It’s that time – final push for honours.

It’s that time in the Season when teams in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League take stock of how their Season is going. Is a final push for promotion required or is a slight but achievable improvement needed to avoid relegation ?.

Danbury C stay second in division one. They beat Danbury A 6-4, good going as the inform Chris Penrose was undefeated for Danbury A. Penrose downed the challenges of Paul Davison (11-6, 11-9, 11-6) and 2023 Chelmsford Mens Singles Champion Keith Adams (2-11, 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6). Danbury A fared better against Chelmsford B and they won 8-2. Bruce Kettle and Dave Richardson both bagged hat-tricks. Richardson fought back from 2-0 down to beat Simon Jarvis (9-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2).  Chelmsford A are third, and they beat Danbury B 8-2. Brothers Saul Chivers and Harry Chivers were both undefeated and they both defeated Sam Lowman.

Danbury D are second in division two and they beat Galleywood B 6-4. Sam Phillips won his three singles which gave them the edge. John Holland beat David Gatheral (11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4) for the losers. Danbury E were the week’s big winners, defeating a two-man OCA B 9-1. Dick Wyman and Tony Forster were both undefeated. Dick Wyman had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Bertie Makoli (5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10). Writtle C emerged as 6-4 winners of a close match against Chelmsford C. Gary Ward was undefeated and he fought back from 2-0 down to defeat Victor Chan (11-13, 13-15, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8). Writtle B defeated Maldon A 8-2. Richard Storey and Phil Smith carried all before them in what was a very impressive performance from Writtle B. Chelmsford D also won 8-2, beating OCA C, with Nikita Tkachuk winning his three singles. He saw off Mick Richardson,  who won twice for the Old Chelmsfordians team (6-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3).

Division three “Champions elect” Danbury F produced a superb performance to beat second placed Danbury G 10-0 (yes 10-0 !). Gus Heath, Steve Buer and Chris Buer were all unbeaten. They lead the table by 29 points and have a game in hand. Danbury F also beat Chelmsford E 9-1. Gus Heath and Chris Buer again carried all before them. Joachin Mapes was on target, beating Steve Buer (9-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4) in the last game of the evening. In a week where this division included some “big wins” Chelmsford F beat Writtle E 9-1. Waseem Qureshi and Alex Tkachuk were both undefeated. Neil Thompson was on target for Writtle E, beating Dusan Doszkoty (8-11, 13-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5).  Danbury K also won 9-1, and they also overcame Writtle E. Denis Balic and Mervyn Perriman were both undefeated. Perriman managed to beat Malcolm Storey 3-0, but the scores speak for themselves (12-10, 11-9, 15-13). Writtle D emerged as 8-2 winners against Danbury H. Peter Layzell was undefeated for Writtle; just; he saw off John Robinson (11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 19-17, 11-5).  In a closer match OCA D beat Maldon B 7-3. Richard Baxter led the way with three wins. Brian Riedling responded with two wins for Maldon and he missed out narrowly against Richard Baxter (8-11, 11-13, 15-17). Second-placed Danbury G missed out 6-4 to their club-mates Danbury K. Denis Crapnell was on top form for Danbury K and he remained unbeaten. This included a (11-6, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6) win over Ken Sheard – the best of the Danbury G players.

Buttsbury A look to be the favourites in division four. They trail Chelmsford G by three points but they have three games in hand. Buttsbury A beat OCA F 8-2. Jamie Eliott won his three singles and he was well supported by Kevin Willis and Frances Hutt who both won twice. Frances Hutt beat Stuart Wintle (8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 13-11) in the closest game of the evening. Chelmsford G fell back losing 6-4 to third-placed Danbury L. Harrison Hill was unbeaten for the Chelmsford team and he avenged his first half defeat against Dave Powell (his only loss) in no uncertain terms. He powered home (11-4, 11-6, 11-5). Dave Goody did well to beat Alesha Ellis-Austin (8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 3-11,11-6). OCA E ran out 9-1 winners against Hatfield Peverel D. David Newman and Farooq Ahmed both won their three singles. Chris Rollinson replied for Hatfield Peverel D beating Russell Hall (8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9). Chelmsford H also won 9-1, an impressive result against the higher placed Hatfield Peverel C. Cleon Fernandes and Felix Reeve were both undefeated.

Maldon C were in action twice in division five. They came very close to securing a draw against leaders Highwood A, eventually losing 6-4. Roger Patient was undefeated for Highwood whilst Marty Englander and Kym Eames won twice for Maldon. Kym Eames beat Nicola Pippen (4-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8). Maldon C also beat Galleywood D 7-3. Kym Eames won her three singles and she gave her side that all important winning start by beating Steve Peacock (12-14, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8) in the opening game. James Grinston won his three singles as Chelmsford J beat Hatfield Peverel 6-4. Davina Brazier provided the sternest test, succumbing narrowly (2-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11).

Chelmsford Tigers made it four wins out of four in Junior division 2A. However, their  3-2 win over second placed Buttsbury Bears was a close one. Pav Srinvasmurthy beat both Lucy Elliott (9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9) and Joseph Hutt (10-12, 6-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-5) to give the Tigers the ascendancy. Buttsbury Bears were in turn decisive 5-0 winners against Buttsbury Bees. Callum Walker and Lucy Elliott carried all before them.  Chelmsford Lions beat Danbury Dragons 3-2. No single player won twice and the Chelmsford duo of Luka Ha and Grace Liu and Danbury’s Alex Wilson all picked up wins.

Junior division 2B produced two 4-1 results. Buttsbury Bulldogs were in action on both occasions. Freya Hart won twice as they beat Buttsbury Bats. She had to dig deep to beat Noah Middleton (11-2, 15-13, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9). They also lost to the leaders Chelmsford Cougars for whom Atharv Srivastava and Joshua Freeman won all four singles.  Atharv Srivastava beat Francesca Hart (3-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 13-11) in a very well contested opening encounter.    

Chelmsford Jaguars are the team to beat in Junior division 2C. Gil Martins and Paras Jinturkar ran out 5-0 winners against Chelmsford Leopards. Chelmsford Leopards did better against Chelmsford Panthers and lost narrowly 3-2. It all rested on the doubles and Harry Trefletts and Mark Locke-Wheaton beat Sean Kwan and Ryan Peiris (15-13, 11-9, 4-11, 8-11, 11-6). Buttsbury Beavers were 4-1 winners against Chelmsford Panthers. Thomas Hall was the stand-out performer and remained undefeated.        

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

Southend and District Table Tennis League Annual Championships

Finals Night Thursday 2nd March at Plumberow Primary Academy, Hockley

the home of Hockley Table Tennis Club

Due to Covid the last championships were held in 2019 but they returned this year being played initially over the weekend of the 24^th – 26^th February at Rayleigh Leisure Centre. No less than 14 competitions were decided then but the major finals were held in a new venue this year at Hockley TTC.

