This week saw the quarter-final stage of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League Team Handicap Cup.  The Handicap Cup is played across the whole league structure – just like the FA Cup in football – but players are assigned a handicap based on ability and ranking to even out the playing field, or in this case, table.

Cold Norton B are both the current holders and red-hot favourites to retain the cup.  In this round they travelled the short distance to face the league’s friendliest team Blackwater E – but would their notorious generosity and hospitality off the table transfer to the on-table battle.  With handicap differences of up to 26 points the challenge was all uphill for the Nortonites.  But battle they did and with the handicaps proving pretty accurate it was really the quality of the Cold Norton players that saw out each leg at the crucial death points.  In the opening doubles Blackwater’s Phil West (+7) and Kath Little (+9) got to the precipice but couldn’t quite find the momentum to skip over the edge as Sam Lowman (-17) and Dan Anderson (-12) caught up very late into each leg and then powered through the last couple of points winning out 21-17, 21-18.  Deb Ginn (+5) had a 22 point start on Cold Norton’s Eric Green (-17) and played exceptionally well in the first 2 sets, getting to 20-20 in set 1 but just losing out and then taking the second leg 21-19 – but despite all this effort Green was able to maintain his accuracy and determination for the crucial deciding set and took another point for his Cold Norton combo.  Little had a similar experience in her drawn out battle with the defensive king that is Anderson, comfortably taking the opening set but then just losing out in the second set as Anderson got his eye in and concentration levels up.  The deciding set remained close throughout but again Anderson pulled through for Cold Norton taking the match with a 21-16 leg.  This story was largely repeated throughout the games as Blackwater put up a brave fight but when the handicaps were pulled back around 17 all it was the higher ranked players that were able to finish off the games.  Cold Norton go through 5-0 but the scoreline doesn’t really do justice to the efforts of the Blackwater E trio.

In an all Division 2 encounter Blackwater B hosted Woodham D with only a handful of handicap differences between them with 5 points being the highest.  Woodham’s opening doubles pairing kicked things off with a long and hard fought 21-19 deciding leg victory as Peter Harverson (-4) and Jeremy Giffin (-1) defeated Blackwaters Noah Sage (-1) and Gary Smith (+1).  But Blackwater soon found themselves 2-1 up thanks to straight set triumphs for Louis Gunn (-3) over Scott Perry (-3), and Sage over Harverson.  Giffin squared up the match as he edged passed Smith in 3 long sets and then the match went into a pattern of win one lose one with Blackwater always ahead by 1 win but Woodham pulling back each time.  So deep into the evening and we had a final match all-or-nothing decider – Gunn and Smith (-1) versus Perry and Giffin (-2) – would that 1 point advantage make the difference?  Well not in the opening set as the Blackwater duo stormed ahead and took the frame quite comfortably.  But as throughout the match the Woodham team fought back in the second leg and in this one the extra point did make the difference with Blackwater squeezing through 21-19 for the leg, the match, the overall team win and the important bragging rights!

With Blackwater A prevailing via a walkover, the final match of the week saw Division 1 strugglers Woodham B host their Division 3 stablemates Woodham E.  Again plenty of fun handicap differences in this one for the crowd to enjoy.  With such a range of handicaps and playing styles it was hard to predict how this one would go.  The opening game set the scene though as the Woodham B pairing of Eamonn Hall (-5) and Harry Sawford (-6) had to work tirelessly against the E team’s Allan Steel (-2) and Diane King (+10) in order to reduce the deficit.  Efficient serving and taking chances when they arose were the order of the day catching up the handicaps at 15-15 in both legs and then finishing off the match with some more relaxed attacking play.   Woodham B’s highest ranked player Sanjay Saptarshi (-12) hadn’t got the memo on how to play his handicap matches as he initially struggled against Reece Arundel (+8), taking unnecessary risks and allowing Arundel to build up what seemed an unassailable lead culminating in 8 game points at 20-12 to his advantage.  Around this time Saptarshi switched to a more cautious approach and ground out point after point forcing Arundel into errors and only attacking when there was minimal risk.  Eventually he caught up at 20-20 and then took the final 2 points for a run of 10 points on the bounce and the unexpected first leg.  That was Saptarshi sorted and he rattled off the second leg with much more ease.  This was really the pattern of the whole match as Woodham B went into stealth mode until they had caught up their handicaps in the high teens and then were able to finish off with more attacking shots.  So a 5-0 victory dance for the B team but as with the Cold Norton game earlier in the week the handicaps worked as virtually all games saw the E team reach 17-18 points and then the match becomes a 3-4 point shootout.  Onto the semi-final, with the draw taking place later in the week and venue and ticket information to follow.

On a sadder note the League lost one of its long standing players this week as we mourn the passing of John Monk.  John was a stalwart of Mapledene Table Tennis Club and was a previous winner of our coveted Singles Title.  An awesome player and a real character on and off the table.   He was playing at the highest level right up until his illness took hold of him earlier this year, and was a regular at the Burnham Tournaments with his last Final being the Over 60s Singles in 2023.  He will be sorely missed and we pass on our condolences to all his family and friends.

Pic 1 – Triumphant Blackwater B trio – Messrs Sage, Smith & Gunn

Pic 2 – Sanjay Saptarshi in his opening set with Reece Arundel

Pic 3 – Cold Norton B’s captain Dan Anderson grinding out the wins

Pic 4 – John Monk RIP

Report by Eamonn Hall

Harry Chivers was back in action and fired a hat-trick as his Chelmsford A team fell to a 6-4 away defeat to Danbury C who moved one point clear at the top of division one.  John Poysden and Keith Adams won twice apiece for the hosts with Poysden doing well to overcome Aidan Lees over five games in a see-saw battle. There were trebles for Arron Chandler and Matthew Stringer in Danbury B’s 8-2 victory over Chelmsford B.  Chelmsford’s Waseem Qureshi proved a tough nut to crack, he beat Dan Anderson in three, took Chandler to four and was 2-1 up against Matthew Stringer before the fightback. The two-person team of Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read went undefeated for Writtle A in their 7-3 success at Galleywood A.

