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TABLE TENNIS

 

All the up-to-date news from Boston Table Tennis League scene

by Mick Williams

 

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January 2007

 

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Click here for: Results round-up 2006-2007 season
 

News for week ending Sunday January 28

 

Graves Park B, who have led the A D Dickinson Division Two (latest table below) almost since the start of the season slipped, to second place this week. Their top slot has now been taken by stable-mates Park Nomads. This does not mean that Park B have hit a bad patch (far from it), it just means that due to the vagaries of the fixture list the Park have not had a match since before Christmas and when they get caught up, they will once again remain supreme.

 

In the meantime Graves Park Nomads took over top place beating two-player Graves Park E 7-3. But a few nights later they could only draw 5-5 with the unpredictable Lodgers D. Dean Clow gave Nomads an early lead with a narrow five set win over Mick Dodes but Paul Gilbert levelled with an equally close victory over Walt Bridges, the third leg being a marathon affair, Paul finally getting the breaks to edge home 9-11, 11-4, 16-18, 11-9, 11-9. Nomads forged ahead, Harry Paul putting them the lead with the third five setter of the evening, this game being equally exciting as the previous two, Paul edging home 17-15 in the fifth. Nomads piled on the pressure, Clow making short work of Gilbert by beating him in three sets. But to their credit the Park hit back, Dodes comfortably beating Bridges, despite a hiccup in the third end, while Gilbert levelled the score by beating Paul 11-6, 11-9, 11-6. However, it was all to no avail and with three walkovers the game was all but over the Nomads duo of Clow and Bridges wrapping up the doubles to guide their team to victory.

 

A few days later against Lodgers D a lacklustre Park team, who in the end were happy to scramble a draw. Lodgers kicked off, David Kime opening the scoring by beating Tris Clow in a five-set thriller. But Dean Clow quickly levelled with a solid win over Graham Bonsor while Harry Paul put the Park into the lead by beating Nev Leggate in four legs. Dean Clow (ranked No.5) increased the lead even further by beating No.7 ranked David Kime in a close tussle. Then Tris Clow made the score 4-1 by beating Nev Leggate 11-2, 11-4, 11-8. Lodgers, staring defeat in the face, pulled one back with Graham Bonsor (what a player he could be if he would only concentrate that little bit more) beating Harry Paul in five legs. But they (Lodgers) were then rocked when Leggate pulled out of his last game of the night due to injury. A lesser team might have thrown in the towel but Kime gave them some hope by beating Paul. And with Bonsor beating Tris Clow in the last singles of the evening the result was still in the balance. Normally one would have expected the two Clow boys to clinch the doubles, but although winning the first two, the Lodgers pairing of Kime and Bonsor knuckled down to win the next three 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 to earn their team a well deserved draw.

 

Penmaen B, who have yet to win a game, turned in probably one of their best performances of the season by drawing with third-placed Graves Park D, who look as though they are going to complete the season with two players. Sasha Martin took both his singles beating Paul Matschull in four and Dave Walters in three, while Rachael Searles had little or no luck against the Park lads, taking the first set off Matschull and pushing Walters all the way. Both the Park players beat Reuben Reed fairly comfortably and then combined to beat Martin and Searles in the doubles to earn their team an equal share of the points.

 

The two Lodgers teams in this division met, the D expecting a better result than first time round when they lost 4-6, giving the E their only win during the first half of the season. None of the Lodgers lads had any answer to Colin Bell and although David Kime and Nev Leggate took him to four legs, the result was never really in doubt. Pete Bell made both Kime and Graham Bonsor fight for their victory but he was too strong for Leggate beating him 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4.  With both teams requiring the doubles Colin and Pete Bell proved triumphant and although dropping the third, they powered home 11-6 in the fourth equally sharing the spoils to make sure of the draw.


A few nights later, Lodgers E took on Graves Park F, and must have felt confident of success, Colin Bell comfortably beating Alan Davy to give Lodgers the lead. The Park then took control, Kit Calvert beating Thomas Bell, Barry Frankish beating Pete Bell. And with Davy beating Thomas Bell, the Park were on a roll. The next game probably decided the result, No.4 ranked Colin Bell taking on the unranked Frankish. Bell surprisingly lost the first 8-11. Despite winning the next leg Colin buckled under pressure from Barry, who won the third and fourth in fine style, giving the Park a healthy 4-1 lead. Pete Bell pulled one back for Lodgers with a four set win over Kit Calvert, while Frankish restored the Park’s lead, comfortably beating Pete Bell thus completing his hat-trick. Davy made sure that the Park could not be caught, beating Pete Bell but Colin Bell gave the score a respectable look, winning the final singles of the evening and then combining with brother Pete to win the doubles in four legs.

