There were no positional changes in week 19 of division one as leaders Danbury C extended their lead at the top to nine points thanks to trebles from Gary Young, Paul Davison and Trevor Lloyd in a 10-0 home win over Galleywood A.  Chelmsford A lost ground in second place as they were held to a 5-5 draw by Danbury A despite Chelmsford’s Joshua Bickles firing his ninth league treble of the season. Bickles and Danbury’s Chris Penrose entertained the crowd with an awesome five-gamer which went in favour of Bickles 15-13, 11-9, 9-11, 13-15, 11-7. The only other five-gamer was the previous match in the running order which saw Simon Jarvis fight back from 2-0 down to beat Dave Richardson.  C&DTTL men’s singles champion Duncan Taylor was back in action and posted a treble alongside Mark Mulley and Trevor Carter in Writtle A’s 10-0 victory over Chelmsford B who sit just three points above bottom side Galleywood A.

Ian Whiteside went unbeaten for Danbury F in a 6-4 home loss against division two leaders Buttsbury A. Whiteside had to recover from 2-0 down against David Gatheral for the first of his three wins while there were two other five-gamers – Buttsbury’s Grace Liu beat Alan Scammell before Rob Burton saw off Ken Sheard. Second-placed Maldon A narrowed the gap on Buttsbury with a 7-3 home win over Old Chelmsfordians B in a fixture which saw a third treble in his last four outings for Chris Hancox. Hancox’s biggest test was from OC’s David Porter who had held a 2-1 advantage before the Maldon man fought back. Porter had earlier given up a 2-1 lead against Colin Napper. Chelmsford C narrowed the gap on the two teams above them when posting an 8-2 home win over Writtle C.  Simon Jarvis won all three and remains undefeated in 28 division two singles matches this season.  Mark Glenister was unbeaten as ninth placed Galleywood B won 6-4 over Hatfield Peverel A – a seventh consecutive loss for the visitors. Sanjay Saptarshi and Daniel Patynski won three apiece as fourth-placed Danbury D won 7-3 on the road at Writtle B – Patynski dropped just one game in his three singles wins with Saptarshi flawless. 

Chelmsford D made it seven division three victories in a row with a 7-3 home win over Writtle D who slip from third to fifth.  Chelmsford’s Christopher Denyer was the only undefeated player though he was taken the distance by Malcolm Hemstock.  Writtle’s Hemstock saw two further five-game losses against Alex Tkachuk and Mike Johnson. Following a second loss of the season in week 17, second placed Buttsbury B were back to winning ways with a 7-3 home win over Danbury J thanks to trebles from Paul Sturton and Joshua Freeman, while third placed Danbury G beat Writtle E 7-3 despite a treble from Writtle’s Dave Moles. C&DTTL under 15 boys champion Kuzey Musabak won all three of his matches in Chelmsford E’s 7-3 home win over Hatfield Peverel B, while Colin Blore went undefeated in Galleywood C’s 6-4 away win at Danbury H.  Bottom side OCA C earned their second victory of the season when overcoming eighth placed Chelmsford F, Tom Barker fired a hat-trick though had to recover from 2-1 down against Cleon Fernandes in his first match of the evening.

Hutton A extended their lead at the top of division four with a seventh victory on the trot – a 9-1 win over Danbury K, Alex Ware and Gheorge Nita won three singles matches with Charlie Ware winning two. Danbury M are still searching for their first league victory of the season though they walked away from their meeting against eighth placed clubmates Danbury L with a credible 5-5 draw – Graham Naggs scored a hat-trick for the M team who remain bottom of the table.  Second placed Maldon B lost some ground on the leaders despite earning a 7-3 away win over 10th placed Hatfield Peverel C.  Ella Sach, Chris Ravenhill and Brian Reidling won two apiece for Maldon while Neil Wood carried the fight for Peverel with two victories.

Week 19 saw a thirteenth win of the season for division five leaders Hutton B who moved 17 points clear with an 8-2 success over Hatfield Peverel E.  Division five singles champion Lee Vallis won all three of his singles matches, dropping just one game in the process. Buttsbury E remain in second place despite a 6-4 reversal at home to Chelmsford H, Jason Clark won three and Shengbing Zhu two for the visitors who remain sixth.  Arthur Shadforth won both of his matches as Maldon C beat the two-person team of ARU 8-2.  Ron Tam and Michael Anthony were in fine form as they both posted trebles in fourth placed Writtle F’s 9-1 home win over Galleywood E, while fifth-placed Hatfield Peverel D won 8-2 over Hatfield Peverel F thanks to three victories from Richard Drozd and two apiece from Andy Simmonds and Bruce Wickham. 

Report by Jeremy Hill

Only three clubs will be represented in the quarter finals of the Braintree Table Tennis League handicap cup.

Four teams from Black Notley, two from Netts and two from Finchingfield made their way through the set of second round matches.

Rayne, Sudbury and Yeldham Whitlocks all missed out.

Notley’s A, B, D and H teams all got through, the H team knocking out the club’s F team.

Notley H are rooted at the wrong end of division three so a handicap cup game was a pleasant interlude for them.

It was especially so for Mike Smith, whose league form has not quite cranked into gear this season.

He won his three sets comfortably in the 6-2 victory.

While Notley H took advantage of their handicaps, the A team had to come from behind in their match against Rayne H, who received starts of between 12 and 14 (up to 21).

Chris Parr, starting 0-14 down on both occasions, won both the singles he played in the 5-3 victory.

New signing Roger Hance was to the fore with three singles in the B team’s 5-2 win over Rayne G, while  Richard Upson won two out of two in the D team’s 5-3 win over Sudbury Strollers.