Dawn Baldry and Chris Hancox were on top form with three wins apiece as Maldon A earned a fine 8-2 win at last year’s division two runners up Hatfield Peverel A.  Baldry was in a relentless mood, dropping just one game across her three victories while teammate Lloyd Bennett-Smith threw away winning positions in five game losses to both Alastair Piper and Martin Archie.  Maldon continue to sit in second position, now seven points behind leaders Buttsbury A and seven points ahead of third-placed Danbury D with all three sides through ten fixtures of the season.  Danbury D’s position is very much thanks to Sanjay Saptarshi who fired his fifth treble of the season (three more than any teammate) in a 7-3 away win at Galleywood B.  Saptarshi didn’t lose a game while teammate Peter Chastin did well to recover from 2-0 down against Robin Armstrong for the first of his two wins. Another key player for their team – Simon Jarvis – fired his sixth hat-trick of the season (five more than any teammate) in Chelmsford C’s 8-2 home win against Old Chelmsfordians B.  Dusan Doszkoty joined Jarvis with three wins (his first of the season) though he had to come through a tight opener with Mick Richardson: 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 16-14.  Despite mixed results this season in division three Peter Hance made his first appearance of the season in division two and won all three in Danbury F’s 5-5 draw at Writtle B. Hance beat Phil Smith in three, Trevor Collin in four and recovered from 0-2 to beat Trevor Carter, the defeat to Hance was the only loss of the night for both Collin and Smith.  There were three wins for Tim Cramphorn and two each for Neil Want and Tony Forster as Danbury E earned an 8-2 win on the road at Writtle C.  Writtle’s John Webber won twice but lost out to Cramphorn by a 15-13 scoreline in the decider with Danbury continuing their progress up the table up to sixth position from tenth two weeks ago.

The top three positions in division three are separated by just four points with this division still waiting to be taken by the scruff of the neck by one of the teams, Writtle D in fifth position have lost fewer games than two of the top three sides and hold a game in hand so may make their move shortly.  Chelmsford D lead the way on 72 points from 11 matches and they earned a 7-3 home win over clubmates Chelmsford F despite a first treble since week four for F’s Cleon Fernandes.   Fernandes beat Chris Denyer in three, Adi Kamma in four and Keith Martin in five. Simon Quelch capped his first appearance of the season with a hat-trick as his Hatfield Peverel B trio drew 5-5 on the road at Buttsbury B.  Buttsbury’s Oscar Hutt posted a fine 3–2 win over Neil Freeman and was one game up against Quelch before going down in four.  There were three wins for Matthew Brown in Writtle D’s 7-3 home win over Writtle while Danbury G’s Denis Balic and Denis Crapnell won two apiece in an entertaining looking home fixture with Galleywood C which ended 6-4 to the hosts.

Hutton A earned themselves some breathing space at the top of division four with another 10-0 victory, this time against Buttsbury D who slip from third to fifth in the table.  While the father/son tandem of Alex and Charlie Ware had relatively straightforward evenings, teammate Oladapo Owolabi did extremely well to hold his nerve in tight five-game matches with Caroline Cole and Jenne Seibolt. Maldon B remain second following a 9-1 away win at Highwood B while Danbury K find themselves in a season high third position as three wins from Dave Hancox and two from Dave Oxley-Goody saw off Hatfield Peverel C in a 7-3 scoreline. There was a first appearance of the season for Farooq Ahmed who won all three in OCA D’s 7-3 away success at Danbury L. Ahmed beat both Ken Wilding and Roy Gandy in four with his match against John Manning being the only to go the distance. There was a fourth treble of the season for Buttsbury C’s Oscar Hutt in his sides 9-1 away victory at winless Danbury M – Frances Hutt and Lucy Elliott also went undefeated.  Galleywood D’s Stewart Ireland fired his first hat-trick since week four as his team edged out Chelmsford G 6-4. Ireland recovered from 2-1 down against Mark Nolan in the opener with Nolan later fighting back from 2-0 down against Lewis Armstrong only for Armstrong to take the decider.

Trebles from Gheorghe Nita and Lee Vallis extended Hutton B’s lead at the top of division five to 14 points in a 7-3 home win over Writtle F.  Writtle fell to their second successive defeat having gone unbeaten in their first eight matches.   There was a 5-5 draw for Maldon C despite a third successive treble for Garry Eames against fourth placed Hatfield Peverel D who remain just a point back.  David Cockrell won all three as his Highwood B moved from eighth to a season-high position of sixth with an 8-2 home win over Chelmsford H.  Highwood are  now unbeaten in four having lost their previous five matches. OCA E and Galleywood E shared the spoils in a 5-5 draw with OCA now unbeaten in two matches having lost five on the bounce, Galleywood E have now just one loss in their last six fixtures. Douglas Bawuah’s second hat-trick in his last three appearances wasn’t enough to prevent ARU from their tenth straight defeat this season.  Bawuah has earned 16 of ARU’s 25 points to date and he dropped just one game in ARU’s 6-4 loss to Hatfield Peverel E.

The 2024/2025 C&DTTL Tournament will take place between the 3rd and 5th January 2025 at Mildmay Hall, Anglia Ruskin University.  Please find details and entry form here:  https://www.tabletennis365.com/chelmsford

___________________________

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

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

___________________________

In Division 2 of the Southend League Hockley D’s Hannah Harbour hit successive hat tricks, both against the two Stanford sides, to give her an outstanding Player of the Week award. Firstly she moved up to Hockley’s C team to help them overwhelm Stanford C 9-0, and then she led her own D team to a surprise 5-4 victory against runaway leaders Stanford B inflicting on them their first defeat of the season.

Paul Strutt and Brian Bissenden were Hannah’s team mates in the match against Stanford C and it was pretty straight forward as they dropped only three sets all night. Needless to say Hannah didn’t drop any. Vaughan Chambers, Chris Crooks and Peter Moxon made up the Stanford team. The win moves Hockley up to second place behind Stanford B.

