Life at the wrong end of a division is never much fun, but things have just brightened up for two teams in the Braintree Table Tennis League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Black Notley H recorded their first win in division three and while Netts E’s win was their second, it was an out-of-the-blue success against the division’s second-placed team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notley H’s win came against fourth-placed Finchingfield B by 8-2, although to be fair the opposition were without most of their big guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nigel Parmenter was their mainstay as he has been for most of the season. His three wins took his total to 17 out of 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jill Canning chimed in with two wins as did Mike Smith, to end his unusual barren spell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netts E’s only victory so far had come at Notley H’s expense, which made their success against a far from negligible Sudbury Strollers side – Peter Abbott, Geoff Barrett and Tim Matthews – particularly notable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Montgomery was the architect of victory. He is also on a good run, his three singles taking him to 13 wins in his last 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lindsay Dodd won twice and the two combined to win the doubles for a 6-4 scoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Division leaders Finchingfield A had a harder time of it than usual when Yeldham Whitlocks B stretched them to 6-4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whitlocks’ Steve Willis scored wins over Ray Bradford and Chad Rose while James Dickson lost to them but surprisingly got the better of Dave Punt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dickson, a junior at the Colne club many years ago, is one of quite a number of players who have come back to the game after dropping out after their junior years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He picked up a bat again after the village was given a table via a grant from the league and Table Tennis England. He has so far knocked up a number of useful wins, but success against Punt, a player with an 85 per cent average, was definitely the pick of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eleven-year-old Arun Cochrane is just starting his junior career and he stood in the way of victory for third-placed Notley G in their match with Netts F. He won his three singles for the first time in his nascent career to enable his side to share the points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conrad Gomes was the man in form in Rayne H’s draw with Notley I. He remained unbeaten for the first time this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Report by Ron Fosker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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