Brotherhood C are looking good for a last sixteen place in the
Clacton League’s Knock-Out Cup after defeating fellow-Division
Two side Windsor Kestrels in their Group B match. No-one stayed
unbeaten but a solid team performance from Mark Boyland, Mark
Beckham and Paul Metcalf saw them to a 5-2 victory.
The Brotherhood trio took the first four matches and a whitewash
looked on the cards, but the Kestrels battled back, Debra Found
and Jackie Bunce (+1) winning the middle doubles 11-9 in the
fifth against Boyland and Metcalf (-6), and Found (+1) edging
past Beckham (-1) 13-11, 11-13, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8 in match six,
before Boyland settled the tie for Brotherhood.
In the second match in this Group, an all-Division One clash
between Walton A and Nomads Lions ended 5-1 in favour of the
Walton side, Kevin James the only unbeaten player on the night.
In Group A Brotherhood G defeated their Second Division
opponents Nomads Jaguars 5-2. Gary Simpson was unbeaten in
his two singles and one doubles, the closest match of the tie
seeing Dan Grindrod (+1) edge out Chris Petrou (-8) 8-11, 8-11,
11-5, 11-7, 11-7.
Brotherhood D defeated Windsor Penguins 5-2 in Group C to
virtually ensure a place in the Knock-Out stages. They crucially
won both doubles, the opening doubles being the closest contest
of the tie, Kevin Pryor and James Smith-Daye (-3) beating Neil
Chegwidden and Sharon Gowlett (+1) 11-7 in the decider. Simon
Smith-Daye remained undefeated for Brotherhood.
Windsor Hawks beat Brotherhood B 5-2 in the second match in
this Group, Daniel Young leading the way with an unbeaten
performance after Brotherhood had taken the opening doubles.
Walton D made it two wins out of two in Group D with victory
over Windsor Buzzards, the score-line again 5-2. Andy Foster won
his two singles and one doubles, although it was a tense 11-7 in

the fifth against Dave Martin in a match played off scratch.
It was a good week also for a second Walton side in Group E
where the ‘C’ team lost just one individual match against Nomads
Tigers to win 5-1. The Tigers avoided the whitewash by the
narrowest of margins, Dave Miller (-1) beating Paul Meikle (+1)
13-11 in the fifth.
Windsor Eagles could only field two players in their Group F
match against Nomads Panthers, who took the one match they
needed to win 5-0, the Panthers’ second whitewash Cup win after
beating Windsor Magpies by the same score in their opening
match.
And the Magpies were on the wrong end of a 5-0 score-line for a
second time, this time against fellow-Division Three side
Brotherhood F. However, like their first tie, three of the individual
matches went the distance, the closest this time Dave
Sweetland’s (-6) narrow defeat by Ruby Gallagher (+1) 11-9 in
the decider.
Group G saw a battle of two top-flight teams, with the honours
going to Walton B who beat Brotherhood A 5-2. John Marshall
(+1) sealed the victory in match seven with a 9-11, 11-9, 7-11,
11-8, 11-5 win against John Cleasby (-6), a result which ensured
Marshall stayed unbeaten on the night.
Finally, an all-Third Division encounter ended in a straightforward
5-0 win for Nomads Leopards against Windsor Harriers, none of
the matches extended to a fifth set. The result leaves the
Leopards almost certain of a last-sixteen place and an opportunity
to go one better than last season when they finished as Cup
runners-up.

• The League was sorry to learn this week of the death of Walton
  player John Rankin at the age of 86.
  John started playing League table tennis in 2005. With his Red
  Triangle B team-mates Mark Gale, John Morley and Paul Meikle,
  he achieved immediate success, finishing as Division Two
  runners-up, losing out to champions Windsor Kestrels by just a
  single point. Thereafter, John played all his table tennis in
  Division One, initially for Red Triangle and latterly for Walton.
  John would never claim to have been a top player, but he always
  gave a good account of himself in the First Division, a dependable
  and competitive team player who could be relied on to pick up at