 

In the Yates and Greenhough Division One (latest table below) Shodfriars B settled into second place with a 9-1 victory over Lodgers A, whose tenure in Division One is beginning to look shaky. As mentioned before, Lodgers when they are without Graham Lacey, only look a shadow of their normal selves and the result of this game only emphasises this. Alan Ashberry was again in great form winning his three, having little troubles with either Trev Blackbourn or Ian Stones, and despite losing the second and third end to Pete Truepenny won the next two comfortably enough.  Roger Hooton gave him excellent support, picking up his three, effortlessly beating Truepenny but finding Ian Stones something of a problem before capturing the fifth 11-8. Trev Blackbourn for the second year in succession, declined to play against him — awarding Roger the game.  Scott Sykes chipped in with two, with a straight-forward win over Blackbourn, while from being in a strong position of two sets up against Truepenny, Scott survived a critical final leg to scrape home 13-11. Ian Stones picked up Lodgers solitary game, narrowly beating Sykes, saving Lodgers from suffering the ignominy of a whitewash.

 

Lodgers G showed that they are not out of the reckoning just yet, with a 10-0 whitewash of Wrangle. This wasn’t as bad for Wrangle as the maximum score suggests, Mark Hulme being taken to five ends by both Dave Coulson and Sam Cooper. Andy Kirk needed four legs to see off all the Wrangle lads, but Kelvin Clements had no such problems, winning his three in straight legs and still seeming to have plenty left in the tank.

 

Graves Park C who still harbour plans for the runners up spot, had nothing to smile about when they met Stickney A, narrowly winning 6-4. The match looked to be going only one way, the Park striding into a strong 3-0 lead, Martin Walters making short work of Paul Hartnett, while James Quinton after a shaky first set, trimmed up Geoff Bourne. Mick East uncharacteristically struggled against Andrew Benjamin, requiring five sets to see him off but Stickney then pulled one back, Bourne after a stutter in the second against Walters, won the next two very comfortably. East, although struggling against Benjamin, found he had no such trouble against either Hartnett or Bourne, easing past both of them in straight sets. Quinton by contrast after his win over Bourne went to pieces, losing in straight legs to young Benjamin and also going down to Hartnett in four. Walters tidied up with a victory over Benjamin and then combined with East to lose the doubles, (this is obviously not their strong point,) going down 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 4-11 to the Bourne Hartnett partnership giving the scoreline an air of respectability. 

 

A few nights later Graves Park C met Shodfrairs A, the Park needing a hefty win to maintain their runners-up challenge. Although starting off with a solid 3-0 lead, James Quinton beating Jake the Pegg, Martin Walters beating Neil Snaith and Mick East naking short work of Maurice Buck, Shoddy’s pulled one back, Jake just getting the better of Martin Walters in five. This revival was short lived, the Park surging ahead to win the next three, Quinton beating Buck fairly easily, while East dispatched Snaith in three. Walters gained a walkover against Buck who had suffered an injury, while Jake gave Shoddy's a further consolation point with a great win over East, Jake edging home 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5, 11-8. Quinton wrapped up the proceedings with a good win over Snaith and then combined with Walters to win the doubles in four guiding the Park to a sound 8-2 triumph.

 

Latest tables (including January 28)
 
Yates & Greenhough Division One
 
 
Team
P
W
D
L
Pts
 
 

Penmaen A

10

10

0

0

93

 
 

Shodfriars B

11

8

2

1

72

 
 

Lodgers G

11

7

2

2

68

 
 

Graves Park C

10

7

2

1

66

 
 

Shodfriars A 

12

2

4

6

48

 
 

Lodgers B 

11

2

3

6

43

 
 

Graves Park A 

9

4

0

5

38

 
 

Lodgers A 

9

1

2

6

32

 
 

Stickney A 

8

1

3

4

31

 
 

Wrangle 

11

0

0

11

19

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 A D Dickinson Division Two
 
 
Team
P
W
D
L
Pts
 
 

Graves Park Nomads

12

9

1

2

77

 
 

