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TABLE TENNIS
All the up-to-date
news from Boston Table Tennis League scene
by Mick Williams
Index
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April 2007 |
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Click here for: Results round-up 2006-2007 season |
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Click here for: Final tables and averages 2006-2007 season |
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News for week ending Sunday April 8 With the Boston and District Table Tennis League
entering its final week, the last promotion place was finalised and Graves
Park C clinching the runners-up spot in the Yates and Greenhough Division
One, even though they were not playing a match. The Shodfriars B v Stickney A clash was eagerly
awaited. The Park knew that Shoddy’s needed maximum points from their
remaining two fixtures and were pretty sure that they were not going to get
them. Stickney A, by contrast, need all the points they can muster and
despite being nine points behind Lodgers B, they have enough games in hand to
secure their place in the top flight. Fielding the first team Shoddy’s
spirits were no doubt raised when they found that Stickney could only field
two players. Alan Ashberry got Shoddy’s on the board by making short work of
Paul Hartnett. But Geoff Bourne levelled the scores by beating the unlucky
Scott Sykes 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 and Shoddy’s were out of the
championship contention. Hartnett put Stickney in the lead beating Roger
Hooton in five legs, while Ashberry made it 2-2 by defeating Bourne fairly
comfortably. Stickney regained the lead when Hartnett beat Sykes in yet
another five-setter, only for Hooton to put Shoddy’s on level terms, Roger
scraping a 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 11-6, 17-15 win over Bourne. Stickney, needing
all the points they can get to avoid the drop, put up a strong show in the
doubles with Hartnett and Bourne winning the first end 11-7. However,
Ashberry and Sykes knuckled down, winning the next three and with three
walkovers, guide Shoddys to a 7-3 victory. Penmaen A and Wrangle A, two teams at the
opposite ends of the table, met. Penmaen were already assured of the
championship while Wrangle will definitely be relegated. Penmaen despite
being without Brian Hill and Brett Heppenstall, drafted in Andy Gilbert and
Sasha Martin ranked No.6 in Division Two. Penmaen got away to a good start,
Jimmy Brewster beating Dave Coulson, while Sam Cooper surprised Andy
Gilbert by taking him to four legs. Sasha Martin went down in three straight
legs against Dennis Pattrick and Wrangle were on the board, only for
Penmaen to plough on, Brewster beating Cooper while Coulson kept Wrangle in
the hunt, needing five sets to see off young Martin. Gilbert picked up his
second win of the night with a comparatively easy success over Pattrick,
while Wrangle then closed the gap to one, Cooper beating the unlucky Martin
11-3, 4-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4. However, the big two games were still to come,
Brewster completing his hat-trick with a win over Pattrick, while Gilbert
sealed victory beating Coulson in the closest game of the night, Andy winning
the fifth end 11-9. Wrangle thought they might spring a surprise in the
doubles, Cooper and Pattrick winning the first end 11-3. However, the Penmaen
pair of Gilbert and Martin picked up their game, narrowly winning the next
three to guide their team to a 7-3 victory. Lodgers A by and large have had a disappointing
season and at times looked as though they were prime relegation candidates.
However, now that Graham Lacey seems to be playing regularly, they have
picked up some useful points and seem destined for fifth place in the table.