Hannah’s second appearance of the week was a lot more eventful. Hockley had to make a last minute change to their team having to call up Keith Denyer from their E team due to a late withdrawal. Stanford B, unbeaten at the start of the evening, arrived without their top performers this season Rob Salvage and Adrian Armstrong but with the unbeaten Russell Bright. The Stanford team of Bright, Mark Downey and John Handscombe proved too strong for Denyer which meant it was down to Hannah and young William Evesham to fly the Hockley flag and they flew it almost perfectly. Harbour’s first and toughest match of the evening came against Downey and after winning the first two sets Harbour found herself pulled back to 2-2 before she clinched the final set 11/8. She followed this by defeating Bright in four sets and then Handscombe in three, and wins for Evesham against Handscombe and Downey, another five set match, meant Hockley had a winning 5-2 lead. Stanford took the final two matches Bright beating Evesham in four sets and Downey beating Denyer in three. Stanford stay top and have a healthy 17 point lead although Hockley C have a game in hand.

Second placed Matchpoint B took on fourth placed Canvey B and a closely fought match went down to the final match of the evening after the Islanders fought back from 4-1 down to level the scores at 4-4. The deciding match saw John Lott of Matchpoint taking on Trevor Hayes, both unbeaten on the night, but it turned out pretty one sided as Lott won in straight sets to clinch the match for the home team. Max Mayo and Oliver Milchard added a point each for Matchpoint, Milchard coming from two sets down to beat Des Duffield and Mayo beating Tony Westwell in straight sets. Canvey’s points came from Hayes two wins and one each from Duffield and Westwell.

In the bottom half of the table Rawreth Megazone kept themselves clear of any relegation issues by beating Invicta B 6-3 who now sit one but bottom of the table. Gus Heath was in form, as usual, claiming a maximum and he was supported by Richard Kidd with two wins and Amar Al-Soufi with one. Match of the night was Steve Lennox’s marathon defeat of Kidd with the closest of scorelines 9/11 10/12 12/10 12/10 12/14. Lennox also beat Al-Soufi as did Mike Keeble who came back from two sets down to claim his win.

The team who sit bottom of the table, Matchpoint C, went down 7-2 to Runnymede but it was closer than the score might suggest. Take away Tony Millward’s perfect hat trick and every other game went to four sets and beyond. Ollie Milchard picked up both his sides points beating Steve Wisbey in four and Andy Humphries in a long five set match 7/11 15/13 11/9 15/17 7/11. Humphries and Steve Wisbey both got two wins for Runnymede but spare a thought for Zach Samuels of Matchpoint who took them both to five sets with no reward.

Player of the Week – Hannah Harbour

Team of the Week – Hockley D

Report by Paul Strutt

The position at the top of the Division 1 table is hotting up, with four teams separated by just two points. 
Matchpoint A joined Basildon A at the top of the table, tied on 48 points, thanks to a close 5 – 4 away win at Canvey A. Stephen Heard was their match winner, taking a maximum, although it was single wins from Debbie O’Neil and Dan Stewart that settled things. Peter Cray got two wins for Canvey, and Joanna Hills and Lee McGonagle one each. Canvey are two points off top spot with 46 points.
Mapledene had arguably their best result of the season, overcoming visitors Basildon A 6 – 3 to put a brake on the away team’s progress. It was an all round effort, with Andy Seaman, Mike Johnston and Bill Smith each winning two. Self-styled ‘old codger’ Bill produced the performance of his season, getting the better of Basildon’s Arun Joy in four sets, to inflict only Arun’s second defeat of the season. Arun was the visitor’s best player, taking two victories, while Rob Burton got one.
Rawreth Megazone C are the other team currently on 46 points. This week saw them complete a comfortable 6 – 3 home win over Wakering. Callum Turner scored a hat trick for the visitors to take the POM prize and to extend his unbeaten run. However, two wins each for the home side’s Garry Hartgrove, Trevor Ward and Gary McCarthy saw them claim victory with ease.
Brand Identity B are not far behind the leading bunch. Their 5 – 4 win at Hadleigh Forum C sees them move on to 43 points. Forum’s Mark Everard will consider himself unlucky to finish on the losing side, despite his maximum POM performance. However, two wins each for Spud Saunders and Mick Grout, together with a single from Dale Gutteridge saw the visitors to victory. David Thomas got Forum’s other win.

Report by David Barnes

Burnham & District Table Tennis League –

With the top two teams on a rest week it was up to chasing pack to demonstrate their intentions in the developing leadership battle at the top of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League.  Both Mapledene A and Woodham A had wins this week but the Mapledene crew will be happier with their victory margin whilst the Woodhamites were involved in a much more closely fought ding-dong with their own B side.  But there are plenty more dramas to unfold as we have a 4 horse shootout in play for the next few rounds of this intriguing season.

Mapledene A quickly dispatched a 2-man Cold Norton C team in a confident 8-2 victory that pushes them into third spot with a game in hand that could see them overtake current leaders Fambridge.  Arron Chandler was the thorn in the side of Mapledene as he took a 4 set win over Steve Muth and then a very tight 12-10 fifth set triumph over Evie Knappen – a continuation of Chandler’s excellent form this season.  For Mapledene it was their rarely seen Captain Reece Seddon who did most damage with a clean night of wins in both the singles and doubles categories.  Woodham A welcomed Woodham B to Champions Manor Hall and didn’t take long for the away side to adjust to the foreign environment taking the first point as Daniel Patynski beat Gus Heath in straight sets.  The A teams Chris Penrose soon sorted out the alphabeticalness of the scorecard with good wins over Patynski and Sanjay Saptarshi, and with Saptarshi edging passed Daniel Piglet in a rollercoaster 5-setter the A team found themselves 4-2 up at the break.  Penrose and Piglet were odds on for the doubles and took the first leg but them something clicked with the B team pairing of Patynski and Saptarshi and they rattled off the next 3 legs for an unexpected but very welcome bonus point, bringing the score back to a respectable 4-3.  In the final run of singles matches Penrose completed his hat-trick with a straight sets victory over B team debutant Peter Harverson, Piglet ousted Patynski, and then Saptarshi closed out the scoring with a win over Heath for a final 6-4 victory for the A team – a slight dent in their podium finish ambitions.  In the other top flight match this week Mapledene B romped home against an undermanned Woodham C.  The final score was 9-1 to Mapledene with Paul Brown the only Mapledenite to drop a point, losing out to the effervescent Adi Kamma. Both Keith Willett and penhold fanatic Colin Chatfield went unbeaten across the evening despite some really strong play from Woodham’s Graham Briggs.