The evening turned out to be a real family affair as life partners Matt Spero and Wanda Syderenko (both Rawreth TTC) appeared in every final of the night that they could do and won 5 out of the 6 titles on offer. Add to that Wanda had already won the Ladies Singles and Ladies Doubles at the weekend so the Mixed Doubles title gave her a personal hat trick. The only final that she lost, somewhat ironically, was the Vets Over 40’s final which she lost to Matt!

The only disappointment on the night for Matt was his loss in the Men’s Singles, the last match of the evening, to Duncan Taylor (Rayleigh Mill) who won in five sets. Bearing in mind that Matt had competed in every match previously over a period of some 2 ½ hours and played 28 sets, it may have explained how Duncan managed to come back from two sets down to win in five sets 2/11, 9/11, 11/6, 15/13,11/5. This was a classic match of attack versus defence with renowned defender Duncan eventually outlasting Matt in many exciting rallies.

Earlier in the evening Matt and Wanda started in style winning the Mixed Doubles against the young pairing of Liam Squirrell (Rawreth) and Evie Knaapen (Hullbridge) albeit in five sets with the youngsters coming back from two sets down before succumbing 11/8 in the decider. Prior to this final Evie had already enjoyed personal success winning the Division Two Restricted and Under 21 Div 2 and Div 3 titles at the weekend, and had lost to Wanda in the final of the Ladies Singles.

The Men’s Singles semi – finals had pitched Matt and Liam against each other in one while the second would have seen Duncan up against Steve Tilson (Rawreth) but unfortunately Steve had to withdraw due to injury. This turned out to be pretty one sided as Matt won 11/8 11/5 11/5.

The Men’s Doubles final saw Matt team up with club mate Zayd Mauthoor and they took on the established pairing of Duncan and Kevin Read (Rawreth). At one set all this match hinged on the third set and both sides had chances before Matt and Zayd nicked it 12/10 closing out the match in the fourth 11/6.

In one of the most intriguing and longest matches of the evening (34 minutes) the Over 40’s Vets final between Matt and Wanda saw Wanda ease into a two set lead before Matt edged the third 15/13 to keep himself in the game. This seemed to give Matt the extra boost that he needed taking the next two games 11/7 11/9 but there was a hug at the end of the game so no hard feelings!

Matt and Wanda came together again in the Vets Doubles final which saw them up against Duncan and Kevin. The first two sets were closely contested 12/10 11/13 but Matt and Wanda’s attacking play proved decisive in the next two sets which they won 11/7 11/5.

All in all it was a long but entertaining evening with some top class table tennis on display. Southend League Chairman Ken Field was on hand to address the formalities extending thanks to players and organisers, umpires and audience alike.

Results

Mixed Doubles

Matt Spero & Wanda Syderenko bt Liam Squirrell & Evie Knaapen

11/5 11/2 12/14 8/11 11/8

Men’s Doubles

Matt Spero & Zayd Mauthoor bt Duncan Taylor & Kevin Read

11/6 8/11 12/10 11/6

Vets Over 40’s Singles

Matt Spero bt Wanda Syderenko

9/11 8/11 15/13 11/7 11/9

Vets Doubles

Matt Spero & Wanda Syderenko bt Duncan Taylor & Kevin Read

12/10 11/13 11/7 11/5

Men’s Singles

Duncan Taylor bt Matt Spero

2/11 9/11 11/6 15/13 11/5

Harry Chivers leads the way for Chelmsford A  

Chelmsford A produced a strong performance to beat the higher placed Danbury C 8-2 in the first division of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League. Rising star Harry Chivers led the way with a hat-trick, beating Paul Davison (11-4, 12-10, 13-11), Eamon Hall (11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6) and Trevor Lloyd (11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9). Paul Davison won twice for the losers defeating James Donald (13-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6) and Saul Chivers (11-8, 11-8, 11-3). Writtle A ran out 6-4 winners against Danbury A. Lee McHugh and Kevin Read won their six singles with Read pipping Sam Lowman (11-9, 12-10, 12-14, 12-10).

Galleywood A stay top in division two. Ben Page produced his best performance of the Season as they beat Chelmsford C 8-2. Ben Page powered to victories against Victor Chan (14-12, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9), Mark Allaway (12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-2) and Robert Shrimpton (11-8, 11-6, 11-8); three good wins. Chelmsford D also won 8-2. They beat a two-man Writtle B. Keith Martin and Nikita Tkachuk were both undefeated. Ever present Mick Richardson (with a record of 72 %) has enjoyed a fine Season for OCA C.  He won his three singles in his side’s 7-3 win over OCA B. Trevor Carter went down fighting, succumbing narrowly (3-11, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11). Danbury E did well to beat Writtle C 6-4; good going as Gary Ward won his three singles for the Writtle side. Ward gave his team a winning start by beating Tim Cramphorn (11-6, 11-9, 12-10) in the opening game.    

Division three produced two close matches. OCA D led by an undefeated Tom Barker beat Danbury H 6-4. David Meah won twice for the losers and this included a hard-fought (13-11, 10-12, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8) success against Richard Upson. The match between Chelmsford F and Hatfield Peverel B was even closer and it ended 5-5. Dusan Doszkoty won his three singles and he completed his hat-trick by getting the better of Neil Freeman (8-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8).

Division four leaders Chelmsford G were held to a draw by Buttsbury A. This was no fault of Harrison Hill who again won his three singles. Jamie Elliot (with a record of 78 %) has enjoyed a fine Season for Buttsbury but Harrison Hill overwhelmed him (11-5, 11-7, 11-5). Buttsbury A also beat OCA F 8-2. Jamie Elliott was on top form here powering to 3-0 wins against David Bishop, Mike Morecroft and Stuart Wintle. Tim Pulham won his three singles as Danbury M drew 5-5 against Chelmsford H. He beat Cleon Fernandes (11-6, 11-8, 12-10) in the last game of the evening to seal the draw for his side OCA E were convincing 9-1 winners over Hatfield Peverel C. David Newman and Russell Hall were both undefeated.  Hatfield Peverel kept plugging away and their reward came in the last game of the evening when Peter Mortensen beat Farooq Ahmed (6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8). The reliable Colin Blore was undefeated as Galleywood C beat second placed Danbury L 7-3. Blore defeated Dave Powell (11-6, 4-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-6) in what was arguably the stand-out performance.

Highwood B take over the lead in division five after beating Hatfield Peverel F 9-1. Roger Patient and Martin Goddard were both undefeated whilst Russell Downton won twice and this included a last-gasp (11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 12-10) win against Alastair Brown. Danbury N emerged as 8-2 winners against Maldon C. Oliver Martin was unbeaten and he received good support from Ollie Ware and Graham Naggs who both won twice. The match between Chelmsford J and Buttsbury B was a close one, and Chelmsford came out on top 6-4 after five games had been decided in the fifth end. Peter Davenport won his three singles and he sealed the victory for his side by beating Oscar Hutt (11-6, 14-12, 9-11, 1-11, 11-4) in a widely fluctuating last game of the evening.

