides remain undefeated this season – Writtle D – who sit in fifth having played a fixture less than those around them.  Chelmsford D currently sit top of the division despite being held to a 5-5 draw with sixth placed Danbury G. Danbury’s Denis Balic was the only undefeated player though it was no easy night for him as both Adi Kamma and Mike Johnston took him to five games. Buttsbury B occupy second place following trebles from Harry Sawford and Wudong Liu in a 9-1 win at Chelmsford E. Things are not always as they seem in table tennis results and a look at the match detail suggests the scoreline may have been closer had the hosts been able to get their noses over the line in some, if not all, of the four five-game matches they found themselves on the losing end of. There was a fourth treble of the season for Gary Copsey in Galleywood C’s 5-5 home draw with Hatfield Peverel B. Peverel’s Neil Freeman had an unexpectedly quiet night with just one win though he was denied a second by win-machine Copsey who took their deciding game 15-13.  Gareth Davies looked good for Peverel with another two wins but went down 3-1 to Copsey in the evening’s opener. A third 5-5 draw this week in division three to report on is Chelmsford F’s home clash with Danbury J, there were no flawless performances though Danbury’s Terry Hyland took ‘player of the match’ honours for his two wins – it could have been better for Hyland had he not conceded a 2-1 lead against Dion Fernandes. A second treble of the season for Gus Heath boosted Danbury H to a 7-3 win over Writtle E. Heath was untouchable in winning his three matches – failing to drop a game.

Standings div 3: 1:  Chelmsford D 37 points (6 matches), 2: Buttsbury B 36 points (6 matches) 3: Galleywood C 35 points (from 6 matches),

Division 4

A second treble by Roger Patient in as many weeks wasn’t enough to see victory for his Highwood A side who fell to a 6-4 loss at the hands of Old Chelmsfordians D.  Russell Hall and David Newman both won two matches for the hosts but Patient dropped just one game in his encounters with the OCA duo.  David Bishop gave Patient his biggest test of the evening – only succumbing to the Highwood ace in the deciding game. Like Patient, Neil Wood fired a back-to-back hat-trick as Hatfield Peverel C edged out Galleywood D 6-4. Lewis Armstrong won two for Galleywood, his second a 3-2 win over Samuel White which saw a tense 21-19 fourth game go the way of White.  John Manning scored yet another double for Danbury L in their 6-4 away win at Chelmsford G. Chelmsford’s Atharv Gupta won twice for Chelmsford and handed Manning his only loss of the night in the evening’s opener.

Standings div 4: 1:  Hutton A 36 points (from 5 matches), 2: Maldon B 35 points (5 matches), 3: Danbury L 31 points (6 matches).

Division 5

Having had to wait 568 days for a win, Hatfield Peverel F secured their second successive victory via a 6-4 scoreline at Anglia Ruskin. There was no hat-trick hero David Benstead in the line-up this week, perhaps still basking in last week’s glory, but Peter Hughes, Barbara Kirby and Alastair Brown all won two apiece to keep the party going for at least another week. Douglas Bawuah won all three of his matches for hosts ARU. Joshua Freeman won both of his matches as leaders Buttsbury E beat the two-person team of OCA E 7-3 at home. OCA E’s ‘Forfeit’ lost all three of their matches for the fourth fixture in row…!  Hutton B are hot on the heels of Buttsbury with the luxury of a game in hand following their 10-0 demolition of Galleywood E.  Lee Vallis, Charlie Gould and Peter Moxham did the damage – Vallis without dropping a game. Maldon C are third in the table following a 7-3 home win over Hatfield Peverel E, James Raymond fired treble number three for the season as Shirley Carroll and Brian Dixon chipped in with wins. Andy Simmons was back in action for Hatfield Peverel D as his treble contributed to his side’s 6-4 home win over Chelmsford H.  Writtle F beat Highwood B 7-3 thanks to a third Michael Anthony hat-trick of the season and two wins apiece for Paul Aarons and Ron Tam.  Tam hit a double for the fourth successive match.

Standings div 5: 1:  Buttsbury E 48 points (from 6 matches), 2: Hutton B 40 points (5 matches). 3: Maldon C 37 points (6 matches),

Chelmsford Junior League division 1A

Two wins apiece for Noah Middleton and Jago Ware were enough for the Hutton Hawks to re-take top spot from the Buttsbury Bees in a 5-0 victory over the Hutton Harriers.  Middleton moves to three victories from six this season while Ware has won four from six.

