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BOSTON TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE

All the up-to-date news from the Boston and District Table Tennis League 2005-2006

Round-up for April 2006 by Mick Williams

Report for week ending Friday April 7 (see update in latest tables section)

Season’s loose ends all tied up

The 2005-06 season is now complete with the league now taking its annual summer break. All the loose ends have finally been tied up.

Stickney A, who had two matches to play in the Yates and Greenhough Division One, completed their season with mixed fortunes beating Lodgers A 3-2 but losing to team of the season, Shodfriars B 3-7.

Their match against Lodgers was a bizarre affair, both teams only turning out with two players, Stickney being without Paddy Hartnett, while Lodgers were lacking both Graham Lacey and Colin Bell. It was Stickney’s Steve Blanchard who chose this penultimate match to have his best night of the season, starting off the night by beating Trev Blackbourn in five, the game swinging first one way then the other. Geoff Bourne, who had the unenviable task of playing two on the trot, added to the lead with a comprehensive victory over Ian Stones. He (Geoff), then had to play Blackbourn and despite a brief flurry in the second set, he went down 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 7-11. Blanchard then made the game safe for Stickney, turning in a sparkling performance to beat Stones in four, but Lodgers gave the scoreline an air of credibility, Blackbourn and Stones beating the Stickney pair of Blanchard and Bourne 11-8, 3-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9 in the doubles, to give Stickney an unlikely 3-2 win. This result did Lodgers no favours at all, as previous to this fixture they and Shodfriars B were dead level on points. This means that Shodfriars could lose their last match (ironically against Stickney A) and still finish above Lodgers in the table.

A few nights later the inevitable happened, Stickney travelled to Shodfriars, both teams fielding full strength sides. Alan Ashberry was again in tremendous form, sweeping aside the Stickney trio in straight legs, although Paddy Hartnett pushed him close in the second and the third. Roger Hooton gave him excellent support, beating Geoff Bourne and Steve Blanchard but losing out in a five set thriller to Hartnett.

Scott “Twinkle Toes” Sykes had what might be describe as a poor night and although beating Geoff Bourne, Stickney’s most consistent player in straight ends, he went down to both Hartnett and Blanchard in four.

The doubles were somewhat inconsequential, but Sykes redeemed himself combining with Hooton to guide Shoddy’s to a 7-3 victory.

Mayflower C left their push for promotion from the A D Dickinson Division Two too late and despite two wins from their last two matches still left them short of the target which will see them finish in fourth place. This must come as a bit of a disappointment, as at the Christmas break it looked likely that they would be promoted with their B team.

Two matches in three nights saw Mayflower fail, despite a narrow 6-4 victory over Lodgers D. Paul Gilbert pushed the Mayflower team hard, winning his singles and although being taken to four by both Tony Kime and Graham Bonsor, the result was never in doubt. Mick Dodes never really clicked, and although he won two he was only a shadow of his form shown early in the season. Mick opened his night with a defeat by Tony Kime and although beating Graham Bonsor and Nev Leggate both of them went the full distance.

Against Bonsor, it could easily have swung the other way, Graham at one stage holding a 2-1 lead and it needed all of Dodes’ adaptability to win the next two. Emma Watson failed to register, narrowly losing to Leggate but she should be pleased with her performance, taking the second against s surprised Tony Kime winning it 11-7 only to go down 6-11 in the fourth.

Two nights later saw the last match of the season in this division, Mayflower C supposed to be visiting Stickney B. However, this was eventually played at Mayflower. Paul Gilbert was again on top form winning his singles and although beating Cliff Davey fairly easily, he was never in the comfort zone against either Tim Sampson or Tony Hall, both of them taking him the full distance. Mick Dodes again could only manage two, beating Davey and Sampson and although going to five with Hall, he just lost out 9-11. All the Stickney lads beat young Emma Watson but she shouldn’t be disheartened, as this season will stand her in good stead for the seasons to come.

Yates and Greenhough Division One: Shodfriars B 7, Stickney A 3; Stickney A 3, Lodgers A 2 (both teams having only two players).

A D Dickinson Division Two: Lodgers D 4, Mayflower C 6; Stickney B 4, Mayflower C 6.

Report for week ending Friday April 7 (see update in latest tables section)

Waiting to tie up the loose ends

Although the league officially finished two weeks ago, there are some matches that are still to be played. Others have been played for which score sheets have not been received. This, to say the least, is aggravating, as all the loose ends to complete the season cannot be tied up.

Promotion from the A D Dickinson Division Two is still not finalised, but in fact is a bit clearer than it was last week, this particular division experiencing one of its closest finishes ever. Graves Park B, whose promotion prospects were hanging on a knife edge, make themselves favourites to be promoted, despite losing to champions Mayflower B 3-7. This put them on the same number of points as club-mates Graves Park D, but as the rules dictate, the results of the matches between them during the season has to be taken into account.

