An honorable draw in the battle between the top two teams in the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League keeps Cold Norton B well on course to retain their title, and ultimately Blackwater C have been tamed(ish) in Division 3.
The clash of the titans ended in a respectable draw this week as Fambridge came from 2-5 down to force a draw against league leaders Cold Norton B. It was a mixed bag of results as everyone came away with a win, with John Poysden, Keith Adams and Ian Wall all taking a brace.
An important part of any table tennis match is making sure you have your tried and tested racket, matched to your grip, preferred rubbers and style of bat. When you leave for each match, you always do your final checks as you close the door behind you: phone, keys and bat.
Given his failure to implement these simple rules, it was a miracle that Fambridge’s Bruce Kettle (pictured above) managed to get to grips with his temporary weapon of choice and pull off a very remarkable straight-set victory over the in-form Sam Lowman in his final match of the evening. A tremendous effort, and finally a dent in the leaders’ previously impeccable winning record.
Mapledene B have slipped into third place thanks to a 6-4 win over Cold Norton A, largely inspired by a hat-trick from Kieran Skeggs, including a four-set victory over the extremely talented and consistent Kevin Read.
Read won his other matches and combined with former traveler Arron Chandler for the extra doubles point. Mapledene’s penhold magician Colin Chatfield won the toughest match of the evening with a 17-15 decisive set victory over the hapless Kim Shead.
In Division 2, Maldon A moved back into second spot after their 7-3 win in the last Maldon derby against their own B side. Hat-tricks for both Lloyd Bennett-Smith and Hamish Innes and a bonus point as Ross Kirby defeated Garry Eames in straight sets after his previous five-set losses to Steve Aspland and Colin Barrell. Barrell and Aspland of course took the bonus double point, as they always do.
Woodham C appear to have found their bounce back of late after some recent crushing defeats. This week they saw a very strong Cold Norton E-side with both Dick Wyman and Steve Maltby.
The Woodham star in the 6-4 win was bandana extremist Tim Pulham, who went unbeaten in all four of his matches and kept his winning percentage well above 70% so far this season.
There was some joy for Cold Norton’s youngest player, Oscar Wyman, as he recorded his first win of the season as his play continued to improve. Wyman junior came back from behind in his match with Jeremy Giffin to win 11-7 in the final set. Giffin was undeterred by this unexpected loss as he channeled his disappointment into his next match and recorded an eye-catching victory over Steve Maltby – swings and roundabouts.
Blackwater B clawed their way out of the relegation zone with a remarkable 8-2 scoreline over Maldon C with trebles for both Merv Perriman and Roger Slade. Maldon’s Chris Ravenhill scored his team’s only singles point with a straight-set victory over Louis Gunn.
In the most exciting and, I suspect, longest match of the evening, Perriman went all the way to a fifth and final set against Brain Riedling. Unfortunately, none of the referees fully understood how to implement the Expedite rules, so the game just kept going.
Finally, Blackwater C has had a tough match as they head towards the Division 3 title. This week Woodham D found themselves stuck in the Blackwater trio and effectively led 4-3 going into the final set of singles matches. Blackwater captain Gary Smith saw the unbeaten run drift away when he fell two sets behind against Chris Crooks, but Blackwater’s spirit is strong and he called upon his inner strength to turn the match around and make the aggregate score 4-4.
David McHattie then defeated Diane King to put the Blackwaterarians ahead 5-4 and regain control, with ace Colin Barham coming to the fore in the final match. But Woodham was having none of that as Simon Thomas ignored the Blackwater confidence and recorded a quick straight sets win to ensure Blackwater’s win column was untroubled for at least a week this season.
Blackwater D recorded a large 8-2 win margin over St Lawrence A with hat-tricks for Jacquie Treacy and Roger Tiffin. David Sage scored a pair of wins and narrowly lost to Dave Bateman in the other match.
Blackwater E Wildman Phil West was thrilled with an impenetrable treble this week, including a tight five-setter against Peter Hughes as his side won 7-3 against Blackwater F. Deb Ginn won her first two singles but then lost to Peter Hughes as he avenged his earlier five-set loss with a five-set win. Jo Hart was victorious in the other five-set match as she defeated Anne Brewer of the E team 12-10 in the decider.
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