The second division in the Braintree Table Tennis League turns into an unpredictable melange where anyone, it seems, can beat anyone – except the team at the top.
The teams from second to tenth place are separated by only nine points, while the gap between first and second places has increased to 17 points.
The results from week four show how tight everything has become. Four of the five matches were decided 6-4, while the fifth was a draw.
Even leader Rayne C got involved in the mix, needing a win in the final set to earn a 6-4 victory over Black Notley C. They were grateful that Steve Buer’s three singles helped them get through it.
Notley C remain in second place, level with the club’s D team, who also lost 6-4 in their case to Sudbury Strollers, where John Colvin was again unbeaten and newcomer Tracy Fernandes won twice.
Netts D are one point behind after their victory over Rayne E, for whom Richard Whiteside was unbeaten, although stretched to five games by Jimmy Calisin.
Bottom club Finchingfield A are still feeling the absence of the injured Peter Clark, but they stretched Rayne D to 6-4 and would have grabbed a draw had Peter Rickwood and Dave Allinson not won in the doubles 11-9 in the fifth.
Netts C and Yeldham Whitlocks A hover just above them after their draw. Roy Hooper’s loss to Charles Calisin was only his second of the season.
In division one, Leaders Netts A had no mercy on Liberal B, where they took all ten, including a first maximum of the season for Joe Meleschko.
Teams from Rayne and Sudbury faced each other twice. Rayne A defeated Sudbury Wanderers 9-1, while Sudbury Nomads defeated Rayne B 8-2. Karl Baldwin was undefeated for Nomads and was the only one to defeat Adi Kamma.
The other match in the division included a return to Notley for Netts B, who played there last season as Notley A. This season they just failed to beat the current Notley A. Luke Burridge’s three singles secured a 6-4 victory for the home team.
Leader Finchingfield B recorded another victory division three, this time 7-3 over Notley E, who had won their previous two matches.
In the clash between two previously undefeated players, it was Lucien Nolan-Bradford who came out on top against the hugely experienced Dave Parker, whose unconventional style would frustrate many other 17-year-olds.
Notley’s H team moved into third place with a 9-1 win over Netts E, with father and son Wayne and Harry Wilson both unbeaten.
The club’s G team also recorded a win, 6-4 over Sudbury Drifters. New signing Ricky Moriconi took his first maximum.
The other match in the division, Yeldham Whitlocks B v Netts F, ended in a draw. Nobody won three or lost three, but 14-year-old Tom Verrier can be satisfied with a good victory over the reliable Steve Willis.
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