least one vital point every match.
Over the last three seasons, he had become an occasional for his
Walton side, stepping in when a regular player was unavailable.
But when he did play, he was proud to be able to say that, by
several years, he was the oldest registered League player in
Division One, and one who could still hold his own at the top
level.
John did have a brief moment in the sun when he was a member
of Walton B, alongside Paul Newbould and Gavin Price, in the
2014 Knock-Out Cup final. Alas, he finished with a runners-up
medal but, whilst winning obviously mattered to John, the playing
of a competitive game of table tennis and being in the company
of like-minded friends was just as important.
Above everything else, when we remember John, we will
remember a caring, decent and friendly man who enjoyed his
table tennis. We offer our sincere condolences to his family.
RESULTS
Knock-Out Cup : Group stage
Group A
Nomads Jaguars 2 Brotherhood G 5.
Group B
Nomads Lions 1 Walton A 5;
Brotherhood C 5 Windsor Kestrels 2.
Group C
Brotherhood D 5 Windsor Penguins 2;
Windsor Hawks 5 Brotherhood B 2.
Group D
Walton D 5 Windsor Buzzards 2.
Group E
Walton C 5 Nomads Tigers 1.
Group F

Windsor Eagles 0 Nomads Panthers 5;
Windsor Magpies 0 Brotherhood F 5.
Group G
Brotherhood A 2 Walton B 5;
Nomads Leopards 5 Windsor Harriers 0.

This week Invicta A put their collective noses slightly ahead of their title rival Stanford A thanks to an impressive 8 – 1 demolition of third place Lentern. Steve Marr and Lee Marson were unbeaten, whilst Wayne Farmer overcame the home side’s Tony Ayliffe 10 – 12 in the fifth set of the last contest of the evening to gain Lentern’s only point.

Stanford had a close encounter away to Mapledene. A hat trick from POM Ian Sangster and two from Peter Weatherall got them over the line 5 – 4. Anthon Ranjit-Singh got two for the home side, and Lin Roff and Andy Seaman one each.

In a bottom of the table clash between Hadleigh Forum C and Hockley C, Hockley’s recent improvement continued as they overcame their hosts 8 – 1. Eamonn Hall was POM with three wins, a feat emulated by team mate David Chenery. Satwant Gill saved Forum’s blushes by overcoming Brian Bissenden in five sets.

Adam Jackman was Brand Identity B’s POM for an unbeaten performance in his side’s 6 – 3 home win over Hadleigh Forum B. Barrie Delf added two more and Mick Grout the other one. Forum’s Dave Woolmer, Paul Fawell and Mick Tappenden each won one.

Veteran John Holland’s recent run of good form continued as he again took the POM award for a maximum in RESSC’s 6 – 3 home defeat of Rawreth Megazone C. Teammate Richard Gill got a brace and Bob Skews one. Cleon Fernandes claimed two, and Gary McCarthy one, for the visitors.

Rawreth Megazone’s D team went down by the same 6 – 3 score as their C team when they entertained Canvey A. Yet again Ray Wilson was Canvey’s main man, winning all his three. However, it was a team effort, with Peter Cray winning two and Joanna Hills one. Jake Nelson was the home side’s best player, winning two, whilst Colin Barham got their other victory.

A tiny gap has emerged at the top of Division 2 this week as Basildon A slipped to a surprise 6-3 defeat at the hands of Stanford B and there is now a three point gap between them and leaders  Matchpoint A who also won 6-3 against Canvey B.

Basildon were unable to field their strongest team and had to call on Andy Roff from their B team alongside Stephen Walters and stalwart Les Hoey. Unfortunately it was only Hoey who carried the Basildon flag winning all his matches whilst Roff and Walters both fell to a strong Stanford side of Rob Salvage, John Handscombe and Mark Downey. Walters came within a game of picking up an extra point but after fighting back to 2-2 against Handscombe he succumbed 11/9 in the decider.

Matchpoint A came up against the revitalised Canvey B who have been inspired by Andrew Murray in recent weeks but they weren’t strong enough for the league leaders who had their own inspirational leader in Evie Knaapen. Any hopes of an upset by Canvey disappeared in double quick time as Knaapen dismissed Murray in three sets and Matchpoint then rushed to a 5-0 lead. The Islanders finally fought back as Murray, Tony Westwell and Kevin Walsingham all picked up points with wins against Jeremy Giffin and Lucy Elliott. Giffin can feel a little aggrieved at getting just one win as two of his games went to five sets and his match against Murray became something of a marathon losing the last two sets 15/13, 20/18.

