Ashford & District Table Tennis League: Week 7 – Division 3

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With the first quarter of the season completed Division 3 is looking very much like a race for second place.  Ruckinge C top the table after five games with double the points of the team in third place, Little Chart Posties in second do have a game but they trail the leaders by sixteen points with only ten points on offer for the game in hand.

This week’s matches saw a local derby with Ruckinge D taking on Ruckinge C, and if it weren’t for the presence of Brain Kennett for Ruckinge D it would have been a very one sided affair.   His awkward style proved too much for Terry Yeomans who fought well but lost out over five.  Clive Devlin was unable to put a leg on the board going down 3-0.  After failing to record a win against Little Chart Posties, Richard Wright had to dig deep in all three matches.  Twice he came from 2-1 behind against Simon Dale and Brian Kennett to win a final leg decider, and a fourth leg loss in deuced forced him into a decider against Colin Bingham.  Somehow he ended the even undefeated.  Ruckinge C then added the doubles for an unconvincing 8-2 win.  This result left them clear at the top, and Ruckinge D second bottom.  Although if they are able to pick up three points from their game in hand it will put them into third place, even second if the results goes very much in their favour.

Elsewhere Challock D fought out a 5-5 draw with Little Chart Posties.  Frazer Duncan was the player of the match, but the he did not get off to the best of starts.  First up against Joe Morgan he found himself 2-0 before finding the right gear, as the game went on he grew in confidence turning the 2-0 deficit into a 3-2, taking the final leg 11-2.  He has no such problems against David Tawney and Martin Baker who failed to register a leg.  Frazer was supported on the night by Brian Milner who added a single win, 3-1, over David Tawney.  It could have been more but he let a 2-1 lead slip against Martin Baker to loser 3-2, before Joe Morgan avenged his earlier defeat coming away the 3-1 victor.  Little Chart Posties did themselves no favours only turning up with two players so were reliant on winning the doubles to salvage a draw, which they two 3-0 over David Tawney and Joe Morgan.  Little Chart Posties will see that as three points needlessly dropped, but Challock D will be pleased to pull ten points clear of Ashford TT C who currently occupy the last position.

For full results and tables please visit www.tabletennis365.com/Ashford