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PENGUINS PICK UP LAST-GASP WIN

Windsor Penguins were involved in one of the closest contests in the first round of ties in the Group stage of the Clacton League’s Knock-Out Cup, beating fellow-Division Two side Brotherhood B 5-4 but forced to take the final two matches of the evening to secure the victory.

At the half-way mark of their Group C tie, the Penguins looked comfortable at 3-1, but Brotherhood fought back to lead 4-3, needing just one win to take the tie. But Sharon Gowlett (+1) beat Barry Allen (-5) 11-5, 11-1, 6-11, 11-4 in match eight, before Scott Campbell and Annabelle Stallwood (+1) sealed the deal by beating Mark Salter and Paul Alden (-1) 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 in the final doubles.

Acting captain Gowlett won her two singles and one doubles, with Stallwood taking one singles and two doubles.

Group C looks as though it could turn out to be the hardest-fought of the seven groups, with Brotherhood D and Windsor Hawks involved in a tie in which no less than five of the seven matches went the distance. But it was Brotherhood who took the honours 5-2, Kevin Pryor staying unbeaten and Sam Plummer (+2) delivering the coup de grace, beating Andy Vincent (-6) 12-10, 12-14, 11-4, 9-11, 13-11 in match seven.

Elsewhere, just one result from Group A saw Nomads Bobcats from Division Three defeat Second Division Lawford 5-2, this after Lawford led 2-1. Jack Riddleston stayed unbeaten for the Bobcats.

In Group B Windsor Kestrels of Division Two dispatched their higher-ranked opposition, Walton A, 5-0 without a great deal of fuss, the closest match seeing Allen Denyer (+2) defeat Colin Dearman (-8) 11-2, 11-0, 11-13, 11-9.

The other match in this Group was a walk-over win for Brotherhood C against Nomads Lions.

Division One Windsor Buzzards defeated Division Three Brotherhood E 5-4 in Group D, but they were forced to take the final three matches of the evening to secure the victory. Dave Martin’s (-5) 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 win in match seven against Tricia Salter (+1) turned the tide in the Buzzards’ favour.

The all-Walton clash between Walton D and Walton E ended in a 5-2 victory for the Division Two ‘D’ outfit over their Division Three club-mates, Paul Woolnough and Mo Hardy (-6) beating Lynette Sparks and Deborah Pallett (+2) 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 11-6 in a hard-fought doubles.

Group E looks like being a straight fight between Walton C and Nomads Tigers after both teams enjoyed victories over the two teams currently at the bottom of Division Three.

Walton C had a comfortable 5-0 victory over Nomads Lynx whilst, in an all-Nomads clash, the Tigers defeated the Lynx 5-2, Arthur Wells-Garrett of the Ocelots recording a singles win and sharing a doubles success with James Horsler.

In Group F Tom Bryden and JJ Barry (+2) of Brotherhood F surprised Phil Smith and John Hobson (-13) of Windsor Eagles at the very start, winning the first set of the opening match 11-0. But the Eagles’ pair got into gear, eventually winning 0-11, 11-8, 11-6 and, thereafter, the Windsor side took control to take it 5-0.

It was also 5-0 in another Division One v Division Three clash,  Nomads Panthers beating Windsor Magpies. But the Panthers were made to fight, with three of the individual matches going the distance, the closest being in match five where James Denyer and John Hatley (-13) edged past Dave Sweetland and Alan Rutledge (+3) 11-7, 1-11, 12-10.

There were two competitive matches in Group G, with pride of place going to last season’s beaten finalists, Nomads Leopards, who took their tie 5-4 against top-flight Walton B. Chris Wilmotte was their best player on the night, taking his two singles and, with Stu Wilkinson (+2) taking the doubles 11-0, 11-2, 11-7 against Graham Buxton and John Marshall (-8).

Russell Hillier of Brotherhood A also took two singles and one doubles as, in another meeting of Division One and Division Three teams, Brotherhood A defeated Windsor Harriers 5-3. The closest match of the contest saw Hillier and Kevin Gowlett (-8) beat Ferdy Rodriguez and Jenny Higgins (+2) 2-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6.

* Up-dated results and tables for all Cup matches can be viewed on the League’s website.

RESULTS

Knock-out Cup : Group stage

Group A

Nomads Bobcats 5 Lawford 2.

Group B

Windsor Kestrels 5 Walton A 0;

Brotherhood C 5 (w/o) v Nomads Lions.

Group C

Brotherhood D 5 Windsor Hawks 2;

Brotherhood B 4 Windsor Penguins 5.

Group D

Walton E 2 Walton D 5;

Windsor Buzzards 5 Brotherhood E 4.

Group E

Nomads Lynx 0 Walton C 5;

Nomads Ocelots 2 Nomads Tigers 5.

Group F

Nomads Panthers 5;Windsor Magpies 0;

Brotherhood F 0 Windsor Eagles 5.

Group G

Walton B 4 Nomads Leopards 5;

Windsor Harriers 3 Brotherhood A 5.

It’s a family affair for Chris

In the Premier Division this week the first two games resulted in 7-2 wins for Rayleigh Mill and Brand Identity A. In a somewhat surprising scoreline the Millers overcame title hopefuls Rawreth A who were without a few of their regular players but were still able to field a strong team of Liam Squirrell, Mike Hayes and Kim Shead. Hayes was unlucky to come out of the evening empty handed as he came out on the wrong side of two tight battles with Eric Green and Bruce Kettle. Green and Kettle picked up two wins each, both losing out to Squirrell who in turn was unable to get the better of Duncan Taylor who recorded 3 wins.

Brand Identity overcame Hockley B by the same scoreline but the main news in this one was the return of Chris Jacob to the Southend League. This may be Chris’s last game in the league and what better way to do that than playing with his two sons David and Simon. All 3 Jacobs beat Keith Abbott but only Simon was able to defeat the in-form Dave Colwill who registered the two wins for Hockley.

The final game of the week was more straight forward as league leaders Thorpe Bay A beat Hockley A 9-0. John Poysden, Ian Wall and Paul Sayer all won 3 but Hockley’s Dan Patynski will feel particularly unfortunate as he went down in 5 close games to both Sayer and Wall with the latter finishing 15-13 in the decider.

 In Division 1 top team Invicta A visited second place Stanford Le Hope A. Mitchell Jones was again the home side’s star extending his unbeaten run to five matches. A somewhat weakened Invicta side put up a reasonable showing though, with Steve Marr getting two successes and Lee Marson one. However, with support from Ian Sangster and Dave Hancox, Stanford came out 6 – 3 winners. This now puts both teams level at the top with the same number of points.


Dave Woolmer, Hadleigh Forum B’s captain was, at 69 years and 6 months, the youngest of the 6 players in their home match against RESSC. Considered a mere fledgling compared to the visitor’s 83 year old John Holland, who deservedly won all his 3 rubbers. Everyone contributed to some excellent games with exciting rallies that Forum won 6 – 3. Unfortunately, Mike Worship, a late call up when RESSC’s Bob Skews sent in a sick note, had to concede his last game due to a dodgy knee.

Hockley C seem to have found an asset in Joseph Odegbami. His second hat trick in two outings inspired his team to a 5 – 4 victory over Mapledene. The visitor’s skipper Andy Seaman won two and Dawn Baldry and Anthon Ranjit-Singh one each, but a creditable pair from Brian Bissenden ensured the Hockley win.