Maldon A strengthened their grip on pole position in Division 2 with a less than comfortable 8-2 victory over Cold Norton D.  Lloyd Bennett-Smith and that man Hamish Innes went unbeaten all evening in both competitive formats leaving debutant Ross Kirby to secure the final point with his defeat of Dave Hancox.  This encounter saw 5 of the individual matches go to deciding sets and only 1 of the matches was settled in straight sets – tough on the Cold Norton team but at least they won a couple of points for their endeavours.   A prevailed over B in the Battle of the Blackwater this week.  Blackwater A’s Neil Freeman was the strongest knight coming away completely unscathed from the battle – 4 matches, 12 sets for, none lost, where’s that cigar?  Freeman was supported well by his entourage of Alan Scammell (1 win) and Roger Slade (2 wins), with the B team’s young buck Noah Sage causing the most upset with wins over Scammell and Slade.  Mapledene C further dented the hopes and aspirations of Woodham C this year with a 7-3 away victory that propels them into 3^rd place.  Mapledener Andy Seaman was on tremendous form hitting an excellent hat-trick in the singles, with both Pat White and Mike Johnston hitting doubles.  White losing out to Alan Dadswell in the final match of the evening, and Johnston succumbing to the skills of Jeremy Giffin.  Dadswell and Mal Henstock combined for an unexpected bonus with a deciding set doubles victory over White and Seaman.

In the battle for Division 3 Maldon C extended their lead with a high scoring 8-2 conquest of Blackwater D.  Ella Sach was in formidable mood with a fine hat-trick which was matched by Chris Ravenhill, and the two combined for the doubles.  For Blackwater both David Sage and Peter Davenport edged passed Shirley Carroll for the Blackwater haul, with Carroll coming through a topsy turvy 5 setter with Ron Tam to complete her side’s scoring for the evening.  Blackwater C are secure in second place but will really need to pull a few high scoring rabbits out of the fixtures hat to get anywhere near the runaway leaders.  This week they travelled to Woodham E only to encounter the deft skills of Woodham’s unbeaten Allan Steel.  Steel, predictably, won all his singles only dropping the one leg to Merv Perriman – come on Division 3 players, someone take this man down!  Other than Steel’s 3 points for Woodham, Blackwater cleaned up for a 7-3 win with 2 wins apiece for Perriman, Dave Benstead, and Jacqui Treacy.  Blackwater E and Maldon D ended in stalemate with Maldon’s James Raymond claiming the player of the match accolades with an impressive hat-trick.  Both sides had good chances to win the match as 4 of the contests went to deciding frames but they decided that it would be nice all round for everyone to win at least one match and to share the spoils evenly – how lovely.  Maldon E must be the less friendly side of the Club as they didn’t succumb to such niceties as they rolled over Blackwater F for a final score of 7-3. John Leavett was the most effective Maldonian with a hat-trick in the singles and he then combined with Kym Eames for the extra doubles point.  Eames won 2 of her singles, as did Blackwater’s young star of the future Oscar Wyman.

Pic 1 – Woodham A’s Chris Penrose in unbeatable form this week

Pic 2 – Sanjay Saptarshi battles it out over 5 sets with Daniel Piglet in the Woodham Derby this week

Pic 3 – Alan Dadswell goes down fighting against the hat-trick man from Mapledene C Andy Seaman

Pic 4 – Blackwater C’s experienced pimple pusher Mervyn Perriman in action this week.

Pic 5  – Woodham E’s Reece Arundell tries his hand against Jacqui Treacy of Blackwater C

Report by Eamonn Hall

It was a good week in the Clacton League for Alex Baldock, captain of Division Three side Nomads Bobcats.

The much-improved Baldock kept his cool to remain unbeaten in the Bobcats’ 8-2 victory over Holland Hurricanes, a treble which included hard-fought wins over Ian Gwillim, 11-7 in the fifth, and Pam Cousins, 11-3 in the fifth. It was his third maximum of the season. Sam Watling and Jack Riddleston each won two for the Bobcats, Watling having a narrow 11-7 in the fifth win over John Smith-Daye. Gwillim took the two points for the Hurricanes.

And Baldock followed this up with an impressive performance as a reserve for Nomads Jaguars in Division Two against Windsor Kestrels, enjoying excellent victories over Debra Found and Jackie Bunce, which, together with a Chris Petrou hat-trick, gave the Jaguars a 6-4 win.

Back in Division Three, there were handsome victories for the top two teams.

Long-time pace-setters, Brotherhood F, had a comfortable 10-0 win over Holland Vulcans. Tom Bryden, Lucy Carvell and Joe Sherwin were the successful trio. The win maintains their ten-point cushion over nearest rivals, Brotherhood H.

The ‘H’ team, in their turn, are seven points clear of third-placed Nomads Bobcats, this week beating Nomads Ocelots 10-0, Savindu De Silva, Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard unbeaten.  

The ever-reliable fourth-placed Walton D defeated Holland Mosquitos 9-1, Adrian Sexton and Maggie Earle taking three each, and Deborah Pallett two. Brian Abram picked up the Mosquitos’ point.

In the closest match of the week, Nomads Leopards and Windsor Falcons shared the spoils. Kelvin Olano maintained his 100% record, but it was a close-run thing, defeating Dominic Joannou 11-8 in the decider. Nikki Hayes and Nigel Rolph added a point apiece for the Falcons whilst, for the Leopards, Joannou and Anne Bonny each took a couple, the pair edging past Olano and Hayes 11-7 in the fifth to take the doubles and secure the draw.

In Division One, reigning champions and favourites, Nomads Panthers, end the first half-season with a healthy lead at the top following their 10-0 win against bottom team Lawford. James Denyer, Greg Green and John Hatley all won their three, captain Hatley’s 11-6 in the fifth victory over Glen Laing the closest match of the encounter.