Notley’s G team were unable to make it five teams through when they came up against the (mostly) young talent at Netts F’s disposal. 

JJ Calisin won both his sets in the 5-2 victory.

Netts D are the club’s other team through to the last eight and they featured in the closest match of the round, edging through 5-4 against Rayne F after coming back from 4-3 down.

Jack Dearsley was unbeaten.

Finchingfield’s two teams had the most convincing passage to the quarter final, coming through both matches without a blemish.

The A team of Chad Rose, Lucien Nolan-Bradford and Ray Bradford came past Yeldham A 9-0 while the B team declared at 5-0 against Notley C.

One story dominates the news in Southend Division 2 this week and that is the end of Matchpoint B’s John Lott’s unbeaten run. After 24 successive wins Lott finally met his match at the hands of Hockley C’s Hannah Harbour who defeated him in four sets 5/11 7/11 11/7 5/11. Hannah had in fact stepped up from her normal D team duties to help out her Hockley team mates and she recorded an impressive maximum on the night as Hockley pulled off something of a surprise win running out 7-2 winners. Paul Ogden and Paul Strutt provided the support both winning two games each but falling to Lott. No wins therefore for Dennis Squirrell or Max Mayo and the defeat drops Matchpoint to fourth place with Hockley C now second and Canvey B third.

At the other end of the table Invicta B ended a 10 match losing streak by beating fellow relegation strugglers and bottom of the table Matchpoint C 5-4. This down in no small way to John Blackman who recorded his first hat trick of the season, backed up by Steve Lennox who won two five set battles against Ollie Milchard and Roger Sherman. Invicta are now two points above Matchpoint who stay at the foot of the table.

Fellow promotion contenders Canvey B beat Runnymede 7-2 with Trevor Hayes taking the POTM honours with two wins apiece for Tony Westwell and Des Duffield. Tina Hutchinson was the points provider for Runnymede and spare a thought for Barrie Edgar who led 2-1 in matches against Duffield and Westwell but finished up losing both in the final set

Despite the absence of Hannah Harbour Hockley D were in good form against Stanford C with Elliot Brackenbury firing a perfect hat trick, William Evesham winning two and Ben Cook claiming the other point. Chris Crooks got a brace for Stanford and Peter Moxham the other point in the only five set match of the night against Cook. Hockley sit in a comfortable fifth place but nine points adrift of fourth placed Canvey.

Player of the Week – Hannah Harbour

Team of the Week – Hockley C

Report by Paul Strutt

With neither of the top two teams in action this week in Division 1, Rawreth Megazone C took the opportunity to move into third place courtesy of a 9 – 0 home thumping of bottom team Hadleigh Forum C. Paul Brown took the POM award, although Garry Hartgrove and Trevor Ward were also unopposed. Credit should go to the Forum team (of David Thomas, Mark Everard and Todd Barker) for their commitment.

Brand Identity B could be being drawn into the bottom end of the table. Their visit to Canvey A saw them on the wrong end of a 7 – 2 scoreline. Canvey’s Ray Wilson again took the POM prize and his team mates Bob Skews and Andrew Murray added two victories each. Jenny Harrison was Brand’s best player, securing both their points.

Having lost his 100% record last week, Wakering’s Callum Turner returned to his undefeated ways with a hat trick on his team’s trip to Hadleigh Forum B. However, Forum were too strong for the rest of the Wakering side, with David Woolmer, Michael Tappenden and Jim Stait each managing two wins. There were some close five setters in this match and Wakering could have picked up at least one more point.

Report by David Barnes

We are into the business end of the season in Division 3 and it is now a two-horse race in the chase for the title.  Basildon A have headed the table all season and as they, and their close rivals, Invicta C, approach their last four matches, Basildon hold a seven point advantage.

In this week’s round of matches, Invicta hit the table first and recorded a 6/3 win over Canvey C.  Maximums here for Trish Winter and POM Andrew St John and, in reply, there was a win apiece for Canvey’s Ray Baker, Che Martin and Steve Parker.

Basildon had to wait until the end of the week to show their hand and, when they did, they were ruthless.  They only conceded two sets in a 9/0 win over a young Hockley F side who have found the going tough this season, but who will surely benefit from the experience.  Richard Riebold was the POM here, with Andy Roff and Dave Walton also unbeaten.

Elsewhere, Hockley E travelled to Rayleigh to take on Rawreth Meggazone E and emerged as 7/3 winners. Robert Garlick and George Clark were both unbeaten on the night, with Keith Denyer picking up the extra point.  For Rawreth, there was a win apiece for Graham Back and Ro Brett.

The junior teams of Matchpoint D and Evolve came together and a close match ensued.   Matchpoint started well and led 5/2, but Evolve came back to win the last two games, the final score being 5/4 in Matchpoint’s favour.  Samuel Morgan was the POM after a flawless hat-trick, well supported by Blake Stewart with a double.  Nova Narayanan was the best on the night for Evolve recording two wins, with his teammates Leo Goodey and Ben Berwick picking up a win each.

Finally, there was another 5/4 outcome in the match between the D teams of Hadleigh Forum and Stanford.  Douglas Brown (3) and Todd Barker (2) were the point winners for Forum but Douglas had to work hard for his hat-trick with both Randy Santiago and Andrew Jessop extending him to a deciding set.  Randy won his other two games with Andrew and Mandy Till each adding a point  

The Burnham & District Table Tennis League is back in full swing after the Xmas hiatus.  Fambridge have benefitted from their warm weather training at the Poysden Camp in southern Spain by taking a commanding lead at the head of the table including a decisive win over Woodham A that sees the vanquished Woodham side drop out of the leadership contest.  We now have a 3 way sprint to the finish line with the steady Cold Norton B and the unpredictable Mapledene A forming the chasing pack.   It looks like this one is going to the wire and could be decided by the ‘cup final’ matches betwixt the contenders. 

