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TABLE TENNIS
All the up-to-date news from Boston Table Tennis League scene
December 2006 |
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Click here for: Results round-up
2006-2007 season |
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News for week ending Sunday December 24 The run-up to the Christmas break has seen a hive
of activity in the Boston and District Table Tennis League, the majority of
teams getting up to date with their respective fixtures. The Yates and Greenhough Division One has
been dominated by Penmaen A, who this week expressed their supremacy with two
10-0 victories, beating Shodfriars A 10-0 and a few nights later, beating
Wrangle by a similar score. Against Shodfriars A, Penmaen fielded “the heavy
squad”, Brian Hill making one of his a rare appearances. As a contest it was
over before the match started, one of the factors being that Jimmy Brewster
was also in the Penmaen team. The second factor was that Shoddy’s were down
0-3 before the match started, Maurice Buck reporting injured. As a match it
was never a classic, Neil Snaith losing his three in straight legs, while “Jake
the Pegg” lost to Brian Hill and Brett Heppenstall in three but took a leg
from Jimmy Brewster (which set it was remains unclear as score sheet was
wrongly completed). The only other truly competitive game was perhaps the
doubles, Pegg and Snaith causing a minor upset by winning the second end
13-11. But in the third and fourth legs it all went downhill, Brewster and
Hill cruising home 11-3, 11-4. Against Wrangle it was much the same kind of
scene, Hill not playing this one, Andy Gilbert taking his place. All three
Penmarn lads were in great form, Brewster winning his three without too much
bother. Meanwhile, Dave Coulson tested Gilbert and Brett Heppenstall. Dave,
despite losing in three to Gilbert, went down fighting as the 9-11, 10-12,
9-11 scores show. Against Heppenstall it was closer still, Coulson coming
twice from behind to force a decider only to see that slip away 7-11. Graves Park C moved into second spot with a 9-1
win over Lodgers B. James Quinton and Mick East picked up three points apiece,
leaving No.8 ranked Martin Walters to lose the only game, going down to Pete
Evans. Walters was surprisingly being beaten 12-10, 11-5, 13-11. The doubles
saw East and Quinton take on the scratch Lodgers pair of Day and Evans. The
Lodgers pair shocked their more illustrious counterparts 11-9 in the first
end. The Park hit back winning the next two fairly easily but this only
spurred the Lodgers pair on, nicking the fourth set 11-8 forcing the game to
a decider. This though was a bit of an anti-climax, the Park pair powering
home 11-5. Lodgers’ fortunes picked up a few night later,
though, when collecting seven valuable points for their second win of the
season, beating bottom placed Wrangle 7-3. Although this has moved them
temporarily out of the danger zone, they are far from safe as the two teams
below them both look to hold the advantage — Lodgers A being a mere four
points behind with two games in hand, while Stickney A despite being 13
points adrift have 4 games in hand. However Lodgers A have to play Penmaen,
who won’t do them any favours, while Stickney have to play the two Park
teams, Lodgers A and Lodgers G. How many points these two teams pick up from
these difficult matches is anybody’s guess. A shock looked on the cards as Wrangle surged
into a 2-0 lead, Sam Cooper beating Vic Clements 11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 7-11,
11-8. Dave Coulson’s victory over Tim Day extended the lead in an equally
tight five-ender and Lodgers were on the back foot. Pete Evans settled the
nerves with a straight leg win over Dennis Pattriock, while Clements levelled
the score with a great win over Coulson. Lodgers were now getting into it,
Evans requiring four sets to beat Cooper, while Day got his name on the board
with a narrow 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 win over Pattrick. Evans completed his
hat-trick with a 11-13, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 victory over Coulson while Clements
made sure that victory was way beyond Wrangle’s reach with a bizarre win over
Pattrick, Vic nicking the first 14-12 but running riot in the second with an
11-1 win. The third was a little closer but Vic held firm against a late