Buttsbury Bats beat Danbury Dragons 3-2 in Junior division 2A. Four games were decided in the fifth end and all four players – Butsbury’s Charlie Ware and Torsten Greenan and Danbury’s Oliver Ware and Oliver Martin picked up wins. It seems unfair to focus on one game but Charlie Ware managed to overcome Oliver Martin (11-5, 13-11, 6-11, 5-11, 13-11) in the opening encounter.

In another 3-2 game Chelmsford Antelopes beat Danbury Griffins in Junior division 2B. Jayden Bandari was unbeaten for Chelmsford defeating Peter Harverson (8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9) and Oscar Wyman (11-5, 11-5, 11-7).

Junior Division 2C produced two clear-cut sets of winners. Chelmsford Jaguars (Zane Kwantreng and George Gregory) beat Chelmsford Pumas 5-0 althoughKwantreng had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Damon Chow (7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 14-12).  Chelmsford Jaguars (this time represented by Paras Jintukar and Zane Kwantreng) beat Chelmsford Panthers 4-1. Danby Holmes was on target for the Panthers with a (11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7) victory over Zane Kwantreng.

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

Chris Penrose – superb hat-trick for Danbury A against “Champions elect”

Chris Penrose – new to the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League first division and better known as one of the leading players in the Romford League produced a performance which will make everyone sit up and take notice. He scored a superb hat-trick of wins as Danbury A lost 7-3 to the “champions elect” – OCA A, taking down Mark Mulley (10-12, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7), Keiran Lally (11-6, 14-12, 8-11, 11-6) and Paul Lucas (4-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4) – three very good wins. Chelmsford A beat Chelmsford B 7-3. Harry Chivers and James Donald were undefeated for Chelmsford A whilst Aidan Lees and Simon Jarvis both impressed for Chelmsford B by beating Saul Chivers. The 2023 Chelmsford Under 15 Singles Champion – Aidan Lees sparkled as he beat Saul 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 in the first game of the evening.

Division two has more twists and turns than a Wilbur Smith novel. With Danbury D not playing this week Galleywood A took full advantage to return to top spot by beating Danbury A 9-1. James Hicks and Peter Barrett were both undefeated whilst Neil Want was on target for the losers. He beat Gary Brignall (11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9). The battle to avoid relegation is very evenly matched in this division and Writtle C ran out 6-4 winners against a two-man OCA C. Gary Ward won twice to give Writtle the edge, beating David Porter (11-3, 11-4, 11-8) and Mick Richardson (11-9, 11-5, 11-4). Chelmsford C did well to beat Hatfield Peverel A 7-3. Victor Chan led the way with a hat-trick which included last gasp wins over Alastair Piper (8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9) and Julie Johnson (11-7, 11-13, 3-11, 11-5, 14-12). Writtle B scored an important 7-3 victory over OCA B. Matthew Brown was undefeated for Writtle and Phil Smith won twice, which included a very tight success against Robbie Burton (4-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9). It was honours even between Galleywood B and Chelmsford D. Nikita Tkachuk won his three singles for the Chelmsford side whilst Adi Kamma played his part by beating Mark Glenister (11-7, 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 16-14).

Division three leaders Danbury F pulled further away by beating Writtle E 9-1. Gus Heath and Chris Buer were both undefeated for Danbury whilst Writtle had to wait until the eighth game to notch up their success. Dave Moles will no doubt consider it worth waiting. He beat Steve Buer (11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7). Second placed Danbury G were held to a draw by Writtle D. No individual player remained undefeated and in the last game of the evening Alan Scammell secured a draw for the Danbury side by beating Malcolm Henstock (11-5, 11-13, 10-12, 11-5, 13-11). Aidan Lees won his three singles as Chelmsford E climbed into third place by beating OCA D 7-3. His game with Richard Baxter was a good one and he triumphed (11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 14-12). With a record of 90 % Lees has clearly outgrown this division. The impressive margin of victory (8-2) for Hatfield Peverel B over the higher placed Danbury K will have raised a few eyebrows. Neil Freeman and Robin Armstrong were both undefeated and Neil Freeman gave the Hatfield Peverel a winning start by beating Greg Cooper (11-5, 8-11, 12-14, 11-5, 11-9).

Chelmsford H, second to bottom in division four, took a big step towards avoiding relegation by beating OCA F 7-3. Cleon Fernandes led the way with three wins and he completed his hat-trick by beating Stuart Wintle (11-6, 12-10, 11-8). Third-placed Danbury M beat OCA E 6-4. Tim Pulham bagged a hat-trick defeating Bob Francis (11-9, 11-4, 11-6), David Newman (12-10, 11-9, 11-8) and Farooq Ahmed (11-8, 11-5, 11-8). Hatfield Peverel C (Peter Mortensen, Andy Whiley and Andy Simmonds) were in charge against Hatfield Peverel D and won 8-2. Peter Mortensen gave them that all important winning start by beating Bob Hillis (11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8) in the opening encounter.

The top of the table clash in division five resulted in a handsome 8-2 win for Highwood B against Highwood A although Highwood A still lead the way by eight points. Roger Patient and Dave Cockerel were both unbeaten for Highwood B. Roger Patient (95 % record) had to battle hard to defeat Nicole Pippen (11-9, 11-2, 10-12, 11-8) to complete his hat-trick. Highwood B were also held to a draw by Hatfield Peverel F. James Brookes was unbeaten and this included a 11-9, 12-10, 4-11, 11-8 victory against Roger Patient – only Roger’s second defeat in 38 games.  James Brookes was also undefeated in the drawn match between Hatfield Peverel E and Hatfield Peverel F. Brookes had to dig deep to win his third singles, finally seeing off Davina Brazier (11-8, 9-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-8). Danbury N beat Galleywood D 6-4. Graham Naggs led the way with three wins whilst Norman Hayes was within a whisker of repeating that feat. Steve Peacock pipped Hayes in five ends (6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 14-12).

Chelmsford Tigers are the early leaders in Junior division 2A with nine points out of 10. Harrel Choo and Sami Osman beat Chelmsford Lions 5-0.

Chelmsford Antelopes were 3-2 winners against Chelmsford Cougars in Junior division 2B. Three games were decided in five ends and Yishai Choo was unbeaten for the Antelopes. He beat William Guilloux (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9) and Joshua Freeman (4-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8).  Danbury Griffins came out on top 3-2, against Billericay Bulldogs. Peter Harverson was undefeated for the Griffins, beating Freya Hart (11-7, 11-5, 12-10) and Francesca Hart (11-8, 17-15, 6-11, 9-11, 11-9).         

Chelmsford Pumas beat Buttsbury Beavers 5-0 in Junior division 2C. Luka Riberiro and Ethan Li carried all before them. Luka Ribeoro gave the Pumas a winning start by beating Jago Ware (12-10, 13-11, 11-8).