Fambridge have done a job over the Woodham Club in the last couple of weeks with a 9-1 thrashing of Woodham B, followed up by that decisive 7-3 victory over Woodham A.  Mark Stones and Keith Adams have been ever present dropping just one match apiece – both against the impressive Chris Penrose from Woodham A.  In the Woodham B match there was a notable victory for Woodham’s Sanjay Saptarshi over the elegant playmaker John Poysden.  Cold Norton B have kept in touch with leaders Fambridge with two solid 7-3 victories of their own.  First up was the Cold Norton A side and an Eric Green 9-dart hat-trick led the way for the B team.  A trio of straight set victories might not be that unusual for Green – but when one of those opponents in the newly crowned Chelmsford League Singles Champion Duncan Taylor then you have to really take notice.  Mapledene A blew their chance of applying extra pressure on Fambridge when they fell to Woodham A in a 6-4 loss.  The Woodham trio of Penrose, Sanjay Saptarshi, and Harry Chivers all beat Steve Muth and Jordan Allen, but none of them could out last the ferocity of Mapledene Captain Reece Seddon.  Seddon was also instrumental in the doubles victory as he and partner Allen forced a deciding set 15-13 consolation point victory – a point that could make all the difference come judgement day.  In other news Cold Norton C’s Arron Chandler continued his fine vein of form with yet another hat-trick, this time against a beleaguered and shell-shocked Cold Norton A side.  Watch out for Mr Chandler at the Burnham Tournament this year!

Division 2 continues to be dominated by Maldon A and Stow Maries A with both teams maintaining their winning streaks over recent weeks.  Leaders Maldon A beat 2 man Stow C 8-2, and followed this up with a closer 7-3 victory over Blackwater B.  Maldon A have been keeping it in the family and giving some airtime to the improving Ross Kirby, and playing at the higher level has given Kirby the chance to notch a few wins – more to come we suspect.  For Blackwater B young Noah Sage was a bright star as he dealt a blow to Hamish Innes march towards the divisional player of the year award with an exceptional straights sets victory – only Innes’ second loss of the season.  Stow A were ruthless against a strong Woodham D side winning all their singles but somehow losing out to the usually unsuccessful doubles play of Woodham D for an overall 9-1 points haul.  Hat-tricks for Richard Storey, Gary Brignall and Peter Chastin, with the doubles kudos going to Alex Wilson and Jeremy Giffin.  Elsewhere in the Division Cold Norton D have made a bright start to the new year with a resounding 9-1 thumping of Blackwater B with both Peter Lucraft and Dave Hancox earning a seat at the hat-trick podium.  It was left to the wily Gary Smith to blot the Nortonians copy book with a 5 set win over Terry Hyland.  Woodham D have had a busy few weeks but finished with a surprising 7-3 turnover of Stow B with hat-tricks for Peter Harverson and Mal Henstock.  Harverson also featured heavily in their earlier loss to Blackwater A with his sides only 2 wins of the night against Neil Freeman, and the tricky Alan Scammell – although it was the playing-up for the A side Noah Sage that dominated that encounter with a superb hat-trick over the Woodham trio.  Maldon B have had a mixed time of it – losing out 6-4 to Mapledene C, and then beating Stow C 7-3 with Steve Aspland’s hat-trick mojo back in full swing.   All of this leaves Maldon A and Stow A 15 points or so clear at the top end, and unfortunately Stow C 10 points or so adrift at the wrong end.

Maldon C remain the only unbeaten side across the whole league and still have a 100% win rate – so its not surprising to see them clear at the top of Division 3, and if a demonstration of their quality was required then the 10-0 drubbing of a very good St Lawrence trio should suffice.  Hat-tricks aplenty for the Maldonite trio of Marty Englander, Ella Sach, and Brian Riedling against Mike Pratley, Mike Burton and Dave Bateman – with Burton having the cheek to attempt some resistance forcing a game off each of the Maldon players.  The new Blackwater C are the leaders of the chasing peloton and they had an inspirational whitewash win over Blackwater F with Chris Rolison, Jacqui Treacy and Mervyn Perriman all going unbeaten, but a similar trio came a bit unstuck against Maldon D as Rolison had to come from 0-2 down in the final match of the evening to eventually take the point that sealed the draw.  Colin Barham took over from Perriman but mirrored his unbeaten form, but the Maldon pair of James Raymond and Arthur Shadforth each took two singles and paired up for an easy doubles bonus.  Blackwater cannot be dropping points so willy nilly if they want to challenge the Maldon C juggernaut.   Woodham E continue to pick up points largely due to the unbeaten and unflustered Allan Steel – another hat-trick fell his way in the 6-4 win over Maldon D, with Arthur Shadforth taking a set off the Man of Steel to at least keep him on his toes.  So with a loss and a draw so far for Maldon D surely a win was due next – and so it came to pass as they put St Lawrence to the sword in a fine 7-3 morale-boosting triumph.  It was a classic Dusty Bin 3-2-1 approach for Maldon with a hat-trick for James Raymond, 2 for Arthur Shadforth, and a single point for Matthew Copsey.  In the Blackwater derby D overpowered E in a 6-4 victory that saw everybody win something – they’re a wholesome bunch at Blackwater.  Jason Bush took the only hat-trick for the D team and the E team’s Vanessa Thompson couldn’t muster a win in the singles but then made up for it by partnering Keith Thompson for a straight sets doubles victory.

Pic 1 – Cold Norton B’s doubles pairing of Eric Green and Dave Richardson in action this week.