Windsor Eagles defeated Walton C 8-2, but the score-line belies the fact that all five matches which went the distance went to the Eagles.

John Pattrick and Phil Smith both stayed unbeaten, Pattrick defeating John Marshall 11-7 in the fifth and Graham Buxton 11-6 in the fifth, whilst Phil Smith had a nail-biting 13-11 in the fifth win over Buxton. The pair also took the doubles, 11-7 in the fifth against Buxton and Marshall. Windsor skipper John Hobson gained a point with an 11-7 in the decider victory over Marshall, whilst there was a point each for Walton’s Buxton and Clive Allenby.

In Division Two, leaders Windsor Buzzards inflicted a 10-0 defeat on bottom team Windsor Magpies. Scott Campbell, Ray Chillingworth and Pete Bloomfield all took trebles, although Bloomfield was severely tested by Dave Sweetland before coming through 12-10 in the fifth.

So the Buzzards end the first half-season with a thirteen-point lead over second-placed Brotherhood C, who were unable to close the gap after losing 6-4 to third-placed Brotherhood D.

Five of the matches went all the way, the ‘D’ team winning four of them. Mark Salter’s maximum for the winners included an 11-9 in the fifth win over Mark Boyland, whilst Paul Alden beat the same player 11-8 in the fifth and then overcame Paul Metcalf 11-6 in the fifth. Salter and Alden combined to win the doubles 11-9 in the decider. Mark Beckham was the ‘D’ team’s most successful player, winning twice, including an 11-9 in the fifth victory over Alden to deny Alden his hat-trick.

Three teams currently share fourth place, all on fifty-five points.

Nomads Jaguars, 6-4 winners against Windsor Kestrels, are level with Brotherhood E, also 6-4 winners against Windsor Penguins, despite a hat-trick for Penguins’ skipper, Neil Chegwidden. Fred Gallone and Kevin Pryor each won two for the Brotherhood side, with Duncan Dunne pipping Paul Stanton, 11-8 in the decider.

Nomads Tigers are the third team sharing fourth spot, Zein Shafat leading the way this week with a hat-trick in his side’s 7-3 success against Windsor Harriers, a hat-trick which included a  tight 13-11 in the fifth victory over Barry Allen. Bob Jillins won two and reserve Matt Sage one, Shafat and Jillins sharing an 11-8 in the fifth doubles win in the only other match which went the distance. Allen was the Harriers’ best player, winning two.

* Next week sees the start of the Group matches of the Handicap Cup. Winning teams must send the result sheet to Tony Oswick within twenty-four hours of the match being played. Players should note that Holland Lancasters and Holland Mosquitos have withdrawn from the competition, and any matches they were due to play have been awarded as walk-over wins to their opponents. 

RESULTS

Division 1

Windsor Eagles 8 Walton C 2;

Lawford 0 Nomads Panthers 10.

Division 2

Windsor Kestrels 4 Nomads Jaguars 6;

Windsor Penguins 4 Brotherhood E 6;

Windsor Buzzards 10 Windsor Magpies 0;

Nomads Tigers 7 Windsor Harriers 3;

Brotherhood C 4 Brotherhood D 6.

Division 3

Nomads Leopards 5 Windsor Falcons 5;

Walton D 9 Holland Mosquitos 1;

Brotherhood F 10 Holland Vulcans 0;

Brotherhood H 10 Nomads Ocelots 0;

Holland Hurricanes 2 Nomads Bobcats 8.

Report by Tony Oswick

The big news of the week in Southend Division 3 was the first win of the season by the junior Hockley F side.  George Higgins led the way with a hard-fought maximum, well supported by James Evesham and Amelia Taylor, who achieved her first win of the season.  Indeed, it was Taylor who finally secured the 5/4 win over Canvey C.  With the match score locked at 4/4, she held her nerve to overcome David Coverley in 4 sets to get her team over the line.  Well done Hockley!

Elsewhere, league leaders, Basildon B, maintained their unbeaten run courtesy of a narrow 5/4 win away at Matchpoint B.  Richard Sloman was unbeaten for the hosts and Jeff Gritzman added the extra point, but Basildon prevailed with two wins each for Richard Riebold and Anton Kudynuik, and a single win for Michael Elemide.

Second placed, Invicta C, closed the gap at the top to 12 points following their 7/2 win over Hadleigh Forum D.  Trisha Winter was the POM here with a straight sets maximum.  Skipper Keith Baxter was also unbeaten on the night and David Youngman added the extra.

Hockley E have moved into third place after a 7/2 win over Evolve, with a hat-trick from Gary Beck and two wins each for Keith Denyer and George Clark.  Miles Bygrave was the best player on the night for Evolve, with two wins to his name.

Brand Identity’s Adam Jackman’s return from Southend Premier League duties has again upset the Division 1 equilibrium. This week his team were away at leaders Basildon A. Jackman recorded an unbeaten maximum to lead his side to an impressive 7 – 2 victory. His hat trick included a first defeat of the season for the home side’s Arun Joy. Team mates Michael Grout and Dale Gutteridge each added two wins, whilst Joy was responsible for both Basildon’s successes.

Canvey A returned to winning ways. Bob Skews was their hero, winning all three of his rubbers in a 7 – 2 away win at Mapledene. The returning Ray Wilson and stalwart Peter Cray shared their sides other points. The home side’s ladies, Lin Roff and Dawn Baldry, won one contest each.

In a close fought match, Rawreth Megazone C overcame their visitors Hadleigh Forum B 6 – 3. Paul Brown was again Rawreth’s star, taking the POM prize with an unbeaten evening. Gary McCarthy added two and Trevor Ward one win. The Forum team of Dave Woolmer, Tony Jacks and Mick Tappenden each managed one victory. Mick was particularly unfortunate to be on the losing side of a five-set encounter with Ward by 15 – 13 in the fifth.

With the exception of Canvey B the top four teams in Southend League Division 2 all lost points in some hard fought matches this week. The Islanders didn’t have any problems as they cruised past Invicta B 8-1 but Stanford B were held to a 6-3 win at Rawreth Megazone,  Hockley C just edged their own D team 5-4 and Matchpoint B did the same against Runnymede.

