Chelmsford A remain unbeaten with victory over division one leaders but hopes of title success are fading
Chelmsford A remain one of just two teams who remain unbeaten through 18 league matches this season (the other being Galleywood C of division four) however with an 18 point gap (and just one game in hand) their hopes of overtaking the league leaders before time runs out look to be slim.
Division 1
A Harry Chivers treble kept second-placed Chelmsford A’s title hopes alive in their 6-4 home win over division one leaders OCA A. Chivers beat Mark Mulley in four games before recovering from 2-1 down to beat Keiran Lally (13-11 in the decider) and later seeing off Paul Lucas in four (two games saw the incredibly close 19-17, 16-14 scorelines). Lally fought back from 2-0 down to beat Josh Bickles while Mulley was able to weather a Bickles comeback from 2-0 down to clinch the decider. A fourth successive hat-trick by Chris Penrose fired Danbury A to an 8-2 away win at Galleywood A. Penrose beat both James Mullane and James Hicks in three straight games and took just one game more to get the better of Peter Barrett. Barrett won his two other matches - the first of which was a five-gamer with Eric Green who himself saw deciding game action in his win over Hicks. Danbury C won a close contest with Chelmsford B by a 6-4 scoreline. Danbury’s David Gatheral played in two five-gamers - missing out against Kim Shead having held a 2-1 lead and later taking the decider against Adi Kamma 13-11. Danbury’s Peter Harverson had earlier earned a maiden division one win over Kamma.
Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 144 points (from 19 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 126 points (18 matches), 3: Danbury A 113 points (20 matches).
Division 2
Chelmsford C extended their lead at the top of division two thanks to an 8-2 home win over Writtle C while title rivals Hatfield Peverel A could only draw 5-5 with Danbuy E - the gap between the two is a mere four points with two matches remaining. Victor Chan won both of his games against the two-man team of Writtle C while Writtle’s John Webber beat Waseem Qureshi and Mark Allaway. Martin Archie saw victory in all three of his singles matches as Hatfield Peverel A drew 5-5 at home with Danbury E. Neil Want and Tony Forster won two apiece for the visitors but were both undone by Archie in three straight games - Archie has an 87% win rate from 45 individual matches in the league this season. Writtle B made it two wins in a row by edging Maldon B 6-4 at home. Trevor Collin, Richard Storey and Phil Smith all won two matches apiece for the hosts while Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith did likewise for the visitors - Storey getting the better of Bennett-Smith over four games. The spoils were shared between Danbury G and Chelmsford D with two wins apiece for Danbury’s Denis Balic and Peter Harverson - Chelmsford’s Adi Kamma also won twice - his second victory over Balic going the distance.
Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 119 points (from 18 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 115 points (from 18 matches), 3: Maldon A 101 points (18 matches)
Division 3
John Holland and Mark Glenister won three apiece as division three leaders Galleywood B extended their lead to ten points with an 8-2 away win at Danbury H. Holland and Danbury’s Ken Sheard saw five-game action in both their singles and doubles encounters - both matches going in the favour of the Galleywood player. Buttsbury A lost pace with the leaders despite more trebles from Jamie Elliott and Evie Knaapen in their 7-3 win over Chelmsford E. Elliott has a 100% win rate from his 41 individual league matches this season while Knaapen has 84% from her 38. The top two sides still have to meet once more this season. Felix Reeve hit a hat-trick as Chelmsford F got the better of OCA C by a tight 6-4 scoreline. Reeve dropped just one game during the evening and he was backed up by Pav Srivasamurthy who won twice - the second of which was a 3-2 win over Richard Baxter. Neil Freeman won three as Hatfield Peverel B earned a 5-5 draw at Danbury K despite only fielding two players. Freeman’s biggest test was from Dave Oxley-Goody who took their match to a decider - Oxley-Goody had earlier beaten Paul Mulley over five games also.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 135 points (from 18 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 125 points (18 matches), 3: Chelmsford E 99 points (from 19 matches).