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

This week’s action in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League revolves around KO Cup matches. Danbury A and Chelmsford A both progressed to the next round of the Open KO Cup with 5-0 wins. Danbury A beat Chelmsford C in a match which featured a titanic battle between Bruce Kettle and Rob Shrimpton. Bruce won this one, (10-12, 3-11, 15-13, 12-10, 12-10) which gave Danbury a 3-0 lead. Chelmsford A put club mates Chelmsford B in their place. Harry Chivers had to work hard to beat Kim Shead in five ends (5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5).

Division two leaders Danbury D are out  of the division two knock out Cup. They were beaten 5-4 by an inspired Writtle team. The crucial result here came in game no. eight when Matthew Brown beat Sanjay Saptashi (11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8) to level the scores at 4-4. With everything to play for in the deciding doubles Writtle’s Phil Smith and Trevor Colin came out on top (11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8) against Sanjay Saptarshi and Eamon Hall for a memorable victory. Danbury’s improving Sam Phillips beat both Matthew Brown (11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8) and Trevor Collin (11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6).

Division three leaders Danbury F made no mistake against Writtle D and they won 5-0 in the division three knock out cup. The opening doubles proved testing but a five game win for Gus Heath and John Tendler (11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 4-11, 11-6) against Matthew Brown and Bob Garson gave them the impetus and they never looked back. Gus Heath defeated Matthew Brown (11-9, 11-2, 7-11, 11-8).

Highwood A (Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Nicola Pippen) – long-time leaders in division five ran out 5-3 winners against Chelmsford J in the division five knock out cup. Chelmsford’s Jacqui Smith excelled by beating Keith Fitz-John (7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8) and Paul Bullock  defeated  Nicola Pippen (3-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6). Melanie Bonnett finally sealed the Highwood victory by beating Jacqui Smith (11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9). An outstanding effort from the Chelmsford side.       

Highwood were in action again in the Ladies knock out cup, but this time they lost, 3-2, against Chelmsford. Alesha Ellis-Austin, another fast improving player made the difference here. She beat Nicola Pippen (11-8, 11-6, 11-8) and Melanie Bonnett (11-8, 11-8, 9-11 11-6) and in the deciding doubles she teamed up with Emilie Guilloux to beat Melanie and Nicola (11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4) – a very good doubles win for Alesha and Emilie.   

Handicap Cup matches are by far the hardest to evaluate. Teams with fast improving players often cruise through as the teams “chasing” the handicaps make little impact. Chelmsford E -Aidan Lees (handicap of 63), Rev Matthews (55) and Vishnu Surendran (35) ran out 5-0 winners against Danbury K whilst Chelmsford G – Harrison Hill (58), Alesha Ellis-Austin (41) and Ben Chivers (37) beat Writtle C 5-0, no mean feat as Writtle C have fared well in this event in the past.   Danbury B defeated Writtle B 5-3 in a match where both teams featured players from the higher echelons of the League. Writtle’s Phil Smith (67) did well to beat Sam Lowman (81) (18-21, 21-18, 21-15). Neil Want (67) eventually defeated Richard Storey (70) (21-16, 18-21, 22-20) to seal the Danbury victory. Chelmsford F are safely through as well. Alex Tkachuk (51), Cleon Fernandes (40) and Dion Fernandes (37) prevailed 6-2 against Danbury N.

Matthew Brown was in action again, in division three, in what was a very busy week for him.  Matthew Brown, Malcolm Henstock and Peter Layzell all won twice as Writtle D beat Chelmsford E 7-3. Aidan Lees was unbeaten for Chelmsford and he defeated Malcolm Henstock (9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6), Matthew Brown (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6) and Peter Layzell (11-6, 14-12, 4-11, 11-8). Chelmsford E also drew with Maldon B. No surprises here – Aidan Lees was again the player who dominated the action. He beat Brian Riedling (8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9), Marty Englander (11-9, 11-6, 15-13) and Dawn Baldry (5-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5).   

In the Chelmsford Junior League division 2A Buttsbury Bears beat Chelmsford Lions 4-1. Calum Walker beat both Aryan Gupta (11-13, 11-1, 11-3, 11-6) and Atharv Gupta (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-4). Buttsbury Bulldogs defeated Chelmsford Antelopes 3-2 in Junior division 2B. All four players won once and Ben Robinson beat Freya Hart (11-4, 11-3, 5-11, 8-11, 13-11) in the closest game of the match.  Chelmsford Jaguars ran out 4-1 winners against Buttsbury Beavers in Junior division 2C. Grace Liu was undefeated.  

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

Matthew Mulley – still 100 % after 24 games

OCA A, the outstanding side in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League moved another step closer to the title by beating a strong Chelmsford A team 7-3. They lead the way with 95 points from 13 games. Matthew Mulley (24 wins out of 24) retained his 100 % singles record with another “power house” performance beating Harry Chivers (11-7, 14-12, 11-8), James Donald (11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8) and Saul Chivers (12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5). Brother Mark Mulley had a real tussle with James Donald and he finally came out on top (7-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 12-10).  

Danbury D have taken over the leadership of division two, and they are one point ahead of Galleywood A. Danbury’s David Gatheral, Sanjay Saptarshi and Sam Phillips ran out 10-0 winners against Chelmsford C. Sanjay Saptashi (96 %) has only lost once from 26 starts.  The Danbury TTC Web Site found a novel way of describing this impressive win – “This morning’s earthguake in Danbury was undoubtedly caused by the D team’s immense victory over Chelmsford C ……………”. Long-time leaders Galleywood A won 8-2 against OCA C. James Hicks led the way with three wins whilst Mick Richardson notched up two wins for the Old Chelmsfordians team, beating Gary Brignall (11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8) and Ben Page (11-7, 11-5, 12-10). Chelmsford D did well to beat Maldon A 6-4. Nikita Tkachuk led the way, defeating Lloyd Bennett-Smith (11-8, 11-4, 11-7), Hamish Innes (11-5, 11-7, 11-6) and Colin Napper (11-6, 11-8, 12-10). Very impressive. No one player stayed undefeated in the match between OCA B and Galleywood B, which finished tied at 5-5. Galleywood’s reserve – Colin Blore made his mark with two hard fought victories. He beat Bertie Makoli (5-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-8) and Trevor Carter (6-11, 15-13, 13-11, 7-11, 14-12). Martin Archie led the way with a hat-trick as Hatfield Peverel A beat Danbury E 7-3. Archie had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Tim Cramphorn (11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9). Writtle B turned the tables on the higher placed Writtle C with an excellent 8-2 victory. Richard Storey and reserve Malcolm Henstock both stayed undefeated. Henstock downed the challenge of Gary Ward (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-3) whilst Ward had to work hard to beat Trevor Collin (5-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8). The match between OCA C and Hatfield Peverel A finished level (5-5). Mick Richardson won his three singles for the OCA C side; good wins as well, beating Alastair Piper (8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-4), Gareth Davies (4-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3) and Julie Johnson (11-5, 11-9 11-5).     