Canvey’s scoreline might have been closer as three matches went to five sets but only Steve Lennox managed to convert one into a win for Invicta as Tony Westwell edged out Sarah Ball and Kevin Walsingham got the better of Mike Keeble. Three wins each then for Westwell and Trevor Hayes and a brace for Walsingham which keeps Canvey in fourth place.

Stanford B would have had a far easier victory at Rawreth Megazone if they hadn’t come up against Gus Heath this week. He chalked up another perfect hat trick beating Rob Salvage, Mark Downey and Adrian Armstrong. Rawreth almost added another point but in the final game, and the only one to go the distance, Downey staged a remarkable comeback against Amar Al-Soufi to win 12/10 11/4 2/11 1/11 7/11. Stanford extend their lead at the top to 13 points.

Hockley C were pushed all the way by their own D team and found themselves 4-3 down at one stage before Brian Bissenden and Mike Worship won the last two games to give them the bragging rights at Hockley. Bissenden took the POTM award with a maximum plus two wins for Worship but Neal Klyman fought hard but got no reward on the night. There was a single win each for youngsters William Evesham and Elliot Brackenbury but a brace for Hannah Harbour who had an excellent five set win against the veteran Worship coming back from 2-1 down to win a really close match 11/6 8/11 9/11 13/11 11/9. Hockley C stay second.

Match of the week was at Matchpoint B where they produced a dramatic turnaround to save themselves from a shock defeat against Runnymede, coming back from 4-1 down to win 5-4. With the unbeaten Tony Millward in their side Runnymede were always going to be difficult to beat and they started in fine form Millward and Andy Humphries both winning their opening two games with Alex Bowden beating Anne Adlington in reply. Things then started to go dramatically wrong for Runnymede as Max Mayo beat Adlington and Bowden beat Humphries before Mayo then pulled off the biggest shock beating Millward in four sets to level the scores. Fittingly the deciding game then went to five sets and it was a victory for youth as Lotte Mills beat Adlington 11/7 in the decider. Matchpoint B stay second.

Team of the Week – Matchpoint B

Player of the Week – Gus Heath

Report by Paul Strutt

Brand Identity’s Adam Jackman’s return from Premier League duties has again upset the Division 1 equilibrium. This week his team were away at leaders Basildon A. Adam recorded an unbeaten maximum to lead his side to an impressive 7 – 2 victory. His hat trick included a first defeat of the season for the home side’s Arun Joy. Team mates Michael Grout and Dale Gutteridge each added two wins, whilst Arun was responsible for both Basildon’s successes.

Canvey A returned to winning ways. Bob Skews was their hero, winning all three of his rubbers in a 7 – 2 away win at Mapledene. The returning Ray Wilson and stalwart Peter Cray shared their sides other points. The home side’s ladies, Lin Roff and Dawn Baldry, won one contest each.

In a close fought match, Rawreth Megazone C overcame their visitors Hadleigh Forum B 6 – 3. Paul Brown was again Rawreth’s star, taking the POM prize with an unbeaten evening. Gary McCarthy added two and Trevor Ward one win. The Forum team of Dave Woolmer, Tony Jacks and Mick Tappenden each managed one victory. Mick was particularly unfortunate to be on the losing side of a five-set encounter with Trevor by 15 – 13 in the fifth.

Div 1 report by David Barnes

Excitement mounts as just one point currently separates Chelmsford A, Danbury A and Danbury C at the top end of division one though the latter hold a game in hand advantage.  Writtle A’s Ryan Pitt went solo for the second time this season in a 10-0 loss to Danbury C, Chris Penrose and Bruce Kettle won three each as Danbury A beat the two-person team of Galleywood A 7-3, and Josh Bickles fired another treble in Chelmsford A’s 6-4 home win over Danbury B. 

Rob Burton, David Gatheral and Evie Knaapen all went undefeated as Buttsbury A increased their lead at the top of division two with a 10-0 home win over Chelmsford C.  Undefeated Maldon A lost ground though remain second in the table following a tough 6-4 win over Writtle B, Dawn Baldry and Lloyd Bennett-Smith won two matches apiece for the hosts while Phil Smith and Richard Storey did likewise for the visitors.  There was a fourth division two treble of the season for Sanjay Saptarshi in Danbury D’s 5-5 draw with Writtle C, Gary Ward and John Webber won two each for Writtle in a fixture which saw five five-gamers.  Neil Want fired his first treble for Danbury E this season but his team were pegged back by a pair of wins from Hatfield Peverel A’s Martin Archie and Julie Johnson in a 5-5 draw, with the Old Chelmsfordians B-Galleywood B fixture also throwing up the same scoreline with no player unbeaten among a fabulous seven five-gamers.

The top three teams in division three are separated by just five points though third-placed Buttsbury B hold a game in hand over leaders Chelmsford D and second-placed Danbury G.  The father-daughter combo of Wudong and Grace Liu went unbeaten in singles competition as Buttsbury B narrowly beat Chelmsford F 6-4 on Monday night.  Alex Tkachuk and Christopher Denyer fired trebles as Chelmsford D stayed in the hunt with an 8-2 win at Galleywood C who tasted defeat for the first time since week three. Denis Balic and Merv Perriman also went undefeated as Danbury G moved to no loss in six fixtures with an 8-2 win over Danbury H who have now been defeated in their last four.  Writtle D’s Matthew Brown was yet again unbeaten as his side beat the two-person team from Hatfield Peverel B 6-4, while OCA C remain winless as a James Grimston treble saw Chelmsford E back to winning ways with an 8-2 away victory.  There was a second treble of the season for Dave Moles as Writtle E tasted success for the first time this season in a 6-4 home win over Danbury J who have now lost their last four fixtures.

