Issued on 2 December 2024
Top Three in Division One Separated By One Point
Excitement mounts as just one point currently separates Chelmsford A, Danbury A and Danbury C at the top end of division one though the latter hold a game in hand advantage. Writtle A’s Ryan Pitt went solo for the second time this season in a 10-0 loss to Danbury C, Chris Penrose and Bruce Kettle won three each as Danbury A beat the two-person team of Galleywood A 7-3, and Josh Bickles fired another treble in Chelmsford A’s 6-4 home win over Danbury B.
Rob Burton, David Gatheral and Evie Knaapen all went undefeated as Buttsbury A increased their lead at the top of division two with a 10-0 home win over Chelmsford C. Undefeated Maldon A lost ground though remain second in the table following a tough 6-4 win over Writtle B, Dawn Baldry and Lloyd Bennett-Smith won two matches apiece for the hosts while Phil Smith and Richard Storey did likewise for the visitors. There was a fourth division two treble of the season for Sanjay Saptarshi in Danbury D’s 5-5 draw with Writtle C, Gary Ward and John Webber won two each for Writtle in a fixture which saw five five-gamers. Neil Want fired his first treble for Danbury E this season but his team were pegged back by a pair of wins from Hatfield Peverel A’s Martin Archie and Julie Johnson in a 5-5 draw, with the Old Chelmsfordians B-Galleywood B fixture also throwing up the same scoreline with no player unbeaten among a fabulous seven five-gamers.
The top three teams in division three are separated by just five points though third-placed Buttsbury B hold a game in hand over leaders Chelmsford D and second-placed Danbury G. The father-daughter combo of Wudong and Grace Liu went unbeaten in singles competition as Buttsbury B narrowly beat Chelmsford F 6-4 on Monday night. Alex Tkachuk and Christopher Denyer fired trebles as Chelmsford D stayed in the hunt with an 8-2 win at Galleywood C who tasted defeat for the first time since week three. Denis Balic and Merv Perriman also went undefeated as Danbury G moved to no loss in six fixtures with an 8-2 win over Danbury H who have now been defeated in their last four. Writtle D’s Matthew Brown was yet again unbeaten as his side beat the two-person team from Hatfield Peverel B 6-4, while OCA C remain winless as a James Grimston treble saw Chelmsford E back to winning ways with an 8-2 away victory. There was a second treble of the season for Dave Moles as Writtle E tasted success for the first time this season in a 6-4 home win over Danbury J who have now lost their last four fixtures.
Division four leaders Hutton A took maximum points as they cruised to a 10-0 home win against Hatfield Peverel C who slip from eighth to tenth, Maldon B stayed in touch with an identical scoreline over seventh placed Danbury L, and third placed Buttsbury D lost ground on the top two as they were held to a 5-5 draw with ninth placed OCA D in a match which saw a first treble of the season for OC’s Russell Hall. Elsewhere, Dave Hancock won three and Dave Powell two as Danbury K made it three wins in a row as they beat Galleywood D 7-3 - Galleywood have now lost their last five fixtures. Doubles for Martin Brunker, Atharv Gupta and Mark Nolan gave Chelmsford G a 7-3 home win over rock-bottom Danbury M, and three wins for Oscar Hutt and two apiece for Frances Hutt and Caroline Cole made it four successive victories for fifth-placed Buttsbury C with a 8-2 triumph over Highwood A who have now lost three in a row. Hutt junior now has three trebles in his last five matches while Highwood’s Roger Patient failed to score two or more points for the first time this season.
Hutton B remain top of division five following a 7-3 away win at Chelmsford H, Hutton’s Gheorge Nita was the sole undefeated player though he needed to successfully navigate a fifth game decider to get past James Grindlay. Trebles from Torsten Greenan and Lyndon Bubb ensured second-placed Buttsbury E were back to winning ways as they closed the gap on the leaders with a 9-1 victory at Hatfield Peverel E, Bruce Wickham posed the most problems for Greenan when taking a 2-1 lead only for Greenan to ease through games four and five. Tim Huxtable won all three on debut for Maldon C as they inflicted a first loss of the season on Writtle F by a 7-3 scoreline. The legend who is Steve Peacock chipped in with his fourth treble of the season for Galleywood E in their 8-2 home win over Hatfield Peverel E. Darren Wright and Tomas Ratinas won two matches each for the hosts though Galleywood stay in seventh position. David Cockrelll and Martin Goddard won three matches each as Highwood B inflicted more pain on bottom of the table Anglia Ruskin with a 9-1 victory. Eight-placed Highwood are now unbeaten in three following a run of five straight defeats.
The 2024/2025 C&DTTL Tournament will take place between the 3rd and 5th January 2025 at Mildmay Hall, Anglia Ruskin University. Please find details and entry form here: https://www.tabletennis365.com/chelmsford
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
