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

19th February 2008
LEAGUE LEADERS SLIP UP

With the Colchester & District Table Tennis League in its final throws Division One leaders and current champions H20 Rowhedge A are showing end of season jitters following a narrow 6-4 win against their ‘C’ team, they suffered a 6-4 reverse against third placed St Mary’s A. Dave Cole won his three in the all Rowhedge clash but without him against St Mary’s a two player Kevin Gowlett and Greg Green went down. Gary Young continued his excellent season beating them both in four sets in doing so completed his ninth maximum of the season, a feat only matched by the prolific Michael Andrews. He showed the ‘A’ team the way as his H20 Rowhedge B team keep the pressure on the leaders with a 6-4 win over St Mary’s A. Ian Brown deputised for the absent Gary Young won two as Rowhedge B closed the gap at the top to nine points in beating Walton A 7-3 Andrews once again winning his three. Bottom team St Mary’s B are making a real bid for survival as they recorded their first win of the season 7-3 against Walton A. Brown took the opportunity to register his first maximum as the West Bergholt team stretched their unbeaten run since Christmas to four games with a 5-5 draw at Rayne and are currently just three points from safety. Andrew McEwan prevented back to back maximums for Brown but with the former Bury St Edmunds champion available for all their remaining games, there should be close finishes at both ends of the table. Rayne’s push for a top three finish suffered a further blow with a shock 8-2 defeat at Walton A courtesy of two ‘Super-Vet’ maximums from Dave Binns and John Rice. They did however, suffer defeat at home to Gt Horkesley A with Richard Goodhand completing a good night with three wins. Gt Horkesley’s topsey, turvey season continued with a 7-3 defeat at H20 Rowhedge C as John Andrews form continues to catch the eye with an impressive treble including a close for set victory over Goodhand. He followed this up along with colleagues, Alan Burgess and David Moss in an emphatic 10-0 defeat of two-man Walton B, whose slip sees them unlikely to avoid relegation.

Walton’s C team on the other hand are destined to replace them from Division Two and they took two giant strides towards that goal with a 10-0 win over Gt Horkesley C and a 7-3 success at previously second placed St Mary’s C with Neil Crook unbeaten in both in doing so inflicting Martin Edwards first defeat in thirty games! Lorrie Austin had joined Edwards previously in a 6-4 win over Lawford A with Suffolk county junior Sian Cook losing two for the first time this season. H20 Rowhedge D move into the second promotion spot following a fine 7-3 win over Anchor Press A with recently crowned Chelmsford Division Four Down winner Phil Smith joined by Jon Ward unbeaten. Winless St Peters and lowly Tollesbury A look doomed as both suffered two more defeat a apiece.

In Division Three Pegasus A are just twelve points from promotion with four games to play as they eclipsed Gt Horkesley D 10-0. It’s tight for second spot with surprise package Clairmont just two points ahead of St Mary’s D as results went in Clairmont’s favour. At the bottom H20 Rowhedge F are all but down and will be joined by either Gt Horkesley D or Tollesbury B who are three points behind the former with two games in hand.

Pegasus D like their A team are near certain candidates for promotion from Division Four.