Pic 2 – Blackwater C’s shy and retiring Mervyn Perriman in unbeaten form last week

Pic 3 – Blackwater E’s dynamic doubles pairing of Keith and Vanessa Thompson in a moment of despair

Pic 4 – Allan Steel (Woodham E) still unbeaten in Division 3

Pic 5 – Noah Sage with some fantastic new year victories for his Blackwater Club

Report by Eamonn Hall

There’s little to choose between Nomads Tigers and Nomads Jaguars in Division Two of the Clacton League but, when the teams met this week, Dave Miller’s hat-trick proved the difference between the two sides.

But it was a hard-fought treble for Tigers’ skipper Miller in his side’s 6-4 victory, his maximum including an 11-6 in the fifth win over Callum Hogg and an 11-8 in the fifth win over Tom Wilkin. For the Jaguars, there were two each for Wilkin and Chris Petrou.

The win for the Tigers moves them into third place, one point ahead of Brotherhood D who went down 8-2 to leaders Windsor Buzzards. Pete Bloomfield was on-song for the Buzzards, his treble including an 11-9 in the decider win over Paul Alden and an 11-8 in the fifth win against Mark Salter. There were also two each for Andy Cawley and Scott Campbell, Campbell defeating Alden 11-7 in the fifth but losing by the same score to Mark Salter. Salter won Brotherhood’s two points.

Brotherhood C are seven points clear in second place following their 7-3 victory against Windsor Kestrels, Mark Boyland and Paul Metcalf unbeaten. Metcalf scraped past Graham Bunce 12-10 in the decider.

Windsor Harriers were 6-4 victors against Brotherhood E, Jenny Higgins picking up a decisive win for the Harriers against Tony Edmonds but losing out 11-7 in the fifth to Rodney Betts.

Gary Simpson and Dan Grindrod were the hat-trick men for Brotherhood G, 9-1 victors in their basement battle with Windsor Magpies. Three matches ended 11-7 in the fifth, Simpson beating John Plummer, Grindrod edging out Dave Sweetland, with Plummer salvaging a point for the Magpies, 11-7 in the fifth, in the last match of the evening against Danny Still.

In Division Three, leaders Brotherhood F beat Holland Hurricanes 6-4, Lucy Carvell, Joe Sherwin and Tom Bryden each winning two. Hurricanes’ new signing, the returning Gary Stallwood, was given a tougher time than he might have expected, staying unbeaten but only after edging past Sherwin by the narrowest of margins, 11-9 in the fifth.

Lynette Sparks and Adrian Sexton took two each as Walton D defeated Windsor Falcons 6-4. Kelvin Olano-Harper once again stayed unbeaten for the Falcons, with Matt Thomas winning one but losing in five to Sexton in the only match which went the distance.

Three for Dave Wright, two for Pam Cousins and one for Grace Andrews were sufficient to give Hollands Lancasters a 7-3 victory over club-mates Holland Vulcans. James Horsler took two for the Vulcans, one of which was a fine 11-6 in the decider win over Cousins.

The all-Nomads clash between the Leopards and an Ocelots’ side playing with a guest ended 8-2 in favour of the Leopards. Hazel Blanche of the Leopards defeated Mark Taylor 11-6 in the fifth in the closest encounter.

The big match in Division One was another  all-Nomads affair which saw the Panthers get the better of the Lions 6-4. Gracie Edwards chalked up another treble, with Gill Locke getting two and Denes Somodi one. For the Lions, Adam Cuthbert won two, but lost his season’s 100% record. Adam Wilkin’s point for the Lions proved to be a cliff-hanger, winning 17-15 in the fifth against Somodi, whilst Cuthbert and Jason Lloyd inflicted a rare doubles defeat on a Panthers’ pairing, beating Edwards and Somodi in four.

Brotherhood A defeated Walton A 9-1, Russell Hillier and Kevin Gowlett taking trebles, the pair also combining to record Brotherhood’s second doubles success of the season. Derek Willis’ win against John Cleasby was Walton’s consolation point.

In an all-Windsor clash, the Eagles beat the Hawks 7-3, a reverse of their early season score. Gary Cattermole won three, John Pattrick two and Phil Smith one. Pattrick was involved in two close matches, edging out Hawks’ reserve Scott Campbell 11-9 in the fifth but going down 12-10 in the fifth to Andy Vincent. For the Hawks, Vincent won two, with Campbell enjoying a narrow 13-11 in the fifth victory over Smith.

Brotherhood B defeated Walton C 7-3, Joe Plummer and Simon Smith-Daye undefeated, Plummer edging past Graham Buxton 11-8 in the fifth.

Finally, Mark Gale, Mark Ratcliffe and Paul Meikle of Walton B proved too good for Lawford, winning 10-0. Two matches went the distance, Meikle beating Charlie Denholm 11-7 in the decider, with the Gale/Ratcliffe partnership taking the doubles 11-6 in the decider against Denholm and Ian Sherwood.  

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton A 1 Brotherhood A 9;

Windsor Hawks 3 Windsor Eagles 7;

Walton B 10 Lawford 0;

Nomads Panthers 6 Nomads Lions 4;

Brotherhood B 7 Walton C 3.

Division 2

Windsor Harriers 6 Brotherhood E 4;

Windsor Magpies 1 Brotherhood G 9;

Nomads Jaguars 4 Nomads Tigers 6;

Brotherhood D 2 Windsor Buzzards 8;

Brotherhood C 7 Windsor Kestrels 3.

Division 3

Windsor Falcons 4 Walton D 6;

Nomads Ocelots 2 Nomads Leopards 8;

Holland Hurricanes 4 Brotherhood F 6;

Holland Vulcans 3 Holland Lancasters 7.