onslaught from Dennis to nick it 11-8. Cooper turned in a late show for
Wrangle beating Day but it was too late and Clements and Evans tied up the doubles
to guide the team to a 7-3 victory Graves Park B rule the roost in A D Dickinson
Division Two making it nine wins in a row with a 9-1 victory over fellow
Park F team. This game saw some excellent table tennis, the F team deserving
much more than just the doubles. Although all nine singles went the way of
the way of the B team, many were close. Mike Freeston needed four legs to
see off Alan Davy and Fred Calvert while his game with Barry Frankish went
right to the wire, Mike nicking it 12-10 at the death. The undefeated Mick
Maltby had a bit of a torrid time being involved in four tight legs with both
Davy and Calvert. Against Fankish, Maltby after winning the first two let
this slip and was within a whisker of losing his 100 percent record, being
2-7 and 4-8 down in the fifth before scraping home 11-9. No.2 ranked Dave
Graham won all his game in straight sets but here again it was close, and
Frankish could easily have nicked all three. The F team lads gave their
all and deserved much more than just the solitary doubles and I just cannot
understand how a team as talented as this, have only won three matches all
season. Graves Park E are perhaps their own worst enemy,
turning up for the second match in succession with only two players and there
is no doubt that it has cost them second place. Against Stickney B only Mick
Dodes and Paul Gilbert turned out, both of them easing past Tony Sharp
although he gave Dodes a scare taking the second end while Tim Sampson put up
fierce resistance by taking both of them to four. Stickney knowing that
they only needed two wins to force a draw, saw Tony Hall pinch one, beating
No.9 ranked Mick Dodes but going down 4-11, 10-12 6-11 to No.10 ranked Paul
Gilbert. With both teams needing the doubles, Stickney fielded the
Hall/Sampson partnership, narrowly losing the first end 10-12 to the Park duo
of Dodes and Gilbert. However they (Stickney pair) faded in their next two
legs, going down 8-11, 6-11 giving the Park a narrow victory for third place
in the table. Graves Park Nomads eased through into second
place narrowly beating Shodfriars C 6-4 to put them 13 points ahead of their
nearest rivals but a massive 20 points behind leaders Graves Park B. This
match was close from beginning to end the game swinging both ways. Both teams,
at one time or another, held sway. Tris Clow gave the Park the lead beating
John Shortland but Shoddy’s bounced back to take the lead, Dave Hocking
beating Harry Paul in four, while Paul Maxwell grabbed the important scalp of
Dean Clow winning 11-5, 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6. Then it was the Park’s
turn to grab the lead, Tris Clow breezing past Hocking in straight
ends, while Dean Clow got his name on the board with a nailbiting five set
win over Shortland. Shodfriars were far from finished though, Maxwell
levelling the scores beating Harry Paul in four but the Park edged in front
yet again, Dean Clow making short work of Dave Hocking. Tris Clow completed
his hat-trick to make sure that the Park weren’t going to lose beating
Maxwell, but Shortland who had been unlucky all night saw that change in the
last singles beating Paul in four to throw the result back into the melting
pot. With doubles deciding the result both teams fielded their big
guns, but the two Clows brothers stood firm, beating Maxwell and Hocking
11-6, 11-3, 11-7 for a narrow 6-4 victory. |
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News for week ending Sunday December 17 Stickney B, fresh from their 8-2 success over
Shodfriars C last week, received another boost to their fortunes this week in
the A D Dickinson Division Two of the Boston and District Table Tennis
League when beating Penmaen B 7-3, the latter only turning out with two
players for the third time this season. This bottom of the table clash saw
Sasha Martin open the scoring by beating Tim Sampson, the latter winning the
first two ends but fading in the next three. And this allowed Sasha to ease
home in comfort. However, Tony Hall levelled the scores when brushing aside
Reuben Reed, but Sasha kept Penmaen in the hunt with a none-too-convincing
win over “super coach” Cliff Davey. Stickney, though, immediately drew
level, Sampson making short work of Reed. And then in the match of the night,