Division four leaders Hutton A took maximum points as they cruised to a 10-0 home win against Hatfield Peverel C who slip from eighth to tenth, Maldon B stayed in touch with an identical scoreline over seventh placed Danbury L, and third placed Buttsbury D lost ground on the top two as they were held to a 5-5 draw with ninth placed OCA D in a match which saw a first treble of the season for OC’s Russell Hall.  Elsewhere, Dave Hancock won three and Dave Powell two as Danbury K made it three wins in a row as they beat Galleywood D 7-3 – Galleywood have now lost their last five fixtures. Doubles for Martin Brunker, Atharv Gupta and Mark Nolan gave Chelmsford G a 7-3 home win over rock-bottom Danbury M, and three wins for Oscar Hutt and two apiece for Frances Hutt and Caroline Cole made it four successive victories for fifth-placed Buttsbury C with a 8-2 triumph over Highwood A who have now lost three in a row.  Hutt junior now has three trebles in his last five matches while Highwood’s Roger Patient failed to score two or more points for the first time this season.

Hutton B remain top of division five following a 7-3 away win at Chelmsford H, Hutton’s Gheorge Nita was the sole undefeated player though he needed to successfully navigate a fifth game decider to get past James Grindlay.  Trebles from Torsten Greenan and Lyndon Bubb ensured second-placed Buttsbury E were back to winning ways as they closed the gap on the leaders with a 9-1 victory at Hatfield Peverel E, Bruce Wickham posed the most problems for Greenan when taking a 2-1 lead only for Greenan to ease through games four and five. Tim Huxtable won all three on debut for Maldon C as they inflicted a first loss of the season on Writtle F by a 7-3 scoreline.  The legend who is Steve Peacock chipped in with his fourth treble of the season for Galleywood E in their 8-2 home win over Hatfield Peverel E.  Darren Wright and Tomas Ratinas won two matches each for the hosts though Galleywood stay in seventh position.  David Cockrelll and Martin Goddard won three matches each as Highwood B inflicted more pain on bottom of the table Anglia Ruskin with a 9-1 victory.  Eight-placed Highwood are now unbeaten in three following a run of five straight defeats.

The 2024/2025 C&DTTL Tournament will take place between the 3rd and 5th January 2025 at Mildmay Hall, Anglia Ruskin University.  Please find details and entry form here:  https://www.tabletennis365.com/chelmsford

___________________________

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

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

___________________________

Currently on a winter training camp in Miami, the Fambridge team were the benefactors of the drama that unfolded at the top end of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League this week.   The unbeaten pre-season favourites Mapledene A were toppled for the first time in a fiery encounter with Cold Norton B.  This close result edges Cold Norton B into second place behind Fambridge but more importantly dampens the spirits and odds on Mapledene catching the league leaders. 

The action in Division 1 this was dominated by some excellent individual performances and eye-catching results.  In the box-office clash of the week it was Cold Norton B’s Ian Wall that took top billing with a cracking hat-trick of wins including a 4 sets victory over current League Singles Champion Reece Seddon.  Seddon had a busy night all round pipping Dan Anderson 14-12 in the 4^th set, and then going the full monty in a comeback 5-setter against Dave Richardson.  Richardson maintained his form with good wins over Steve Muth and George Reeves, and Anderson completed the 6-4 overall victory with a straight sets triumph over George Reeves.  In the other top half clash current Champions Woodham A were hesitant on their journey to Cold Norton A, having seen the calibre of the Cold Norton team that destroyed the fighting Woodham B side the previous week.  But taking a leaf out of the Eric and Ernie playbook it seemed the Nortonian Management had picked all the right teams but for all the wrong weeks.   Woodham A picked up a straightforward 8-2 points haul with only Duncan Taylor picking up points for Cold Norton.  In another eye-catching result Woodham’s Harry Chivers bested the legendary Taylor in a professional straight sets victory that will be reverberating around all the top contenders for the Singles crown this season.  Chivers completed his hat-trick and was well supported by Chris Penrose and Daniel Piglet who both beat Steve Maltby and Neil Want to complete the rout.  As the embers died down from the A teams’ encounter come the Thursday it was time for the C teams to do battle.  Cold Norton C arrived at Woodham with a strong side and were looking to pick up some good points to secure their mid-table position.  The Cold Norton hitman, Arron Chandler, was up first and set off at a great pace to impress the supporters he had brought along.  Chandler has been in phenomenal form this season so his opening straight sets victory over the hard-hitting Chris Hancox was no surprise but set the tone for the evening.  Cold Norton raced through the singles card with the only blip being Graham Briggs rollercoaster 5 set victory over Cold Norton’s skipper Dick Wyman.  Wyman and Hitman Chandler then plucked defeat from the jaws of victory in the doubles giving Woodham’s Hancox and Peter Harverson a bonus doubles boost for the journey home.  At the other end of the arena Woodham B and Mapledene B were having lots of enjoyment playing out a hard-fought and lengthy 5-5 draw.   Mapledene’s David Jacob provided an opening match shock with a long 5 set victory over Sanjay Saptarshi.  Jacob was machine-like with the focus of a deadly sniper as he kept the Saptarshi forehand under control and forced his opponent into ambitious attacks that didn’t always work out – a cracking battle of tactics and patience, with Jacob coming through as a worthy winner.  The match ebbed and flowed as the teams went into the break at 3-3 with Jacob involved in a further dramatic 5-setter, this time losing out to Woodham’s Daniel Patynski after having got back to deuce in the decider.  A much more open encounter that saw a barrel load of exciting rallies between these two players on top of their game.  Mapledene took the doubles so now it came down to the singles run-in.  Patynski struggled against a resurgent Anthon Ranjit-Singh but emerged victorious, Jacob came through a tricky encounter with Eamonn Hall, so it all came down to the final match and the one the punters had paid to see – Saptarshi v Keith Willett.  Willett came in full of confidence having won all his matches that night, whereas Saptarshi was having a focus dilemma.  Having set the scene the match didn’t pan out as expected as Saptarshi smashed his way through the Willett defence for a surprisingly swift 3 set victory that ensured the spoils were shared.

