News & Views from the Colchester Table Tennis League
with Press Officer Martyn Green

6th November-2007
TOP TWO ROWHEDGE TEAMS HEAD FOR SHOWDOWN

This week in Division One of the Colchester and District Table Tennis League the top two sides, H20 Rowhedge A and H20 Rowhedge B meet on Thursday with the winner likely to head the league at the halfway break. H20 Rowhedge B’s recent run of form has seen them close the gap to just three points behind their ‘A’ team who have led the division all season. There will be a vast array of Colchester’s top young talent on show as former Colchester Junior champions Antony Greenwood and Michael Andrews supported by the reigning Junior champion Mike Shore will be representing the ‘B’ team. H20 Rowhedge A will be fielding Colchester Men’s champion and oldest player on show, Dave Cole, current Colchester Junior number one and county representative Greg Green as well as the in form Kevin Gowlett. The ‘A’ team are the defending champions and the ‘B’ team are unbeaten so whoever wins will have the Rowhedge bragging rights and the edge going into Christmas.

Michael Andrews form has been tremendous going into this match reeling off five straight maximums and he was joined by Mike Shore in a 7-3 win over Walton A. He was again unbeaten as his team beat Dedham A 6-4, Gt Horkesley A 9-1 and St Mary’s B 7-3 including a mighty impressive win over Suffolk ’s Ian Brown whilst carrying an ankle injury. St Mary’s A are third following their fifth win of the season, the ever-dependable Gary Young winning his three against a two player Rayne as his team won 6-4. The highlight was Young’s five set win over Andy McEwan 11-5,11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8 in a cracking game. Rayne fared better against a two player H20 Rowhedge C with Dean Andrews beating both Dave Moss and Alan Burgess, once again proving hard to beat in a 6-4 victory. Moss also succumbed to Andy McEwan 12-10 in the fifth end.

In Division Two Walton C maintained their dominant form with a 9-1 bulldozing of Anchor Press. John Hobson and Paul Meikle were unbeaten and it would have been a similar score line against H20 Rowhedge E had John Rice not infringed the ‘playing-up’ law where he had already won his seven match quota in higher Walton teams. The 6-4 win was still enough to end Rowhedge’s unbeaten record. Gt Horkesley B showed good form with a 9-1 victory at St Peter’s with Janet Fairs losing Horkesley’s only game to Ian Carter. Sian Cook was unlucky to be on the losing side as she won her three singles for Lawford A but still succumbed to Rowhedge D 7-3 with Lawrence Wilcox, Jon Ward and Phil Ward winning two each and Wilcox and Ward junior teaming up to win the doubles. St Mary’s C won 6-4 at home to Tollesbury A with Martin Edwards taking another three more wins as he did at home to Tollesbury A. Here his team scraped home 6-4 to maintain his teams promotion hopes lying third, five points behind H20 Rowhedge E. H20 Rowhedge E should be challenging for the top but due to a string of postponements have played only half their games. This week they overcame Gt Horkesley C 8-2 with the evergreen Peter Kirkland their only maximum man.