Matchpoint B look to have added more strength to their basically young squad with the addition of Stephen Heard. With one hat trick already under his belt in his debut match he notched up another one in his side’s 7-2 win against Runnymede this time winning a perfect nine sets. That included defeat of the always difficult Dmitri Kisil plus Steve Wisbey and Andrew Humphris. Jack Riley and Alexander Deacon lent their support to Heard with two wins apiece both falling to defeat against Kisil. Matchpoint stay fifth in the table.

One place higher Wakering maintained their position winning 7-2 away at Basildon B with Zac England leading the way with a hat trick supported by two wins from Paul England and Stewart Mills. Andy Roff, playing his second game of the week, picked up another point beating Mills in the last game of the evening, and Ross Letham got Basilsdon’s other point coming back from 2-1 down to beat England senior 12/10 in the fifth. He also pushed Mills all the way to five sets but this time it was the Wakering man who took the decider by the same score.

Invicta B have only won one game this season, their first match against Hockley D 7-2, and despite a long, hard fought game featuring five, five set matches, they never really came close to repeating that feat, the home team getting revenge emerging victorious 6-3. Hockley had their own problems with the late withdrawal of Ben Cook and had to call on Keith Denyer from their E team to fill the gap. Whilst he didn’t win a game he did extend Sarah Ball and Mike Keeble to five sets and helped inspire two maximums from Tony Molisso and Paul Strutt to give Hockley the win. There couldn’t have been more of a contrast between these two performances as Molisso won his games losing just two sets (his first maximum of the season) whereas all of Strutt’s games went the distance. Strutt certainly did it the hard way coming back from 2-1 down against Keeble, 2-0 down against Ball and then conceding a 2-0 lead against Barbara Chabior before winning the final set 11/9. This was Hockley’s third win in four games and eases any fear of being dragged into the relegation battle. Invicta stay ninth in the table.

Player of the Week – Tony Molisso

Team of the Week – Matchpoint B

Robert Garlick led the way with an unbeaten performance for Rawreth Meggazone ‘F’ in Division 3 as they recorded a 6/3 win over Hadleigh Forum ‘D’.  Graham Back added a brace, with Ro Brett winning the extra point with a fifth set win over Sineh Ball.  Indeed, it was a case of what might have been for Ro as she narrowly lost in the deciding set to both Douglas Brown and Todd Barker.

Stanford ‘C’ were in action twice this week.  In their first outing they travelled offshore for their match against Canvey ‘C’, but, with Trevor Hayes and Steve Kemp in dominant form for their hosts, they returned to the mainland following a 6/3 defeat.  A win each here for the Stanford trio of Mark Farley, Randy Santiago and James Parker, but Farley came so close to adding another point.  He took the first two sets in his game against Hayes before he was eventually reeled in, losing the last three sets 11/6, 12/10, 13/11.

At the end of the week, it was a two-man Stanford team that took on the young Hockley ‘F’ team.  On this occasion, the experience of Farley and Santiago told, and they ran out 5/4 winners.  Hockley’s only point won on the table came from Elliot Brackenbury with a straight sets win over Santiago.

The first Matchpoint ‘derby’ of the season saw their ‘C’ team keep up the pressure on the league leaders, Stanford ‘D’, as they saw off the challenge of the ‘D’ team by a margin of 8/1.  Maximums here for Roger Sherman and Lotte Mills.  Richard Sloman picked up the consolation point for the ‘D’ team with a win over Alwine Jarvis.  No luck on the night for either Oliver Milchard or Blake Stewart, but they were involved in some close games with Oliver going the full distance against both Mills and Jarvis.

As we near the halfway point of the season, Hockley ‘E’ and Invicta ‘C’ are in a group of 3 teams hoping break into the top 2.  In their meeting this week, it was Hockley who came out on top.  Hannah Harbour was their star with a hat-trick as they were 7/2 winners on the night.  Her teammates, Richard Coulson and Ron Rogerson gave good support with two wins each.  Keith Baxter was Invicta’s best player with two wins.