The first round of the Braintree Table Tennis League handicap cup produced its usual share of ups and downs and close finishes

Three matches were decided at 5-4 and two at 6-3, suggesting the handicap formula did its job pretty well.

The three 5-4s featured a dramatic comeback, a match decided by the toss of a coin and a match with three sets decided by two points in the third game.

Black Notley G looked dead and buried against Netts E with the scoreline 4-1 against them..

But Jacqueline Smith, Peter Davenport and Ken Wilding were not done and grabbed the last four to inch through to the next round.

Smith’s win over Cley Dearsley (playing off +8) at 24-22 in the third game started the comeback followed by Wilding’s equally nail-biting 19-21, 24-22, 21-18 win over Richard Fewings (off +10).

Notley I’s match with Rayne H reached 4-4 before the venue had to close.  The Rayne team generously offered to toss a coin rather than claiming the final set and were rewarded when the coin fell the right way for them.

Conrad Gomes’s three wins were vital for Rayne.

Rayne F’s match against Rayne D also went to 4-4 before Scott Whiteside (+6) clinched it with a 21-18, 20-22, 21-19 win over Paul Wellington.

The two 6-3 matches both featured a Finchingfield team against a Sudbury team and in both cases it was the Finchingfieldians who won.

Finchingfield A and Sudbury Nomads stood at 3-3 before the home team took the last three singles.  John Barrett, Peter Clark and Dave Punt all won twice.

Chad Rose was unbeaten as the village’s B team overcame Sudbury Wanderers in another match that had been level after six sets.

Netts F had an easier time, coming past Rayne E 7-2, with James Howard unbeaten, while

Rayne G and Sudbury Strollers won 8-1 against Notley E and Yeldham B respectively.

Alastair Brown and Tim Townsend were unbeaten for Rayne G and Terry Hunneybel and Tim Matthews for Strollers.

Report by Ron Fosker

Three wins in three-straight for Clacton’s leading female player,  Gracie Edwards, was the highlight of Nomads Panthers’ 7-3 victory against Walton A in Division One of the Clacton League.

Gill Locke took two, John Hatley one, with Edwards and Hatley combining to take the doubles, to maintain the Panthers’ sixteen-point lead at the top.

For Walton, Kevin James won two and Derek Willis one, James beating Hatley 11-4 in the decider and Willis beating the same player 11-6 in the decider.

Windsor Hawks maintained their push at the top with a 7-3 success against Walton C. Andy Vincent’s hat-trick included a 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4 win over Pete Burrows. There were two wins for Felipe Rodriguez and one for John Barton, whilst Burrows picked up a couple for Walton.

In Division Two, leaders Windsor Buzzards failed to win for the first time this season, held to a draw by Nomads Jaguars. Jonathan Hockley was the Jaguars’ star, winning his three and, with Dad John, sharing a five-set doubles win over Scott Campbell and Pete Bloomfield. Chris Petrou enjoyed an 11-9 in the fifth win over Andy Cawley to guarantee the draw. Campbell and Bloomfield won two each for the Buzzards.

There were trebles for Neil Chegwidden and reserve Kelvin Olano-Harper as Windsor Penguins inflicted a 6-4 defeat on second-placed Brotherhood C.

This defeat for the ‘C’ team enabled third-placed Brotherhood D, 6-4 winners over Windsor Kestrels, to make up ground, Mark Salter taking three, Paul Alden two and Tricia Salter one. For the Kestrels, Peter Aumord won two and Debra Found one, the pair combining to edge past Alden and Tricia Salter 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 in the doubles. Allen Denyer failed to get on the score-sheet for the Kestrels but it was good to see him back in action for the first time this season.

Bottom side Windsor Magpies went down 10-0 to Zein Shafat, Bob Jillins and Dave Miller of Nomads Tigers, Jillins 11-6 in the fifth victory over Dave Sweetland the only match which went the distance. And although second-from-bottom Brotherhood G lost 8-2 to Windsor Harriers, Brotherhood’s Danny Still excelled to take two points and only just failed to convert it into a debut Division Two hat-trick, going down 11-9 in the fifth in his final singles match.

Long-time pace-setters Brotherhood F were given a stern test by third-placed  Nomads Bobcats in Division Three before emerging as 7-3 winners. Lucy Carvell was undefeated for Brotherhood, her treble including a hard-fought 5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 12-10 victory over Matt Sage. There were a couple each for Ruby Gallagher and Tom Bryden, as there was for Sage for the Bobcats who, with Sam Watling, enjoyed a four-set doubles win against Bryden and Carvell.

Second-placed Brotherhood H eased past lowly Holland Vulcans 10-0, Owen Woollard’s 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9 victory over Derek Foxley the only match extended to a fourth set.

Walton D, in fourth place, started their second-half season with an 8-2 success over a Holland Hurricanes’ side fielding a guest. Lynette Sparks remained unbeaten, while there was one each for Maggie Earle and Adrian Sexton. Both of Sexton’s matches were close, defeating Gerry Widnell 12-10 in the decider but losing 11-9 in the decider to Ian Gwillim. Gwillim took both Hurricanes’ points.

Andrew Cousins led the way for Nomads Ocelots, 7-3 winners against Holland Lancasters. Hazel Blanche won two and Arthur-Wells Garrett one, with Cousins and Wells-Garrett taking the doubles 11-7 in the decider against Dave Wright and Pam Cousins. Wright won a couple for the losers, with Cousins enjoying an 11-9 in the decider win over Wells-Garrett but losing to Blanche by the same score. 

Holland Mosquitos, playing with a guest player, went down 9-1 to Windsor Falcons, although their captain, Pam Blakeley, had the consolation of an 11-5, 8-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7 victory over Matt Thomas.