Graves Park B

9

9

0

0

76

 
 

Graves Park D

11

7

2

2

58

 
 

Graves Park E 

11

6

1

4

53

 
 

Graves Park F

11

4

2

5

53

 
 

Lodgers D

11

2

5

4

47

 
 

Stickney B

10

4

2

4

45

 
 

Lodgers E

11

2

2

7

41

 
 

Shodfriars C

10

2

0

8

38

 
 

Penmaen B

10

0

1

9

32

 
 

Graves Park D v Lodgers D: only five points awarded
Graves Park B v Graves Park E: only five points awarded

 
 

News for week ending Sunday January 21

 

The second half of the Boston and District Table Tennis League season is well under way with the majority of teams having played at least one match since 2007 dawned.

 

Shodfriars B eased into second place in the Yates and Greenhough Division One table with a creditable draw against fierce rivals Graves Park C and cemented this spot a few nights later with an 8-2 victory over bottom team Wrangle. The match against the Park (who look to be Shoddy’s potential rivals for the runners-up spot), was as usual hard fought and could have gone either way. Scott Sykes was the unluckiest player of the night, all his games going the full distance, only for him to lose the all-important final end. Alan Ashberry once again proved a formidable opponent, taking his three games in straight ends. But he had to fight hard in the first, coming from behind to clinch the set 14-12. Roger Hooton chipped in with one, scraping home 11-6, 12-14, 5-11, 13-11, 11-7 against Mick East. But he couldn’t maintain the momentum, going down in four sets to the in-form Martin Walters and the equally impressive James Quinton in five, Roger losing the last leg 0-11. Needing a doubles win to avoid an overall match defeat, Shoddy’s took a gamble playing Sykes and Ashberry, in a effort to take the game to Walters and Quinton their illustrious opponents. Their gamble appeared to have paid off, the Shoddy’s pair taking the double in four sets, securing a draw in what turned out to be an entertaining evening.

 

Four or so nights later Shoddy’s faced bottom team Wrangle and sometimes matches like these can be just as hard as playing against the top teams.  This, though, was not one of those matches. Alan Ashberry was again in devastating form winning his three games, although Dennis Pattrick gave him a bit of a scare by winning the first end 11-9. The second and third ends, despite being close, went the Shoddy way. But in the fourth, Alan gained the upper hand to blow him away 11-3. Scott Sykes showed that losing all three in the match four days earlier had not affected him. And although being stretched by all three Wrangle lads, he managed to win the vital end each time. Dave “Smiler” Smith was no match for Dave Coulson or Sam Cooper but he didn’t go home empty handed, losing the first end 6-11 to Dennis Pattrick but cruising home to win the next three, 11-3, 13-11, 11-3  to help guide his team to an 8-2 victory, same score as the first time round.

 

At the top Penmaen go marching on, beating Graves Park A 10-0. Penmaen were worthy winners but it was an unlucky Park who returned home with two of their players carrying injuries, Rob Smith having to pull out of his game against Jimmy Brewster with a hamstring injury. Worse was to follow in the doubles, Nick Langley and reserve Mick Dodes after winning the first end 11-9, had to halt their quest to pick up a consolation point when Mick slipped and injured his groin and being unable to continue, thus enabling Penmaen to clock up a 10-0 victory.

 

Lodgers B and Stickney A were both in need of points when they met. Stickney gained the upper hand early on, Paul Hartnett beating Vic Clements, while Geoff Bourne polished off Tim Day. Pete Evans threw Lodgers a lifeline, beating Andrew Benjamin despite losing the second leg. But Stickney surged further ahead, Hartnett registering his second win of the evening, beating Day in four sets. Lodgers clawed their way back into the match courtesy of Clements and Evans, the former beating young Benjamin while Evans (playing some great table tennis) made short work of Bourne beating him 11-8, 11-6, 11-8. Stickney responded in admirable style, Benjamin clearly showing what a good asset he will be picking up the scalp of Day. But Evans immediately replied, beating Hartnett in five legs and taking his hat-trick into the bargain. Bourne trimmed up Clements but Lodgers made sure the points were going to be equally shared, Day (he really needed this one) and Evans winning a pulsating doubles by beating Hartnett and Benjamin 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 6-11,  11-6.