Danbury F scored their tenth win of the season, and they lead the way in division three with 97 points from 13 matches. Chris Buer was undefeated in their 8-2 victory against Hatfield Peverel B. Neil Freeman won twice for Hatfield Peverel and this included a (11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8) win over Gus Heath. Writtle D also won 8-2, at the expense of Writtle E. Matt Brown and Bob Garson were both undefeated. Matt Brown required five ends to see off Neil Thompson (5-11, 11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9).  OCA D shaded a closer match against second placed Danbury G, 6-4. The first game of the night set the tone for the match with OCA’s Richard Baxter getting the better of Alan Scammell (11-9, 2-11, 11-6, 10-12, 12-10).  Danbury G are still 17 points above third placed OCA D. Danbury K led by a hat-trick from Denis Balic ran out 7-3 winners against Chelmsford F. Balic beat Waseem Qureshi (11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3), Andy Swales (12-10, 11-6, 11-4) and Alex Tkachuk (11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6).

Division four leaders Chelmsford G were again indebted to 2023 Chelmsford Under 13 Singles Champion Harrison Hill as they beat Chelmsford H 6-4. With a deficit of a mere four points but with two games in hand the advantage still rests with second placed Danbury L. Back to Chelmsford G and Harrison Hill (29 wins out of 30 / 97 %) raced to wins over Felix Reeve (11-4, 11-7, 11-7), Vishnu Surendran (11-5, 11-6, 13-11) and Cleon Fernandes (11-3, 11-9, 11-3). Felix Reeve in turn defeated Alesha Ellis-Austin by a last gasp (6-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5, 12-10 margin). Danbury L ensured that Chelmsford G did not make any inroads on them by hammering Hatfield Peverel D 10-0. Rob Kneale, Dave Goody and Dave Powell carried all before them. OCA E came out on top in the inter-club clash against OCA F, by the comfortable margin of 9-1. Russell Hall beat Mike Morecroft (12-14, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10) in the closest game of the evening. Buttsbury A led by three wins from Jamie Elliott beat Galleywood C 7-3. Elliott beat Will Goodchild – the best of the Galleywood players (14-16, 8-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7) to complete his hat-trick. Fourth-placed Danbury M are still in the hunt for honours and they beat Hatfield Peverel C 7-3.  Tim Pulham won his three singles and with a record of 89 % he is having a great Season.

Division five remains a battle between Highwood A and Highwood B. The Highwood A side (12 wins and two draws from 14 games) were hard pushed to beat Buttsbury B 6-4. Melanie Bonnett had to dig deep to beat George Haglund (11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 6-11, 11-6). Keith Pallett went down fighting against both Oscar Hutt, losing (8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11) and against George Haglund where he missed out (6-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 10-12).  Highwood A also beat Hatfield Peverel E 7-3. Keith Fitz-John was undefeated this time. He beat Phil West (7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9), Davina Brazier (4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9) and James Brooks (11-7, 11-4, 11-8). The improving Davina Brazier scored a fine opening game success over Melanie Bonnett (12-14, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5). Highwood B ran out 7-3 winners against Maldon C. Roger Patient led the way with three victories whilst Kym Eames won twice for Maldon. She beat Martin Goddard (11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10) and Russell Downton (12-10, 11-9, 11-6).   Chelmsford J did well to beat Galleywood D 8-2. Jason Clark and Paul Bullock were both undefeated in a match where no games went to a fifth end although six games were decided over four ends. Hatfield Peverel F edged out Buttsbury B 6-4 Karen Braney won her three singles beating the Buttsbury trio of Charlie Ware (11-7, 11-5, 11-5), Lucy Elliott (12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6) and Calum Walker (11-7, 11-9, 11-9).

Highwood B emerged as 5-3 winners over Danbury in the division five knock out cup. They led 2-0 but were pulled back to 3-3. Dave Cockrell scored a vital (12-14, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5) win over Graham Naggs and this enabled Roger Patient (31 / 32 wins / 97 % record in the league) to seal his side’s victory with a (12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3) win against David Smith.

Chelmsford Tigers (Pav Srinavasmurthy and Wasi Omar) won all four singles in their 4-1 win over Buttsbury Bees in Junior division 2A. Pav Srinavasmurthy beat Charlie Ware (11-5, 13-15, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8) in a well contested opening encounter.

Chelmsford Cougars ran out 5-0 winners against Buttsbury Bats in Junior division 2B. Joshua Freeman and Amir Chetitah gave nothing away although the Buttsbury players – Noah Middleton and Jago Ware extended three games to a fifth and deciding end.  

Grace Liu won her two singles as Chelmsford Leopards defeated Chelmsford Pumas 4-1 in Junior division 2 C. Damon Chow was on target for Chelmsford Pumas, beating Sean Kwan (11-4, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7).     

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

Simon Jarvis – hat-trick against Danbury C

Three of this week’s four scorecards in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League produced 6-4 scorelines. Simon Jarvis was on great form for Chelmsford B against Danbury C but it was Danbury C who shaded a close match 6-4. Jarvis beat Sanjay Saptarshi (22-20, 11-4, 11-6), David Gatheral (12-10, 11-3, 5-11, 11-5) and Ian Whiteside (11-6, 11-9, 11-5). Chelmsford B also lost 6-4 to Danbury B. Sam Lowman’s three wins gave Danbury B the edge. He beat Kim Shead (11-5, 11-5, 11-3), Simon Jarvis (11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5) and Wiktor Delimat (11-4, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8). Simon Jarvis made his mark with a five game win over Dan Anderson (11-9, 14-16, 11-3, 10-12, 11-6). The leaders OCA A overcame Writtle A 6-4. Lee McHugh caused them the most problems. He secured an excellent hat-trick of wins beating Berti Makoli (11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9), Mark Mulley (14-16, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6) and Paul Lucas (11-8, 11-9, 2-11, 12-10). Berti Makoli excelled with a fine (11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 11-9) victory against Richard Storey. Chelmsford A did well to beat the higher placed Danbury A 7-3. Harry Chivers and James Donald were both undefeated. James Donald had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Eric Green (11-8, 10-12, 11-2, 9-11, 11-9).    

Galleywood A top the table in division two with 94 points but Danbury B are hot on their tails with 93 points. Galleywood A scraped past their B team 6-4. Gary Copsey was the “thorn in their side” beating Ben Page (13-11, 14-12, 11-5), Gary Brignall (6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8) and James Hicks (11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7). Galleywood A also beat Writtle B 6-4. Peter Barrett won his three singles and Gary Brignall came very close to doing so as well. He just missed out to Mathew Brown (6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12). Danbury D took full advantage and with Sanjay Saptarshi and David Gatheral both staying undefeated they beat Chelmsford D 8-2. David Gatheral was on fine form for the Danbury side. He raced to wins against Felix Reeve (11-1, 11-6, 12-10), Nikita Tkachuk (11-4, 11-5, 11-5) and Adi Kamma (11-2, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6). Writtle C, led by a Gary Ward hat-trick ran out 6-4 winners against Galleywood B. John Gagg impressed for Writtle with a very good (3-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9) win over Gary Copsey. 6-4 was also the scoreline when Danbury E came out on top against Chelmsford C. Tim Cramphorn bagged a hat-trick for Danbury E, beating Victor Chan (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5), Mark Allaway (11-7, 11-3, 11-5) and Rev Matthews (11-9, 11-7, 11-5). Maldon A saw off a two-man OCA B 8-2. Colin Napper impressed for Maldon beating Kevin Worthington (11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5) and Trevor Carter (11-4, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5).     