Standings div 1A: 1: Hutton Hawks 21 points (from 6 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bees 18 points (5 matches), 2: 3: Chelmsford Lions 13 points (5 matches).

Chelmsford Junior League division 1B

There were another two victories for Theo Rugg though his Hutton Hammers lost out 3-2 at home to the Buttsbury Bears.  The contest came down to the all-important doubles matchup with Rugg and Leon Smith getting back on level terms against Zac Berry and Ethan Ferris having found themselves 2-0 down, only for Berry and Ferris to take the decider.

Standings div 1B: 1:  Hutton Hyenas 19 points (6 matches), 2: Chelmsford Leopards 16 points (from 5 matches), 3: Chelmsford Jaguars 13 points (5 matches).

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Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Availability problems have hit Rayne A’s chances of retaining their Braintree Table Tennis League title.

Having agreed a rearranged date to play Liberal B, they unexpectedly found themselves down to one player when one player had work commitments and another was ill.

With Lee McHugh currently in Asia, reserve strength was limited so club secretary Ian Whiteside was pressed into service but no third player could be found in time.

Paul Lucas was unbeaten and Whiteside did his bit by beating James Mullane as well as joining Lucas to win the doubles, but the five points dropped could prove to be costly.

Netts A took advantage to close the gap at the top with a 9-1 win over Rayne B where Victor Chan had a good win over James Hicks to put one on the board for Rayne.

Black Notley A are in third place despite a 9-1 defeat to their own B team, but it is Liberal C who have been the surprise package.

Bottom of the table last season, they currently sit in fourth place, only three points behind Notley A with a match in hand.

They made it two wins out of three with a 6-4 victory over Rayne C where David Razzell was unbeaten.

Sudbury Nomads picked up their first win of the season, 9-1 over Netts B, with Ken Lewis and Aron Jordan unbeaten.

In division two, the top two, Rayne D and Sudbury Wanderers had 10-0 wins over Notley E and Netts D respectively.

Rayne E in third place remain unbeaten and added an 8-2 win over their own F team to their record.

Lewis Armstrong-Kirton’s win over Richard Whiteside was probably the pick of the evening.

Notley F were also 8-2 winners.  An unbeaten Graham Chinnery the only one to get the better of Yeldham A’s Doug Sanders, which he managed at 11-9 in the fifth game.

In a battle of the C teams, Netts beat Notley 6-4. 

Charles Calisin, Clive Forster and Peter Lewis all won twice for Netts and Dave Parker twice for Notley.

Report by Ron Fosker

This week saw the leading two teams in Division One of the Clacton League in opposition, and it was reigning champions Nomads Panthers who came out on top with a 6-4 victory over Windsor Hawks.

James Denyer, making his first appearance of the season, remained unbeaten, with Gracie Edwards winning two and Denes Somodi one. For the Hawks, Gary Young won two and Andy Vincent one, with Young and Felipe Rodriguez taking the doubles 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 against Edwards and Somodi.

In retrospect, the crucial individual match of the encounter was Somodi v Rodriguez, the Panthers’ player edging it 11-8 in the fifth for a crucial winning point.

Elsewhere, Gary Cattermole and Phil Smith took trebles as Windsor Eagles defeated Walton A 8-2. John Hobson recorded an 11-8 in the decider win over Andy Foster and nearly picked up another point, Derek Willis winning their individual match 10-12, 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 12-10. Dave Binns took the second Walton point.

Three from Kevin Gowlett, and two each from Russell Hillier and John Cleasby, were enough to give Brotherhood A a 7-3 victory over Brotherhood B. There was one each for the ‘B’ team’s Joe Plummer and Sam Plummer, the pair combining to take a close 11-9 in the fifth doubles against Gowlett and Hillier. 

It was good to see Paul Hewitt back in action but, alas for his Lawford team, Nomads Lions ended as 10-0 winners. Ethan Lloyd, Jason Lloyd and Charlie Fulcher all took trebles, with just two matches going the distance, Ethan Lloyd beating James Tindle 11-6 in the decider and Jason Lloyd beating Richard Spence 11-5 in the decider.

In Division Two, Windsor Buzzards and Brotherhood C both enjoyed 9-1 victories and remain joint-top of the table.

Windsor Buzzards defeated Windsor Penguins with trebles for Pete Bloomfield and Scott Campbell. Paul Woolnough took the Penguins’ point with a win over Andy Cawley, and took Bloomfield close before going down 11-7 in the fifth. Woolnough and Sharon Gowlett also ran the doubles close but the Buzzards’ pairing of Campbell and Cawley scraped home 11-8 in the fifth.

