The Team Handicap Cup in the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League has been dominated by the methodical and talented Cold Norton B team in recent years. With new rules and structure in place for this season, would this command be threatened in any way? It seems not.
Despite rule changes to get the less handicapped teams some extra points on the board, heavy favorites Cold Norton B stormed to a traditional victory over the hapless Blackwater B trio in their 16th round knockout match. “5-0 for the Norton Boys‘ was the cry from the expectant crowd as the Cold Norton trio of Ian Wall (-18), Sam Lowman (-18) and captain Dan Anderson (-12) went about their business.
Despite the overall score, the matches were all very close and the Blackwater trio of Louis Gunn (-2), Pete Mortensen (-2) and Roger Slade (-1) certainly made the hotshots work for their victory. Both doubles matches went to long deciding sets, with the opening match setting the tone for the evening, with Lowman and Anderson coming through 26-24 in the decider against Gunn & Slade.
The singles were all won in straight sets, but in each leg the Blackwater team found themselves with over 15 points on the board, while Cold Norton alone had the focus and talent advantage.
Last year’s runners-up Blackwater A also advanced to the quarter-finals thanks to a 5-2 win over St Lawrence A, with Neil Freeman (-6) playing a starring role and remaining unbeaten in his three games. All singles were won in straight sets, with the only St Lawrence point coming from Nigel Brand (+12) against Alan Scammell (-3).
Division 3 side Blackwater F hit the headlines with an unexpected 6-3 win against top Division 1 team Cold Norton A. Unfortunately, Cold Norton were one player short, so Blackwater had a 4-0 start, but still had to get past Duncan Taylor (-20) and Steve Maltby (-9).
Both David McHattie (+9) and Anne Brewer (+11) were able to use their leads against Maltby to great effect in their actual victories, but none of the Blackwater team had the patience to outsmart Taylor. McHattie at least grabbed a leg and forced Taylor into an energy-draining, decisive leg, but it wasn’t to be.
Blackwater C are the most in-form team in the league and look a dangerous handicap team. In a very evenly matched encounter with Woodham D, the Blackwater team somehow found themselves 4-2 down with just three games to play, while Jean Chasmer (+6) had dominated for Woodham with three wins already.
With four of the first six matches going to a deciding set, the Blackwater team also had the clock against them – so a quick encounter, a change of tactics, and they were firing on all cylinders as Peter Davenport (+1) ended Chasmer’s unbeaten run, and then Gary Smith (0) outwitted Chris Crooks (+2), and the eventual winner took all doubles, saw Smith and Andrea Alleyne (+3) Chasmer and Simon Thomas (+4) outhitting just as the final bell sounded. clattering! Blackwater C is certainly a team to keep an eye on in this competition.
Woodham B often do well in the cup and their campaign this season started well with a hard-fought 5-1 win over Cold Norton D. In the only cold Norton win, Terry Hyland (-3) held his nerve against the hard-hitting Sanjay Saptarshi (-14) for a three-set win that went to 24-22 in the decider. There were two more three-setters, but Woodham’s other players Graham Briggs (-6) and Peter Harverson (-6) held their nerves to go undefeated all evening.
A long evening in Maldon saw the Cold Norton E trio play eight matches to finally gain the upper hand over a stubborn Maldon C side. No player remained undefeated, but Cold Norton’s Tony Forster (-6) very effectively won three of his four matches, including the important final against Dawn Baldry (-7).
Another talented handicap team from Cold Norton showed their mettle as they triumphed in both three setters, with Forster beating Chris Ravenhill (0) and Oscar Wyman (+4) coming out on top against Brian Riedling (-2).
Cold Norton C completed Cold Norton Club’s triple threat in the quarter-finals as they overcame strong resistance from Blackwater E to record a 5-2 win. Neil Want (-11) did the most damage for the Cold Norton crew as he won all three of his matches and overcame the handicaps of both Deb Ginn (+5) and Kath Little (+9) – who would have thought he had so much patience?
Want’s performance was much needed as the Blackwater team took an early 2-1 lead by winning the opening doubles, before Phil ‘Wild’ West (+8) recorded a very long and hard-fought three-set victory over Arron Chandler (-14). But that was it and the Cold Norton trio were not perceived as wanting in the remaining matches as they heartlessly recorded four wins in the battle for a place in the next round.
In the final match of the round of 16, Mapledene hosted Woodham D and they got off to a flying start winning the first three matches. When the early pool beckoned, Woodham pulled the plug as Alan Dadswell (-2) overcame the challenge of Bill Smith (-4) to put a Woodham point on the board, and then the fun began and there was no time for a pool at all as we got into the final set of chaos.
Woodham duo Tim Pulham (-5) and Scott Perry (-5) won the next doubles match 21-17 in the decider, before Smith found redemption after his earlier loss by taking Perry to a final leg to win 21-17. It was now very late in the evening and Mapledene only needed one more win to progress. In the following singles, Woodham’s Dadswell took the opening leg against Lin Roff (-6), but Roff fought back with a second leg of 21-17 to level the match. It took a while for Roff to catch up on the handicap in the final leg, but once she did she was able to secure and maintain the lead for a 21-16 victory for a game, set and overall match declaration.
Cold Norton have three teams in the quarter-finals and appear to have the handicap between their teeth for this one. Next round will be played in the week of December 15.
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