Division three leaders Danbury F met their match against Chelmsford F, and the match finished tied at 5-5. Waseem Qureshi was undefeated for Chelmsford F beating Gus Heath (5-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7), Chris Buer (11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11) and Steve Buer (11-4, 11-13, 11-3, 14-12).  Reserve Pav Srinavasmurthy made his mark with a fine (12-10, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-2) victory over Steve Buer. With Aidan Lees and Charlie Donald in their side Chelmsford E ran out 8-2 winners against Danbury H. Aidan Lees completed his hat-trick by getting the better of David Meah (11-9, 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5). Neil Freeman led Hatfield Peverel B to a 6-4 win against Writtle D. He seemed to have “something in hand” cruising to wins against Colin Barham (11-8, 11-3, 11-3), Peter Layzell (11-4, 11-7, 11-7) and Malcom Henstock (11-6, 11-3, 11-7). Danbury G stay second; and Ken Sheard was on match-winning form as they defeated Maldon B 7-3. Sheard completed his trio of wins by defeating 2023 Chelmsford Ladies Champion Dawn Baldry (11-7, 11-18, 12-10).  Writtle E won a hard-fought match against OCA D 7-3. The last five games were five setters and Ian Hockley beat Richard Upson (11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8) to complete his hat-trick. Upson had in turn seen off Dave Moles (8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 14-12).  

Chelmsford G stay top in division four with 78 points but Danbury L have two games in hand. Alesha Ellis-Austin’s three wins gave Chelmsford the edge against OCA E and they won 6-4. Alesha had a real tussle against Farooq Ahmed before she prevailed (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-9) and she sealed the win for he side by beating Bob Francis (9-11, 11-6, 11-8 11-5). Danbury M won twice. Tim Pulham and Ken Wilding were both undefeated against Hatfield Peverel D (where they won 9-1) whilst Tim Pulham was also unbeaten against OCA F who they beat 7-3. With a record of 88 % Pulham is having a fine season. OCA’s Stuart Wintle secured a notable (11-5, 10-12, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10) victory over Ken Wilding. Colin Blore led Galleywood C to a 7-3 win over Chelmsford H and he completed his hat-trick by beating Cleon Fernandes (7-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-8). Steve Peacock beat Vishnu Surendran (9-11, 12-10, 2-11, 12-1, 12-10) in the closest game of the evening.  It was honours even between Hatfield Peverel C and OCA F. David Bishop was undefeated for the Old Chelmsfordians team.

Second placed Highwood B were narrow 6-4 winners against Hatfield Peverel B in division five. Roger Patient won his three singles which gave them the edge. He beat Davina Brazier, the best of the Hatfield Peverel players (11-3, 11-6, 11-5) in the last game of the evening to seal the Highwood victory. Writtle F also won, 6-4 – team-work, in this case two wins for Ron Tam, Paul Aarons and Jo Hart gave them the edge although they all missed out against Dave Benstead. It was a night Benstead will remember. He beat Paul Aarons (8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9, 12-10) and Ron Tam (11-4, 10-12, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10).  In yet another close match Galleywood D beat Hatfield Peverel F 6-4. Steve Peacock was unbeaten for Galleywood and he beat James Brookes (a two time winner for Hatfield Peverel) (7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 1-11, 11-6). Danbury F were 7-3 winners against Writtle F. David Smith, Graham Naggs and Steve Martin all won twice for Danbury N whilst Paul Aarons won two times for the Writtle side. Aarons defeated Davis Smith (7-11,11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9) in the opening encounter.      

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

Danbury D return to top spot in division two

Danbury D have hit a rich vein of form in division two of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League. They returned to the top of the table by beating Danbury E 9-1. Sanjay Saptarshi and Sam Phillips were both undefeated although Sanjay had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Neil Want (3-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4, 14-12). Want was on target for the losers, beating David Gatheral (11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 11-6). Maldon A did well to beat Writtle C 6-4, good going as Gary Ward was undefeated for Writtle. Ward completed his trio of wins by beating Hamish Innes (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 13-11). Teamwork saw Hatfield Peverel A through to a 7-3 win over Writtle B. Julie Johnson, Alastair Piper and Martin Archie all won twice. Julie Johnson gave her team a winning start with a (7-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4) victory over Phil Smith. In what was a well contested match Phi Smith hit back by beating Martin Archie (11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 3-11, 11-9). Chelmsford D, well served by Adi Kamma and Nikita Tkachuk beat OCA B 8-2. It’s a night OCA B will prefer to forget as they lost five games in the fifth end. Adi Kamma won the last game of the evening (11-6, 11-4, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8) against Gareth Joice whilst Nikita Tkachuk defeated Robbie Burton (6-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-9, 13-11). Chelmsford C shaded a close match against OCA C 6-4. Mark Allaway, Dusan Doszkoty and Takunda Nerutanga all won twice to negate Mick Richardson’s three wins for the OCA team. Dusan Doszkoty secured a fine (3-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6) win over David Porter.

2023 Chelmsford Veterans Champion Duncan Taylor was undefeated as Writtle A ran out 6-4 winners against Danbury A in division one. Taylor had to come from behind to pip Chris Penrose (7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9). Penrose had made his mark by beating Kevin Read (11-9, 11-7, 11-8). OCA A stay top and with Paul Lucas and Mark Mulley winning their six singles they beat Danbury B 6-4. Mark Mulley beat Sam Lowman by a none too comfortable (7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1, 11-9) scoreline. Sam Lowman / Dan Anderson registered a fine (6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 13-11) win over Mark Mulley / Paul Lucas in the doubles.   