Division 2 is now a two horse race between leaders Maldon A and the thoroughbreds from Stow Maries A.  Its taken a while for Stow A to get their campaign in full swing but they are now definitely at the races.  This week the Stow A side welcomed the Blackwater B trio to their stables but that was as hospitable as it got as the Stow trio went about their business with gusto and quickly demolished the Blackwater defence for a 10-0 whitewash win.  Stow’s Richard Storey and Ken Sheard both hit virtually unscathed hat-tricks, whereas the Stow third player, Peter Chastin, had a much more difficult time collecting his spoils with two 5 set victories over Gary Smith, and Louis Gunn.  Rivals Maldon A were held back this week by Stow B who did their A team a favour by taking 3 points off the league leaders.  For Maldon Lloyd Bennett-Smith, and Hamish Innes both hit hat-tricks and combined for the doubles.  Innes had a very busy evening involving himself in three 5 setters including a remarkable comeback against the lovable Dave Goody who had the cheek to take the first 2 sets in their singles encounter.  Goody did redeem himself though as he reversed his 5 set fortune with a 12-10 deciding set win over Brain Riedling.  These results see Maldon A and Stow A just a point apart at the top of the table with a considerable gap back to the chasing pack.  Steve Aspland was back on form for his Maldon B side this week as he produced another hat-trick, but this wasn’t enough to overcome the battling Cold Norton D side.  The match ended in a draw with both Terry Hyland and Peter Lucraft winning two for the Cold Norton club, with Hyland and Aspland battling out the final match for the evenings bragging rights which Aspland won 11-6 in the decider.  Blackwater A strengthened their top 3 aspirations with an unexpected 10-0 victory over Stow C.  The Stow crew certainly didn’t roll over and have their bellies tickled as 4 of the matches went to 5^th set deciding legs – but Blackwater prevailed in each and every one.  Hat-tricks all round then for Blackwater’s Alan Scammell, Roger Slade, and Neil Freeman, with Stow’s Tim Huxtable losing out in 5 sets to both Slade and Freeman, and Jean Chasmer doing the same against Scammell and Slade.

Maldon C’s assault of the Division 3 title continues at an alarming speed with another 9-1 victory this week leaving them with significant clear water between themselves and the forgotten chasing pack.  This week’s victims were Blackwater F and they had Mike Crumpton to thank for avoiding the whitewash humiliation as he overturned Maldon’s Matt Copsey in 4 sets.  It was business-as-usual for Maldon’s top two players, Brian Riedling and Chris Ravenhill, who each registered their 3^rd hat-trick of the season – and this time neither dropped a set so they were all home in time for the nine o’clock news.  Blackwater C pulled off a noteworthy conquest as they beat St Lawrence 6-4 to claim second place.  Chris Rolison (3 wins) and Colin Barham (2 wins) doing all the damage, including a good doubles win over the Mike Pratley and Mike Burton tricky pairing.  Burton was the best of the St Lawrence squad with 2 wins including an excellent 4 set triumph over Barham.  Woodham E’s Allan Steel continues to dominate the statistics in Division 3, and this week he rattled off his 5^th hat-trick on the bounce to maintain his 100% win rate and looks an odds-on bet for the Roy Davis Cup this year – which is awarded to the player in Division 3 with the best win rate having played at least 50% of the matches.  Steel was untroubled in his singles with a straightforward 9-dart finish but his 3 personal wins couldn’t produce an overall win for Woodham E as they drew with Blackwater E.  Woodham’s Chris Crooks won his first two singles so the match result came down to the final game as Crooks took on Blackwater’s Keith Thompson.  Thompson went 2-1 up before the pair of them couldn’t decide who should win the 4^th set – eventually at 17-17 Crooks went for some big hits that didn’t connect and Thompson was able to take the leg 19-17 securing the draw for Blackwater.

Pic 1 – The Hitman – Arron Chandler of Cold Norton C

Pic 2 – Ian Wall the star player in the top of the table crunch

Pic 3 – Graham Briggs (Woodham C) versus Dick Wyman (Cold Norton C) this week

Pic 4 – Ken Sheard – Stow A’s top player this week

Pic 5  – Chris Crooks in action for Woodham E this week

Report by Eamonn Hall

While leaders Rayne A were without a match, former champions Netts A jumped to the top of the Braintree Table Tennis League with a cruising 9-1 win over a two-person Liberal C.

It gave them a three-point lead over their rivals, both having played six matches.

Richard Jennings gave both Andy Holmes (11-6, 3-11, 12-10, 12-10) and James Hicks (8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9) something to think about but Liberal’s only success came from an excellent win for Robin Armstrong over Holmes.

Sudbury Nomads held on to third place with a 6-4 win over Liberal’s A team, where Scott Dowsett was unbeaten, while a stronger than usual Liberal B crept closer by beating Black Notley B 9-1.

Ashley Skeggs and Adam Cuthbert were unbeaten while David Gatheral, in his first match of the season, won twice.

Notley A scored a Parr 3 (Chris of that ilk remaining unbeaten) in a draw against Rayne C

while Rayne’s B team overcame a two-man Netts B 8-2.

Not much has gone Netts B’s way this season, but wins for Joe Meleschko over Steve Pennell and Fred Evans over Victor Chan were worthy of celebration.

In division two, leaders Sudbury Wanderers kept up the momentum with an 8-2 win over Notley F while Rayne E continued their good run, beating Notley D 7-3.

In an intra-club battle, Notley E’s Jamie Brooks did all he could – three singles and the doubles with Lawrence Grantham – but the club’s C team took the rest.

The other two matches ended in a draw, which was nothing new for Rayne F and Yeldham Whitlocks A, who had finished level on three and two previous occasions respectively before they shared the points with each other.

Netts C and D teams played out the other draw, including a commendable performance from 16-year-old JJ Calisin.

In his first season of league table tennis, he stepped up from his normal berth in division three to win twice for the D team.

While division three leaders Finchingfield A were without a match, Sudbury Strollers took advantage to move a bit closer with an 8-2 win over Notley H.  George Berry was unbeaten.

Notley I, beaten only once before, suffered from the absence of Ben Southgate and tumbled 9-1 to their own G team.

The next two teams, Rayne H and Finchingfield B, shared the points while David Montgomery took his three singles for Netts E but Rayne G won the rest.

Report by RonFosker