Canvey A’s recent improved form continued with a highly creditable 5 – 4 win at home to Brand Identity B. Yet again their success was due, in no small part, to a hat trick from their captain Ray Wilson. One each from Peter Cray and Lee McGonagle completed Canvey’s scoring, whilst Jenny Harrison and Mick Grout got two each for the visitors.

Bottom side Hadleigh Forum C were thumped again this week. Despite putting up a valiant resistance, they went down 9 – 0 away to Rawreth Megazone C, for whom Garry Hartgrove, Trevor Ward and Gary Hartgrove, we’re all unbeaten.

There were four close games in Division 2 this week two of which were decided in the final game of the evening and the others both finished 6-3 in favour of the top two sides Matchpoint A and Basildon A. This left Matchpoint top of the table by virtue only because of their unbeaten record.

Leaders Matchpoint had to overcome their own B team to keep their position at the top of the table and it was James Elliot who led the way with a hat trick supported by two wins for Harry Sawford and one for Lucy Elliot. Alexander Deacon did the best for the B team with two wins and Jack Riley got the other point. It was close up to the final two games of the evening when, leading 4-3, the A team pulled away to clinch victory.

Rivals Basildon A, without big hitters Les Hoey and Szymon Jarka, still managed to keep the pressure on Matchpoint by beating Invicta B 6-3. Their other top player, Arun Joy, led the way with a hat trick and a brace from Robert Platt and a single win for Stephen Walters gave them the win. Barbara Chabior kept her fine record in the league this season by winning two games and Sarah Ball got the other point.

In the first of the two 5-4 results the revitalised Canvey B team just edged out promotion hopefuls Wakering inspired, as they have been over the last five games, by Andrew Murray. It was a strange match in that despite the closeness of the result the individual games were remarkably quick only the final game going the full five sets. Canvey led 2-0 and 4-2 before Wakering levelled the scores and it was left to Murray to take on Stewart Mills to decide the match. Mills did well to fight back from 1-0 and 2-1 down but ran out of steam in the decider losing 11/1. Des Duffield and Tony Westwell got a point each for Canvey whilst father and son duo Paul and Zac England got a brace each for Wakering. Despite their recent run Canvey stay sixth in the table Wakering are fourth.

The final match featured two teams looking at the bottom of the table rather than the top as Hockley D took on Rawreth Megazone E. Unlike the previous match this was a long, hard fought game with the home side fighting back from 3-1 and 4-3 down to take it to the deciding game. Four matches went to five sets and in the evening’s longest game the third set lasted an incredible 10 minutes on it’s own. Possibly not surprising as two resolute defenders, Richard Kidd and Paul Strutt, battled it out. That levelled the match at 4-4 and it was left to Hockley’s Ben Cook and Rawreth’s Graham Back to decide the overall winner. Despite losing the first set Cook came out on top to give Hockley only their second win of the season. Paul Strutt finished with a hat trick and Cook had two wins for Hockley whilst Kidd won a brace and Back and Amar Al-Soufi took a point each for Rawreth.

Team of the Week – Canvey B

Player of the Week – Andrew Murray

Mapledene desperately cling on to top spot

The top two teams in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League clashed this week in a tense and tight encounter at the Mapledene arena – Mapledene A held on for the win thanks to the bonus doubles victory and remain ensconced at the summit, but watch out as here come Fambridge.

Daniel Young was the less than secret weapon deployed by Mapledene A as they hosted their nearest rivals Cold Norton B this week.  Young was able to record a fine hat-trick of wins that included a clash of styles 5 set victory over Eric Green.  Despite his flawless record young Young was cruelly dropped for the vital doubles encounter in which his team-mates Gary Young and Steve Muth mercilessly destroyed their opponents and thus facilitated the overall victory – with the remaining points coming from the 2 singles wins by the elder Young. For Cold Norton B Sam Lowman had two good wins including his own deuce+ 5 setter against the hard working Steve Muth.  The 6-4 victory keeps Mapledene atop the table, for now. 

With the top two teams in action and sharing the spoils Fambridge took it upon themselves to record a near perfect 10-0 scoreline against Cold Norton C that sees them leapfrog Cold Norton B into the runner-up slot.  The strong Fambridge trio of Mark Stones, Keith Adams and captain John Poysden all scored hat-tricks with Adams and Poysden unwilling to drop a set between them.  Cold Norton’s Chris Buer got the closest to breaking the duck when he took Stones to deuce in the fifth but just ran out of gas at the vital moment as Stones finished off the leg 12-10.  Cold Norton A remain in the running for a top 3 place altho’ they haven’t been able to field their strongest line-up regularly enough to really trouble the top spot.  This week they rolled over a 2 man Maldon A side and came out 8-2 to the good with Kevin Read taking the player of the match plaudits with a 9 dart treble for his singles.  Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith gave a good account of himself as he came from behind in both his 5 set victories against Charles Sweeny and Steve Maltby.

With the two top teams in Division 2 away on a warm weather training camp Maldon B embraced the opportunity presented to them and steamed passed Blackwater B in a 10-0 victory that sees them split the top two and sends out a reminder that the Maldonians are still here and still in contention.  The Maldon war cry was led by Captain Colin Napper who won 4 points on the night in a measly 12 sets of ping pong.  His trusted lieutenants were Dawn Baldry and Hamish Innes both racking up more hat-tricks for their impressive seasons.  Blackwater’s Neil Thompson top span his way into contention against Innes – taking that match all the way to deuce in the deciding set but Innes held on for the tightest of victories. 

Maldon C and their talismanic leader Steve Aspland were both back to winning ways this week.  Aspland led from the front with a barely troubled hat-trick and as is the norm for this team he paired up with Colin Barrell for the extra doubles point that led to the overall 7-3 winning margin.  Barrell took two wins, and their third player Garry Eames chipped in with a notable 4 set victory over Dave Marsh.  Maldon D couldn’t emulate their stablemates achievements this week as they fell to the combined skills and efforts of Cold Norton D in a 7-3 loss.  This was Cold Norton D’s first win since the opening fixture of the season and keeps them 6 points clear of their fallen victim at the bottom of the division.  Despite the loss Maldon’s Shirley Carroll should be very pleased with her two wins for her team – her first double of the season.  In the final game in this division Woodham D and Stow Maries D played out an even stevens draw with Stow’s Tim Pulham the stand out player as he defeated the Woodham trio without the need for any deciding sets.   Woodham’s Gus Heath and Alan Dadswell each scored a brace of singles wins to keep their side in contention.

Plucky St Lawrence maintained their grip on the Division 3 title as they romped through Woodham E this week.  The St Lawrence Galacticos were pretty dominant all evening with the only real sticking point being the forceful play of Woodham’s Peter Harverson.  He lost out 12-10 in the fifth set to the wily Mike Pratley and took his team’s only point against Steve King.  Pratley and Mick Robinson recorded their hat-tricks with Robinson doing so without dropping a set – in fact he never really got close to dropping one.  The Blackwater teams continue to fight it out for the silver medals with the E and D teams both securing good wins this week.  Blackwater E were the 8-2 victors in the match with Maldon F, with David Sage taking the headlines for his second hat-trick of the season.  Blackwater D had a closer encounter with Maldon E as they emerged 6-4 winners on the night.  All of the Blackwater players took wins during the match but none of them could get past the emerging star of this Maldon team Arthur Shadforth.  This was Shadforth’s first hat-trick and he had to work hard for it as his rollercoaster matches with the more experienced Dave Benstead and Jaqui Treacy went deep into 5 sets – great to see such application and determination from a young player.