• 

Woodham A firmly and formally entered the battle for the Burnham & District Table Tennis League Division 1 title this week as they welcomed leaders Mapledene A to their patch and sent them home with defeat ringing in their ears.  

Woodham A remain the only Division 1 side with a 100% record but having played less games than the top teams have only been on the periphery of championship discussions so far this season.   So this was a key week for the Woodham squad to see if they could rise to the challenge against a truly talented side from current leaders Mapledene A.  As always at this level it comes down to selection and availability as the big boys battle it out across a range of leagues – would Woodham be able to sustain their incredible start?  Woodham came out strong for this one fielding Chris Penrose, Lee McHugh and Kaung Htet Paing, against a Mapledene trio of Reece Seddon, Babul McLeod and Steve Muth – not everyone was going to go home happy!  Seddon kicked things off in style with an excellent 4 set victory against Penrose, and after 4 matches Mapledene had a 3-1 lead and were looking comfortable – this included an amazing ‘Battle of the Mc’s’ turnaround victory for McLeod coming from 2-0 down against McHugh to beast his way through the final two legs for a legendary triumph.  By the break Woodham had clawed it back to 3-3 and then came another phenomenal swing in momentum.  Mapledene’s doubles pairing of Seddon and Muth seemed to have the bonus point wrapped up in the doubles as they led 2-0 and 10-6 up with 4 straight match points to close out the game.  But, and what a ‘but’, the Woodham dynamic duo of McHugh and Paing dug deep, then went a little deeper still, and somehow pulled a rabbit out of the hat for a truly incredible point especially given the calibre of their opponents – sometimes matches, leagues and championships turn on a single event, could this be the moment for Woodham this year?  Seddon followed up this disappointment with a battle weary 5 set victory over McHugh for a fine hat-trick, but Paing and Penrose won their final matches with McLeod and Muth respectively for an overall 6-4 win that maintains their 100% win rate but bolsters their belief by a huge multiple.

   In a slightly different part of the league table, the Woodham and Mapledene B sides fought out a marathon of a battle at the Mapledene Arena.  Mapledene B came out on top with a 7-3 scoreline as Woodham had match points in two of the legs that they ultimately conceded.  Mapledene’s slimline Kieran Skeggs won all his singles comfortably only dropping 1 set across all 3 games – Skeggs may have dropped some timber but his power remains immense as he blasted his way through his opponents.  For Woodham Adi Kamma was the surprise package with victories over Paul Brown and Andy Seaman – intelligent play, determination and some fierce hitting served him well.  Woodham debutant Dave Colwill had a great start with a testing 5 set opening victory over Seaman – but then suffered a very frustrating remainder of the long evening.  In the doubles Kamma and Colwill took a deserved but surprising lead at 2-1 against the Mapledene pairing of Brown and Skeggs.  Colwill was solid and controlled throughout but it was Kamma making all the difference with some fine attacking play.  In the 4th leg the Woodham twosome got to 10-8 and 2 match points but just failed to get that winning shot as the Mapledene duo played some brave shots given the scoreline.  Mapledene capitalised on their survival bounce and went on to take the final leg 11-7.  But it was very much the case of ‘what might have been’ for Woodham.  The final match of the evening saw Brown take on Colwill in what was billed as a chess match with both players able to push and hit to suit the moment.  Brown took the first leg comfortably with the aid of a few nets and this pattern continued throughout the match as the nets and edges count gathered pace and the frustration levels boiled – it happens, we’ve all been there!  Colwill somehow kept himself in the second leg and eventually won out 14-12 and took a feisty 3^rd leg to take the lead.  After a pep talk from Mr Skeggs Brown came out replenished for the 4^th leg and devoured everything that came his way to tie things up at 2-2.  So at an ungodly hour we approached the final leg.  The balance of luck did not change but the game remained tight, and at 10-9 to Brown the whole crowd were undecided as to whether a net or edge winner would sum up the match, or create world war 3.  Luckily the point was a good one and Colwill evened up at deuce.  We then swapped match points until at 15-14 up Brown got his winner.  A match that had everything – some amazing play and intelligent blocking from Colwill, the drama of luck in sport, tension galore, and the coolness and determination of the ‘most famous man in Basildon’ and your eventual winner Mr Paul Brown.  On another day….. 