Hall outfoxed young Martin, beating him 4-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 to put
Stickney in the lead for the first time. Coach Cliff had little trouble with
Reed and then combined with Hall in what should have been a straightforward
doubles, but Reed and Martin knuckled down to the task in hand. And with the
game going the full distance, the Penmaen pair nicked the last set 11-9
to put a bit of a gloss on the final scoreline. Graves Park B continue their domination of this
division putting Lodgers D (who many thought might give them a bit of a game)
to the sword beating them 10-0. Disappointing result for Lodgers with the “on
form” David Kime distinctly looking “off form,” David narrowly losing to Dave
Graham over three sets, while going down to Mick Maltby in four. The
highlight of the night though was Kime’s titanic battle with Mike Freeston,
which went all the way, the game going right to the wire, Freeston just nicking
it 13-11, 11-7, 6-11, 8-11, 11-8. None of the Park lads was unduly troubled
by either Nev Leggate or Graham Bonsor, and although Bonsor took David Graham
to five legs, the fifth set was never in doubt. Leggate on the other hand was
never in the hunt with either Freeston or Graham but he did well to take the
third set from the unbeaten Mick Maltby. But he faded in the fourth, Maltby
cruising home 11-5. Playing two matches in five days saw Graves Park D
turn in mixed results, beating the largely inexperienced Lodgers E 8-2 but
then undo all the good work by losing 3-7 to inter-club team Graves Park
Nomads. Having said that it was Lodgers who opened the scoring against the
Park, No.4 ranked Colin Bell comfortably disposing of Paul Matschull but the
Park quickly took charge, Dave Walters beating Adam Bell, while Sam Smith
back from “uni” for a few weeks, and playing his first game of the season,
struggled to overcome a dogged Pete Bell, Sam scraping home 12-14, 11-9,
11-4, 5-11, 11-9. The matches tipping point came with Dave Walters turning in
a brilliant performance against Colin Bell, Dave narrowly
edging home 13-11 in the fourth, and Colin has now lost four matches which
for a player of his calibre it is four too many. Buoyed by this win the Park
bandwagon gathered pace, Matschull making short work of Pete Bell while Sam
Smith had no trouble from Adam Bell. Walters completed his hat-trick with a
no-nonsense win over Pete Bell, while Lodgers pulled one back, the experience
of Colin Bell overpowering the young Smith. Matschull wrapped up the final
singles of the night and then sat out the doubles to watch Smith and Walters
nearly lose the doubles, the Park pair just squeezing home 11-9, 12-10, 12-10
for an 8-2 victory. Three nights later, Park D met Park Nomads
in another of the many Park derbies that will take place this season. It was
the D got off to a bright start, Dave Walters comfortably beating Harry Paul
but that lead was only temporary, as the Clow boys took centre stage. Dean
Clow despite being hard pressed by Paul Matschull, took it 11-7 in the fifth
and despite being taken to four ends by both Sam Smith and Dave Walters the
result was rarely in doubt. Tris Clow was also in impressive form, and although
being tested by Matschull and losing the third end to Smith, the fourth leg
was fairly convincing both times. In between these wins for Nomads, Park D
picked up a couple of singles, Matschull and Smith both beating Harry Paul,
who must have felt that he had had a disappointing night. These two mixed
results by the D raises them to fifth in the table, Park teams occupying the
top five places and a gap is beginning to develop between these five and the
rest. The match of the week in the Yates and Greenhough
Division One saw third placed Graves Park C take on second placed Lodgers
G. The latter got off to an accomplished start, Kelvin Clements beating
Martin Walters but Mick East by defeating Mark Hulme and James Quinton seeing
off Andy Kirk in three straight, the Park took early control. Lodgers hit
back to level the scoreline with Clements beating East fairly easily but
undeterred the Park strode on, Walters getting his name on the board, beating
Kirk without too much bother. Lodgers again drew level, Hulme playing
at the top of his game brushed aside Quinton but it was to no avail, East
grabbing his second of the night, comfortably beating Kirk in straight legs.