 

Teams in the A D Dickinson Division Two all too often seem short of players, none more so than Graves Park D and Graves Park E who entertained Stickney B and Lodgers E respectively. Despite the handicap, Paul Matschull and Dave Walters brushed this aside by winning their singles when comfortably beating Tim Sampson but finding Cliff “Dynamo” Davey and Tony Sharpe difficult to overcome. “The Dynamo” was unlucky to come away with nothing, taking Matschull to four legs while narrowly losing 9-11 in the fifth to Walters. With Stickney already having three points on the board (and after winning the first end of the doubles 11-9) they were confident of increasing their points tally. However Matschull and Walters showed what a class doubles act they have had to become, turning this around, easily winning the next three guiding the team to a 7-3 victory.

 

Graves Park E, another team who could only field two players, took on bottom but one Lodgers E. The latter seized upon this opportunity to register their second victory of the season, scraping home 6-4. Colin Bell picked up his two singles, beating both Mick Dodes and Emma Watson in straight ends, while Pete Bell picked up a much needed win, narrowly beating Emma 10-12, 11-6, 11-4, 12-10. A close doubles saw Watson and Dodes take the first two but despite going down 2-11 in the third, they gathered their thoughts to comfortably win the fourth, adding a bit of gloss to a score which so easily could have been a lot worse.

 

Park D again with only two, took on Shodfriars C who had new signing Chris Cooke making his debut. Dave Walters gave the Park an early lead being Dave Hocking 11-6 in the fifth, while Paul Matschull came under immediate pressure from debut man Chris Cooke and in a tight game the Shoddy’s player just gained the upper hand to win the fourth end 12-10. Paul Maxwell failed to shine against either of the Park lads and with Matschull having to work hard to beat Hocking, it was down to Walters who had to beat Cooke, to keep the Park in the game. The first two ends were nip and tuck, the Park player just getting the vital points to win 11-9 both times. The third could have gone either way and with the game swaying first one way, then the other, there was nothing in it but at 15-14 Walters nicked the vital point to clinch the end 16-14. With the three walkovers the Park held a 5-4 advantage meaning both teams required the doubles, Walters and Matschull coming from 1-2 down to snatch the last two, to steer the Park to a rather fortunate 6-4 victory

 

Stickney B, who have picked up a bit in recent weeks, took on fourth placed Graves Park F in a close match on what was a very enjoyable night. Why can’t they all be like this! The game was close throughout, Stickney just gaining the edge and hanging on, Tony Hall being in superb form, winning his singles. Tim Sampson looked to on the way to winning his three for the first time this season but after beating No.10 ranked Barry Frankish (good win this), and Alan Davy, he was thwarted by Kit Calvert who played brilliantly to beat him 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8.  “Dynamo” Davey failed to pick up a game and as a result had the pleasure of scoring the doubles, watching Hall and Sampson guide their team to an overall 6-4 victory for their fist win since November 29 last year. Question is: will captain Tony Sharpe get his place back in the team?

 

News for week ending Sunday January 14

 

The second half of the Boston and District Winter Table Tennis League season kicked off in fine style, all of the scheduled fixtures plus two over-spilling from the first half of the season being played.

 

Shodfriars B moved into second place in the Yates and Greenhough Division One table with a creditable draw against fourth placed Graves Park C and a few nights later cemented this spot with an 8-2 victory over bottom team Wrangle.

 

The game against the Park, who are their potential rivals for runners-up spot, was as usual hard fought and could have gone either way, Scott Sykes being the unluckiest player of the night. All his games went the full distance only for him to lose the all-important final end each time. Alan Ashberry once again proved a formidable opponent in taking his three in straight legs. But he had to battle hard in his first end against Mick East, coming from behind to clinch the set 14-12. Roger Hooton chipped in with one, scraping home against Mick East 11-6, 12-14, 5-11, 13-11, 11-7, but the effort required must have sapped all his reserves, as he went down to the in-form Martin Walters in four legs and the equally impressive James Quinton in five, Roger losing the last end 0-11. Needing a last game win to avoid overall match defeat, Shoddy’s gambled on playing Scott Sykes and Alan Ashberry in an effort to take the game to their illustrious opponents, Walters and Quinton. The gamble seems to have paid off, the Shoddy’s pairing taking the doubles in four sets to earn them a draw in what turned out to be an entertaining evening.