The first match was a 5-5 draw but the return saw the B run out 7-3 winners so the B moved into second place. No 1 ranked Greg Dombek and No 4 ranked Marius Hering were in great form for Mayflower, both of them sweeping aside No 3 ranked Mick Maltby and No 5 ranked Dave Graham. The Park lads, though, put up a good fight against Hering and were perhaps unlucky to go down in straight ends. Zenda Kwok, who was drafted into the Park team at short notice, probably made history and it was fitting that his win over Greg Pacho was the one that looks like gaining the Park promotion, back to Division One after only one season.

We are now waiting for Mayflower C to complete their matches and if results go their way they could yet still pinch promotion, but have they left themselves too much to do? They (Mayflower) didn’t do themselves any favours when they met Shodfriars C, slumping to a 6-4 defeat against a team is several places lower down the league. Yet it seemed that it was Shoddy’s who wanted this game more than Mayflower, moving into a 2-0 lead, John Shortland making short work of Emma Watson, while Roly Sharp overcame a feeble challenge from Paul Gilbert. Mick Dodes pulled one back with a narrow win over Paul Maxwell, only to see Sharp dismiss Watson in three, while Shortland made it 4-1, beating Dodes in a thrilling five setter (probably the best game of the night). Stung by this Mayflower retaliated, Gilbert getting his name on the board beating Maxwell while Dodes put them back in the match by beating Sharp, Dodes losing the first end 4-11 but winning the next three 11-8, 11-5, 11-9. However, it was a case of too little too late and Shoddy’s again took over, Maxwell beating Watson, while Shortland had an easy victory over Gilbert. The doubles, while not vital, was keenly fought, Dodes and Gilbert giving the scoreline an air of respectability, beating the Shoddy’s pair of Shortland and Maxwell in four sets.

Elsewhere in the division, William Lovell completed their fixtures, losing 2-8 to Pilgrim, who next season will be plying their trade from Graves Park. Apart from the performance of Tom Phoenix, Lovell never really in the game. Tom pushed Alan Davy (five sets) and Fred Calvert (four sets) all the way. Michael Ackerman and Michael Bradshaw had little impact on Davy and Fred Calvert, while Bradshaw picked up Lovell’s other point in a close encounter with Kit Calvert. Calvert Junior gained some consolation beating Ackerman and then pairing up with his father Fred, winning the doubles in straight sets.

The Yates and Greenhough Division One is all but completed, only two matches remaining to be played, both of which involve Stickney A.

This week Lodgers A (one of the teams still to play Stickney), put themselves in line for fourth place in the league, beating Graves Park A 6-4. Lodgers were quick off the mark, Graham Lacey disposing of Rob Smith in three straight, but Phil Brooks immediately levelled, with a narrow five set win over Trev Blackbourn. Those results seemed to set the trend for the night, Lodgers taking a slim lead only for the Park to draw level the very next game. Nick Langley, despite playing well, lost to Colin Bell in five but Rob Smith pulled it back, beating Blackbourn 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4. Lacey gave Lodgers the lead yet again, beating Langley, while Smith played well to overcome a stubborn Bell. Lacey completed his hat-trick when beating Brooks, while Langley kept the Park in the hunt dismantling Blackbourn 11-5, 11-2, 11-6. With Bell taking the final singles of the night the game was finely balanced but he (Bell) and Blackbourn combined well in the doubles, beating Brooks and Smith to guide their team to a narrow 6-4 victory.

Lodgers B meanwhile concluded their season with a visit to Penmaen and probably wished afterwards that they hadn’t bothered, coming away with nothing, losing 0-10.

None of the Lodgers team was any match for Brian Hill or Jimmy Brewster but at least they gave Brett Heppenstall a run for his money. Tim Day and Pete Evans both pushed him to four, Tim going down 6-11, 5-11, 11-3 and just losing the vital fourth 10-12. Pete won the first 12-10 but in the remaining sets he was always two points adrift and could never gain the points when it mattered.

Lodgers G, after a reign of eight years at the top, had to settle for second place and finished in style, hammering Stickney A (who are not that bad) 10-0. Kelvin Clements confirmed his No 3 spot in the rankings winning his singles, only Geoff Bourne giving him any bother by taking an end. Ian Royle made hard work of it being taken to four by all the Stickney team, Bourne in particular being unlucky not to go the full distance. Andy Kirk gave his Lodgers team-mates excellent support also winning his three, and despite dropping a set to Paul Hartnett, Andy pulled through in the fourth 11-9.

Yates and Greenhough Division One: Stickney A 0, Lodgers G 10; Penmaen 10, Lodgers B 0; Lodgers A 6, Graves Park A 4.

A D Dickinson Division Two: Mayflower B 7, Graves Park B 3; William Lovell 2, Pilgrim 8; Shodfriars C 6, Mayflower C 4; Mayflower D 4, Pilgrim 6.