Pic 1 – Maldon C talisman Steve Aspland (top of page)

Pic 2 – Blackwater E’s hat-trick hero David Sage

Pic 3 – Maldon E’s emerging star Arthur Shadforth with his first hat-trick of wins this week

Pic 4 – Cold Norton’s Kevin Read in sparkling form this week

Brotherhood E leap frog to the top

The big match in Division Three of the Clacton League saw Brotherhood E go three points clear at the top after a hard-fought 7-3 victory over Windsor Harriers. There were two each for Brotherhood’s Fred Gallone, Tricia Salter and Duncan Dunne in a match where no-one stayed unbeaten.

Three of the League’s most experienced female players were on show but it was Tricia Salter (pictured below) who took the honours, defeating Jenny Higgins in three-straight and Isabel Barton 11-9 in the fifth.

Brotherhood won three of the four matches which went close in five but the Harriers took the closest contest of the evening, Barton coming back from 10-7 down in the fifth to defeat Gallone 11-7, 11-9, 13-15, 9-11, 14-12. Barton took two for the Harriers.

Nomads Leopards are the third team in the promotion hunt and they are only seven points adrift of the leaders after beating a two-player Nomads Ocelots 10-0. The Ocelots nearly took a point but Chris Wilmotte eventually overcame James Horsler 12-10 in the fifth.

And it was also 10-0 as Windsor Magpies consolidated fourth place with a comfortable victory against Nomads Lynx.

Tom Bryden produced his best form of the season to stay unbeaten in Brotherhood F’s 8-2 win against Nomads Bobcats. Lucy Carvell and Ruby Gallagher contributed two each. Three matches went the distance, Bryden beating Matt Sage 11-9 in the fifth and Gallagher beating Jack Riddlestone by the same score. Sage picked up the two Bobcats’ points.

And there was a third victory for a Brotherhood side in this Division when the ‘G’ team defeated Walton E 7-3, despite a treble from Walton’s Maggie Earle. Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Gary Simpson all won two for the winners.

In Division One the all-Nomads, top-of-the-table clash ended in a 10-0 whitewash win for the Panthers against the Lions. John Hatley, Gracie Edwards and Greg Green all stayed unbeaten, Greg also having the satisfaction of beating Dad Martyn in three-straight.

Trebles for Gary Young and Kevin Gowlett were central in Brotherhood A’s 7-3 win against Walton A, a result which moves them into second place above the Lions. Walton enjoyed a rare doubles victory, Kevin James and Derek Willis beating Gowlett and John Cleasby 11-6 in the decider.

Windsor Eagles were 8-2 victors over Walton C. Gary Cattermole and Mel Rampton recorded hat-tricks, with Phil Smith taking a couple, including a close 11-9 in the decider win over Paul Meikle.

Mark Gale won a singles for the losers and shared a fine doubles win with Meikle against Smith and Cattermole.

Pete Burrows stayed unbeaten for Walton B but bottom team Windsor Buzzards will feel pleased with the final result which ended all-square. Dave Martin had two close wins for the Buzzards, 15-13 in the fifth over Graham Buxton and 11-6 in the fifth over John Marshall, while Andy Cawley’s couple included an 11-7 in the fifth win over the unfortunate Marshall.

In Division Two Brotherhood D maintained their unbeaten record with a 6-4 victory against Brotherhood C. Joe Plummer was player of the match with his second hat-trick of the season, while Sam Plummer took two. There were a couple for Mark Boyland of the ‘C’ team.

Second-placed Lawford defeated Nomads Jaguars 9-1, Richard Spence and Charlie Denholm the maximum men, although Spence only just made it 14-12 in the fifth against Kevin Hogg. Chris Petrou took the Jaguars’ point after a marathon 11-6, 9-11, 17-15, 19-21, 11-7 tussle with Ian Sherwood.

Walton D stayed third and Nomads Tigers fourth after the two teams fought out an honourable draw. Denes Somodi took three for the Tigers, with Clive Allenby and Paul Woolnough winning two each for Walton. The closest match of the evening saw Allenby beat Dave Miller 11-9 in the fifth.

Finally, the battle of the two Windsor sides ended in a 7-3 win for the Penguins over the Kestrels. There were three for Scott Campbell, and two each for Sharon Gowlett and Annabelle Stallwood, Stallwood taken the distance before beating both Debra Found and Jackie Bunce. Allen Denyer was the Kestrels’ best player, winning two singles and, with Bunce, sharing an unexpected doubles success against Campbell and Gowlett.

* Next week sees the start of the Group stage of the Knock-Out Cup. Teams are reminded that the winning team should send the result sheet to Tony Oswick within 24 hours of the match being played. Results and tables will appear at regular intervals on the League’s website.

Teams are also reminded of the new rule whereby some matches will be played as best of three sets rather than best of five. Full details are included on page 9 of the League Handbook and also with the Cup information sent out to all players.

RESULTS

Division 1

Windsor Buzzards 5 Walton B 5;

Brotherhood A 7 Walton A 3;

Nomads Lions 0 Nomads Panthers 10;

Walton C 2 Windsor Eagles 8.

Division 2

Lawford 9 Nomads Jaguars 1;

Windsor Penguins 7 Windsor Kestrels 3;

Walton D 5 Nomads Tigers 5;

Brotherhood C 4 Brotherhood D 6.

Division 3

Windsor Harriers 3 Brotherhood E 7;

Nomads Ocelots 0 Nomads Leopards 10;

Brotherhood F 8 Nomads Bobcats 2;

Nomads Lynx 0 Nomads Magpies 10;

Walton E 3 Brotherhood G 7.

Hat trick heroes but no wins!

Three results from the Premier Division this week to bring you and the first two resulted in 6-3 wins that followed the same pattern of the player of the match winning three but unfortunately being on the losing side. The first match saw the Rawreth A side of Charles Sweeny, Mike Hayes and Kevin Read beat Irons A with the Rawreth players winning two each against John Monk and Babul McLeod. They were however not able to get the better of Reece Seddon who took his three for the Irons.

The same fate befell Duncan Taylor of Rayleigh Mill who won his three against a Brand Identity team of David Jacob, Richard Jackman and Steve Muth but finished the wrong side of the result as the Brand players all managed to beat Steve Maltby and Rob Harris. Taylor did not have it all his own way and had to fight back from 2 sets down to Jacob mainly down to some inspired play by the Brand Identity man.

The final game this week saw Rawreth B go down 8-1 to the irresistible force that is Thorpe Bay A. Three wins a piece for Mark Stones and John Poysden with the only blot on the Thorpe Bay copybook being a good win for Rawreth’s Keith Adams over Paul Sayer.

Although recording a maximum possible score in a 9 – 0 home drubbing of lowly Hockley C,  Invicta A will be disappointed to only extend their slender lead at the top of the Division 1 table by one whole point. Steve Marr was yet again their Player of the Match.