 

Four night later Shoddy’s faced bottom team Wrangle, Alan Ashberry again being in devastating form by winning his three games, although Dennis Pattrick gave him a bit of a scare by winning the first end 11-9. The second and third legs, despite being close, went the Shoddy way. But in the fourth leg Alan blew him away winning 11-3.  Scott Sykes, despite losing all three in Shoddy’s previous fixture, showed that it had not affected him, winning his singles and although being stretched by all three Wrangle lads he managed tro win the vital ends. Dave “Smiler” Smith was no match for Dave Coulson and Sam Cooper but in his the last game of the evening he gained some reward. Although losing the first end to Dennis Pattrick 6-11 he cruised home beating an unlucky Dennis 11-3, 13-11, 11-3, giving Shoddy’s an 8-2 victory — the same score as the first time round.

 

At the top, Penmaen go marching on, beating Graves Park A 10-0. Penmaen were worthy winners but the unlucky Park returned home with two injured players. Rob Smith (hamstring) had to pull out of his game against Jimmy Brewster. Worse was to follow in the doubles. Nick Langley and reserve Mick Dodes won the first end 11-9 but then Mick slipped and injured his groin, leaving him unable to continue, thus enabling Penmaen to register a 10-0 victory.

 

Lodgers B and Stickney A met in a clash where both sides badly needed the overall points. Stickney gained the upper hand early on, Paul Hartnett beating Vic Clements while Geoff Bourne had little trouble with Tim Day. Pete Evans put Lodgers back in the frame by beating Andrew Benjamin despite losing the second leg. But Stickney surged further ahead, Hartnett registering his second win of the evening, beating Day in four. Lodgers quickly bounced back to level the scores, Clements beating young Benjamin while Evans (playing some great table tennis) made short work of Bourne, beating him 11-8, 11-6, 11-8. Stickney, though, refused to lie down and responded through Benjamin who picked up a good scalp by beating a disappointing Day in three legs. But Evans made the score all square by beating Hartnett in five legs.  Bourne made short work of Clements but Lodgers made sure the points were equally shared, Day (who needed this) and Evans winning a pulsating doubles beating Hartnett and Benjamin 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-6.

 

Teams in the A D Dickinson Division Two often seem short of players, none more so than Graves Park D who entertained Stickney B with only two players. But Paul Matschull and Dave Walters didn’t let that bother them, winning their singles, easily beating Tim Sampson but finding Cliff “Dynamo” Davey and Tony Sharpe difficult to overcome. Cliff was unlucky not to come away with something, taking Matschull to four legs and then going down 9-11 in the fifth leg to Walters. Through the Park having only two players, Stickney picked up the three walkovers and after winning the first end of the doubles, they were confident of increasing their points tally.  However, Matschull and Walters got their act together by winning the next three legs to guide the Park to a 7-3 victory. But repeatedly playing with two players may eventually cost the Park a place in the top four.

 

Graves Park E, another team able to field only two players, took on bottom but one Lodgers E, the latter seizing this opportunity to register their second victory of the season, scraping home 6-4. Colin Bell picked up his two games, beating both Mick Dodes and Emma Watson in straight ends, while Pete Bell had to be content with one, recording a narrow win over Emma. A close-fought doubles saw Watson and Dodes take the first two and despite going down heavily in the third, they gathered themselves together to comfortably win the fourth to add a bit of gloss to a score that so easily could have been worse.

 

Park D, again with only two players, took on Shodfriars C who had new singing Chris Cooke making his debut. The first two games were both five-setters, Dave Walters beating Dave Hocking 11-8 in the fifth, while Paul Matschull came under pressure from debut man Chris Cooke, the Shoddy’s player gaining the upper hand to win the fourth end 12-10. Paul Maxwell failed to shine against either of the Park lads and with Matschull beating Hocking it was down to Walters to beat Cooke to keep the Park in the game. The first two ends were nip and tuck, Walters just getting the vital points to win 11-9 both times. The third was even tighter and at 10-10 it could have gone either way. With the points being evenly shared, the game was swinging wildly and at 15-14 Walters won the vital point, finally clinching the game 16-14. At this point it was 5-4 to the Park that left both teams requiring the doubles. And again a close game ensued, Walters and Matschull coming from 1-2 down to snatch the last two 11-4, 11-6, to steer the Park a rather fortunate 6-4 victory.

