7th Report - WL, 6/02/2024
PREMIER DIVISION Reports from Duncan Taylor
Week 18 Report
Thorpe Bay A extended their lead at the top of the Southend & District Table Tennis Premier Division this week with an 8-1 win over Brand Identity A. John Poysden and Paul Sayer unbeaten on the night backed up by Mark Stones with two wins over David Jacob and Steve Muth with the single win for Brand coming from Richard Jackman over Stones.
Second place Rawreth A missed the chance to close the gap as they were only able to field two players against Hockley A. Three wins for recently crowned Chelmsford Vets champion Kevin Read and two for Charles Sweeney still ensured the win, Sweeny just failing to beat Matt Stringer giving us a final scoreline of 5-4 to Rawreth.
Elsewhere 4th placed Irons A were in good form as they beat Hockley A 7-2, a maximum from man of the match Reece Seddon and two each from Richard Brown and Dave Bowles, both failing to get the better of Joseph Odegbami.
In the final game of the week bottom club Hadleigh Forum got a well needed win against 5th placed Rawreth B. Neal Barker, Dave Bassett and Berti Makolli all with two wins to take the match 6-3.
DIVISION 1 Reports from David Barnes
Week 19 Report
It’s ‘as you were’ at the top of the table this week, with the top two both recording 7 - 2 victories.
Leaders Stanford Le Hope A had yet another hat trick from Mitchell Jones to thank for a win away to Canvey A. Peter Weatherall and Ian Sangster chipped in with two wins each, but neither was able to overcome the home side’s skipper Ray Wilson.
Second place Invicta A were winners at home to Mapledene. Both Steve Marr and Tony Ayliffe were unbeaten, and Lee Marson added a further one. For the visitors, Andy Seaman and Bill Smith each got a single victory.
Rawreth Megazone D have had to withdraw from the division as they have lost a number of players. Consequently, the D team’s remaining squad is now available to the C team. However, there still seems to be problems, as this week Rawreth Megazone C conceded their fixture away to Brand Identity B, as they still could not find three players from their enhanced squad.
Despite losing 7 - 2 away to RESSC, Lentern remain in fourth place. Both the home side’s Rob Skews and Richard Gill were unbeaten, with Ron Coutts adding an additional win. Wayne Farmer and Peter Lucraft shared Lentern’s two points.
Hockley C may have unearthed a useful asset to help them avoid relegation. Since first playing for them in September, Joseph Odegbami has only lost the once in four matches - to Stanford’s unbeaten Mitchell Jones. If they can call upon his services more frequently, Hockley may yet avoid the drop. This week Hadleigh Forum B were the opposition and again Joe came away with an unbeaten POM performance. Team mate Aaryan Vatsa added two, to give Hockley a commendable 5 - 4 away win. Jim Stait got two and Dave Woolmer and Paul Fawell one each for Forum.
DIVISION 2 Reports from Paul Strutt
Week 20 Report
“The show’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings” they say and, with just four weeks to go, that’s certainly the case with the Div. 2 title race. The battle between top teams Matchpoint A and Basildon A took another twist this week as both teams somewhat unexpectedly dropped points which has left them tied at the top on 108 points. Matchpoint just hold the edge as they have lost just one game this season whereas Basildon have lost three. What is even more exciting is that the teams will face each other next week in what could be a title deciding match.
First out of the traps this week was Basildon A who faced a tricky match away at Wakering and they went without their top player this season Les Hoey. Unfortunately for them Wakering had theirs, Callum Turner, and he duly obliged winning all his games and lead them to a narrow 5-4 victory to dent Basildon’s title aspirations. Wakering’s other two points came from father and son combo Paul and Zac England who both beat Stephen Walters. Basildon’s points came from two wins each from Arun Joy and Szymon Jarka.
Matchpoint must have been over the moon when they saw that result and with a home match coming up against mid table Runnymede they must have been hopeful of a convincing victory. It turned out, however, that they were unable to field either of their top two players Evie Knaapen and James Elliot, and had to call up another youngster, Alex Deacon, from their B team. This didn’t stop them running out 6-3 winners but Runnymede’s Dmitry Kisil frustrated the leaders winning all his games and dropped just one set in the process.