Clements ensured that Lodgers were in the mix claiming his hat-trick, beating
Quinton with some ease but Walters made sure the Park would have a say in the
result, beating Hulme 11-8, 3-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4 in what obviously was the
game of the night. With both teams requiring the doubles the pairing of
Clements and Hulme proved too strong for Park pair, easing home 11-5, 11-7,
11-7 to earn their team an equal share of the points. Graves Park A are proving to be something of an
enigma. And after losing four of their first five games, which admittedly
were against the top teams, some observers secretly feared relegation. Since
then, however, a transformation has taken place and after a win a fortnight
ago, two more have come their way, beating Wrangle 8-2 and Lodgers A who are
getting into deep trouble 6-4. Against Wrangle both Rob Smith and Phil
Brooks were in commanding form, Phil opening the scoring with a five set win
over Dave Coulson, while Rob Smith did likewise aginst Sam Cooper, Rob
scraping in at the death 11-9. Nick Langley put the Park firmly in the
driving seat when beating Dennis Pattrick and Brooks continued the Graves
Park roll with a scrappy win over Cooper. Coulson broke the Park
stranglehold with a 13-15, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5 win over Langley but the
Park strode on Smith beating Pattrick in straight legs. Cooper got Wrangle’s
second of the night beating Langley but it was all to no avail, Brooks and
Smith tidying up the doubles beating Pattrick and Coulson respectively. Just
to rub salt into the wounds, Wrangle's main tormentors, Brooks and Smith
lined up for the doubles and at two sets apiece it was all in the melting
pot. The vital fifth only increased the tension the end finaly going 15-13 in
the Park’s favour giving them an 8-2 victory. Lodgers fielded their heavy squad for their clash
with the Park, Graham Lacey making one of his all too rare appearances, while
the Park fielded reserve Mick Dodes in place of the unavailable Phil
Brooks. It obviously make a great deal of difference when Graham plays
as is shown by the scores, Graham winning his three, brushing aside Rob Smith
and Nick Langley with some ease, but being taken to four by Mick Dodes.
Graham though didn’t really get the support from his team mates, Ian Stones
having a poor night losing in straight ends to both Smith and Dodes and
although he was within two points of beating Langley in the fourth, he
allowed this to slip from his grasp to lose the fifth set 6-11. Pete
Truepenny fared a little better, losing in straight sets to Smith and Dodes
but giving Lodgers a bit of a lifeline beating Langley 11-9, 5-11, 11-9,
11-6. Graham Lacey had left the arena so it was down to Stones and Truepenny
to salvage something from the dopubles but despite just losing the first end
they faded in the second and third going down 3-11, 2-11 giving the Park a
6-4 victory.