Division three leaders Danbury F were indebted to Gus Heath this week. He was unbeaten against Danbury K with wins over Greg Cooper (11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5), Denis Balic (11-7, 11-5, 11-4) and Denis Crapnell (11-9, 11-6, 11-4) as Danbury F won 6-4. With a record of 91 % Gus Heath is having a fine Season. Richard Baxter was also on “hat-trick form” as OCA D beat Hatfield Peverel B 7-3. He raced to wins over Neil Freeman (11-8, 12-10, 11-8), Paul Mulley (11-7, 11-3, 11-8) and Roger Slade (11-7, 11-5, 11-5). The match between Maldon B and Writtle B finished tied at 5-5. 2023 Chelmsford Ladies Champion Dawn Baldry won her three singles for Maldon. She completed her hat-trick of wins with a (11-9, 11-6, 15-13) victory over Malcolm Storey. No one player stayed unbeaten in the match between Danbury H and Danbury G; a match that Danbury H shaded 6-4. Dave Marsh and Peter Hance won twice for Danbury H whilst Alan Scammell and Ken Sheard won twice for Danbury G. Ken Sheard impressed with a fine (16-14, 11-6, 11-7) win over Peter Hance. Matthew Brown led the way with three wins as Writtle D beat Chelmsford F 8-2. Dusan Doszkoty beat Dave Carter over five ends (11-4, 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9) for the losers.

Chelmsford G stormed to a 9-1 win over Hatfield Peverel C in division four. They lead the way with 72 points. 2023 Chelmsford Under 13 Singles Champion Harrison Hill (96 %) and 2023 Chelmsford Junior Girls Singles Champion Alesha Ellis-Austin (81 %) were both undefeated.  Alesha came out on top over five ends against Peter Mortensen (11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9). Galleywood C impressed by beating OCA E 7-3. Colin Blore led the way with a hat-trick of wins and he completed an excellent evening’s work by defeating Farooq Ahmed (11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 6-11, 11-3).

The two leading teams both recorded “big” wins in division five. Highwood A (Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Keith Pallett) were 9-1 winners over Writtle F. Keith Fitz-John came through in five ends against Paul Aarons (13-11, 3-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7). Highwood B gave nothing away against Buttsbury B. Roger Patient, David Cockerell and Francis Whitbread ran out 10-0 winners. Davina Brazier was undefeated as Hatfield Peverel E beat Maldon C 8-2. Davina beat James Raymond (5-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6), Ella Sach (11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 12-10,11-8) and Ross Wheeler (11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7); three hard fought wins. Chelmsford J led by James Grimston were 7-3 winners against Danbury N. Grimston had to work hard to get the better of Steve Martin (11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-8) whilst Peter Davenport beat Oliver Martin (9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 8-11, 13-11) in an even closer game.

Chelmsford E (Charlie Donald, Rev Matthews and Joachim Mapes) beat Writtle E 5-1 in the division three knock out cup. Rev Matthews gave Chelmsford a 2-0 lead by beating Dave Moles in five ends (12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-4).    

Danbury L (Rob Kneale, Dave Powell and Dave Goody) are safely through to the next round of the division four knock out cup. They beat Buttsbury B 5-2. Jamie Elliott was on target for Buttsbury with a (12-10, 11-7, 11-9) win over Rob Kneale.

Division five leaders Highwood A made no mistake against Buttsbury C in the division five knock out cup and they won 5-0. Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Marin Goddard were in control here.

Premier Division Hockley is a hard place to go these days and get a result, but Thorpe Bay B made their task impossible by having to forfeit 3 games as they only could field 2 players against Hockley A. Kieran Skeggs did record two wins against Ian Wall and Tim Pang and Richard Stubbington also managed a win against Pang. Neither could get the better of Hockley number 1 Andy Cunningham and so this resulted in a 6-3 win for Hockley.

A great ding dong derby between Rawreth A and Rawreth C this week which saw a tight 5-4 win for the C team. Bruce Kettle and Babul McLeod (pictured) winning two against George Reeves and Charles Sweeny and Reeves having to concede his third game against Eric Green. It did mean that we saw the Man of the Match on the losing side as Liam Squirrell was in good form winning all of his games for the A team.

This slip by Rawreth A gave Thorpe Bay A a chance to move even further clear at the top of the division and that is indeed what they did with a 9-0 win over bottom side Hadleigh Forum A. Paul Sayer, Paul Whatton and John Poysden winning all their matches without dropping a single leg.

To finish this week another really close game to report on as Rawreth B just sneaked past a two-man Irons A side 5-4. Dave Bowles picking up two wins against Arron Chandler and Dan Zeffie and Richard Brown beating Chandler and Peter Barrett. All of the games were really hard-fought battles and this shows from the scorecard where 5 of the 6 games played on the night went to a deciding 5^th leg.

Division 1 

It was certainly a week for 5-4 score lines, with four of the five matches played ending up with that result.

In a top of the table clash, second place Lentern took a slight advantage over leaders Brand Identity B with a 5-4 away win. Barrie Delf turned in another one of those Player of the Match maximums he is renowned for. However, it was not enough, as the visitors Gus Heath and Paul Sims managed two wins apiece and Ian Cranstone added another. Mike Grout got Brand’s other victory. Lentern are now only four points behind.

Hockley B are in third place behind Lentern and five points behind them but, crucially, have played two games less. This week they were involved in a ‘derby’ match ‘away’ to Hockley C. The rankings just about stood up as the B team won 5-4. Daniel Patynski was again their hero with a POM maximum performance, ably assisted by Keith Abbott and Dennis Squirrell with one victory each. Tarun Goel was the C team’s hero with two victories, whilst Harry Sawford and Aaryan Vatsa got one single win each.

Invicta A came a cropper against lowly Stanford A. Despite a hat trick from their Steve Marr, two wins each for Saad Abdullah and Ian Sangster, together with one success from Dave Hancox gave Sanford a 5-4 away victory. Lee Marson got Invicta’s other success. A special mention should be made for Invicta’s Trish Winter, playing two divisions higher, who put in a brave performance at short notice.

The last 5-4 result this week involved Hadleigh Forum B’s home match against two-man Rawreth E. Rawreth’s Garry Hartgrove was unbeaten and Gary McCarthy got another, but it was not quite enough, as the home side’s Tony Jacks, Anthon Ranjit-Singh and Mike Tappenden took the match by the narrowest of margins.

The exception to the 5-4 results involved Rawreth D’s visit to Mapledene. The Rawreth club seem to have a shortage of available players this season, as this was another case of there only being two players to represent their club. Young Amber Sturgeon and Charlie Kauders Boothby will have hopefully learnt some useful pointers from a very experienced Mapledene side of Dawn Baldry, Lin Roff and Steve Woodley who were comfortable 9-0 winners.

Division 2 

RESSC’s march to the title continued in impressive style this week as they beat second placed Hadleigh Forum C 7-2 to open up a 17 point lead at the top of the Division 2 table. This is, in no small part, due to the form of Bob Skews who remains unbeaten in the nine matches he has played so far this season. Another hat trick against Hadleigh although he was pushed all the way by Tony Mace who came back from two sets down before losing 11/7 in the fifth. No problems otherwise for RESSC with Richard Gill actually taking the POTM award with his hat trick and a single win for Ron Coutts. David Thomas and Mark Everard got a point each for Hadleigh.

Canvey B stay third after an 8-1 demolition of Selbourne, Tony Westwell and Kevin Walsingham both recording maximums and Des Duffield picking up a brace. Ross Letham got Selbourne’s consolation point and came close to a second taking Kevin all the way to a fifth set before going down 11/9 in the decider. Ross led 2-1 at one stage.