Second place Stanford Le Hope A managed to keep in contention by virtue of a comfortable 8 – 1 victory away to Rawreth Megazone D. Their Peter Weatherall and POM Ian Sangster were both unbeaten, whilst Noah Unstead was responsible for saving the home sides blushes. However, this slip-up for Rawreth meant they fell one place to fourth.

Lentern took advantage of Rawreth’s reversal to move above them into third place. In a good all round team performance they had an excellent 7 – 2 away win at Brand Identity B. The home side’s ‘Mr. Reliable’, Barrie Delf, got both his team’s successes, but a Paul Sims hat trick, and two each for Martin Archie and Peter Lucraft, saw Lentern to victory.

A weakened Hadleigh Forum B were punished by visitors Canvey A. Despite two wins from Forum’s captain Dave Woolmer and one from Mark Everard (playing up from the C team) Canvey won 6 – 3. Stalwart Ray Wilson was unbeaten, Peter Cray got two and Jo Hills one, in a victory that will do Canvey’s league position no harm.

A full strength Rawreth Megazone C team were too strong for home side Mapledene. Both POM Garry Hartgrove and Mike Hayes were unbeaten for the visitors, with Colin Clements adding a further point in a 7 – 2 victory. Mike Johnston and Andy Seaman got one win each for Mapledene.

RESSC recorded a well deserved 7 – 2 home win over struggling Hadleigh Forum C. Bob Skews and Richard Gill got hat tricks, and Alan Dadswell chipped in with a single. Dave Thomas and Satwant Gill got one win each for Forum.

Small margins can make a difference and they did this week in Division 2. A 6-3 win for leaders Matchpoint A and a 9-0 win for second placed Basildon A has left the two teams level on points from the same number of games, but Matchpoint stay top as they remain unbeaten compared to Basildon’s one defeat.

Matchpoint were without their number one player Evie Knaapen against Stanford B and it made a difference as both Rob Salvage and John Handscombe managed to beat young Lucy Elliott and John picked up a further point beating Jeremy Giffin. Both these wins coming in five sets. None of the Stanford boys could get near James Elliott though, who took all his three wins in straight sets to take the POTM award. Jeremy finished with two wins and Lucy picked up her point with a win against Mark Downey. Stanford slip to fourth as a result.

Basildon’s 9-0 whitewash came against Hockley D and although a little one sided the match was played in the best spirit and even managed to provide an insight into Polish swear words. Apparently ‘Djokovic’ is included! On the table Les Hoey completed a perfect hat trick and Arun Joy and Szymon Jarka completed their individual hat tricks, albeit they had to overcome some stern resistance from Paul Strutt who took both to five sets.

Wakering’s number one Callum Turner was back on the table this week and leading his team to a 6-3 win against Matchpoint B. Another perfect hat trick for him with Paul England chipping in with two wins and Stewart Mills with one. Dan Stewart got two wins and Alexander Deacon one for Matchpoint. Wakering move up to third whilst Matchpoint slip to fourth.

At the bottom of the table Rawreth Megazone E met Basildon B and although it resulted in a 7-2 win for the home side there were three five set games and Basildon actually led at one stage Andy Roff getting the better of Bob Garlick. There then followed seven successive wins for Rawreth until Jenne Seibolt picked up a second win again against Bob Garlick. Sandwiched in between were hat tricks for Richard Kidd and Jonathan Allen and Bob Garlick picking up his point against Richard Reibold. It must have been a hard evening for Richard Kidd whose three games all went to five sets. The win pushes Rawreth out of the bottom two for the first time this season and leaves Basildon four points adrift at the bottom.

The closest game of the week turned out to be Runnymede’s home match against Invicta B. The home team found themselves 3-1 down at one stage, pulled themselves level at 3-3, then found themselves 4-3 down. Fortunately, they had the in-form Dmitry Kisil and Steve Wisbey to play and they both won their matches to give the home side victory. Kisil completed a hat trick and Wisbey recorded a brace but there was no joy for Anne Adlington on the night. For Invicta Barbara Chabior won twice with single wins for Michael Keeble and Sarah Ball.

Team of the Week – Rawreth Megazone E

Player of the Week – Richard Kidd

In Division 3 Alex Bowden continued his impressive run of form with another unbeaten performance as Matchpoint ‘C’ visited Stanford ‘C’ and came away with a 7/2 victory.  Alex was backed up by teammates Roger Sherman and Max Mayo who each won two games, though neither could get the better of Stanford skipper Mark Farley.  As this week’s round of matches gets underway, Matchpoint have hit the top of the table, although it may prove to be a brief stay with their closest rivals yet to play.

The young Matchpoint ‘D’ team faced a tough challenge when high-flying Stanford ‘D’ came to town.  Matchpoint got off to the best possible start when wins for Ollie Milchard and Blake Stewart in their opening games saw them take a 2/0 lead.  Thereafter, Stanford asserted their superiority and closed out the match with the loss of only one more game.  6/3 the final score in their favour.  Ollie picked up the other point for Matchpoint but two wins each for the Stanford trio of Peter Moxham, David Arnett and Andrew Jessop completed their win and saw them return to the top of the table.

Dean Johnson achieved his first maximum of the season for Hadleigh Forum ‘D’ as they recorded a 6/3 win against Hockley ‘E’, and he was ably supported by his teammates, Todd Barker (2 wins) and Jean Catley (1 win).  For Hockley, John George was the best player with a couple of wins, and he was close to a win over Dean, before eventually falling short at 11/9 in the final end.  Graham Gregory added the extra point.

Canvey ‘C’ were again indebted to Trevor Hayes as his maximum led them to a narrow 5/4 victory over the youthful Hockley ‘F’ side.  William Evesham and Elliot Brackenbury both recorded wins over Andy O’Rawe and Alan Owen but it was a blank night for Amelia Taylor.  She was, however, agonisingly close to what would have been only her second win of the season.  She led Alan by two sets only to fall just short at 11-9 in the decider.

Aaron Price continued his recent run of good form with a brace for Evolve in their match against Rawreth Meggazone ‘F’.  Reuben Stracey chipped in with another point but the greater experience of the Rawreth team told, and they ran out 6/3 winners on the night.  Jan Thorpe was the POTM with an unbeaten performance with Graham Back (2) and Mike Webb (1) adding the extras.

BROTHERHOOD B BACK IN BUSINESS

It’s been an indifferent start to the season for Brotherhood B in Division Two of the Clacton League, but they recorded their most impressive result to date with a hard-fought 6-4 win over last year’s runners-up, Walton D.

Mark Salter, the current Division Two Singles champion, led the way for Brotherhood, notching up his first maximum of the season with wins over Clive Allenby, Paul Woolnough and a comfortable-looking 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 success against Andy Foster, only the second defeat of the season for Foster. Paul Alden and Barry Allen added a point apiece, Allen getting a crucial 11-9 in the fifth win over Paul Woolnough, while Alden nearly picked up a second win, pipped 11-9 in the fifth by Foster. For Walton, there were two each for Foster and Clive Allenby.

Elsewhere, three for Denes Somodi could not prevent Lawford taking the honours 6-4 against Nomads Tigers. James Tindle, Richard Spence and Charlie Denholm all won two each for the winners.