* The League’s Handicap Singles Tournament takes place at the Windsor venue of St James Hall on Saturday 8th February. Entries will be limited to 32 and that number has very nearly been reached. Full details have been being circulated to all players.

* The draw for Round One of the Knock-Out stage of the Handicap Cup sees the six remaining Brotherhood teams drawn against each other. In two intriguing ties, the youngsters of Division Three Brotherhood F and Brotherhood H will both play higher-ranked opposition, against Division Two Brotherhood C and Division One Brotherhood B respectively. Unusually, no teams from the same Division have been drawn against each other.  The full draw is : Windsor Harriers v Nomads Lions; Nomads Ocelots v Walton B; Windsor Falcons v Walton A; Brotherhood C v Brotherhood F; Brotherhood B v Brotherhood H; Windsor Penguins v Walton C; Nomads Bobcats v Windsor Kestrels; Brotherhood D v Brotherhood A. Matches are to be played in week beginning 27th January.

* There are a number of matches between teams from the same Club which need to be brought forward and played before 4th April. The relevant teams have been notified by e-mail and Team Secretaries are urged to check the League Handbook (page 4) for details of these fixtures.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton A 3 Nomads Panthers 7;

Walton C 3 Windsor Hawks 7.

Division 2

Windsor Kestrels 4 Brotherhood D 6;

Windsor Buzzards 5 Nomads Jaguars 5;

Windsor Penguins 6 Brotherhood C 4;

Nomads Tigers 10 Windsor Magpies 0;

Brotherhood G 2 Windsor Harriers 8.

Division 3

Holland Lancasters 3 Nomads Ocelots 7;

Holland Mosquitos 1 Windsor Falcons 9;

Brotherhood H 10 Holland Vulcans 0;

Brotherhood F 7 Nomads Bobcats 3; Walton D 8 Holland Hurricanes

• 

Report by Tony Oswick

There were matching 8-2 wins for two of the Danbury teams in division one this week as a Daniel Piggott treble led the B team to victory at Galleywood A while Keith Adams won all three in the C teams away triumph at Chelmsford B.  Piggott was in fine form as he breezed through his first two matches of the night in straight games but was well tested by Galleywood’s James Mullane with the win secured 11-8 in the fifth game.  Galleywood’s Peter Barrett produced a fine comeback from 2-0 down to overcome Danbury’s Sam Lowman and recovered from 2-1 down to get the better of Arron Chandler.  Keith Adams dropped just one game in his three wins for Danbury C while teammate Trevor Lloyd saw two five-game matches – losing out to Felix Reeve but besting Nikita Tkachuk. Danbury C lead division one – four points ahead of second placed Chelmsford A having both played 11 matches.

The unbeaten Buttsbury A remain top of division two with a 7-3 home win over second placed Maldon A.  There were three wins for Harrison Hill though he had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Chris Hancox, while Rob Burton also beat Hancox in the deciding game for one of his two victories.  Third-placed Chelmsford C fell to their third defeat of the season – this time at the hands of Danbury E who were boosted by a Neil Want treble.  Want had to overcome stubborn resistance from both Cleon Fernandes and James Grimston with victory against Fernandes secured 12-10 in the fifth, while Grimston’s 2-0 lead proved not enough to prevent Want’s third win of the night. Gary Ward won all of his matches as Writtle C won 7-3 at home against Galleywood B.  There were two wins for Galleywood’s Will Goodchild – both from losing positions, the second from 2-0 down against John Parodi.  Mick Richardson won all three matches though it was not enough to earn a first victory of the season for bottom of the table OCA B as they fell to a 6-4 loss against Writtle B.  Ian Whiteside and Alan Scammell won two matches apiece as tenth placed Danbury F upset fifth-placed Hatfield Peverel A by a 6-4 scoreline.  Scammell beat both Gareth Davies and Martin Archie over five games but ran out of steam against Julie Johnson who won two matches herself. 

Chelmsford D moved six points clear at the top of division three as Adi Kamma won all three in the 7-3 away win against Writtle E.  Second placed Buttsbury B lost ground on the leaders as they fell 6-4 to a Matthew Brown inspired Writtle D while Danbury G sit third despite a 7-3 loss at Hatfield Peverel B – Merv Perriman kept up his end of the bargain for Danbury by winning all three of his matches.  Colin Blore and Robin Armstrong led the way for Galleywood C in their 7-3 home win over OCA C, Armstrong’s third victory of the night was by a hard fought 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 over Richard Baxter. Peter Hance was the only player undefeated in the Danbury derby as his J team won 6-4 over the H team, while Cleon Fernandes did likewise in the Chelmsford derby despite his F team being held to a 5-5 draw with the E team.

Hutton A extended their lead at the top of division four to eleven points with a 10-0 whitewash of ninth-placed Danbury L – Charlie Ware, Jason Yeh and Alex Ware did the business for the league leaders.  Maldon B sit in second position following a 7-3 home win against Galleywood D in a fixture which saw a treble from Maldon’s Brian Riedling, as Buttsbury C moved into third place – their highest of position of the season – with a 10-0 home win over Hatfield Peverel C.  Dave Powell won all three as Danbury K consolidated fifth position with a 7-3 home win over sixth-placed OCA D while Roger Patient and David Cockrell won three apiece in seventh-placed Highwood A’s 8-2 win over Danbury M.   Chelmsford G moved up into eighth position though were held to a 5-5 home draw against Buttsbury D – Mark Nolan won all three of his matches though two of his victories were fifth-game deciders.