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News for week ending Sunday December 10 Graves Park A who started off the season with
some pretty dismal results, albeit against the Yates and Greenhough
Division One’s leading lights, saw their fortunes improve this week by
beating the so far impressive Shodfriars A 7-3. Rob Smith was in inspiring
form, winning his three games. But he needed four sets to overcome No.3
ranked “Jake the Pegg” and Neil Snaith, Rob just nicking the fourth leg 12-10
in both cases. He was surprised, though, by Maurice Buck. Leading 2-0,
Rob seemed to be cruising but Maurice pulled out all the stops, comfortably
winning the next two 11-3, 11-8. The final set was never a classic but
Rob recovered his form and eased home 11-6 to secure the win. Nick
Langley gave him excellent support by picking up two points, losing in
straight ends to Jake but beating Snaith and Buck despite both these games
going the full distance, Nick scraping home 11-8 against Snaith and beating
Buck in an even closer encounter 11-9. Phil Brooks was perhaps unlucky only
to win one, making short work of Buck but despite taking Jake and Snaith to
five, he lost out fairly conclusively in the final set both times. Putting
aside his singles defeats, Brooks gained some consolation, teaming up with
“man of the match” Smith, to scrape the first leg of the doubles against Jake
and Snaith 14-12. However the Shoddy’s duo couldn’t maintain the momentum in
the next two, the Park lads running out convincing 11-5, 11-5 winners. Lodgers G climbed from fifth to second recording
a sound 7-3 win over their B outfit, which is probably a false position for
the G side, as the club’s two teams directly below them are only three and
five points behind and have games in hand. The B, meanwhile, are going in the
opposite direction to the G team and this was the B’s fourth defeat in a
row. But here again, three of the four being against sides regarded as “top
notch.” Kelvin Clements who has not had the most
satisfactory of seasons (just scraping into the top 10 ranking for the first
time), picked up his three games in straight ends, none of the B lads being
able to do anything with him. Mark Hulme gave him good support, chipping in
with two, narrowly beating Tim Day and Vic Clements but going down to Pete
Evans in three, although these were close as the 8-11, 10-12, 9-11
scores signify. Andy Kirk had what he might consider to be a disappointing
night with a solitary victory over Vic Clements. He beat Vic 11-2, 12-10,
9-11, 11-2. However, he lost to Evans in straight ends. And despite taking
the second leg from Day, he was well beaten in the next two. Lodgers A, who were without a win and slipping
steadily down the table, met Wrangle, also without a win and who before this
match had amassed nine points from five matches. It was all to play for
then and Lodgers, without Graham Lacey, had to draft in Colin Bell now
playing for another Lodgers team in the Second Division. Wrangle drew first
blood, Dave Coulson beating Pete Truepenny in three legs. But Ian Stones led
the Lodgers’ fightback by beating Sam Cooper. And with Bell limping to an
8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10 win over Dennis Pattrick, Wrangle began to
struggle. Stones extended the lead by beating Coulson, while Truepenny got
his name on the board with a four-set win over Pattrick. With Bell defeating
Cooper in another tight five-setter and Stones completing his hat-trick with
a five-set win over the unlucky Pattrick, Lodgers were firmly in the driving
seat. And although Coulson and Cooper pulled a couple back for the visitors,
it was a case of too little too late. With game in the bag, the Lodgers’ pair
of Stones and Bell put the icing on the cake, beating Cooper and a somewhat
dejected Pattrick 11-6, 15-13, 11-9 for a 7-3 victory, their first of the
season. This toghjt still leaves Wrangle without a win.
The A D Dickinson Division Two threw up
one of those quirky results when two of the Park teams met, leaders Graves
Park B taking on fourth placed Graves Park E with both teams only able to
field two players. Nevertheless some very good table tennis was on show, Mick
Maltby cementing his No.1 spot in the rankings by beating Paul Gilbert in
four sets and then following this up with a surprisingly easy win over Mick
Dodes. Dave Graham had two tough five enders, coming from behind to beat
Dodes 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5. His game against Paul Gilbert was much
the same as his first game but this time Dave lost the vital fifth
8-11. The doubles were fairly straightforward Maltby and Graham
powering to an 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 win to guide their team to a 4-1 victory. Try as they might Penmaen B are still striving
for that first win. And this week they thought that their luck was in when Graves
Park D who, after finding where Penmaen was, only turned up with two players
due to the fact that John Beaumont suffered a serious illness problem the
previous week. Sasha Martin gave Penmaen an early lead with a tight win over
Dave Walters but this lead was short lived, Paul Matschull beating Rachael
Searles fairly easily. And with Walters beating Reuben Reed, the Park
held the upper hand. Any chance that Penmaen had of snatching a win
evaporated when Paul Matschull turned in a great performance to beat No.5
ranked Sasha Martin in four sets, Paul winning the first two with some ease,
before losing the third but just nicking the fourth 13-11. Walters