It was 6-4 also for Windsor Penguins against Nomads Jaguars. Scott Campbell enjoyed an 11-9 in the fifth success against Chris Petrou on his way to taking a maximum for the Penguins, while Sharon Gowlett’s couple included an 11-5 in the fifth win against Kevin Hogg in the final match of the evening. For the third match running, Petrou picked up two for the Jaguars.

It was a good week for Ferdy Rodriguez in Division Three, the Windsor Harriers’ captain remaining unbeaten in his side’s two matches.

The Harriers were 6-4 winners against Brotherhood G, Rodriguez going the full distance before beating Danny Still 11-8 in the fifth and Dan Grindrod 11-4 in the fifth. Isabel Barton won a couple, although it was a tight 12-10 in the decider against Still.

And the Harriers followed this with an 8-2 success against Windsor Magpies, Rodriguez together with Isabel Barton winning the doubles 11-4 in the decider against John Plummer and Dave Sweetland in the only match which went the distance.

But the Magpies had better fortune against Nomads Ocelots, Plummer, Sweetland and Alan Rutledge all undefeated in the 10-0 victory, with all the individual encounters settled in three-straight.

Brotherhood E were also 10-0 victors, this over Nomads Lynx. Tricia Salter, Rodney Betts and Tony Edmonds were all unbeaten, although Edmonds only just got the better of Ian Gwillim 11-9 in the fifth. Brotherhood’s win means they are just a single point behind current leaders Windsor Harriers, with the two teams due to meet next week.

There were trebles for Dominic Joannou and Bob Jillins in Nomads Leopards’ 8-2 win over Brotherhood F, although Jillins was pushed hard by Ruby Gallagher, eventually winning 11-6 in the fifth. But the closest match was the doubles, Joannou and Jillins scraping past Gallagher and Tom Bryden 14-12 in the fifth. JJ Barry and Gallagher picked up a point each for Brotherhood.

It was also 8-2 for the Leopards against Nomads Bobcats, Stuart Wilkinson winning his three, with Joannou and Chris Wilmotte each taking two. Matt Sage picked up two excellent wins for the Bobcats, including an 11-3 in the fifth victory over Joannou. Alex Baldock nearly got on the score-sheet, narrowly losing 11-7 in the decider to Wilmotte, as did Jack Riddleston against Wilkinson, going down by the tightest of margins, 16-14 in the decider.

But the Bobcats’ improvement earned them the plaudits as they shared the spoils with the experienced Walton E team. Sage recorded an excellent debut League hat-trick which included an 11-4 in the fifth victory over Maggie Earle and an even closer 11-9 in the fifth success against Lynette Sparks. Riddleston and Baldock added a point apiece. For Walton, there were two each for Earle and Sparks, the pair also sharing a five-set win against Baldock and Sage in the doubles.

In Division One Nomads Lions moved up the table after recording two important victories.

They defeated Windsor Hawks 8-2, Sam Hume, in his first appearance of the season, staying unbeaten, and Adam Wilkin and Ethan Lloyd contributing a couple each. In the big clash of the evening, Hume edged past Daniel Young 11-6, 7-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9.

And the Lions team followed this with a 6-4 victory against Windsor Eagles, Charlie Fulcher taking a treble. Adam Cuthbert took a couple, but lost his season’s 100% record, going down 11-8 in the decider to Gary Cattermole. Cattermole took two points for the Eagles.

Brotherhood A put out two strong reserves against Walton B and it was enough to give them a 6-4 win, Russell Hillier and reserve Kevin Pryor each winning two, with second reserve Simon Smith-Daye getting past Graham Buxton 14-12 in the fifth. Gavin Price remained undefeated for the losers, his maximum including a 14-12 in the decider win against Smith-Daye.  

But reigning champions Nomads Panthers still lead the way, this week easing past Windsor Buzzards 10-0, John Hatley, Gill Locke and Gracie Edwards all unbeaten. Only the final match of the evening went the distance, Hatley given a stern test by Andy Cawley before coming through 11-8 in the decider.

* The Division Two fixture between Windsor Kestrels and Brotherhood C had to be abandoned early in the match because of an illness to the Kestrels’ Peter Aumord which needed an ambulance attendance. After a few days in hospital, Peter has since returned home and all in the League wish him well for a full recovery. The match will be replayed at a later date.

This also affected the Division One encounter between Windsor Hawks and Walton C, as the Hawks’ skipper, John Barton, was called away, without completing his first match, to administer first aid while waiting for the ambulance. The remaining players played out the match to its completion, leaving the final score at 4-3 to the Hawks. Pending confirmation by the Management Committee, this is the score which the two teams have agreed should stand.

* Congratulations go to Gracie Edwards who has been selected as one of the ten coaches in the first cohort of Table Tennis England’s national SHEcoaches initiative which aims to identify and produce the next generation of female talent and performance coaches. Gracie, who’s studying to become a teacher with a focus on PE, is Clacton’s leading woman player, as well as being an integral part of the League’s coaching team. The cohort will go through an induction session in mid-December, with the scheme getting under way in January.

RESULTS

Division 1

Nomads Panthers 10 Windsor Buzzards 0;

Nomads Lions 8 Windsor Hawks 2;

Walton B 4 Brotherhood A 6;

Windsor Eagles 4 Nomads Lions 6;

Windsor Hawks 4 Walton C 3.

Division 2

Nomads Tigers 4 Lawford 6;

Brotherhood B 6 Walton D 4;

Nomads Jaguars 4 Windsor Penguins 6.

Division 3

Nomads Leopards 8 Brotherhood F 2;

Nomads Bobcats 5 Walton E 5;

Windsor Magpies 2 Windsor Harriers 8;

Nomads Bobcats 2 Nomads Leopards 8;

Windsor Magpies 10 Nomads Ocelots 0;

Brotherhood G 4 Windsor Harriers 6;

Brotherhood E 10 Nomads Lynx 0.

Wonderful Woodham teams maintain their Perfect Records

Cold Norton B and Woodham A continue to bear down on Mapledene A who currently top the leader board of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League, whereas perennial champions Fambridge slip back as they drop points at Maldon.  The title this season is really shaping up to be a proper sporting bunfight and long may it continue.

Woodham A delivered another stoic performance to lay down an 8-2 victory away to Mapledene B – but with 6 of the 10 matches going to 5 sets it could easily have been a much closer scoreline.  Kaung Htet Paing was unbeaten for Woodham but 3 of his 4 victories came in 5 sets including the doubles where he paired up with Lee McHugh.  For Mapledene you have to feel for their strongest two players – John Monk played a full 20 individual legs for 3 losses and just 1 win over Dan Piglet.  That’s a tough evening for Monk, but Mapledene’s pen-hold legend Colin Chatfield had it worse as he played just one less leg than Monk but went home empty-handed.  A proper battle that one and a result that maintains Woodham’s 100% win rate and keeps them significantly in contention for a podium finish.  Woodham’s other top division side didn’t fare so well as they fell 9-1 to a strong Cold Norton B side.  Eric Green and Dave Richardson were in fine fettle and went unbeaten all evening across both the singles and doubles formats.  Captain Dan Anderson added the further 2 wins, with his only loss coming via a rollercoaster 5 setter against Dan Patynski.  Fambridge arrived at the Maldon arena a player down this week and despite winning 6-4 will know those lost points may come back to haunt them come the reckoning day.  Fambridge captain John Poysden was able to put down a comfortable hat-trick of singles to be named star baker of the week.  Poysden’s wingman on the night was Mark Stones and his only loss came courtesy of the trusty left hand of Maldon’s Jon Stokes.  Cold Norton C recorded their second win of the season thanks to the singles form of Kim Shead and Arron Chandler both hitting excellent hat-tricks.  Despite their seemingly unbeatable form this didn’t translate into their doubles play where they were duly trounced by Gary Brignall and Richard Storey as Stow were grateful for the extra bonus point.