Stanford B have been consistently successful this season sitting in third place, but they too had to make changes this week from their regular line up with David Arnett and Adrian Armstrong coming in to the side against Rawreth Megazone E to replace Rob Salvage and John Handscombe. The inclusion of Armstrong turned out to be vital as his hat trick led Stanford to a 6-3 victory Mark Downey claiming two wins and Arnett one. Richard Kidd got a brace for Rawreth with Jaspreet Singh the other point coming back from two sets down to beat Arnett in five. Rawreth are one but bottom of the table and ten points behind Invicta B, the team above them.
If you’re sitting bottom of the table you need all the points you can get so having to play with just two players is the last thing you need. That’s what happened however to Basildon B when they faced Matchpoint B and they subsequently went down 8-1. The score might have been closer but for Debbie O’neil’s battling qualities as she fought back from being 2-1 down in both matches against Jenne Seibolt and Andy Roff which matched the two wins of Stephen Heard which were somewhat easier. Dan Stewart claimed two more for Matchpoint but couldn’t find a way past Seibolt who got Basildon’s consolation point.
Talking of two man teams that’s what happened to Canvey B in their match against Hockley D as they were unable to get a replacement following a late withdrawal from their side. That left Andrew Murray and Des Duffield to represent the Islanders and Murray more than did his bit winning all his games without dropping a set. Duffield lost to Paul Strutt and Paul Ogden however to give Hockley a narrow 5-4 win. An early night for both sides here as only one game went beyond three sets.
Team of the Week – Wakering
Player of the Week – Dmitry Kisil
Week 19 Report
Matchpoint A just missed out on returning to the top of the Division 2 table as a 6-3 win against Hockley D left them two points adrift of Basildon A who were without a game. Hat tricks for James Elliot and Evie Knaapen were the highlights for Matchpoint, James not dropping a set, but team mate Lucie Elliot found the going a little too hard although she pushed Ben Cook all the way in the last game of the evening leading 2-1 at one stage before succumbing in five sets. Tony Molisso and Paul Ogden were the other point winners for Hockley.
A hat trick for Rob Salvage helped Stanford B to a 7-2 win against bottom of the table Basildon B which was enough to push them up to third place. He got good support from Mark Downey and John Handscombe who both got two wins but there was also a good brace for Jenne Seibolt of Basildon. Probably an early night here as no game went beyond four sets.
Invicta B appear to be on a bit of a run now that they have ended their long winless sequence. Having had David Barnes return to good effect in their two previous games this week saw the return of Steve Lennox whose hat trick led them to a narrow win against Rawreth Megazone E 5-4. Mike Keeble provided important support winning two games including the match deciding final game beating Jaspreet Singh to clinch victory. Sarah Ball was unlucky not to add more points for Invicta losing out in two five set matches. Richard Kidd won two for Rawreth with one each for Singh and Steve McQuillan.
Runnymede versus Wakering turned out to be a hard fought match with four players recording two wins each but no one managed a hat trick on the night. Zac and Paul England were the scorers for Wakering plus a single point from Stewart Mills whilst Steve Wisbey and Dmitry Kisil did the business for Runnymede. The home team actually led 3-2 at one stage until a run of three games secured the win 5-4 for Wakering.
A hat trick from Alexander Deacon was the basis of Matchpoint B’s 6-3 win at home to Canvey B. It was 2-1 to Canvey early on before a run of five wins gave them victory and an Injury to Canvey’s Trevor Hayes added an extra point. Final match of the evening was a seesaw battle between Dan Stewart and Des Duffield with the Islander’s Duffield edging it 11/9 in the fifth. Stephen Heard with two wins and Stewart, with one were the additional points winners for Matchpoint whilst Hayes, Duffield and Tony Westwell all claimed a point for Canvey.