Division five runaway leaders Hutton B who have won twelve from twelve this season were not in action but Gary Carr and Francesca Hart won three apiece as second placed Buttsbury E inflicted a twelfth straight defeat on ARU with a 9-1 scoreline.  Third placed Maldon C won 7-3 on the road at Galleywood E despite three victories from Galleywood’s Darren Wright who had to recover from 2-1 down against Tim Huxtable for his third win of the evening.  Ron Tam fired a treble as Writtle F beat Hatfield Peverel F 8-2 – Tam dropped one game in each of his three wins while Martin Goddard’s treble for Highwood B in their 7-3 win against Hatfield Peverel E involved two come-from-behind five gamers.   Peter Davenport won both of his matches as Chelmsford H beat the two-person OCA E team 8-2.

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

For results, fixtures, stats and more please visit https://www.tabletennis365.com/chelmsford

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In the mid table clash between Rawreth Meggazone D and Hockley D Hannah Harbour turned in a POTM performance leading her team to a 7-2 victory, and pushing Hockley into fifth place in Division 2 of the Southend League above Rawreth in sixth. She completed a perfect hat trick and teammates John George and Elliot Brackenbury both weighed in with a brace each. Jonathan Allen actually started the evening with a win for Rawreth defeating George in four sets but a second win didn’t come until game seven when Amar Al-Soufi completed a remarkable comeback win against Brackenbury. He lost the first set 11-0, went 2-1 down, but then won a crucial fourth set 12/10 before clinching the decider 11/5. Earlier he had been two sets down to George but lost the fifth set decider.

Canvey B started the new year with a bang whitewashing Stanford C 9-0 and only dropping three sets in the process. Terry Giddens and Trevor Hayes both recorded perfect hat tricks and Des Duffield completed the rout but did drop a set to Chris Crooks and had to come back from 2-1 down against Vaughan Chambers before winning in five. The win pushes Canvey up into third place above Matchpoint B and level on points with Hockley C who have a game in hand, albeit against Canvey.

Rob Salvage continued his fine form this season with another hat trick as leaders Stanford B beat Runnymede 6-3. This included a fine win against Tony Millward who, like Salvage, had only lost one game this season, coming through in four sets. Support for Salvage came in the form of Mark Downey with two wins and John Handscombe with one. Tina Hutchinson had an eventful night for Runnymede pushing Salvage to five sets before conceding and then overcoming Handscombe in five sets, coming back from 2-1 down before winning the deciding set 12/10. Millward won his other two games.

Hockley C moved up to second place with a hard fought 6-3 win against bottom of the table Matchpoint B. The score were level after six games but three consecutive wins has helped Hockley maintain their promotion push. Mike Worship was the man in form for Hockley winning all his games with Tony Molisso recording a brace and Neal Klyman winning a very important eighth game in five sets against Zach Samuels. He fought back from 2-1 down to win the last two sets 11/3 11/5. Ollie Milchard chalked up two wins for Matchpoint with Alwine Jarvis grabbing the other point.

Player of the Week – Hannah Harbour

Team of the Week – Canvey B

Report by Paul Strutt

Well, it had to happen sometime, and finally, Division 3 league leaders Basildon B have surrendered their unbeaten record.  Stanford D were their conquerors and 7/2 was the scoreline.  Stanford skipper, Randy Santiago, was the hat-trick hero for Stanford, with his teammates, Jake Santiago and Andrew Jessop, adding a brace each.  Andy Roff recorded two wins for Basildon and came close to beating Randy.  Having established a two-set lead he fell just short, as Randy recovered to take the last three sets 12/10, 11/8, 11/8.

Second placed Invicta C took full advantage of their rival’s defeat with a near perfect 8/1 win over Hockley F.  James Evesham scored the only point for Hockley and prevented the whitewash, with a straight sets win over David Barlow in the final game.  Andrew St John and Keith Baxter both unbeaten on the night for Invicta. 

Rawreth Meggazone E could only muster two players for their trip to Hullbridge to take on Matchpoint D.  Graham Back (2) and Ro Brett (1) were on the scoresheet for Rawreth but it was Matchpoint who emerged as 6/3 winners.  Richard Sloman won both his games to take the POM award and there was a notable win for Cooper Hill over the experienced Ro Brett.  Having fallen two sets behind, Cooper rallied brilliantly to win the final three sets 11/8, 11/8, 14/12.  Well played young man!

Finally, this week, Hadleigh Forum D were 6/3 winners over Hockley E and remain in third place in the table.  Douglas Brown turned in an unbeaten performance, well supported by Sineh Ball with two wins and Ivan Arabadzhiev with a single win.  Ron Rogerson, with a couple of wins, was the best on the night for Hockley.

Report by Dave Woolmer

At the Christmas and New Year break, Matchpoint A stand at the top of the Division 1 table. However, their lead over rivals Basildon A is only a slender five points, with Basildon having played one fewer match. At the other end of the table both Hadleigh Forum C and Wakering are a little adrift of their peers.

Harry Sawford was Player of the Match for Matchpoint’s 6 – 3 win over visitors Hadleigh Forum B. Alexander Deacon chipped in with two wins and Daniel Stewart got the other. Veteran Tony Jacks was Forum’s best performer taking two scalps, with David Woolmer collecting one win.

A surprising (and much needed) victory by Wakering away at Canvey A was masterminded by POM Andy Dedman’s hat trick. Paul England was also undefeated and Stewart Mills added one victory, as Wakering romped to a 7 – 2 win. Lee McGonagle and Joanne Hills each won one for the Islanders.

Rawreth Megazone C were too strong for visitors Brand Identity B, coming out 6 – 3 victors. Garry Hartgrove was their main man, being undefeated, a feat matched by his teammate Paul Brown. Brand’s team (of Mick Grout, Jenny Harrison and Dale Gutteridge) each recorded one win.

