There is little to choose between Windsor Magpies and Walton C Division Three of the Clacton League, and the two mid-table teams enjoyed another tight match this week, sharing the four games that went the distance.
There was a maximum for the ever-reliable Magpies skipper, John Plummer (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance), including an 11-9 in the fifth win over Lynette Sparks and an even closer 12-10 in the fifth win over Maggie Earle.
But unfortunately for Plummer, Walton won the match 6-4, Sparks and Earle both won twice, Earle passing Dave Sweetland 12-10 in the fifth, with Deborah Pallett taking a crucial point against Alan Rutledge, 3-2 (4-11, 11-9, 13-15, 14-12, 11-4).
Elsewhere, three for Dan Grindrod and two for Gary Simpson, plus a shared doubles win, saw leaders Brotherhood H safely home with a 6-4 win over Windsor Falcons. Gary Barnes’ pairing for the Falcons included an unexpected win over Simpson, while Nikki Hayes and Nigel Rolph grabbed one each.
Holland Hurricanes, 8-2 winners against a Brotherhood E side that fielded a guest, are now clear in second place. Gary Stallwood was unbeaten for the winners, while Tony Edmonds’ two points for the losers included an 11-7 in the decisive success against John Smith-Daye.
The Leopards also had a guest in the all-Nomad showdown against the Ocelots, and unsurprisingly went down 7-3. Mike Wellum remained undefeated, winning his two, while his Ocelots teammate Andrew Cousins edged Anne Bonny 11-7 in the fifth but lost to Doug Green. Groen won two for the Leopards and Bonny one.
Dave Wright and Peter Evans were unbeaten in Holland Lancasters’ 7-3 win over fellow club members Holland Vulcans, although it was the tightest of Wright’s tight 3-2 (7-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11) wins against Bob Keefe.
In Division OneKevin James, Gill Locke and Denes Somodi of Nomads Panthers ran out 10-0 winners against Brotherhood C, Brotherhood captain Martin Edwards unfortunately having to give up two of his singles due to injury.
No one remained undefeated as Walton A prevailed over Windsor Hawks 6-4. Mark Gale, Derek Willis and Paul Meikle won two each for Walton, with both Gale and Meikle beating Andy Vincent in five. Felipe Rodriguez won two for the Hawks and Scott Campbell one, the pair also shared a doubles win, but Vincent failed to record a win for the first time this season.
Despite a maximum from Pete Burrows it was a similar 6-4 scoreline for Brotherhood B against Walton B, Patrick Cheung, Russell Hillier and reserve Mark Boyland who all won two for Brotherhood. Walton’s Graham Buxton had an interesting evening. He shared an excellent doubles victory with Paul Newbould against Cheung and Hillier, being edged out 3-2 (4-11, 8-11, 11-7, 17-15, 12-10) by Hillier and then going down 3-1 (11-4, 3-11, 13-11, 11-7) to Boyland after leading 10-1 in the third set.
But the entire Windsor battle between the Eagles and Buzzards ended in less dramatic fashion, with the Eagles winning 10-0, while Gary Cattermole, Phil Smith and John Pattrick remained undefeated. Patrick’s 11-9 in the fifth win against Dave Martin was the closest match of the draw.
In the all-Brotherhood match between the top two teams Division TwoHat-tricks from Mark Boyland and John Gallagher saw the ‘G’ team come home 7-3 against the ‘F’ team. But it was a tighter encounter than the scoreline would suggest, with Brotherhood G winning four of the five matches going all the way. Gallagher was involved in three of them, beating Paul Alden 11-9 in the decider, Neil Chegwidden 12-10 in the decider, and sharing an 11-9 in the fifth doubles win with Boyland against Chegwidden and Mark Salter.
Third-placed Lawford’s John Colvin, Charlie Denholm and Ian Sherwood recorded a comfortable 10-0 win over Windsor Kestrels, with just three games extended to a fourth set. It was the first whitewash result in the Division so far this season.
Brotherhood J are now clear in fourth place after winning the last four games of a hard-fought meeting with Brotherhood D. Joe Sherwin took three, Ruby Gallagher two and Tom Bryden one in their 7-3 win. Five of the matches went the distance, with Bryden losing 11-9 to Kevin Pryor in the decider and 11-8 in the decider to Fred Gallone. But Sherwin beat Gallone 11-4 in the fifth, Gallagher beat Lily Liu 11-7 in the fifth, with Sherwin and Gallagher closest, 13-11 in the fifth in doubles against Pryor and Gallone.
It also became 7-3 for Windsor Penguins against Nomads Tigers, thanks to trebles from Kelvin Olano-Harper and Paul Woolnough. Tom Wilkin, Matt Sage and Alex Baldock won one each for the Tigers, Wilkin taking both Olano-Harper and Woolnough the distance but was ultimately unsuccessful.
But there was a turning point in fortunes for the Nomads and Windsor Clubs as the Jaguars defeated the Harriers 8-2, with Andy Hart and Chris Petrou leading the way with hat-tricks. Bob Jillins’ win for the Tigers was also the best play of the match, 14-12 in the fifth against Isabel Barton.
RESULTS
Division 1
Brotherhood C 0 Nomads Panthers 10
Windsor Eagles 10 Windsor Buzzards 0
Walton A6 Windsor Hawks 4
Fraternity B 6 Walton B 4
Division 2
Windsor Kestrels 0 Lawford 10
Windsor Penguins 7 Nomad Tigers 3
Brotherhood G 7 Brotherhood F 3
Brotherhood D 3 Brotherhood J 7
Nomad Jaguars 8 Windsor Harriers 2
Division 3
Windsor Magpies 4 Walton C6
Fraternity H 6 Windsor Falcons 4
Holland Lancasters 7 Holland Vulcans 3
Nomads Ocelots 7 Nomads Leopards 3
Holland Hurricanes 8 Brotherhood E 2
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