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

1st December-2009
ESSEX UNIVERSITY SET THE EARLY PACE IN HANDICAP

After the first round of Handicap matches in the Colchester and District Table Tennis League Fourth Division new boys University of Essex are already hot favourites. They easily accounted for promotion rivals H20 Rowhedge G 9-0 without dropping a set. The two are yet to meet in the league but here with little to gauge on last years form the University team of Mitchell Davidson, Robert Bozier and Chester Chung are good bets to go deep into the competition. In sharp contrast H20 Rowhedge G were involved in a titanic struggle with their ‘B’ team, despite another unflattering score line. They lost 7-2 with the last seven matches all going to three sets, six of them by just two points! The first division team won all six singles with John Andrews 22-20, 19-21, 23-21 win over Mark Burrows the closest of them all!

In Group One Pegasus A beat Gt Horkesley D 6-3 with both Steve Noble and Clive Forster unbeaten in their singles as well as winning their doubles together. Walton C had the victory after six games but three late wins for H20 Rowhedge C meant damage useful limitations in the group stages. Filipe Rodriguez used his advantage to good effect winning both his singles as did Phil Smith for Rowhedge. At 2-2 the Gt Horkesley C Pegasus F match looked close but Richard Goodhand, two straight set wins that were all by just two points and Lorrie Austin combined to win their singles and doubles in a 7-2 win. Pegasus F made amends beating Lawford C 6-3 thanks mainly to Stan Flint and Derek Miller. Paul Woolnough and Sandy Isaac led Pegasus C to an 8-1 win that did not reflect the tightness of the match. The last five games all went the full three set distance which were all won by Pegasus! The Marks Tey team also beat H20 Rowhedge E 5-4, Isaac again winning two, joined by Chris Smith who did somehow manage to lose their doubles 24-22 in the final end! St Mary’s A managed to win by the same score line against Pegasus E. The two Green’s, Greg and Doug, on opposing sides starred with Doug taking a fine win over Gary Young but just losing out to Greg 22-20 in the final set. Also in Group Five H20 Rowhedge D accounted for Clairmont 6-3 with relative ease thanks to man-of-the-match Andrew Harvey who won all four of the games he was involved in. The two leaders in the group met and it was Rowhedge that dominated. In an incredible turnaround after Peter Kirkland lost the first set in effect 21-1 to Greg Green, a change of tactics saw him win the remaining two sets relatively comfortably! St Peters beat Gt Horkesley B 6-3 as the competition organiser Roger Warren won two, the only player to do so on the night.

League leaders Rowhedge A had a narrow 5-4 win in Group Seven at Lawford D. Steve Joslin was their double winner using his 8 grade to good effect. In the final group H20 Rowhedge F are top with two wins, 6-3 against Pegasus D and 9-0 against their ‘H’ team. Masters of the handicap Colin Powell and Nigel Claydon won all eight of their singles! Playing for the ‘H’ team was Jane Li who recently won the one-star tournament at BATTS, Harlow but was out of luck against her team mates. She picked up a vital win in a 5-4 win over Walton E however, as Thomas Lewis excelled with two wins. Having won the first five games Walton struggled to see off Pegasus D, eventually winning 6-3 with only the talented James Denyer unbeaten.