Colchester & District Table Tennis League News

In the Colchester & District Table Tennis Kiltie Cup Walton A overcame Walton C by the maximum 9-0 score line. The match pitted the Rodriguez family in opposition. First up it was father versus daughter, Ferdy and Annabelle and it was Annabelle who won, albeit in five close sets, coming back from two one down to win; 11-8, 11-13, 9-11, 11-8,11-8. Ferdy’s son Felipe made lighter work, beating his father in four ends. Joining the Rodriguez offspring’s unbeaten was John Hobson as the seasiders A team qualify for the semi-finals.

Walton B also had a good win over H20 Rowhedge D in Group Four of the Intermediate Cup. Unfortunately Rowhedge could field only two registered players and despite Alan Burgess winning his two singles the Walton team of Paul Meikle, Mark Gale and Chris Petrou won 7-2. In the same Group Dedham A accounted for H20 Rowhedge G 5-4 with Marlene Smith winning her two singles. Rowhedge’s Mark Burrows was particularly unlucky as he won all four games he was involved in, but Dedham’s overall strength saw them through. Group Three saw better fortune for Rowhedge as their ‘E’ team beat Pegasus C from Division Three 8-1. Peter Simmonds, Tony Price were unbeaten and it took a herculean effort from Pegasus C’s John Richie to inflict Peter Giles only defeat 13-11 in the final end to claim their only success of the night. In Group Two Lawford B accounted for H20 Rowhedge F by the same score thanks to George Berry and Nick Galley although Peter Armes just missed out to Rowhedge’s Colin Powell in Lawford’s only defeat.

Group Three of the Minor Cup saw Pegasus D beat Lawford E 8-1. Nick Murray and Kevin Turner were undefeated, whilst Maggie Earle beat Andrew Cousins, to take her team’s solitary point.

In the Handicap Cup competition Clairmont A from the Second Division continued their good form beating Gt Horkesley A 7-2 with Mike Tracey using his handicap to good effect, the only player to go through the evening undefeated. H20 Rowhedge D went down 5-4 to Dedham A and must have been rueing the fact once again they could only field two eligible players. Peter Sears three set win over Sandy Isaacs was the clincher as she and Alan Burgess won the rest of the games they were involved in. In another Dedham versus Rowhedge encounter Dedham B beat Rowhedge B by the same score despite John Andrews best efforts, winning both his singles. Dedham B then did suffer a reverse to H20 Rowhedge F, 6-3 with Colin Powell the only player to win both his singles. Rowhedge then squared the club battle with Dedham as their ‘B’ team beat Dedham A 6-3. This time John Andrews was duly rewarded for a further two singles wins. Pegasus C beat Gt Horkesley D 8-1 with John Richie and Doug Green both on-song, without defeat. Mitchell Davidson’s four wins, two singles and two doubles, led his team to a comfortable 7-2 win over St Peter’s A to conclude the latest round of cup matches.

With the Colchester & District League matches taking a mid-season break attention has turned to both Knockout and Handicap Cup events. In the Kiltie Cup, open to all teams, Tollgate B pulled a rabbit out of the hat when coming back from 3-0 down to steal the match against Gt Horkesley A, 5-4! Tollgate’s Martyn Green won both his singles as did Richard Goodhand for Gt Horkesley but it was the doubles where the match was won with Martin Hogg successful in both his, including the final mixed match partnering with Sue Welham, beating Goodhand and Aimee Sparkes in three straight sets to clinch victory and go through to the semi-finals. In the All-Rowhedge Group the ‘A’ team gained revenge over their ‘B’ following last season’s defeat as they won 6-3. Michael Andrews and Steve Joslin both won two but there was a notable win for David Moss inflicting a rare defeat on Antony Greenwood.

Lawford C accounted for St Peters by the tightest of margins in the Intermediate Cup (Division’s Two & Three), 5-4 as Tom Malster and Richard Spence clinched the final doubles in the final set, 12-10 against Roger Warren and Ian Carter. Earlier Malster and Hazel Hume were both undefeated as the match see-sawed, but it was Malster who took the man-of-the-match winning all four games he was involved in. In Group Two Gt Horkesley B defeated a spirited University of Essex 6-3, thanks mainly to Wudong Liu, a former UOE student, who won both his singles, including the match of the night versus Rob Bozier 11-9 in the fifth end. Liu also beat Mitchell Davidson who himself had a good win against Lloyd Bennett-Smith in five sets.

In the Minor Cup – for Division Four teams, Pegasus D thrashed Lawford E 8-1 with Nick Murray and Kevin Turner teaming up to win their doubles as well as their singles.

In Group One of the Handicap Cup, Pegasus D beat Walton B 6-3 with Alistair Woodcock making the most of his handicap, winning all four of the games he was involved in. Pegasus C beat Pegasus B 5-4. From 1-0 down Pegasus C won four on the trot as Doug Green, Nigel Parmenter and John Richie shared the bragging rights for the ‘C’ team. In the same group Gt Horkesley E easily beat H20 Rowhedge I 7-2 with Chis Jones and Denise Thompson undefeated after Thompson and Jennie Clarke lost the opening doubles of the night. H20 Rowhedge H defeated a strong Gt Horkesley B team 6-3 as Jane Li continued her meteoric rise winning her two singles. Pegasus E beat Lawford C 5-4 also in Group Four with Barry Steggles leading the way. The first match in group Six saw H20 Rowhedge E beat Walton A 6-3 with no fewer than five games going the full three set distance with Peter Giles winning both his amongst those. Lawford B unsurprisingly beat Pegasus A 6-3 with their higher handicaps, Ian Sherwood starring, as he went through the night without defeat. Finally, in Group Eight, H20 Rowhedge G beat their ‘C’ team 7-2 despite Fred Button’s best efforts, winning the two points for his team as did Tom Lewis for the victors.