Division 4
Division four champions Galleywood C lost their perfect record this season as Buttsbury B held them to a 5-5 draw. In what looked like an epic encounter, Garry Carr won three matches for the visitors while Galleywood’s Will Goodchild won twice for the hosts. Galleywood’s Colin Blore and Phil Shippen saw five-game action on two occasions - once when facing each other which Blore won having trailed 2-0. Nathan Blore lost in five against Shippen but had earlier beaten Caroline Cole by the same scoreline. Second placed Chelmsford G cruised to a 10-0 win over Hatfield Peverel E with Cleon Fernandes, Salih Salim and Vishnu Surendran dropping just one game between them during their individual matches. Fernandes holds a 92% win rate from 48 division four matches this season. Maldon B ensured they cannot finish below third place following their 9-1 win at Hatfield Peverel C. Chris Ravenhill and Marty Englander won three individual matches apiece and teamed for victory in the doubles contest. Farooq Ahmed and Russell Hall earned hat-tricks as OCA D beat Danbury L 8-2 at home. OCA’s John Manning extended both Ahmed and David Bishop to five games but couldn’t quite get over the line - Bishop rallied from 2-0 down for his win.
Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 139 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 120 matches (from 17 matches), 3: Maldon B 108 points (from 16 matches)
Division 5
Danbury M’s wait to clinch the division 5 title goes on as their fixture with second placed Chelmsford J was postponed - they should get over the line finally in week 28. Kelvin Edeh and Douglas Bawuah won three games apiece as ARU beat Highwood B 6-4. Highwood’s Nicola Pippen beat Connor Case over fives then teamed with David Cockrell to win the doubles in five before falling to Kelvin Edeh 11-9 in the decider of their match. Suzanne Shaw and Matthew Porter both scored hat-tricks as OCA E won 9-1 on the road at Hatfield Peverel F. Shaw won her first two matches 3-0 but had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Jackie Treacy - Treacy had earlier beaten Stuart Wintle in five from the same position but later missed out over five games against Porter. Wintle and Porter took the doubles over Treacy and Peter Hughes - also in five games. Oscar Hutt was victorious in all three of his matches as Buttsbury C beat 7-3 at Maldon C. Hutt beat Garry Eames in four and Kym Eames in three but had to recover from 2-0 down against Shirley Carroll - Carroll had earlier lost 3-2 against Richard Pond but beat Torsten Greenan by the same scoreline. Galleywood D’s New Year acquisition of Nick Rounce must go down as the best bit of business made over the 2024 transfer window - Rounce fired another hat-trick and moved to 13 wins from 16 matches as his side were held 5-5 at Writtle F. Michael Anthony won two games for the hosts but was edged in a fifth game decider by Rounce.
Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 124 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 101 points (17 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 101 points (from 18 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
Charlie Ware won twice as CJL 2A leaders Hutton Hawks gained some breathing space over second-placed Buttsbury Bears with a 4-1 victory in the top of the table clash. Ware beat Callum Walker in four games and Joseph Hutt in three while Jago Ware earned a five-game win over Walker. Luka Ha’s two wins weren’t enough to prevent his Chelmsford Cougars team falling to a 3-2 defeat at Danbury Dragons. Ha won both of his singles matches 3-0 but he and teammate Ishar Srivastava were beaten by the duo of Oliver Ware and Oliver Wyman in the crucial doubles.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: , Hutton Hawks 18 points (6 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bears 14 points (from 5 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
Billy Andrews won twice as CJL division 2B leaders Hutton Harriers earned a 3-2 win at second placed Buttsbury Bulldogs. Martis Heyes was involved in three five-gamers seeing both Thomas Lewis and Lewis Woods fight back from 2-1 for their wins but gaining a win alongside Andrews in the decisive doubles contest. Two 3-0 wins for Ben Robinson helped the Chelmsford Tigers to a 4-1 win over the Hutton Hyenas. Oliver Davies scored the only point for the Hyenas - beating George Gregory 3-2 in the opener.
Standings CJL 2B: 1: Hutton Harriers 21 points (6 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 17 points (from 5 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
Nathanael Slade won both of his matches as the Chelmsford Panthers were able to hold on to top spot in division 2C despite a 3-2 loss by Hutton Hammerheads. Hutton’s Spencer Giles and Chelmsford’s Archie Spurrier were involved in the closest singles match of the afternoon which Giles won 11-9 in the decider. Archie and Spencer Giles fought back from 2-1 down to win the crucial doubles match. Atharv Srivastava and Ethan Li went undefeated as the Chelmsford Jaguars closed in on the leaders with a 5-0 home win against the Hutton Hornets.
Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 24 points (from 6 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 23 points (6 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2D
It’s as you were in CJL division 2D as leaders Chelmsford Pumas and second-placed Buttsbury Bats both won 5-0 in their respective matches. Ishar Srivastave and Archie Spurrier won two apiece for the Pumas in their victory at Buttsbury Bees - the closest contest of the fixture was Spurrier’s 3-2 win over George Murphy. Zac Berry and Shay Coughlan dropped just one game between them in their win over the Hutton Hares.
Standings CJL 2D: 1: Chelmsford Pumas 24 points (6 matches) 2: Buttsbury Bats 21 points (from 5 matches)
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
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Issued on 19 March 2024
First title winners of the season crowned
With their sixteenth successive victory of the season, Galleywood C secured the division four title with two matches to spare. Colin Blore (93% win rate), Will Goodchild (85% win rate) and Nathan Blore (65% win rate) have carried the bulk of the load this season but have been well assisted by Gary Copsey, Bryn Thomas, Mark Glenister, Ron Salton and Steve Peacock.
Division 1
Chris Penrose’s treble wasn’t enough to prevent third-placed Danbury A falling to a 6-4 away loss at the hands of Chelmsford B. Penrose beat Kim Shead and Aidan Lees in straight games having had to battle back from 2-0 down against Omar Wasi. Lees and Wasi both beat Bruce Kettle over four games and Dave Richardson in three before teaming up together to beat the Danbury duo over five games. There were no surprises in the battle between leaders Old Chelmsfordians A and bottom of the table Galleywood A as the title favourites cruised to a 10-0 win. OCA’s Keiran Lally was pushed to a deciding game in his matches with James Hicks and Peter Barrett. Ian Wall and Sam Lowman fired trebles as Danbury B got the better of clubmates Danbury C by a 6-4 scoreline. Lowman dropped just one game while Wall recovered from 2-0 down to beat Trevor Lloyd in five.
Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 140 points (from 18 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 120 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury A 105 points (19 matches).
Division 2
An Alastair Piper hat-trick helped Hatfield Peverel move to within a point of the division two summit with a 7-3 away triumph at Chelmsford D. Piper recovered from a game down to beat both Dusan Doszkoty and Sami Osman in four games while teammate Julie Johnson was involved in three games which went the distance - beating Adi Kamma having trailed 2-0 but missing out to both Osman and Doszkoty in deciders. Third placed Maldon A and fourth placed Writtle C were both held to 5-5 draws in their respective matches Mick Richardson won three in OCA B’s draw at Maldon A - he beat Ross Kirby in three, Lloyd Bennett-Smith in four and Hamish Innes in five. Innes’ loss to Richardson was sandwiched between 3-2 victories against David Porter and Michael Hayes. Sanjay Saptarshi continued his excellent division two season with another three wins as his Danbury D side drew at Writtle C. John Webber and Gary Ward won twice each for the hosts and teamed together to turn a 0-2 scoreline into a 3-2 doubles success versus Saptarshi and Eamonn Hall. Sixth placed Writtle B kept their name in the hat with regards to a third place finish by winning 7-3 away at Danbury E. Matthew Brown led the way for the visitors with three wins while teammates Phil Smith and Richard Storey missed out on trebles of their own in fifth game deciders. Gus Heath and Chris Buer went undefeated as Danbury F beat Danbury G 8-2. Heath dropped just one game in his three wins while Denis Balic pushed Chris Buer to a fifth game decider which Buer won 11-9.
Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 111 points (from 17 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 110 points (from 17 matches), 3: Maldon A 97 points (17 matches)
Division 3
Three wins apiece for Gary Copsey and John Holland enabled division three leaders Galleywood B to ease to an 8-2 win against Writtle E. Copsey didn’t drop a game in his individual matches while Holland was taken to a fifth game decider by Dave Moles. Copsey and Bryn Thomas recovered from 2-1 down to win the doubles match with Malcolm Storey and Neil Thompson. An Ian Whiteside treble backed by two Tim Pulham wins boosted third-placed Danbury H to a 6-4 victory over second-placed Buttsbury A. Whiteside beat Evie Knaapen and Kevin Willis in straight games while taking four to beat Paul Sturton. Sturton and Knaapen got the better of Whiteside and Pulham in the doubles in three games. Alesha Ellis-Austin won all three of her singles matches as Chelmsford E won 6-4 at Hatfield Peverel B. Rev Matthews won twice but was undone by Neil Freeman who won twice himself but was beaten over four games by Ellis-Austin. Pete Layzell fired a hat-trick while teammates Trevor Collin and Malcolm Henstock won twice each as Writtle D won 8-2 over Danbury K. Layzell had to recover from 2-0 down to Dave Powell for the first of his wins - Powell avoided a repeat in his next match as he fended off a Trevor Collin fightback for victory in the decider. Danbury J posted a 5-5 home draw with OCA C despite a treble by Peter Hance. Luke Richardson and Tom Barker won two each for the visitors but succumbed to Hance - both over five games with Richardson spurning a 2-0 lead.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 127 points (from 17 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 118 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury H 93 points (from 16 matches).