Woodham C appear unstoppable in Division 2 as they blasted their way to a ninth consecutive victory to maintain their 100% win rate.  Not only do they win every week but they win heavily and this week was no exception as they wrapped up they fifth 9-1 mauling of the season.  This week the Woodham victims were the very competitive Maldon C regular trio.  Maldon’s Steve Aspland and Colin Barrell saved the whitewash with an unexpected doubles victory, otherwise it was hat-tricks all round for Woodham’s Chris Hancox, Graham Briggs and David Meah.  Woodham D were hoping to help their C team by putting a dent in second placed Mapledene C’s campaign.  An ‘A’ for the intention but probably only an ‘E’ for achievement as they fell 10-0 to the Mapledene crew of Barrie Delf, Sue Body and Lin Roff.  Woodham Captain Alan Dadswell gave it a good go with two 5 set defeats that included one specific leg with Roff going to 21-19, but that was as close as they got to helping out their stablemates.  Maldon B continue to strive for a top three finish and were able to win out 7-3 against Blackwater A with all their points coming from Dawn Baldry and Colin Napper who were unbeaten.  In Napper’s case that was almost undone by Blackwater’s Denis Balic who took the game to a couple of deuces in the fifth set before folding at 11-13.  The lovable Dave Goody was on sparkling form for his Stow C team this week – having discarded his pimples he has found some great form of late and this week’s hat-trick is testament to that.  Goody’s points were the bedrock of his team’s 7-3 victory over Maldon D.  For Maldon the effervescent Brian Riedling won 2 of his singles including a long 5-setter with Pete Layzell.  Stow D managed the same scoreline against Blackwater B with Tim Pulham back in great form with 4 wins on the night including the doubles with partner Ken Sheard.  Sheard won 2 for Stow and Blackwater’s Louis Gunn matched that with 2 of his own.  Cold Norton D curtailed their losing streak with a hard-earned draw against Stow B.  Stow’s Nicky Reece-Ford blasted his way to winning all his singles matches with that booming forehand of his and that put Cold Norton in all sorts of trouble.  With such a variety of styles on display every player managed to win at least one game so the result came down to the doubles. Stow’s Dave Marsh and the unbeaten Reece-Ford stormed to a 2-0 lead which must have irked Cold Norton’s pairing of Dave Hancox and Peter Lucraft as some kind of mettle was stirred as they fought back and took the final two legs 11-9 to secure the bonus point which facilitated the overall draw.

In Division 3 leaders St Lawrence maintained their undefeated status despite losing a player due to illness after just the first match of the evening’s entertainment against the delightful Blackwater C trio.  For St Lawrence Mike Pratley won all his singles including a 5 set marathon against Deb Ginn that went past deuce in that deciding leg, and Roy Hutchins won 2 of his singles including another post-deuce 5th set victory over the unlucky Ginn.  Hutchins did fall to the capable play of Kath Little – again in 5 sets.  So to complete the theme Hutchins won his remaining singles against Phil West in 5 sets, and then paired up with Pratley for the doubles, and yes that was in 5 sets too.  If, over the next few days, anyone spots Hutchins hobbling around the streets of the Dengie, looking like John Wayne after a 4 hour horse ride, then you’ll know why!  Blackwater E travelled to Woodham and came home with the spoils following a 6-4 win led by a Peter Davenport hat-trick and 2 wins for David Sage.  For Woodham the ever improving Peter Harverson scored two impressive victories to bolster his confidence and reputation.  The final game of the week was a much anticipated Maldon Derby – a youth versus experience encounter with an average age/experience gap of 50+ years.  After the first rounds of the singles the match was even at 3-3.  Then the youth of Maldon E Jude Mayet and Arthur Shadforth outshone the experienced F team pairing of Brian Dixon and Roger Warren to take a 4-3 lead.  The F team’s Dennis Eraut evened up the match again with a 4 set victory over Matthew Copsey.  So going into the final two games and late into the evening would the strength and vitality of the youth overcome the tiring limbs and concentration of their experienced foes.  Well yes it did and rather emphatically too as Shadforth and Mayet wrapped things up with 2 quickfire straight sets victories to once and for all confirm that youth trumps experience.  6-4 to the youthful Maldon E trio.

Pic 1 – The runaway Div 2 Leaders Woodham C – Graham Briggs, Chris Hancox & David Meah

Pic 2 – John Poysden racking up another hat-trick for Fambridge against Lloyd Bennett-Smith of Maldon A

Pic 3 – Woodham A’s unbeaten Kaung Htet Paing in action this week

Pic 4 – St Lawrence’s hard-working Roy Hutchins playing a full 20 legs this week – in his 5 set victory over Phil West

Pic 5 – The proof that youth can prevail over experience – Maldon E trio – Arthur Shadforth, Jude Mayet and Matthew Copsey.

Maldon E

Matt ties them up in knots!

Three results from the Southend Premier Division this week and two tight affairs to start off with. The first saw a 5-4 win for Rawreth B against Hockley A. All three Rawreth players chipping in with wins and it was great to see the lesser spotted Mike Hayes and Andrew Halling back playing this season with Halling picking up two wins as did Peter Barrett and Hayes picking up a win which in the end proved to be the difference. No Rawreth player could get the better of Player of the Match Matt Stringer though as he took all his three singles.

Equally tight but perhaps only because Thorpe B had 2 players was their 5-4 victory over Rayleigh Mill. Kieran Skeggs won all his against Eric Green, Steve Maltby and Steve Sawyer while Rich Stubbington also overcame the two Steve’s. Green beat Stubbington in a close 5 setter for the Miller’s extra point.

The final game of the week saw Irons A record a 7-2 win over Brand Identity A. Reece Seddon leading the way with another three wins ably backed up with two wins apiece from Babul McLeod and John Monk. One win each for Simon Jacob and Richard Jackman for Brand Identity.

Invicta A managed to keep a fingertip hold on to first place in Division 1 this week, courtesy of a strong 7 – 2 win away to Rawreth Megazone C. Steve Marr was again POM, winning all his three matches, a feat emulated by his team mate Lee Marson. Gary Hartgrove and George Davis (playing up) got one each for the home side.

Stanford Le Hope A remain second, but the gap between them and Invicta is now two points. They had a stiff test at home to Brand Identity B. Despite two wins by stalwart Barrie Delf for the visitors, another hat trick from Stanford’s  Mitchell Jones, together with two successes from Ian Sangster, gave their side a 5 – 4 victory.