In their penultimate match of the season against Graves Park A, Lodgers got
away to a solid start, despite Graham Lacey needing four legs to see off Phil
Brooks while Ian Stones was pushed by Nick Langley, coming from 0-2 down to
win the next three. Rob Smith reduced the arrears by beating Trev Blackbourn
while Brooks did well to beat Stones and the Park were level. But Lacey
steadied the ship by narrowly beating Smith in five legs after winning the
first two sets. The Park, though, were still in it, Langley levelling the
score beating Blackbourn, while Smith gave the Park the lead with a straight
set win over Stones, who since his first win of the night, had slid steadily
downhill. Lodgers who earlier in the season might have crumbled remained
steadfast, Blackbourn giving them hope by beating Brooks 11-7, 9-11, 12-10,
7-1l, 11-6. And with Lacey beating Langley in the last singles of the night
it was all down to the doubles. The Lodgers’ pair of Lacey and Stones
got away well, comfortably winning the first two but were rocked by Smith and
Brooks in the next, the Park pair easing home 11-7. However, the Lodgers
pairing quickly recovered from this setback, winning the fourth by a similar
score, guiding the team to a 6-4 victory The two Park teams in question (the D and the E)
have this season done a fantastic job, the D — although starting the season
with four players — have played 12 matches with only two players. The E have
played 10 matches with only two players and yet these teams will finish third
and fourth which is a massive achievement and shows the gap between the top
four and the rest. Graves Park E closed in on stable-mates Graves
Park D by beating Stickney B (who still have two matches remaining) 7-3. Paul
Gilbert and Mick Dodes were in cracking form but were more than a shade lucky
to win all six singles, Dodes being extended by the Stickney lads and looked
a bit fortunate to beat Tony Sharpe, scraping home16-14 in the fourth.
Gilbert required four ends to see off Cliff “Dynamo” Davey and Tony Hall but
he had no trouble with Tony Sharp, Paul winning 11-7, 11-5, 11-6. Due to the
Park only being able to field two players, Stickney gained three walkovers
but it still looked as though they were going to give the scoreline a more
respectable look, “Dynamo” Davey and Tony Sharp winning the first end of the
doubles 11-8. However their euphoria didn’t last for long, Dodes and Gilbert
coasting the next two rather easily and winning the decisive fourth end 11-8. Graves Park D, the other Park team with only two
players, took on this season’s runners-up Graves Park Nomads, Tris Clow
opening the scoring for Nomads with a fine straight legs win over Paul
Matschull. The D team, though, immediately hit back, Dave Walters playing
brilliantly to beat Dean Clow, while Matschull got his name on the board
beating Harry Paul in four. Tris Clow, who was having a good night,
picked up his second of the evening, beating No.8 ranked Walters in three
straight to make the score 2-2, but Matschull gave the D side the lead with a
splendid win over No.4 ranked Dean Clow (good win this). Dave Walters put the
D team in with at least a chance of forcing a draw, beating Paul in four legs
but it was not to be their day, the two Clow boys combining for the doubles
to coast home 11-7, 11-7, 11-5, to gain Nomads victory by virtue of a 6-4
win. Shodfriars C whose season has picked up a bit
since the arrival of Chris Cooke had a fight on their hands when they met
Lodgers E and from two very evenly matched teams an even share of the points
seemed fair result. Lodgers got away to a flyer, Pete Bell surprising John
Shortland by winning the first set 11-2. Shortland picked up a bit to win the
second, but Pete, who just lately has been winning a few, nicked the next two
ends for victory. Colin Bell increased the lead in the next game which was
possibly the best game of the night, beating Chris Cook in five, Chris
stunning Colin by taking the first two ends 11-5, 15-13. Colin hit back to
take the next two fairly easily and in a grandstand finish, scraped home in
the fifth 11-9. Shodfriars got themselves back in the game, Dave Hocking
easily disposing of Tom Bell, while Cooke brushed aside Pete Bell and then
took the lead, Shortland struggling to beat a resilient Thomas Bell in
five, John throwing away a 2-0 lead. Colin Bell quickly levelled the score
beating Hocking. But Shodfriars edged ahead, Cooke beating Thomas Bell, while
Hocking made sure that Shoddy’s were not going to lose, beating Pete Bell
11-6, 11-5, 11-6. However, Colin Bell rode to Lodgers rescue, with a straight
set win over Shortland and then combined with brother Pete to win the
doubles in three straight legs forcing a 5-5 draw.
