The top four teams in Division One of the Clacton League all recorded a 10-0 victory this week.
Brotherhood A’s win over Windsor Hawks means they are still four points clear. Daniel Young, Gary Young and Kevin Gowlett (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance) were the winning trio, Gary Young’s 3-2 (11-8, 11-13, 11-13, 11-4, 11-5) win over Andy Vincent being the best match.
Second-placed Nomads Lions’ Ethan Lloyd, Jason Loyd and Adam Cuthbert remain four points behind after beating Walton A 10-0 for the second time this season. Ethan Lloyd’s 11-3 in the decisive win against Mark Gale was the only match to go all the way.
Brotherhood B established three reserves against third-placed Nomads Panthers and so the whitewash result was not unexpected. But Brotherhood’s Mark Boyland, Joe Sherwin and Ruby Gallaher put up stiff resistance, especially Sherwin, losing 11-5 in the fifth to Gill Locke and 11-7 in the fifth to Kevin James. Sherwin and Gallagher will also be happy to have defeated Kevin James and James Denyer in doubles.
Windsor Eagles, who are currently fourth, took all 10 points against Brotherhood C, but the ‘C’ team will be miserable if they haven’t left with at least one point. Three individual encounters were close: Gary Cattermole beat Tim Leung 11-8 in the decider, John Pattrick beat John Cleasby 12-10 in the decider, while Cattermole & Pattrick beat the doubles 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 10-12, 13-11) against Cleasby & Graham Playle.
In the only non-whitewash top flight match, bottom team Windsor Buzzards recorded a rare win, beating Walton B 6–4 for the second time this season. Andy Foster, Ray Chillingworth and Dave Martin won two each, but none could get the better of Walton’s Pete Burrows, who remained undefeated. But Walton will regret losing two games that could have turned the result in their favor. Clive Allenby fell to Foster in five games, while John Marshall suffered the heartbreak of losing 15-13 to Martin in the fifth.
In Division TwoLeader Brotherhood G suffered a first defeat of the season, 6-4 at the hands of Brotherhood J. Joe Sherwin played for the ‘J’ team with a hat-trick, while Ruby Gallagher won two, including a victory over Dad John. Lucy Carvell came so close to another, losing 14-12 in the fifth to John Gallagher in the only match that went to five.
It was a good week for Lawford who recorded two wins, 8-2 against Nomads Tigers and 7-3 against Windsor Harriers.
The win was somewhat predictable against the Tigers, who were forced to include both a reserve and a guest player. Paul Hewitt and Charlie Denholm both remained undefeated for Lawford. For the Tigers, Wilkin picked up a five-set singles victory against Ian Sherwood, while, with reserve Dominic Joannou, he recorded a surprise doubles win, defeating Denholm and Sherwood in three consecutive matches. It was the Tigers’ first doubles win of the season, but just a second doubles loss for Lawford.
Alex Dunne, making his first appearance of the season for Lawford, recorded a maximum against the Harriers. Denholm won two and Sherwood one, with Denholm and Sherwood this time successful in doubles. Dunne had a nail-biting 3-2 (9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9) win against Barry Allen, while Sherwood took advantage of an extravagant net count to edge past Ferdy Rodriguez 3-2 (11-6, 11-4, 10-12, 10-12, 11-8). Barry Allen’s two for the Harriers included a narrow 12-10 in the decisive win over Denholm.
Nomads Tigers also had a second match and tasted defeat for the second time, this time 6-4 at the hands of Brotherhood F. Neil Chegwidden took three and Paul Alden two, with the pair sharing the doubles win. Matt Sage won two for Tigers, beating Alden 11-8 in the fifth, while Tom Wilkin and Alex Baldock won one each, Baldock beating Tricia Salter 11-9 in the fifth.
Three for Chris Petrou, and two each for Andy Hart and Bob Jillins saw Nomads Jaguars 8-2 at home to Windsor Kestrels. Peter Aumord won the points from the two Kestrels. Both Allen Denyer and Jackie Bunce came close to contributing to the Kestrels’ score, with Denyer losing 11-8 to Jillins in the decider and Bunce losing 11-5 to Petrou in the decider.
Windsor Penguins were 6-4 winners against a Brotherhood D side that fielded a guest. Kelvin Olano-Harper was undefeated in winning his two singles against Kevin Pryor and Fred Gallone.
In Division Threedefeated leaders Brotherhood H Holland Lancasters 7-3 in a meeting where no one remained undefeated. Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Gary Simpson all won two for Brotherhood, with Still and Simpson adding a tight 11-9 in the fifth doubles win over Peter Evans and Dave Wright. Evans had good wins over Grindrod and Simpson, the latter a 12-10 in the decisive victory, while Wright had a surprise success against Still.
Holland Hurricanes maintained their challenge at the top with an 8-2 win against a guest Windsor Magpies side, with skipper John Plummer missing a match for the first time this season. Both Magpies’ points came from matches that went the distance: Dave Sweetland defeated Gerry Widnell 11-3 in the fifth and Alan Rutledge defeated Ian Gwillim 11-5 in the fifth.
Nomads Ocelots defeated Brotherhood E, playing with a guest 7-3, Andrew Cousins undefeated for the winners. Jack Hillier’s two for Brotherhood included a fine 11-6 in the fifth win over Mike Wellum, just a second defeat of the season for Wellum.
Nomads Leopards’ Doug Green, Dominic Joannou and Anne Bonny were 10-0 winners against a weakened Walton C, who also played with a guest. In the closest match, Bonny recorded an 11-6 in the fifth win against Deborah Pallett.
In the end, three for Bob Keefe, two for Derek Foxley and James Horsler, plus a win in the Keefe/Foxley doubles, saw Holland Vulcans record an 8-2 success against Windsor Falcons.
* In the draw for the first round of the Handicap Cup, the three Third Division teams still in the competition will face a tough match against the best opponents. Holland Hurricanes face the toughest test against current Division One leaders Brotherhood A, Nomads Leopards will face Windsor Hawks while Windsor Falcons are rewarded with an away match against Brotherhood C.
The full draw is: Walton A v Brotherhood J; Nomads Lions v Windsor Harriers; Windsor Hawks vs Nomads Leopards; Holland Hurricanes vs Brotherhood A; Brotherhood G vs. Nomads Tigers; Brotherhood D versus Brotherhood B; Windsor Eagles vs. Fraternity F; Brotherhood C vs Windsor Falcons. The matches will be played on February 9.
* The disabled singles tournament takes place next Saturday (February 7) at St James’ Hall. The game starts at 9:30am, but all players will receive details of their individual check-in times in advance. The final is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m.
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