Player of the Week – James Elliot of Matchpoint A
Team of the Week – Invicta B
DIVISION 3 Reports from Dave Woolmer
Week 20 Report
Stanford ‘C’ skipper Mark Farley enjoyed plenty of table time in his team’s match against Hadleigh Forum ‘D’. All his matches went the full distance, culminating in a ding-dong affair with opposing captain Jean Catley in the final match of the evening. Jean took the first 2 sets but back came Mark to level things up before Jean eventually prevailed at 11-9 in the decider. Earlier Mark had enjoyed close 5 set wins against Douglas Brown and Todd Barker. These were to prove to be Stanford’s only points however with Forum running out 7/2 winners. Jean’s first hat-trick of the season ensured that she was the POM, with Douglas and Todd both recording a brace.
There was a close encounter between Invicta ‘C’ and Stanford ‘D’ and, despite Keith Baxter’s maximum for Invicta, it was Stanford who emerged as 5/4 winners. Keith was certainly made to work hard for his three wins, as he trailed both Martin Winter and Vaughan Chambers by two sets before coming back to win both matches in a close 5th set. Martin and Vaughan were successful in their other matches and Andrew Jessop added the other point. Trisha Winter with the other point for Invicta.
The match between Canvey ‘C’ and Hockley ‘E’ was another close affair and notable in the fact that all 6 players ended up with wins to their names. Another unbeaten performance from Trevor Hayes plus a win each for Steve Kemp and Stephen Parker meant a 5/4 win for Canvey. For Hockley there were two wins for Hannah Harbour and a win apiece for John George and Gary Beck.
Another match where all the players made winning contributions was the meeting of Evolve and Matchpoint ‘D’. Ben Berwick was the star for Evolve with a fine hat-trick, well supported by Aaron Price who scored a double and Leo Goodey who added the other point in a 6/3 win. The Matchpoint trio of Richard Sloman, Blake Stewart and Sam Morgan with a single win each.
Jan Thorpe led the way with a maximum for Rawreth Megazone ‘F’ in their 6/3 win over Hockley ‘F’, but it was not all plain sailing for him. He was taken to the upper reaches of the 5th set before finally overcoming William Evesham. William did get on the score sheet though with a win over Graham Back and his teammate Elliot Brackenbury grabbed a couple of wins. A tough night though for Amelia Taylor. Mike Webb was a two-point winner for Megazone and Graham added the extra.
Week 19 Report
The first match of the week saw Rawreth Megazone ‘F’ play host to Invicta ‘C’. This was a very tight affair the result of which was only decided at the end of the evening when Graham Back got the better of David Youngman to earn his side a 5/4 victory. Graham had earlier added another point for his team, recovering from the loss of the first two sets to defeat David Barlow in the fifth. Jan Thorpe was player of the match here with an unbeaten performance for Rawreth. For Invicta, there was a win apiece for Trisha Winter and the two Davids.
Matchpoint ‘C’ went into their home match against Canvey ‘C’ without their leading player, Alex Bowden. The away side took full advantage, with another maximum from the ultra-consistent Trevor Hayes backed up by two wins each from Steve Kemp and Stephen Parker. Roger Sherman was the points winner for Matchpoint but it was Canvey who took the spoils, registering a 7/2 win.
The meeting of Hockley ‘E’ and Matchpoint ‘D’ was another close match. Despite an unbeaten performance from Matchpoint’s Oliver Milchard, it was Hockley who came out on top by a 5/4 scoreline. All the Hockley players contributed to this win with John George and Keith Denyer winning two games each and Graham Gregory with one win.
Mark Farley and James Parker were both unbeaten for Stanford ‘C’ in their match against Evolve. Karen Kempster added another point for a 7/2 win. However, the final scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. On another night, this could so easily have been a win for Evolve. Three of the games were decided at 9-11 or deuce in the final set, and all three went in favour of Stanford. Two of these games involved George Key and he can consider himself very unfortunate to end the evening without a win against his name. Reuben Stracey and Teddy Kent were the points winners for Evolve.
