Cold Norton B continue to extend their lead in the top division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League season.
The week started very well for the leaders as they defeated their own A team 7-3, with only the A team’s Duncan Taylor offering any resistance to the B team juggernaut. Taylor managed to record his first treble of the Burnham season, but that was all the A team could score as the B team trio Eric Green, Dave Richardson and Ian Wall combined for the remaining seven points.
Nearest rivals Fambridge and Mapledene A then went head-to-head and two-man Fambridge came away unbeaten but were forced to squander three points due to lack of personnel.
A comfortable hat-trick for John Poysden, and a less than comfortable treble for Bruce Kettle, who defeated George Reeves in four sets, but needed five and more to finally overcome the mighty challenge of Glenn Johnson – the deciding set was very tight at 10-10, so imagine the intensity at 20-20! Kettle finally let off some steam and got through this marathon of a game 23-21, by far the longest game in Burnham’s recent history to secure the 7-3 winning margin – a result that could potentially end Mapledene’s championship aspirations this season.
Further down the table there was a welcome win for Woodham B, largely thanks to their star player Sanjay Saptarshi with a trouble-free nine-darter. The rest of the matches were unorthodox to say the least. Stow’s Matthew Brown (pictured above) won two five-setters, coming from behind in both, first against Eamonn Hall, and then from the edge against Peter Harverson, where he was down 0-10 in the deciding leg – yes, you read that right – and one by one he pulled the points back, taking a whopping twelve points on the jump for the most astonishing win ever in the living history of Burnham.
Stow’s Ken Sheard also recorded two wins against Harverson and Hall using his anti-spin rubbers to great effect – taking a 2–0 lead in both matches, then allowing both opponents to overtake him before eliminating them in the fifth round. Hall and Harverson took little consolation from the victory over Stow’s third player Peter Chastin.
It was a welcome and profitable return to competition for Cold Norton C’s Arron Chandler as his unbeaten night kept his team in the race and eventually forced a draw against the very in-form Mapledene B. For Mapledene, the tricky Colin Chatfield and the masterful Keith Willett won the remainder of their matches, including pairing for the important doubles point.
The top two sides in Division 2 both won this week, creating an even bigger gap between themselves and the chasing pack. Leaders Mapledene C extended their lead with an uncomfortable 9-1 victory over the plucky Maldon C team. Six of the matches ended in a deciding set and Mapledene showed real grit by winning five – the kind of form that can get you over the line!
Maldon’s Chris Ravenhill was involved in four of those five-setters as he played the maximum 20 sets throughout the evening. He squandered the lead against Andy Seaman, losing 6-11 in the final leg, came from behind with a mighty 16-14 win in the fifth leg against Tony Ayliffe, and then took a two-set lead in his final singles match, only to be caught back by the wily Dennis Squirrell and lose 11-7 at the death. Despite Ravenhill’s resistance, there were quality hat-tricks for both Seaman and Squirrell.
Maldon A could only field a two-player team and that may have cost them crucial points in the Championship race. Maldon duo Colin Napper and Dawn Baldry still managed to secure a 6-4 win over Cold Norton D, with Baldry dropping the only point in a rollercoaster of five sets against Terry Hyland.
In the Blackwater derby, the A team confirmed their dominance with a comprehensive 8-2 win, with Denis Balic recording the only treble of the evening. Balic’s teammates, Alan Scammell and Noah Sage, both enjoyed a string of wins, with Scammell losing to Louis Gunn in five sets, and Sage unable to master Merv Perriman’s perfect pimple popping.
Stow B’s Peter Hance broke Maldon B’s talisman Steve Aspland’s winning streak when he scored a hat-trick for his team in their 6-4 win this week. Hance had the most trouble against the rangey Garry Eames, where he needed all five sets to finally cross the line. Stow’s Nicky Reece-Ford scored two wins, and of course Aspland and trusted bedmate Colin Barrell took victory in the doubles.
Blackwater C is as dominant as it gets Division 3 and this week they showed no mercy as they destroyed the dreams and hopes of the St Lawrence trio. A final score of 10-0 that was largely clear in favor of the champion-elect, with the exception of the opening match between old sparring partners Colin Barham of Blackwater and Mick Robinson of St. Lawrence.
Barham looked to be sailing through St. Lawrence until Robinson hoisted his sails and caught another wind that saw him level the match at 2-2. The final leg was exciting throughout, but one of Robinson’s sails must have been torn towards the end as Barham grabbed the last few points to secure the 11-9 victory and put his team on course for the whitewash win. So all-round trebles to the Blackwater C trio of Barham, Tina Hutchinson and Neil Thompson.
Blackwater D is the closest of the chasing pack and can almost see Blackwater C on the horizon. This week the D team put in an impressive performance against their own F team, coming away with a respectable 8-2 win. For the F team, Jason Bush had good wins over David Gardner and Roger Tiffin, but the star of the evening was Jacqui Treacy from the D team with an excellent treble and a combination with Gardner for the doubles bonus.
Nothing could separate the E teams from Blackwater and Maldon this week, despite a great effort from Maldon’s John Leavett as he won all his singles and doubles matches to provide the cornerstone to his team’s points haul. For Blackwater, Phil ‘Wild’ West and Andy Simmonds both won their remaining two singles, with Kath Little scoring the final point to secure the draw.
* The Burnham League would also like to acknowledge the passing of Maldon TTC legend Tom Elder this week. Tom was a constant presence in our league for decades and the winner of many of our championship trophies. A tough competitor, never shy to share his opinion, and a great encourager of new talent. He will be greatly missed.
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