Division 4
Galleywood C became the division four champions following a 10-0 away win at Hatfield Peverel D - their sixteenth successive win of the season. Nathan Blore, Will Goodchild and Colin Blore dropped just two games during the evening as Galleywood secured the title. Cleon Fernandes hit another treble as second-placed Chelmsford G won 8-2 at Danbury L. Fernandes was made to work hard in his opening encounter with John Manning which was only decided in the fifth game - Paul Thirkettle and Salih Salim also battled to a decider which Salim was finally able to secure with a 17-15 scoreline. Brian Riedling and Chris Ravenhill won three apiece as Maldon B won 9-1 at home to OCA D. David Bishop won the only match of the night for the visitors while teammate Russell Hall pushed both Ravenhill and Marty Englander to a deciding game. Lucy Elliott was unbeaten as Buttsbury B beat the two-person team of Hatfield Peverel C 8-2. Elliott beat Peter Mortensen in three straight games but had to recover from 2-1 down to overcome Andy Whiley. Mortensen earned both points for the visitors - his win over Jenne Seibolt over five games.
Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 134 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 110 matches (from 16 matches), 3: Maldon B 99 points (from 15 matches)
Division 5
Danbury M continued their march towards the division five title with a 6-4 win at Anglia Ruskin despite a fine treble by Kelvin Edeh. Steve Martin gave Edeh his biggest test of the evening with a five-game encounter while ARU’s Gerald Amuta got the better of Graham Naggs by the same 3-2 scoreline. Mark Nolan and David Parker were undefeated as Chelmsford J beat Maldon C 7-3. Parker had to fight back from 2-1 down in order to get the better of James Raymond. Torsten Greenan and Francesca Hart won three matches each as Buttsbury beat third-placed Chelmsford H 8-2. All of Hart’s three wins were via fifth game deciders while Greenan and Freya Hart teamed to win 3-2 in the doubles. David Cockrell and Martin Goddard were treble winners as Highwood B won 9-1 at OCA E while Galleywood C posted a 10-0 scoreline over Hatfield Peverel F who were only able to field one player.
Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 124 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 101 points (17 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 96 points (from 17 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
Charlie Ware won both of his matches as the Hutton Hawks moved to the top of CJL division 2A despite a 3-2 home loss against Danbury Dragons. All four singles matches resulted in 3-0 outcomes with Oliver Martin and Peter Harverson fighting back from 2-1 down to win the doubles encounter.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: , Hutton Hawks 14 points (5 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bears 13 points (from 4 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
Billy Andrews and Martis Heyes went undefeated as the Hutton Harriers advanced to the top of CJL division 2B with a 5-0 home win over Hutton Hyenas Vicente Deco put up good resistance - taking Andrews to four games and Heyes to five. George Matthews won twice as the Chelmsford Leopards beat the Chelmsford Tigers 4-1. Matthews came back from 2-1 down to beat Neriyan Tharmassas with the 14-12 scoreline in the decider, a testament to how close the encounter was.
Standings CJL 2B: 1: Hutton Harriers 18 points (5 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 15 points (from 4 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
The Chelmsford Panthers advanced to five wins from five matches in CJL division 2C thanks to a 4-1 home win against the Chelmsford Rhinos. Nathanael Slade won both of his matches 3-0 while teammate Archie Spurrier had a more eventful afternoon - letting slip a 2-0 lead against Vivaan Deshpande before fighting back from a 2-0 deficit in his match with Theo Peiris. The Hutton Hammerheads beat the one person team of Chelmsford Jaguars 4-1. Jaguars’ Sean Kwan got the better of Rayan Ladva before Hutton’s James Williamson beat Kwan.
Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 22 points (from 5 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 18 points (5 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2D
Zac Berry’s two wins weren’t quite enough to prevent the Buttsbury Bees falling to a 3-2 defeat at the Hutton Hares. Berry opened with a 3-2 win over Lockie Stewart before beating Jonny Pocock in four. Pocock and Stewart got the better of Berry and Abhir Kandagiri in the doubles to earn the win for the Hares. Ishar Srivastava won twice as the Chelmsford Pumas moved to the top of division 2D with a 4-1 win over Chelmsford Lions. Srivastava dropped the first game of both matches before recovering to win 3-1 and then teamed with Hari Gumbeer for a 3-0 win in the doubles.
Standings CJL 2D: 1: Chelmsford Pumas 19 points (5 matches) 2: Buttsbury Bats 16 points (from 4 matches),
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
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Issued on 10 March 2024
Taylor and Read join forces to give struggling Writtle A a much needed boost
Duncan Taylor fired a treble while Kevin Read chipped in with two wins as Writtle A tasted victory in division one for the first time since October. Writtle are now thirteen points clear of bottom side Galleywood A as Taylor and Read appeared together in the league for the first time in over a year. Galleywood have two matches in hand over their fellow strugglers.
Division 1
Division 1 leaders Old Chelmsfordians A saw their lead cut to 10 points despite a fine 7-3 away win at third-placed Danbury A. OCA’s Mark Mulley led the way with three wins while Danbury’s Dave Richardson prevented Paul Lucas earning his own hat-trick with a 12-10 deciding game triumph. Second-placed Chelmsford A cruised to a 10-0 home win over Danbury C with Kaung Htet Paing, Josh Bickles and Harry Chivers doing the business for the hosts. Great to see Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read back in tandem together for Writtle A who won the battle of the bottom two teams - Taylor won all three and Read won two as Writtle beat Galleywood A 7-3. Teammate Ryan Pitt was involved in two five-gamers - beating Gary Brignall but falling victim of a Peter Barrett fightback despite leading 2-0. Chelmsford B beat the two person team of Danbury B 7-3 - the opening two contests of the evening both went to five games, David Penrose beat Wiktor Delimat and Kim Shead saw off a Sam Lowman recovery from 2–0 down.
Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 130 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 120 points (17 matches), 3: Danbury A 101 points (18 matches).
Division 2
In division two, Maldon A threw a spanner in the works of Chelmsford C’s title aspirations with a 6-4 away win on Monday night. There were no undefeated players on the night though Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith went closest - being thwarted by Waseem Qureshi in a fifth-game decider. Mick Richardson fired a hat-trick for OCA B in their 6-4 home win against Danbury E. Richardson beat both Dick Wyman and Tim Cramphorn in three straight games but had to recover from 2-0 down to get the better of Neil Want. Wyman and Michael Hayes were also involved in a five-game decider which went in the favour of Danbury’s Wyman. John Webber and John Parodi won three matches apiece as Writtle C prevailed 6-4 at Danbury G. All three of Parodi’s wins were earned in deciding games while two of Webbers also went the distance. Danbury’s Mervyn Perriman was the recipient of five-game losses at the hands of both Parodi and Webber but put behind that disappointment to down John Gagg. Gus Heath and Steve Buer scored hat-tricks as Danbury F beat Chelmsford D 8-2. Heath’s toughest match was his opening contest with Adi Kamma which he secured in a deciding game - Kamma went on to see five-game action in his other two matches - beating Chris Buer but then seeing a 2-1 lead slip against Steve Buer.
Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 111 points (from 17 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 103 points (from 16 matches), 3: Writtle C 87 points (16 matches)
Division 3
The five point gap at the top of division three was maintained as leaders Galleywood B and second-placed Buttsbury A posted identical 7-3 wins on the road in week 25. John Holland and Mark Glenister won three apiece for Galleywood at OCA C, while Jamie Elliott and Evie Knaapen did likewise for Buttsbury at Hatfield Peverel B. It was an unbeaten evening for the Danbury H trio of Ian Whiteside, Alan Scammell and Peter Lucraft as they cruised to a 10-0 away win at Writtle E, while a Sami Osman hat-trick helped Chelmsford F to an 8-2 away win at Danbury K.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 119 points (from 16 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 114 points (16 matches), 3: Danbury H 87 points (from 15 matches).