Kris Chankov, with a win over Jean Catley, was the only winner for Hockley ‘F’ in their meeting with Hadleigh Forum ‘D’. This was a match where the age gap between the youngest and oldest players was over 70 years! Douglas Brown was the POM with his maximum matched by that of Todd Barker. Jean added the other two points for Forum to complete an 8/1 win.
Week 18 Report
The two matches played at the start of the week both produced 6/3 wins for the home team.
Keith Baxter led the way for Invicta ‘C’ in their match against Hadleigh Forum ‘D’. His perfect maximum was backed up with two wins for Trisha Winter and one for Brendan Raja. Douglas Brown recorded two wins for Forum and Dean Johnson chipped in with their other point.
Stanford ‘C’ skipper Mark Farley and Randy Santiago were both unbeaten in their match against Matchpoint ‘D’, with Mark taking the POM honours for his flawless maximum. For Matchpoint there was a win apiece for Richard Sloman, Jeff Gritzman and debutant Samuel Morgan who, having surrendered a two sets lead in his match with Mandy Till, held his nerve to take the fifth set in convincing fashion.
The two leading players in this division were both in action this week and both turned in unbeaten performances but there were contrasting fortunes for their respective teams.
Despite Trevor Hayes’s maximum for Canvey ‘C’, visitors Stanford ‘C’, with a good team effort, came away with a 5/4 win. Two wins each here for Martin Winter and Tony Papasifakis and a single win for Andrew Jessop. Steve Kemp added the extra point for the Islanders.
Alex Bowden maintained his 100% winning record and his hat-trick was the backbone of a 6/3 win for his Matchpoint ‘C’ team over Hockley ‘E’. It wasn’t all plain sailing for Alex though, as he had to come from behind to overcome John George, taking the final two sets 12-10, 11-9. Max Mayo gave good support, picking up two wins including a final set 13-11 win over Keith Denyer. Roger Sherman was the other point winner for the league leaders with Ron Rogerson the best player on the night for Hockley.
The match at the end of the week between the junior sides of Hockley ‘F’ and Evolve resulted in a 7/2 win for Evolve. Ben Berwick was the POM for Evolve with a fine hat-trick, well supported by Leo Goodey and George Key who won a couple of games each. Elliot Brackenbury did well for Hockley, winning 2 of his games and, in the final game of the match, led Ben by two sets to love before finally going down 8-11 in the final set.
Week 17 Report
The clash between two of the title contenders in Division 3 was a predictably close affair. Stanford ‘D’ eventually got the better of Matchpoint ‘C’ with 5/4 the eventual scoreline. Alex Bowden continued his unbeaten run with another maximum for Matchpoint but it was to no avail as two wins each for Martin Winter and Tony Papasifakis and a single win for Vaughan Chambers were enough to secure the win for Stanford.
Hockley ‘E’ entertained the other Stanford team in this division, but this was a rather one-sided affair with Hockley cantering to a 9/0 victory. Hannah Harbour was the POM with an untroubled maximum. Her teammates Gary Beck and Graham Gregory were also unbeaten, but Graham was taken to a deciding set by both Karen Kempster and James Parker.
Oliver Milchard was the star for Matchpoint ‘D’ as they took on the young Hockley ‘F’ side, with 6/3 the score in Matchpoint’s favour. Oliver’s hat-trick was backed up by Blake Stewart with a brace and Jeff Gritzman with a single win. Kris Chankov had two good wins for Hockley and William Evesham added their other point.
The other junior side, Evolve, fielded a very inexperienced team for their match against Invicta ‘C’. Harley Dowding and Mauli Jayarathna were playing their first league match and Thomas Chan only his second. Hardly surprising then that the experience of Trisha Winter, Keith Baxter and Brendan Raja proved too much for them and Invicta completed a 9/0 win without dropping a set.
Finally this week, Rawreth Megazone ‘F’ were unable to put out a team for their match against Canvey ‘C’ and consequently had to concede the 9 points.