dispatched Rachael Searles in three legs, while Matschull did likewise
against Reuben Reed. But with three walkovers to Penmaen, the draw was still
there. However, the doubles was one-way traffic, Walters and Matschull
brushing aside Searles and Martin 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 to give their depleted
team a 6-4 victory. Stickney B, due to the vagaries of the fixture list, have not played as many games as some of the other teams. And this has seen them bring up the rear in Division Two. |
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News for week ending Sunday December 3 After a week in the doldrums, the Yates and
Greenhough Division One burst back into life, Shodfriars B leading the
charge with a 7-3 victory over Lodgers B. Shoddy’s took control from the off,
Alan Ashberry beating Vic Clements in four legs while Scott Sykes dismissed
Tim Day in straight sets but Pete Evans pulled one back with a hard fought
win over Dave “Smiler” Smith. However Ashberry gave Shoddy’s a two-game lead
again, beating Day in four sets, Alan losing the first set 9-11 but winning
the next three in a convincing manner. Clements reduced the deficit for
Lodgers, beating “Smiler” in a game that was closer than the score suggests
and when Evans made it three all by beating Sykes via a scoreline of 9-11,
11-7, 9-11, 11-7 12-10 in a game that could have swung either way. And it was
definitely “game on.” Shoddy’s moved quickly to halt this revival and
edged in front, “Smiler” getting his name on the board by beating the unlucky
Day in three, while Ashberrry wrapped up the singles, thus completing his
hat-trick, destroying Evans 11-1, 11-5, 11-3. Sykes put the issue beyond
doubt wih a straight set win over Clements and then partnered Ashberry
to win a closely fought doubles, to retain second second place in the table. Penmaen A remain in top spot beating Graves Park
C 8-2. The Park are also jostling with Shodfriars B for second place.
The scoreline of this match doesn’t do the Park much justice and although
Jimmy Brewster won his singles fairly easily, he was taken to four legs by a
spirited fight from Martin Walters. Andy Gilbert struggled to get his
forehand play working, which was reflected in his scores. And although
winning his singles, all of them went to five legs, which on another night,
some of them might have swung the other way. Brett Heppenstall did not play
with his usual confidence and despite beating Mick East in his first game of
the night, he just lost out 10-12 in the fifth to James Quinton and then to
compound his misery just went down to Walters in four the final
leg being 19-17 in the Park players favour. Lodgers G, who are not having one of their most
distinguished seasons, returned to the winning trail thumping Wrangle 9-1 to
lift them to fifth place in the table. Lodgers started in cracking
style, Kelvin Clements and Mark Hulme beating Sam Cooper and Dave Coulson
respectively and although Frank Burbidge pulled one back with a five set win
over Andy Kirk, the respite was short lived. Clements who looked in great
form brushed aside Coulson, while Kirk got his name on the board going the
full distance with Cooper, before running out a 5-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6
winner. Hulme extended the score to 5-1 beating Burbidge fairly easily, while
Kirk added his second of the night with a hard fought four set win over
Coulson. The game was in the bag and Lodgers probably eased up a bit but were
brought down to earth with Clements losing the first end to Burbidge 8-11.
But he recovered to win the next three very easily. Hulme struggled a bit
before overcoming Cooper and then combined with Clements to ease through the
doubles to guide Lodgers to an overwhelming win. Shodfriars A, one of the few teams in the league
not to have lost a match (but not to have won many either), met Lodgers A the
resulting 5-5 draw being their fourth such score this season. The highlight
of the match was the meeting of two unbeaten players, Jake the Pegg, joint
No.1 in the rankings, meeting the also unbeaten Graham Lacey in the opening
game. This was a keenly fought contest as the scores suggest and with Graham
losing the first 6-11, Jake getting his nose in front. Graham then got into
his stride to comfortably win the second 11-3. But the third end was probably
the deciding factor, Lacey winning a game that swung both ways many times for
a 20-18 victory. It was the highest scoring game in the league since the
11-up rule was introduced. It was then Graham’s turn to be in control in
the fourth end, and while not as exciting as the previous one was close,
Graham easing home 11-8 to end Jake's unbeaten record. The game settled down,
but it was Lodgers who forged ahead, winning the next three, Pete Truepenny
beating Maurice Buck, while Ian Stones staggered to a five set win over Neil
Snaith. Lacey made short work of Buck and Lodgers appeared to be in the
driving seat but were brought back to reality, Jake getting Shoddy’s on the
board with a four-set win over Stones. Snaith reduced the arrears even
further, with a good win over Truepenny and it was game on, as Buck beat an
ordinary looking Stones 11-5, 11-7, 11-9. Lacey made sure that Lodgers
weren’t going to end up on the losing side by beating Snaith in a scratchy
five-setter but Jake immediately hit back with an 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 win over
Truepenny, setting up the doubles as the decider. The doubles was an
all-over-the-place sort of game, Lacey and Stones taking the first end 7-11.