Lentern had a bit of struggle at home to an improving Hadleigh Forum B. However, thanks to a Martin Archie treble, they squeezed out a 5 – 4 result. The match was a close affair with several five setters. The visitor’s David Woolmer was unfortunate to lose out 11 – 9 against Lentern’s Paul Sims in the fifth set of their contest.
David and colleague Tony Jacks scored one success each, but Mick Tappenden was the visitor’s star performer with two wins.

Brand Identity’s setback has pushed them one place down the table, with Rawreth Megazone D taking the opportunity to leapfrog them by handing out a hiding away to bottom side Hockley C. Cleon Fernandez’s maximum gave him the POM prize, but his team mate Adi Kamma was also unbeaten. Ollie George got Hockley’s consolation win in an 8 – 1 drubbing.

RESSC are beginning to move in an upwards direction. This week they travelled to Canvey A and came away with a comfortable 7 – 2 victory. John Holland was POM and skipper Bob Skews also won all his contests. Peter Cray and Ray Wilson won one each for Canvey.

Despite a pair of wins from Dave Thomas Hadleigh Forum C did not have enough in the tank as they entertained Mapledene. An Andy Seaman threesome and two each from Charles Yeung and Bill Smith gave the visitors a comfortable 7 – 2 win.

What goes around comes around so they say and it did for Hockley D in Division 2 this week. In their match last week they could only field two players, lost 5-4, and missed a great chance to chalk up their first win of the season. This week they met Basildon B in a vital bottom of the table clash and found themselves playing a two man side as Covid had taken out Basildon’s best player this season Jenne Seibolt. Hockley took full advantage running out 8-1 winners, ending their winless run and moving up to eighth place in the table. Paul Ogden claimed his second POTM award with two wins, Paul Strutt also won two and Neal Klyman claimed the other point. Richard Reibold was Basildon’s lone winner.

There was no change in the bottom two teams with Rawreth Megazone also succumbing to an 8-1 defeat against Canvey B. The Islanders should possibly be renamed the Murraymints as their recent surge up the league table continues to be inspired by Andrew Murray’s performances. Four games, four wins and four POTM awards leaves them in sixth place and they are now closing the gap on fifth placed Wakering.  To be fair to Rawreth the score could have been closer as four games went the full distance but only Steve McQuillan managed to claim a win beating Des Duffield. Kevin Walsingham also completed his hat trick.

Invicta B fell to their seventh successive defeat, not surprisingly against Matchpoint A, and they sit two off the bottom albeit with a six point advantage. Barbara Chabior provided their consolation point beating Jeremy Giffin in five sets but otherwise there was a perfect hat trick for Harry Sawford and another three wins for Evie Knaapen.

Having played a two man team last week Runnymede found themselves a player short against Basildon A. Steve Wisbey and Tony Millward both managed to beat Stephen Walters who unfortunately had to play with a wrist injury and Tony fully extended Les Hoey going two sets up before the Basildon man ran out the last three sets 11/4, 12/10, 11/3.

Closest match of the week was Wakering’s 5-4 win at Stanford B with Zac England’s hat trick proving to be the difference supported by a win each from Stewart Mills and Paul England. Mark Downey and Robert Salvage shared the points for Stanford but there was no joy on the night for David Arnett. Stanford stay in third place on games won as they Matchpoint B and Wakering all have 45 points.

Player of the Week – Harry Sawford

Team of the Week – Hockley D

‘Very much a derby game’ was how the meeting of the Stanford ‘C’ and ‘D’ teams in Division 3 was described. ‘C’ team skipper Mark Farley certainly thought so and, in determined mood, he recorded a flawless hat-trick and this, added to two wins from Randy Santiago, meant a 5/4 win and ensured the bragging rights for his team.  All the ‘D’ team players contributed on the night with Martin Winter their best player with two wins.  Andrew Jessop and Peter Moxham also chipped in with a win apiece.

Matchpoint ‘D’ picked up a couple of valuable points as they try to move away from the lower reaches of the Division 3 table.  Rawreth Meggazone ‘F’ were their opponents, and for them, Robert Garlick was the POTM with an unbeaten performance, well supported by Edward Philcox and Mike Webb with two wins each.  Matchpoint’s Richard Sloman was their points winner with wins over Gloria Acheampong and Ethan Russell.  Despite this defeat, the Matchpoint team were commended for their attitude and sportsmanship throughout.

The match between Canvey ‘C’ and Invicta ‘C’ was a close affair, notable mainly for the performance of Invicta’s Trisha Winter who put an end to the long unbeaten run in this division of Canvey’s Trevor Hayes.  Despite her heroics, she ended up on the losing side as Steve Kemp’s maximum was the mainstay of Canvey’s 5/4 victory.  Trevor added the other two points for the Islanders, whilst for Invicta there were two wins for Trisha plus a win apiece for teammates David Youngman and Jonathan Gould.

The meeting of two of our junior sides turned out to be a very one-sided affair as the Matchpoint ‘C’ trio of Max Mayo, Lotte Mills and Alex Bowden proved to be far too strong for the very young Hockley ‘F’ team and ran out 9/0 winners in double quick time.  Alex was the POTM as he maintained his unbeaten record this season.  Despite the scoreline, this match was played in good spirits by all the players.  With this big win, Matchpoint have moved into third place in the league, hot on the heels of the joint leaders, Stanford ‘D’ and Invicta ‘C’.

Aaron Price led the way for Evolve as his team overcame the challenge of Hadleigh Forum ‘D’, a 6/3 win being the outcome.  Aaron recorded a ‘perfect’, straight sets hat-trick, with his teammates Ben Berwick, two wins, and Teddy Kent, with a single win, completing a solid team performance.  Todd Barker, with a brace, was Forum’s best player on the night with Douglas Brown adding their other point.

Burnham & District Table Tennis League

Sage & Bush – a Recipe for Success

Woodham C continue to dominate proceedings in the second division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League as they remain the only team across the whole league with a 100% win rate.   Whilst in Division 3 David Sage and Jason Bush cooked up a fine win for Blackwater E as they ‘got one up’ on their very own C Team.

The developing story of Division 2 this season is whether any opponent will be able to beat the dynamic Woodham C team.  Woodham C are firmly lodged at the top of the table with an impeccable 8 wins from 8 matches – and only one of those has been anywhere near a close encounter.  This week they travelled the short distance to Cold Norton D and came away with another 9-1 victory.  Adi Kamma was the player of the match with his hat-trick but was ably supported by Graham Briggs who was also unbeaten, and David Meah with 2 wins as he just lost out to the wily and unconventional style of Gordon Gatheral.  Woodham D didn’t fare so well despite Gus Heath’s phenomenal hat-trick against Maldon C – alas they were his team’s only points as the Maldon trio of Colin Barrell, Steve Aspland and Garry Eames each won their remaining singles and as per norm Aspland and Barrell won the doubles.  The remaining Division 2 matches were closely fought derbies.  Blackwater A and Blackwater B fought out a tight draw with the B team’s Louis Gunn and Noah Sage winning the last 2 singles of the night to come back from 3-5 down to square things up and frustrate the A Team.  Neil Freeman was on fine form for the A Team as he won all his matches including a hard-fought 5 setter with Gunn.  In the Stow derby the C team hosted the B team, but it seems the C team had given up before they started as they were a player short.  Invigorated by the underdog status the C Team’s Pete Layzell was inspired to a superb hat-trick of wins to keep the score more than respectable as they finally went down 4-6.