 

Stickney B, who have picked up a bit in recent weeks, took on fourth placed Graves Park F in close game and on what turned out to be a very enjoyable night. The game was tight throughout, Stickney just gaining the edge and holding on. Tony Hall was in superb form winning his singles. Tim Sampson looked to be on the way to completing his hat-trick, which would have been his first this season. But after beating No.10 ranked Barry Frankish and Alan Davy he fell foul of a resurgent Kit Calvert, who played brilliantly to beat him 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8. “Dynamo” Davy failed to pick up a game and as a result had the pleasure of scoring the doubles, watching Hall and Sampson guide their team to victory for an overall a 6-4 win. Question: Will captain Tony Sharpe get his place back in this team?

 

News for week ending Sunday January 7

 

With Christmas and the New Year intervening, matches on the Boston and District Table Tennis League front have been few and far between, some teams finishing a week earlier than was anticipated. Meanwhile others have caught up with outstanding fixtures, or are playing early in the New Year before the second half of the season re-starts.

 

What we have we seen so far is that Division One has been split up into three “mini-leagues.”

 

Yates and Greenhough Division One analysis follows.

 

Penmaen A: Last season’s champions, thus breaking the Lodgers G stranglehold of the previous eight years. There is little doubt that they will be champions again as they are virtually in a league of their own.

 

Lodgers G: Last season’s runners-up, but this year even though they are in second place, it looks as they may be edged out of that as well. The loss of Ian Royle and Gary Hill has hit them really hard and even though Mark Hulme has come in and is having a fair season, they are not the unbeatable force they used to be. Cannot see them finishing above fourth.
 
Shodfriars B: Proved that finishing fourth last time round was no fluke, sitting in third place at present, and I think they are unlikely to slip up. Have got their “biggy” against Park C still to come and as the Park have a game in hand, the result will be crucial. Think though that come the end of the season they will have to settle for third place.

 

Graves Park C: Never really shone last season and were pipped to the runners-up spot by Lodgers G. Have the potential to finish second but to do this all of them will have to shine at the same time for in the decisive matches. Have two games in hand against Stickney A and Shodfriars B and positive results in both are a must. A word of warning though: Stickney also need the points to avoid relegation.

 

Graves Park A: Lead the way in the second mini-division, and are at present not strong enough to join the big boys. Had a terrible start to the season by losing four of their first five matches. But since then they have picked up and haven’t lost since. If they can start the second half better than they did the first half they get a few more points but will be well off a top four finish.

 

Shodfriars A: It wasn’t too long ago that they always finished above their B team but in recent years things have changed and they no longer rule the roost. Points gained so far this year just down on last year at the same time and this may be due to the fact that no fewer than four of their matches have been drawn games, some of them being against decent opposition. The number of wins has let them down a bit with only one to their name. If they want to avoid the relegation scramble, they may well have to turn in some better results.

 

Lodgers B: At the start of the season Vic thought they might go down. But here they are in seventh place. Have picked up one or two good wins (memorably beating their A team 8-2), but are not out of the woods as the two teams directly below them have games in hand. Come the end of the season, relegation could be a close call.

 

Lodgers A: This team is something of an enigma (yes I do know what it means). It appears to me that when Graham Lacey plays, the team performs reasonably well. But when he not playing, oh dear! Even with Graham’s record of 87 percent, the team have only picked up one win and ironically Graham wasn’t playing in that match, reserve Colin Bell taking his place and guiding the team to victory. Have lost a number of matches 4-6 and have also drawn a couple and that is why they are where they are. Have a game in hand (Stickney A) over the two teams directly above them and a good result here would see them clear the danger zone if only temporarily.


Stickney A: Haven’t had the best of seasons and the vagaries of the fixture list, postponements, and the loss of a player after only one match didn’t help the situation. All the above has seen them fall behind with their fixtures and they have some three matches in hand with the teams directly above them. Serious points will have to be harvested from these to lift them up the table, and whilst they may get something from Lodgers A and Graves Park A,  Graves Park C won’t be giving out any late Christmas presents. Can only see them in the relegation mix.

 

Wrangle: Stepped up from Division Two three weeks into the season when one team scheduled to be in this division suddenly dropped out. Sadly there is no fairytale ending as Wrangle have found the gap between the divisions is vast. Consequently, they are down at the bottom without a win, but credit must go too them for pulling in the outstanding games from the first three weeks of the season. Virtually doomed to be relegated and for them this season will just have to be put down to experience.