Division 4
Division four leaders Galleywood C had their feet up this week and were able to sit back and enjoy watching second-placed Chelmsford G and third-placed Maldon B go toe-to-toe. Cleon Fernandes was yet again the driving force behind Chelmsford G’s victory as his treble backed up by two wins by Grace Liu earned the hosts a 6-4 triumph over the team from Maldon. David Newman hit a hat-trick as OCA D posted an 8-2 home win over Hatfield Peverel C - Peverel’s Peter Mortensen saw two victories earned for the visitors. Melanie Bonnett didn’t drop a game as she won all three singles matches in Highwood A’s 6-4 win over Danbury L Bonnett was well supported by Roger Patient who was denied a third win of the night in his 14-12, 8-11, 13-15, 12-10, 10-12 loss to Greg Cooper.
Standings div 4: 1: Galleywood C 124 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 102 matches (from 15 matches), 3: Maldon B 90 points (from 14 matches)
Division 5
Division five leaders Danbury M moved closer to the title with a 9-1 home win over OCA E - David Smith and Graham Naggs scoring trebles while OCA’s Stuart Wintle downed Steve Martin 15-13 in their fifth game decider. The clash between second-placed Chelmsford J and third-placed Buttsbury C ended in a 5-5 draw - Buttsbury’s Richard Pond earned a hat-trick with a 3–0 win over Amir Chetitah, 3-1 win over Mark Nolan and a 3-2 win over Elliot Hawthorne. Pond’s success against Hawthorne was after trailing 2-0. Chelmsford H moved above Buttsbury into third place thanks to a 7-3 away win at Writtle F - Writtle’s Michael Anthony went unbeaten for the hosts though he had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Shengbing Zhu. Kelvin Edeh lost just one game on the night as his treble lead Anglia Ruskin to a 6-4 victory against Maldon C. The closest singles match of the night was Maldon’s James Raymond beating ARU’s Connor Case 3-2. Nick Rounce scored his second hat-trick in four matches since his transfer to Galleywood D though he saw his side fall to a 7-3 away loss to Highwood B. Rounce beat Keith Pallett in three, Nicola Pippen in four and David Cockrell in five - Cockrell had recovered from 2-0 down but lost out 11-9 in the decider.
Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 118 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 94 points (16 matches), 3: Chelmsford H 84 points (from 15 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
Chelmsford Cougars beat second-placed Hutton Hawks 3-2 thanks to an unbeaten showing from Joshua Freeman. Freeman got the better of Charlie Ware 3-1 before beating Charlie Gould with the same scoreline. Freeman and Amir Chetitah then fended off a comeback from Ware and Gould in the doubles to prevail in the decider. Freeman didn't drop a game in either of his matches for Chelmsford Eagles as they beat leaders Buttsbury Bears 3-2. Teammate Ben Robinson fought back from 2-1 down to beat Vivaan Babbar while Babbar’s teammate Callum Walker edged out Robinson 12-10 in the deciding game of their match.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: Buttsbury Bears 13 points (from 4 matches), 2: Hutton Hawks 12 points (4 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
Lewis Woods won twice as his Buttsbury Bulldogs remained top thanks to a 4-1 win against the Chelmsford Leopards. Teammate Thomas Lewis beat Damon Chow but missed out in a close game with George Matthews. William Guilloux’s two wins weren’t enough to prevent the Chelmsford Tigers falling to a 3-2 defeat at home to second-placed Hutton Harriers - Guilloux was taken to a decider in his first match of the afternoon against Martis Heyes.
Standings CJL 2B: 1: Buttsbury Bulldogs 15 points (from 4 matches), 2: Hutton Harriers 13 points (4 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
Ethan Collins won both of his matches as the top of the table clash between the perfect Chelmsford Jaguars and Chelmsford Panthers ended in a 3-2 win for the Panthers. Collins had to fight back from a 2-1 deficit to overcome Ethan Li and then teamed with Henry Mansell to win the crucial doubles encounter in three straight games. The Hutton Hornets bounced back from three 5-0 losses to post a 5-0 win over the Chelmsford Rhinos. Casper Norris dropped just one game in his two victories while Theo Rugg fought back from 2-1 down to beat Theo Peiris. Peiris and Rohan Rakesh took a 2-1 lead in the doubles only for Norris and Rugg to take the final two games.
Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 18 points (from 4 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 17 points (4 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2D
Two wins apiece for Archie Spurrier and Taylor Cumber guided the Chelmsford Pumas to a 5-0 home win over the Hutton Hares. Spurrier saw a 2-0 lead in his first match against Mitchell Petre disappear before winning the decider. Shay Coughlan won twice as the Buttsbury Bats beat the Chelmsford Lions 4-1. Coughlan had to recover from 2-0 down to take the victory from Bernard Chow in the opening encounter of the afternoon, later he teamed with Ethan Bird for victory having trailed 2-1 in the doubles.
Standings CJL 2D: 1: Buttsbury Bats 16 points (from 4 matches), 2: Chelmsford Pumas 15 points (4 matches)
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
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Issued on 3 March 2024
Tension mounts as division two and division three title races look set to go to the wire
Chelmsford C and Hatfield Peverel A remain separated by just four points in division two as they posted identical 8-2 victories in week 24, while Buttsbury A closed to the gap on division three leaders Galleywood B to five points courtesy of the same scoreline.
Division 1
No change at the top of division one as both leaders OCA A and Chelmsford A were held to away draws. Paul Lucas fired a hat-trick of wins as the Old Chelmsfordians were well tested by Chelmsford B on Monday night. Lucas beat Kim Shead and Wiktor Delimat by 3-1 scorelines but had to recover from 2-1 down to beat Omar Wasi. Shead had earlier come back from 2-1 down to beat Mark Mulley. Ian Wall’s treble helped ensure fourth-placed Danbury B shared the spoils with unbeaten second-placed Chelmsford A. Wall beat Nikita Tkachuk and Kaung Htet Paing in straight games but had to rally from 2-1 down to get the better of Gary Young. Young beat Dan Anderson in a fifth game decider having earlier teamed up with Tkachuk to recover from 2-0 down in the doubles encounter with Wall and Anderson. Chris Penrose secured three wins as third placed Danbury A won 6-4 on the road at Writtle A, while Sanjay Saptarshi fired a hat-trick as Danbury C edged Galleywood A 6-4.
Standings div 1: 1: Old Chelmsfordians A 123 points (from 16 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 110 points (16 matches), 3: Danbury A 98 points (17 matches).
Division 2
Chelmsford C’s lead at the top of division two remains four points as both themselves and their closest rivals Hatfield Peverel A posted identical 8-2 results. Julie Johnson scored a hat-trick in Hatfield Peverel A’s home win over OCA B. Johnson beat Michael Hayes in three games, David Porter in four and Mick Richardson in five, while teammate Martin Archie was denied a treble of his own as Richardson recovered from 2-0 down to take their match. Victor Chan and Waseem Qureshi were both undefeated in Chelmsford C’s away win at Danbury E. Qureshi fought back from 2-0 down to beat Tim Cramphorn while Cramphorn got a measure of revenge in the double match where he and Neil Want came back from the same scoreline to beat Chan and Mark Allaway 3-2. Fourth-placed Danbury D beat third placed Maldon A 6-4 thanks to another Sanjay Saptarshi treble - the two teams are now tied on 86 points though Maldon have a game in hand. Chelmsford D beat the two-person team of Writtle B by a 7-3 scoreline with Omar Wasi winning both of his matches.
Standings div 2: 1: Chelmsford C 107 points (from 16 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 103 points (from 16 matches), 3: Danbury D 86 points (16 matches)
Division 3
With division three leaders Galleywood B not in action second-placed Buttsbury A were given the opportunity to take a chunk out of their thirteen point gap and they duly obliged with an 8-2 home win over Writtle E on Friday night. Caroline Cole and Evie Knaapen were both undefeated - Knaapen did not drop a game in her three wins while Cole took five games to beat both Dave Moles and Malcolm Storey. Third-placed OCA C fell to a 7-3 loss at Danbury H thanks to an Ian Whiteside hat-trick as well as two wins from Alan Scammell, while fifth-placed Writtle D got the better of fourth-placed Hatfield Peverel B through three wins by Bob Garson and a double by Pete Layzell. A Bob Garson treble boosted fifth-placed Writtle D to a 6-4 home win over Hatfield Peverel B - Garson dropped just one game on the night while teammate Malcolm Henstock’s two losses were both over five games. Two more 6-4 scorelines as Danbury K beat clubmates Danbury J in a match which saw a treble from Dave Powell while Chelmsford F edged Chelmsford E - Felix Reeve and Sami Osman winning twice for the F side while Alesha Ellis-Austin won twice for the E side.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 112 points (from 15 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 107 points (15 matches), 3: OCA C 80 points (from 15 matches).