Division 3 saw all 3 Blackwater teams in action as they compete for the runner-up position – by the end of the week’s competition only 2 points separate the 3 teams with the D Team in the ascendency.  Blackwater C will rue their missed opportunity as they were humbled by their very own E team in a humiliating 8-2 reverse.  This one will be talked about for years to come down at the West Maldon Community Centre.  The C team lost out in three 5 setters as the E Team’s Jason Bush and David Sage completed their hat-tricks.  The E team’s third player was the fabled and much respected Norman Hayes who somehow defied human and medical logic to play out all of his matches to deciding fifth sets and two of those went to deuce and beyond – with one win and two defeats, but what an effort.  Hayes benevolently left the doubles to Messrs Sage and Bush (if only they ran a local horticultural business!) to complete the 8-2 landslide.  Meanwhile Blackwater D travelled to the depths of Mayland to take on the runaway league Leaders St Lawrence.  The Blackwater trio all came away with points as they secured an unexpected but very welcome draw, with David Benstead winning the final match of the night for Blackwater.   For St Lawrence the experienced duo of David Siggins and Mick Robinson each won two singles and combined to just about take the doubles 14-12 in the decider against Benstead and Jacqui Treacy.  Treacy and Chris Rolison took two singles each for the delighted Blackwater team.

In Division 1 Cold Norton A’s streak of good form was halted in dramatic fashion as they succumbed to a very strong Mapledene B side.  Cold Norton’s Duncan Taylor was unstoppable as he dominated all of his matches – but unfortunately that was it for Cold Norton on the night as they failed to win another single set as Mapledene ran out 6-4 winners with 2 wins a piece for David and Simon Jacob and Kieran Skeggs. Whilst the Mapledene B side were admirably thwarting the Cold Norton A advance their A team took full advantage to strengthen their position at the head of the table with a comfortable 8-2 victory at home to Cold Norton C.  Mapledene’s captain Reece Seddon doing the most damage with a hat-trick of wins with Cold Norton’s in form Kim Shead providing the most resistance as he was able to record excellent wins over Steve Muth and Peter Barrett.  In the final match of the week Maldon A were able to muster some decent pointage from their 7-3 win over Stow Maries A which will undoubtedly help their cause come the relegation reckoning.  Both Harrison Hill and Derek Balding won all their singles to ensure the healthy winning margin.

Top of page – The mighty Duncan Taylor – another hat trick in Burnham this week.

Pic 1 – Action from the Double Derby at Blackwater – as Norman Hayes holds court whilst Neil Freeman and Alan Scammell discuss doubles tactics on the court behind.

Pic 2 – A frustrated Blackwater A – Alan Scammell in action with Neil Freeman and Merv Perriman waiting in the wings

Pic 3 – The infamous Blackwater chefs – Jason Bush & David Sage

Pic 4 – Woodham C’s Graham Briggs in winning action against Terry Hyland this week.

CHAMPAGNE CORKS POPPING FOR THE KESTRELS

Windsor Kestrels will feel entitled to open a champagne bottle or two this week as they celebrated their first win of the season in Division Two of the Clacton League.

Languishing at the foot of the table, the Kestrels enjoyed a 7-3 success over Nomads Jaguars’ second-string side, Graham Bunce staying unbeaten and Debra Found winning two.

In two crucial matches, Bunce beat Chris Petrou 11-6 in the decider, while Bunce and Found edged the doubles 11-9 in the decider against Kevin Hogg and Callum Hogg. Petrou won a couple for the Jaguars.

It was a double disappointment for the Jaguars when, in their second match against Brotherhood C, they went down 6-4. Mark Boyland won three and Mark Beckham two for Brotherhood, but the Jaguars came out on top in another close doubles, Petrou and Kevin Hogg beating Boyland and Beckham 11-7 in the decider.

At the top of the table, leaders Brotherhood D were given a stern test by Walton D, the match ending all-square. Simon Smith-Daye won three and Sam Plummer two, Smith-Daye’s hat-trick including an 11-8 in the fifth win over Andy Foster. Foster won two for Walton, although he struggled before overcoming James Smith-Daye 11-6 in the fifth. Foster and Clive Allenby had the satisfaction of inflicting a first doubles defeat of the season on Brotherhood, beating Plummer and Simon Smith-Daye in four.

Lawford defeated Brotherhood B 7-3 in a match where every player picked up at least one point. James Tindle, in his first appearance of the season, won three for Lawford and Richard Spence two. Charlie Denholm chipped in with an 11-6 in the fifth victory over Mark Salter in the closest match of the evening.

Windsor Penguins and Nomads Tigers enjoyed a tough tussle, the match ending with honours even. Denes Somodi won his three for the Tigers, with Dave Miller getting an important 11-6 in the decider win over Sharon Gowlett. For the Penguins there were two each for Scott Campbell and Annabelle Stallwood, Campbell defeating Miller 11-5 in the fifth and Stallwood edging past Colin Webber by the same score.

In Division Three Windsor Harriers beat Walton E 6-4 despite a sparkling maximum from Walton captain Lynette Sparks. Her toughest match was against Isabel Barton, eventually winning 11-6 in the decider.

Three from John Plummer, and two each from Dave Sweetland and Alan Rutledge, saw Windsor Magpies home 7-3 against Brotherhood F. The improving Ruby Gallagher picked up two points and, with Lucy Carvell, took the doubles against Plummer and Sweetland.

Brotherhood E cantered home 10-0 against Nomads Ocelots, Rodney Betts and Tricia Salter’s doubles win against James Horsler and Anne Bonny the only match extended to a fourth set.

And there was another 10-0 result in another Brotherhood v Nomads encounter, Danny Still, Dan Grindrod and Gary Simpson all taking trebles for Brotherhood F against the Lynx.

In Division One Nomads Panthers brought out the big guns against Brotherhood A and it was enough to see them to a 6-4 victory. James Denyer maintained his 100% record although it was a tight 9-11, 2-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-9 against Gary Young. The doubles ultimately proved pivotal, Denyer and Greg Green beating Young and Kevin Gowlett 11-6 in the decider. Young and Gowlett won two singles apiece for Brotherhood.

Walton A were 6-4 winners against Walton B, Kevin James winning three and Derek Willis two. Pete Burrows, in his first appearance of the season for the ‘B’ team, won a couple, although it was a close 4-11, 15-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 against Willis.

Finally, the all-Windsor clash between the Eagles and Buzzards ended, somewhat predictably, 10-0 in favour of the Eagles, John Pattrick, Mel Rampton and Phil Smith all taking trebles.

RESULTS

Division 1

Walton A 6 Walton B 4;

Brotherhood A 4 Nomads Panthers 6;

Windsor Buzzards 0 Windsor Eagles 10.

Division 2

Walton D 5 Brotherhood D 5;

Nomads Jaguars 4 Brotherhood C 6;

Windsor Kestrels 7 Nomads Jaguars 3;

Windsor Penguins 5 Nomads Tigers 5;

Lawford 7 Brotherhood B 3.

Division 3

Nomads Ocelots 0 Brotherhood E 10;

Walton E 4 Windsor Harriers 6;

Brotherhood F 3 Windsor Magpies 7; Nomads Lynx 0 Br