The battle at the top of Division Three of the Colchester & District Table Tennis League is hotting up with four points separating the top three teams. Lawford C have jumped up three places to go top following a 10-0 whitewash of bottom team Dedham A. Richard Spence, Ian Sherwood and Andrea Alleyne were all unbeaten as Lawford continue to use their strong squad. H20 Rowhedge F drop to second, three points behind having both played nine matches and St Peters are a further point back with a game in hand. They have their Super-Veteran Roger Warren to thank as he completed his fourth maximum of the season in a tight 6-4 win over fourth placed Gt Horkesley D. He had a close five set win over Steve Holland and an even closer success in the following doubles with Dave Jones; 11-4, 11-6, 11-9, 10-12, 14-12 over Holland and Phil Wolski. Both Gt Horkesley players won two each.

Jacky Leung extended his one hundred percent playing, and winning record for CRGS in Division Four to twenty-four straight wins, the best in the League. His team drew 5-5 at Lawford E for whom Mike Seymour and Maggie Earle won two apiece. The school team went down 6-4 against third placed Gt Horkesley E despite Leung’s best efforts as he went once again, undefeated. Another player with something to celebrate was Dedham B’s eighteen-year-old Seth Spencer who until now had not recorded a win in his first season. He put that right in emphatic style, completing an excellent maximum with a five set win in his last game against Roger McNaughton. Dedham won the match 9-1 as the experienced Marlene Smith won her three and was joined by Spencer in a straight set doubles win. H20 Rowhedge H move up to second as they beat Dedham B 8-2 with the prolific father and daughter combination of Jimin and Jane Li once more unbeaten in all their games.

Walton D extended their lead at the top of Division Two to twenty-two points with a 10-0 drubbing of H20 Rowhedge E with David Hall, Matt Watson and Paul Meikle all unbeaten. Gt Horkesley B recorded the same score line as they kick started their season and move out of the bottom two for the first time this season, beating a two-man Tollesbury A. Graham Farmer, Ken Lewis and Paul Brownlie is a strong line-up which has recently been strengthened by the additions of Jon Hill and Vicki Streader from Braintree, which should see them shoot up the table. Clairmont A are just one point off the second promotion spot as they swept aside Walton E 8-2 with Paul Tracey leading his team once again, peerless.

In the top two games of the week both held at the Holmwood House School Sports Centre table toppers Tollgate A beat third placed Gt Horkesley A 6-4 whilst previously fifth placed H20 Rowhedge B beat fourth placed Tollgate B 7-3 moving them up to third in the process. Nigel Hodder starred for Tollgate A winning his three games in emphatic style, whilst team mate Gary Young lost to Richard Goodhand and Mike Wright both going the full five set distance in the closest two matches of the night. At one point Tollgate lead 5-0 but Horkesley stuck to their task as they won the doubles and Goodhand beat Greg Green in the last game, as both won two. Kevin Gowlett was in imperious form for H20 Rowhedge B who remain unbeaten, the highlight of which was a five set come from the back win 12-14, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10, 13-11 over fellow Braintree Team mate Paul Davison. Dave Moss and John Andrews both won two to underline their title credentials as they still have to play their A team. They won 9-1 to keep the pressure on Tollgate as they move level on points with a game in hand. The biggest shock here was Walton’s thirteen year-old James Denyer’s three set win over Michael Andrews, proof if needed that Denyer has arrived in Division One! At the foot of the table an excellent treble from John Patrick saw H20 Rowhedge C to a narrow 6-4 win over Lawford A. There was an impressive debut from Kieran Hills who won two for Lawford but Fred Button and Phil Smith, who surprisingly was without a win teamed up to take the all important doubles.

Two big wins have catapulted Walton D twelve points clear in Division Two, the most significant a first defeat for Gt Horkesley C as Paul Meikle in winning his three, inflicted a rare defeat on Wudong Liu, who won two. Mark Gale (2 wins) won the closest match of the evening over Lloyd Bennett-Smith (1 win) 11-9 in the fifth end. Liu and Bennett-Smith went back to maximum winning ways in an 8-2 win over second placed Lawford B to move within three points with two games in hand. Third placed Pegasus A also suffered a defeat, going down 6-4 at H20 Rowhedge D that saw Alan Burgess win his three, the pick of which was a three straight sets win over Ian Whiteside.

In Division Three H20 Rowhedge F have taken over the top spot as they beat Dedham 10-0 courtesy of maximums from Colin Powell, Nigel Claydon and Brett Angel. They did however, slip up at home to Tollesbury B 7-3, Mark Shorney their main tormenter, unbeaten. Lawford C join St Peters seven points back in joint second following a 6-4 win over University of Essex for whom Rob Bozier remains unbeaten in fifteen outings. Gt Horkesley D are fourth as they beat H20 Rowhedge G 8-2 with Phil Wolski and Pete Whitton undefeated. At the bottom Dedham A drew 5-5 with Pegasus C to end a run of seven straight defeats.

Pegasus D have opened a seven point gap at the top of Division Four as Kevin Turner completed back-to-back maximums in wins over Gt Horkesley F 8-2 and H20 Rowhedge I 10-0. Second placed Gt Horkesley E beat Pegasus E 6-4 and were indebted to Jennie Clark who put in the performance of the week in wining her three. Pegasus then beat H20 Rowhedge I 8-2 with Barry Steggles unbeaten to go third. H20 Rowhedge H are fourth still undefeated with games in hand as they thrashed bottom team Gt Horkesley F 10-0, thanks to the Li’s and Grant Donaldson.