Division 4
Unbeaten leaders Galleywood C edged closer to the division four title with a comprehensive 9-1 win over ninth-placed Hatfield Peverel E. Will Goodchild and Colin Blore were the unbeaten players with James Brooks the only point scorer for Hatfield. Second placed Chelmsford G kept their hopes alive with a 9-1 win at Hatfield Peverel C - Cleon Fernandes and Dion Fernandes both earned trebles for the visitors. Farooq Ahmed was undefeated as OCA D won 7-3 at Buttsbury B. Ahmed dropped just one game in his three wins while both of teammate David Bishop’s two wins were earned over five games.
Standings div 4: 1: Galleywood C 124 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 96 matches (from 14 matches), 3: Maldon B 78 points (from 12 matches)
Division 5
Division five leaders Danbury M extended their lead with a 7-3 win at Galleywood D. Steve Martin was Danbury’s hat-trick hero while Galleywood’s Nick Rounce got the better of both Graham Naggs and David Smith. Kelvin Edeh treble helped Anglia Ruskin gain a 6-4 win over second placed Chelmsford J. Edeh also teamed with Douglas Bawuah in a 3-2 doubles win over Mark Nolan and Elliot Hawthorne - Bawuah had earlier seen five-game action in his come-from-behind win against David Parker. Buttsbury C moved into third place with a 10-0 home win against sixth placed Writtle F. Oscar Hutt, Torsten Greenan and Richard Pond did the damage for the hosts - Pond’s three wins were all achieved via a deciding game. Shirley Carroll won all three of her matches as Maldon C won 7-3 at OCA E. Carroll beat Stuart Wintle in three games, Mike Morecroft in four and held off a Suzanne Shaw fightback from 2-0 down to win in five.
Standings div 5: 1: Danbury M 109 points (from 15 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 89 points (15 matches), 3: Buttsbury C 78 points (from 15 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
The Buttsbury Bears moved into top spot in division 2A with a 5-0 win at Chelmsford Cougars thanks to two wins apiece for Lewis Woods and Joseph Hutt. Chelmsford Eagles earned their first win of the season with a 3-2 victory at Danbury Dragons - Joshua Freeeman’s wins over both Oliver Martin and Peter Harverson went the distance.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: Buttsbury Bears 11 points (from 3 matches), 2: Hutton Hawks 10 points (3 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
Joseph Hutt and Lewis Woods won twice each as the Buttsbury Bulldogs beat the Chelmsford Tigers 5-0 - opponents William Guilloux and Ryan Peiris took a 2-0 lead in the doubles only for the Bulldogs duo to storm back for the win. Hutton Hyenas beat the one person team of the Chelmsford Leopards 4-1.
Standings CJL 2B: 1: Buttsbury Bulldogs 11 points (from 3 matches), 2: Hutton Harriers 10 points (3 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
Chelmsford Jaguars moved to the top of division 2C with a 5-0 win over the Chelmsford Rhinos - Sean Kwan and Atharv Srivastava with the wins for the Jaguars, while Archie Giles and Spencer Giles were undefeated in the Hutton Hammerheads’ 5-0 win at the Hutton Hornets.
Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Jaguars 15 points (from 3 matches), 2: Chelmsford Panthers 15 points (3 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2D
Buttsbury Bats moved to the top of division 2D with a 4-1 win and in doing so handed the Chelmsford Pumas their first loss of the season - Zac Berry won both of his games while teammate Ethan Ferris took the deciding game 11-9 in his clash with Hari Gumbeer. Amelie Lucas and Georgiana Major both won twice as the Chelmsford Lions beat the Buttsbury Bees 5-0 - Major won the deciding game against Rayhan Sudheer by a nail biting 13-11.
Standings CJL 2D: 1: Buttsbury Bats 12 points (from 3 matches), 2: Hutton Hares 10 points (3 matches)
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