But Pegg and Snaith hit back in the next two winning 11-8, 12-10. This
must have taken its toll on the Shoddy pair as they promptly dropped the
fourth end 0-11 but bounced back to win the vital fifth 11-4, to clinch
the draw that they so richly deserved. Two nights later the Shoddy’s unbeaten run came
to an abrupt end when losing 3-7 to Graves Park C Jake put Shoddy’s on the
right path by beating Mick East who was still smarting from his defeats at
Penmaen. The Park immediately hit back, James Quinton making short work of
Neil Snaith, while Martin Walters struggled against a resurgent Maurice Buck.
East added to the lead beating Snaith in four, Mick losing the first end but
winning the next three comfortably enough. Shoddy’s came roaring back, Jake
beating Walters in a five-set thriller, while Buck put them on level
terms with a fantastic win over Quinton. The Park stepped up a gear, Walters
beating Snaith, while East disposed of Buck in three straight. The last game
of singles was probably the game of the night. It could have gone either way,
Jake beating Quinton 11-3. The second end swung to the Park, while the third
end was nip and tuck, Quinton just nicking it 14-12. The vital fourth end was
all Shoddy’s, Jake, cruising home 11-7 to set up the vital fifth. This was
another one that could have swung either way, both players having chances.
But fate assigned it to the Park, Quinton just winning 14-12. Buoyed by this
success, Quinton joined forces with Walters and after a first set hiccup,
bounced back to win the next three, two unconvincing 12-10, 13-11
wins but the fourth set was a thumping 11-4 win for a solid 7-3 victory. In the A D Dickinson Division Two, Graves
Park Nomads strengthened their claim for second place with a good 7-3 win
over Lodgers E. Colin Bell was in excellent form for Lodgers beating Walt
Bridges in three, but was surprised by both Dean Clow and Harry Paul, who
took him to four. The Nomads players picked up two each, all of them beating
Pete Bell and Thomas Bell, Pete being unlucky not to get something from
Harry Paul, comfortably winning the second and third but fading in the next
two. Good win this for the Park and even though the teams below them have
games in hand, they will do well to catch them. Graves Park F, one of Nomads’ rivals for second
place, entertained Lodgers D who appear to have settled for mid-table
mediocrity in what was often a compelling match. Lodgers got away to the best
possible start, Nev Leggate beating Alan Davy in four but the Park
immediately drew level, Fred Calvert hitting through Graham Bonsor,
to win 11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 and this was the pattern for the remainder of
the match, Lodgers taking the lead only to see it pulled back the very next
game. David Kime was in tremendous form, experiencing no trouble at all in
picking up his singles, while Leggate picked up one. Bonsor, though, had an
unhappy night, losing out to Calvert and Barry Frankish and although taking
Davy to five, he went down 7-11 in the vital end. With the singles completed
Lodgers found themselves 4-5 down, putting them behind for the first time in
the night, but Kime and Leggate combined to rescue their team from defeat
beating the strong Park pair of Calvert and Frankish in five thus earning
their team, a deserved equal share of the points. |
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