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News for week ending Sunday April 1 With only a couple of weeks remaining in the
Boston and District Table Tennis League, perhaps not everything is as clear
cut as one would imagine. The Yates and Greenhough Division One title,
as everyone expected, has been tied up for some weeks now. But the runners-up
spot has gone right to the wire, the three main contenders being Graves Park
C, Lodgers G and Shodfriars B. Lodgers G stuck a spanner in the works this week
when they met Graves Park C, springing a surprise 7-3 win which, for a few
days, threw the runners-up spot wide open. The Park team took the lead when
Mick East beat Mark Hulme 11-5, 12-10, 10-12, 11-7. But Lodgers fought back,
Kelvin Clements beating James Quinton in straight legs. Andy Kirk narrowly
overcame Martin Walters and Clements added to the Lodgers total with a
three-set win over East, while Hulme got his name on the board also beating
Walters, who so far wasn’t having a very happy evening. 1-4 was a lot to claw
back and although Quinton reduced the arrears beating Kirk, Clements made
sure that Lodgers retained their three game lead beating Walters 11-7, 11-6,
11-1. In an effort to salvage something the Park pushed on, East just beating
a determined Kirk 11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, in what was possibly the
best game of the night. However it mattered little, Hulme making sure of
victory beating Quinton in five, while Clements and Hulme teamed up for the
doubles, beating Quinton and Walters in three straight giving their team a
surprising 7-3 victory. A few night later the Park in their final game of
the season, got their runner-up position quest back on track with a
comprehensive victory over Lodgers B. The Park started off strongly Martin
Walters struggling against Vic Clements, while East dismissed Tim Day in
three legs. And despite James Quinton losing 11-5, 9-11,9-11, 4-11 to Pete
Evans, the Park strode on, East requiring four legs to see off
Clements. Walters swung the game the Park’s way with an impressive win
over Evans and Quinton added to the Park total beating Day, despite a second
set blip, 11-1, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3. East completed his hat-trick with a
workmanlike win over Evans, while Quinton added to Lodgers’ woes beating
Clements, who had toiled all night for little reward. Walters wrapped up
the singles with a four-set win over Day and then combined with Quinton to
cruise home in the doubles for a 9-1 victory. This result means that the Park are almost
certain of the runners-up spot, being 11 points ahead of Lodgers G, who only
have one match to play. Their other rivals Shodfriars B are in with an
outside chance, but they will have to take maximum points from their two
remaining matches and this is very unlikely and almost impossible. The
outlook for Lodgers is, to say the least, gloomy and while they are not yet
down they must be on the ropes as Stickney (still with four matches
remaining) need only 10 points from these to send Lodgers down. The A D Dickinson Division Two title is
all done down and dusted in a Graves Park swoop, the B team being worthy
champions while Park Nomads are the runners-up. The B played their
penultimate fixture against Lodgers D beating them 10-0 leaving Lodgers to
mull over, what can best be described as a disappointing season. A
comfortable win in many ways for the Park but Dave Kime can consider himself unlucky,
putting up a brave fight, taking No.1 ranked Mick Maltby and No.3 ranked Mike
Freeston to four legs and giving No.2 ranked Dave Graham a fright by taking
the first two ends before succumbing 8-11 in the vital fifth. Maltby was
slightly troubled by Graham Bonsor and Nev Leggate, both players taking a set
off him but despite this, the result was never in doubt. The
doubles were fairly straight forward, Maltby and Graham coasting home 11-6,
11,5 11-8 to rack up another 10-0 victory. After 14 games and nothing to show from
them, Penmaen B won their first match of the season beating fellow
strugglers Stickney B 8-2. However Stickney could only field two players,
Tony Sharpe and Tony Hall who is just outside the top 10 rankings, being the
only players available. No.5 ranked Sasha Martin and Rachael Searles both
turned in sterling performances for Penmaen, Martin beating Hall and Sharpe
in straight legs, while Searles, despite losing the second end both times,
hit back to take the next two. Reuben Reed failed to register but
nevertheless stuck to the task in hand pushing Sharpe close in the third. The
doubles were more or less straight-forward, Martin and Searles carrying on
from where they had left off in the singles beating Sharpe and Hall 11-7,
11-8, 11-9 for an historic victory.
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