It wasn’t all about Mapledene and Woodham this week in the top division as the top Cold Norton sides had a very good time of it too.  Cold Norton B kicked off the week with a comprehensive 9-1 demolition of two man Stow Maries A.  Hat-tricks for Eric Green and Dave Richardson, with Stow’s Gary Brignall securing his team’s single point.   Great result for Cold Norton which closes the gap considerably on leaders Mapledene A.  Next came the battle of Latchingdon as Cold Norton C hosted Cold Norton A at the Gandy Arena.  A seemingly straightforward 7-3 win for the A team but actually it was a bit harder than it sounds as the A team’s Matt Stringer needed the full 10 legs to dispatch the C team’s Chris Buer and Arron Chandler – both of whom are in great form at present.  So a sweaty hat-trick for Stringer whereas Duncan Taylor was a bit more relaxed for his 3 wins.

Woodham C were the only one of the top 3 teams to win in Division 2 this week and have therefore extended their seemingly unassailable lead.  Woodham’s 8-2 victory came against their own D team with regular hat-tricks for the impressive Graham Briggs and Gus Heath.  The D team’s up and coming Alex Wilson did his utmost to make the C team work for their victory as he took both the hat-trick merchants to long 5 setters.  His evening did not go unrewarded as in yet another 5 set marathon he was able to just pip Dave Meah for one of his team’s points.  Mapledene C came a cropper at the hands and paddles of the experienced Stow Maries B trio.  Mapledene’s Big Barrie Delf was unvexed though as he hit a ferocious 9-dart hat-trick to maintain his personal 100% win rate this season with 18 wins on the bounce.  Despite Delf’s dominance the Stow team were not overawed as they rallied to win the majority of the other matches for a healthy 6-4 margin in their favour.  Nicky Reece-Ford held on for a 12-10 victory in his deciding leg with Mike Johnston, and then exactly the same thing happened again to Johnston in the doubles having been 2-0 up with partner Delf.  Maldon B were held to a 5-5 draw at Stow Maries D and they had Hamish Innes to thank for that as he went unbeaten in his singles.  For Stow both Ken Sheard and Tim Pulham were able to take a brace of wins apiece and then paired up for a 17-15 final leg doubles bonus point to ensure the match was halved.  The remaining matches were all quite tight as Blackwater A and Cold Norton D drew their encounter with Denis Balic starring for Blackwater with a decent hat-trick.  Blackwater B went one better and sneaked a 6-4 turnover against Stow Maries C with the excellent Simon Quelch finally getting his hands on a Div 2 hat-trick and player of the match award.  In the Maldon Derby the Maldon D side were shown little mercy from their own C team as they capitulated for a 7-3 loss.  Maldon C opted for the Dusty Bin 3-2-1 approach with Steve Aspland taking the 3 wins, Garry Eames twice a winner, and Colin Barrell scraping through with 1 victory – and no surprise that Aspland and Barrell combined for the extra doubles point.

Minimal action in Division 3 this week but nonetheless a great week for the Blackwater Club as both their C and D teams recorded strong wins to keep them firmly embedded in the race for the silver medals.  Phil West led his Blackwater C team to a powerful 8-2 win over Maldon E with his first hat-trick since the opening day of the season.  West was ably supported by his rarely spotted wingman Andy Simmonds who was also able to go unbeaten over the evening and even combined with Kath Little for an extra doubles point.  Blackwater D travelled across town to face Maldon F and left with their bags full with a 7-3 victory.  Blackwater’s David Benstead was back to his early season form with a very straightforward nine leg hat-trick and this was the bedrock for his team as both his team-mates Jacquie Treacy and Norman Hayes contributed in the singles and doubles to amass the points for a comfortable victory.

Pic 1 – Kieran Skeggs (Mapledene B) Versus Adi Kamma (Woodham B)

Pic 2 – Dave Colwill (Woodham B) Versus Paul Brown (Mapledene B) in the mighty marathon

• 

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.

• 

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

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

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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.

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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.

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