With Wakering without a game this week Runnymede have taken advantage beating Stanford B 7-2 and moving into second place. Surprisingly no game went beyond four sets in this encounter the match honours going to Dmitry Kisil for his hat trick with two wins each for Phil Digby and Tony Millward. Mark Downey and Robert Salvage got a point each for Stanford.

Player of the Week – Richard Gill

Team of the Week – RESSC

Division 3 

The top 3 in the Division were all in action this week.

Third placed Invicta B came out on top in the local derby against the Invicta C, winning 6-3. This was a fine team performance, led by POM Steve Lennox with a maximum, ably supported by Michael Keeble with two wins and Sarah Ball who picked up the other point.  Keith Baxter was the best on the night for Invicta C winning two of his sides points to add to the point won by Trisha Winter.

Second placed MegaZone were also 6-3 winners over Hockley E.  Richard Kidd was their standout player with a straight sets hat-trick to add to a brace from Jaspreet Singh and a single win for Mike Webb.  For Hockley’ there was a win each for Ben Cook and Ellis Marley, but a blank night for Keith Denyer, although he came close to beating Jaspreet in the tightest game of the night, eventually falling 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 12-14.

The long-time League leaders, Hockley D, were involved in the closest match of the week, a narrow 5-4 win over a Mark Farley inspired Stanford C side. Mark’s unbeaten performance included good wins over the consistent Jeremy Giffin and Ronald Rogerson who both recorded two wins on the night.  Hockley’s other point came from Tony Molisso with a victory over Jack Diver. The 5-4 scoreline could easily have been reversed however as Randy Santiago came within a whisker of beating Ron but fell short at 12-10 in the final leg.

Thorpe Bay A were in ruthless mood in the Premier Division of the Southend and District Table Tennis League as they only dropped three legs all evening to an Irons A side packed with experience. John Poysden, Joe Kennedy and man of the match Paul Sayer eased to a 9-0 win to cement their place in top spot.

Thorpe Bay B knew they were in for a tough night as two of the first three games of their match against Brand Identity A went the distance. However through three wins for Kieran Skeggs and two apiece for Gurj Bhambra and Richard Stubbington they managed to take the match 7-2.

In the final game of this week it was another Masterclass from Hockley A’s Andy Cunningham, who picked up three wins against a Rawreth C side of Babul McLeod, Steve Tilson and Tim Cramphorn. Hockley completed a 6-3 win as Ian Wall (2) and Sanjay Saptarshi added to Cunningham’s hat trick.

In Division 1 second placed Lentern B continued their recent fine run of form with an 8-1 demolition of visitors Canvey A. Martin Archie’s hat trick made him Player of the Match, but it was a close call between him and colleague Peter Lucraft, who was also unbeaten. Peter had to work hard, though, to overcome Canvey’s Lee McGonagle, eventually squeezing home 11-8 in the fifth. Ian Cranstone got Lentern’s other two wins, but missed out to Ray Wilson in the very first rubber of the evening. A Mick Grout maximum gave him a well-deserved POM accolade for leaders Brand Identity B as they overcame Hockley C 6-3. A special mention has to go to the visitor’s Joerg Poeschus for inflicting only the fourth defeat of the season upon the home side’s Barrie Delf. Barrie went on to take two other wins and Adam Jackman added another, whilst Harry Sawford got one for the visitors and Joerg ended up with two wins.

Rawreth D’s George Davis was unfortunate to be on the losing side when his team entertained third place Invicta A. Young George won all his contests and rightly took the POM award. However, two wins each for Invicta’s Steve Marr, Lee Marson and Tony Ayliffe leaves them still in contention at the top.

A Peter Weatherall hat trick was the main stay in Stanford Le Hope A’s home win over Hadleigh Forum B. Peter was assisted by two wins from Pat White in a 5-4 victory. Skipper Dave Woolmer was Forum’s star, taking two wins, with Anthon Ranjit-Singh and Tony Jacks managing one each. It was a close match with some great games, and the result wasn’t finally settled until the fifth set of the final rubber of the evening.

Visiting Hockley B were victors over Rawreth E, thanks to the unbeaten David Colwell, whose trio of successes gave him the POM award in a 6-3 win for Hockley. Team mate Stuart Adshead added two wins and Keith Abbott one. For the home side, Trevor Ward won two and Gary McCarthy won one.

There were two thrilling last gasp 5-4 victories in Division 2 as an Evie Knaapen inspired Hullbridge A edged out Stanford B and a Tony Westwell inspired Canvey B did the same to Wakering.

Evie took three more big scalps in her match beating Chris Crooks, Robert Salvage and Steve King only dropping one set in the process, and with Debbie O’Neill and Jack Riley both beating the luckless Steve King, Hullbridge now sit very comfortably above the relegation places. Chris and Robert shared the points for Stanford.

At the other end of the table Wakering have now fallen out of the promotion places suffering their third successive defeat and Canvey B are now just three points behind them in fourth place. Tony Westwell’s hat trick and a brace from Terry Giddens made the difference, while Zac England got a brace and there was a point each for Paul England and Stewart Mills.

In contrast to the other games Hadleigh Forum C couldn’t have had an easier win than their 9-0 demolition of a two man Selbourne side. Graham Farmer, David Thomas and Satwant Gill shared the honours for Hadleigh who maintain their second placed position in the league now fifteen points clear of Wakering, albeit having played a game more.

Runnymede have only won two games this season but all their defeats have been by 5-4 or 6-3 score lines and unfortunately for them that run continued against leaders RESSC losing 6-3. Bob Skews picked up his sixth POTM award of the season with another hat trick dropping just one set all night, and he was supported by a brace from Richard Gill and one win from Mike Worship who got out of his sick bed to play. Phil Digby got two wins for Runnymede and Dmitry Kisil got one.

MegaZone lost ground in their pursuit of Hockley D at the top of the table in Division 3 after they were beaten 7-2 by Stanford C. Mark Farley and, player of the match, Vaughan Chambers both put in unbeaten performances, with Randy Santiago adding the extra point.  Jonathan Allen and Steve McQuillan with a point each for MegaZone.

Meanwhile, Hockley D took advantage with a 7-2 win over third placed Invicta D, who, with games in hand, were looking to break into the top two.  It was not to be unfortunately, as hat-tricks from Jeremy Giffin and Tony Molisso and a single win from John George did the damage. Invicta’s points came from Sarah Ball and Michael Keeble. A blank night for David Barnes but he came close in his game against John, but eventually went down 8-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9.

A fine maximum from Canvey C’s Trevor Hayes proved to be in vain as his side went down 6-3 to Hullbridge B for whom there were 2 wins each for Roger Sherman, Dan Stewart and Alex Deacon.  The closest game of the night saw Trevor just get the better of Alex, eventually winning 11-7, 11-13, 9-11, 13-11, 11-9.