Hadleigh Forum C entertained Mapledene, but we’re a little too generous hosts. Visiting Dawn Baldry came away with the POM award for an unbeaten display, whist Lin Roff added two, and Charles Yeung one in a 6 – 3 away win. Paul Fawell had two successes and Mark Everard one for the home side.

Report by David Barnes

It was a good week for the three Division One teams from the Walton Club who all won their Group matches to make it through to the Knock-Out stage of the Clacton League’s Handicap Cup competition.

Walton C in Group F had the toughest task, beating Brotherhood G 5-2 and winning three of the four tight matches which went the distance. John Marshall and Clive Allenby (-6) beat Dan Grindrod and Gary Simpson (+1) 11-9 in the fifth, Allenby and Graham Buxton (-8) beat Simpson and Danny Still (+1) 11-5 in the fifth, while Marshall (-6) beat Still (+1) 11-6 in the fifth. Allenby was Walton’s best player on the night, remaining unbeaten.

The Walton C team go through alongside Brotherhood H, who topped the Group following a convincing 5-0 victory over Nomads Tigers.

Walton A and Walton D in Group E knew the winner of their  Group match would qualify whilst the loser would be eliminated. And it was the top-flight ‘A’ team who triumphed 5-2 over their Division Three club-mates, Derek Willis winning his two singles and one doubles.  

Brotherhood B are the second side to go through in this Group, despite losing 5-3 to Nomads Leopards. However, they did well considering they were forced to play with a guest, but Nomads’ Anne Bonny (+2) settled the match, winning 11-5, 11-6 against Sam Plummer (-15). 

Walton B, who as Walton C won the Cup last year, are also through to the Knock-Out stage, this after recording a 5-0 win against Holland Hurricanes in Group H. The closest contest of the tie proved extremely close, Mark Ratcliffe (-17) edging past John Smith-Daye (+2) 12-10, 9-11, 12-10.

In the other match in this Group, there were blue skies over Lawford who notched up their first victory in any competition this season with a hard-earned 5-4 victory over Brotherhood A, James Tindle remaining unbeaten in singles and doubles. Despite this, Lawford fail to qualify whilst Brotherhood A, with two previous victories, go through as Group winners.

In Group A, both Brotherhood F and Nomads Bobcats had qualified prior to the final week and, when the two teams faced each other, it turned out a 5-2 win for Brotherhood, Joe Sherwin undefeated.

The second Group match was thus played for honour only, Nomads Jaguars chalking up a 5-1 victory over Holland Vulcans.

In Group B, Windsor Harriers were 5-1 victors over Windsor Magpies, winning all three matches which went the distance,  including Barry Allen’s (-5) 12-10 in the fifth victory over John Plummer (+1).

The Harriers, alongside Brotherhood D who had completed their Cup programme and were without a match, qualify from the Group.

Group C has been something of a disappointment, with five of the six scheduled matches conceded, although this is no reflection on the two teams who have qualified, Windsor Penguins and Nomads Ocelots. The two teams met this week in their final Group match, the Penguins winning 5-0 against a two-player Ocelots.  

Brotherhood C made it three wins out of three to top Group D, finishing this stage of the competition by defeating Windsor Eagles 5-1.

But it was a winner-takes-all situation in the other Group match between Windsor Falcons and Windsor Buzzards. And in a contest which went to the wire, Nigel Rolph, Matt Thomas and Nikki Hayes of the Falcons edged it 5-4, Rolph and Thomas (+2) taking the final match 11-0, 6-11, 11-9 against Scott Campbell and Pete Bloomfield (-15).

Both Windsor Kestrels and Nomads Lions had qualified in Group G before they met in their final fixture, the Kestrels winning 5-0 against a two-player Lions’ side.

In the other Group match, Brotherhood E enjoyed a consolation 5-3 win against a two-man Windsor Hawks. But the Hawks almost took the tie to a decider, Kevin Pryor (+1) getting Brotherhood over the line with a 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 0-11, 13-11 victory over Felipe Rodriguez (-5).

* The matches for Round One of the Knock-Out stage of the competition will be played during week beginning 27th January. It will feature six teams from Division One, and five each from Divisions Two and Three. Brotherhood will have six teams in the draw, Windsor four, with Nomads and Walton each having three. Details of the draw and grades will be circulated by Thursday 16th January at the latest.

* The League’s Handicap Singles Tournament takes place at the Windsor venue of St James Hall on Saturday 8th February. Entries will be limited to 32. The closing date for entry is Friday 31st   January. Full details are being circulated to all players.

* Team Secretaries should note a temporary change as regards e-mailed result cards. For League matches played during the period 13th January to 9th February, result cards should not be e-mailed to Gavin Price. Instead, e-mailed result cards, as well as being sent to Tony Oswick, should also be copied to John Barton (john.a.barton@btinternet.com). Result cards can still be delivered personally to Tony Oswick in the usual way.

RESULTS

HANDICAP CUP

Group A

Nomads Jaguars 5 Holland Vulcans 1;

Brotherhood F 5 Nomads Bobcats 2.

Group B

Windsor Harriers 5 Windsor Magpies 1.

Group C

Nomads Ocelots 0 Windsor Penguins 5.

Group D

Windsor Falcons 5 Windsor Buzzards 4;

Brotherhood C 5 Windsor Eagles 1.

Group E

Walton D 2 Walton A 5;

Nomads Leopards 5 Brotherhood B 3.

Group F

Brotherhood H 5 Nomads Tigers 0;

Walton C 5 Brotherhood G 2.

Group G

Windsor Kestrels 5 Nomads Lions 0;

Brotherhood E 5 Windsor Hawks 3.

Group H

Lawford 5 Brotherhood A 4;

Holland Hurricanes 0 Walton B 5.

Report by Tony Oswick