Brotherhood C also recorded a 9-1 win, this over Brotherhood G. Mark Boyland and Mark Beckham both remained unbeaten, with Paul Metcalf taking two but losing 12-10 in the decider to the ‘G’ team’s Danny Still in the closest contest of the evening.  

In a match where every player picked up a point but no-one stayed unbeaten, Nomads Tigers edged their tie 6-4 against Windsor Kestrels, winning all three matches that went to a decider. Dave Miller and Bob Jillins each won two for the Tigers, Miller losing to Debra Found and Jillins to Graham Bunce. Zein Shafat beat Found but went down to both Bunce and Peter Aumord. The two closest matches both finished 11-9 in the fifth, Miller beating Aumord and Jillins beating Found.

Windsor Harriers were 10-0 winners over Windsor Magpies. Magpies’ skipper John Plummer was his side’s only player to go to a fifth set, although Malcolm Caley had an interesting match against Isabel Barton, eventually going down 11-8, 21-19, 11-3.

A good all-round team performance saw Brotherhood D home 7-3 against Brotherhood E, Mark Salter winning three, Paul Alden two and Tricia Salter one. Kevin Pryor’s two for the losers included a 16-14 in the fifth victory over Alden.

It was a second win for the Brotherhood D team who earlier had beaten Brotherhood G 8-2, with a hat-trick for Mark Salter, and two each for Tricia Salter and reserve Joe Sherwin.

In Division Three, early leaders Brotherhood F had a predictable 10-0 win against Holland Lancasters, Tom Bryden, Joe Sherwin and Lucy Carvell unbeaten. All the matches bar one were settled in three-straight, that exception being Carvell’s close 11-6, 13-11, 10-12, 7-11, 14-12 victory over Dave Wright.

Three for Savindu De Silva, two for Harindu De Silva and a doubles success for the two brothers gave Brotherhood H a 6-4 victory over Walton D. Lynette Sparks with two, and Adrian Sexton and Deborah Pallett with one each, were the Walton point-scorers, Sexton edging out Owen Woollard 11-9 in the fifth in the closest match.

Dominic Joannou stayed undefeated for Nomads Leopards and shared a doubles win with Anne Bonny, but two each for John Smith-Daye, Ian Gwillim and Pam Cousins were enough for Holland Hurricanes to take the tie 6-4.

Finally, Nomads Bobcats proved too good for Holland Mosquitos, Sam Watling, Alex Baldock and Jack Riddleston unbeaten in the 10-0 victory.

* A reminder about the Windsor Club Quiz Evening on Saturday 16th November at the Brotherhood Hall. It’s 7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start for teams of up to six, £5.00 per person, bring your own drinks and nibbles. For more details or to enter a team, contact Jenny Higgins on 07790 240566.

*  Older League members will be saddened to learn of the death of former player Dave Smith. Dave was a regular in the League during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, playing most of his table tennis for the Brotherhood Club.

He was a good standard Division Two player, although occasional diversions into Division Three led to his only trophy successes, winning the Division Three title with Brotherhood B in 1990/91 and finishing as runners-up with Brotherhood G in 1998/99.

Table tennis was something of a family affair for Dave, with both his dad, Gordon, and brother, Robert, also well-known League players. For a few seasons, including the 1998/99 season, Dave and Gordon played in the same team.

Dave was a lively and competitive player but, off the table, he was the most friendly and sociable person you could wish to meet, always willing to have a chat, and more often than not with a smile on his face.

We send our sincere condolences to Dave’s family, remembering a stalwart League player and a genuinely likeable man.

RESULTS

Division 1

Brotherhood A 7 Brotherhood B 3;

Windsor Eagles 8 Walton A 2;

Nomads Panthers 6 Windsor Hawks 4;

Lawford 0 Nomads Lions 10.

Division 2

Brotherhood D 7 Brotherhood E 3;

Windsor Kestrels 4 Nomads Tigers 6;

Windsor Magpies 0 Windsor Harriers 10;

Brotherhood G 2 Brotherhood D 8;

Windsor Penguins 1 Windsor Buzzards 9;

Brotherhood C 9 Brotherhood G 1.

Division 3

Nomads Bobcats 10 Holland Mosquitos 0;

Brotherhood H 6 Walton D 4;

Holland Hurricanes 6 Nomads Leopards 4;

Brotherhood F 10 Nomads Lancasters 0;

Report by Tony Oswick