Consecutive weeks of no scheduled fixtures and an enforced fixture postponement due to the storm meant that no action took place in the top flight of the Doric Insurance sponsored senior leagues between 18 October and 8 November.
Whistlers A made no mistakes on the resumption as they struck a decisive blow over one of their title rivals, Lions A, in a result which leaves them with a healthy 5 point lead.
Whistlers A were edged out by defending champions Lions A last season, however they find themselves in a strong position at the top of the table following their crucial 6-4 triumph over the Lions side last time out. Joshua Stacey is top of the averages and proved instrumental in securing this victory. He defeated Matt Stubbington in 4 sets, Liam Robilliard in straight sets and Josh Butler in 5 sets. The latter encounter against Butler was key as it was the final match of the evening. Butler was playing some fine table tennis and had led 2-1 before Stacey forced the deciding end. Butler held a match point at 10-9 where a promising backhand attack was placed into the net and Stacey hung tight and edged through 14-12. Joseph Bourgaize is having an exceptionally strong season thus far and he continued his good form here with 2 key wins. He beat Butler in straight sets before finishing his night with a 4-set win over Stubbington. It was left to Matthew Casey to secure the pivotal 6th rubber and he did so during his first match of the night in which he battled past Butler in 4 sets. For the defeated Lions side, Robilliard defeated Bourgaize in straight sets and Casey in 5 sets, whilst Stubbington overcame Casey in 4 sets. The doubles was won by Robilliard and Butler over Stacey and Casey in 5 sets.
Lions C edged past Lions B 6-4 in a result that means there are 3 sides occupying joint 3rd spot with 5 points. The sides in question are Lions B, Lions A and Lions C. The C side were led to victory by Phil Ogier who put in an evening of strong performances. His best win came over Ben Foss, in a result which was the opposite of the one just 2 evenings prior in the semi-finals of the Whistlers Open Singles, an event won by Foss. In their prior meeting Foss had edged the deciding 5th set 11-9, but on this occasion, it was Ogier that secured the tight final end, although this one was much lengthier as it was clinched 16-14. His other wins on the night came over Jamie Ferbrache and Nye Matthew in straight sets, whilst he also combined well with Jez Powell to defeat Foss and Ferbrache in 4 sets in the doubles match. Powell made sure of the victory due to his 4-set win over Ferbrache and straight sets win over Matthew. Each of the beaten B side's players defeated Charlotte Casey in singles action, whilst Foss added a further straight sets win over Powell.
The hunt for the first win of the season continues to go begging for Lions E and Whistlers B as their bottom of the table clash ended as a 5-5 stalemate, with the Whistlers side fighting back from 5-3 down to salvage a point. Lawrence Stacey proved to be key for the Whistlers side's success as he won all 3 of his singles matches on the night. This was however not plain sailing as it saw him needing to dig deep in all of his matches. He beat Paul Hainsworth and Ellis Tomlin in 4 sets, however it was his initial match of the night against Andy Gill which was the hardest. He looked to have everything under control when he comfortably won the first 2 sets for the loss of just 8 points, however in a peculiar match there was a huge swing which saw Gill take the next 2 for the loss of just 10 points. Gill maintained the momentum in the deciding end and was on the brink when leading 10-6. Stacey battled very well and stuck in a few big points which enabled him to turn the tide and edge through 12-10. Mark Pipet and Shelby Timms each picked up 4 set wins over the Lions 2nd Division reserve Ellis Tomlin to earn the draw. For the Lions side both Hainsworth and Gill defeated Pipet and Timms in singles action. Hainsworth however had a tough tussle with Pipet in the match opener which saw some strong table tennis played by both players. Pipet held a match point at 10-9 in the deciding end, but Hainsworth stuck around and managed to edge past 12-10. The important doubles rubber was won emphatically by Hainsworth and Gill over Stacey and Timms in straight sets.
Whistlers E remain the team to beat at the top, although they only just edged through their prior 2 x fixtures, both by a narrow 6-4 scoreline. Victories in both fixtures were only possible due to vital wins picked up by reserves.
Their first win came over St Pauls A in a match which saw Craig Dunning preserve his 100% singles record. He defeated Gary Wilcocks, Trevor Bourgaize and Terry Trustum without dropping a set. Reserve Henri Whitehorne had a blinder and contributed to 2 excellent victories on the night. He beat Wilcocks in 4 sets before defeating Bourgaize in straight sets. Tim Le Page unexpectedly lost his 3 singles matches, however he did play a key part in the important doubles rubber, where alongside Dunning they beat Trustum and Bourgaize in 4 sets.
Their victory this week came against Whistlers C in a fixture which saw Dunning lose his 100% singles record. Martin Sarre was the individual to inflict defeat on Dunning in 4 sets and he also beat Tim Le Page in 4 sets and reserve Ken Falla in 5 sets, in a match which he had trailled 2-0. Unfortunately for Sarre, the only other victory obtained by his team was from nephew Stuart's 5 set win over Falla, however they came mightily close in a number of other matches. Stuart led Le Page 2-1 before losing out in 5 sets, whilst brother Darren, reserving from the 3rd Division, was edged in 5 by Falla. The doubles was another match to escape the C side as Martin and Stuart lost in 5 sets to Dunning and Le Page in a match which they had led 2-1.
Whistlers D are second in the table, although they have played a match more than Lions F, who are level on points. These two sides met in a clash which saw an unexpected 8-2 win obtained by the Lions side. The nature of the result was strange in that it saw Kay Chivers lose 2 singles matches in the encounter, whilst she had lost just once prior to this fixture. Ellis Tomlin and Caden Brouard were the players to inflict the defeats on Chivers, with Tomlin doing so in straight sets and Brouard doing it the hard way by battling back from 2-0 down to win in 5 sets. The duo also picked up wins over Keith Opie and reserve Derek Webb on the night to ensure the win was obtained. James Crocker also impressed due to a 5 set singles win over Opie and a straight sets win over Webb, but he was defeated by Chivers in straight sets in the final match of the night. The doubles was won by Chivers and Opie over Brouard and Crocker in 4 sets.
The highly anticipated top of the table clash between Ravenscroft Panthers C and Lions J was one of the storm impacted postponed fixtures, which means they won't meet until later in the season now. As a result the 2 sides continue with their relentless 100% winning records so far this season.
The closest matches either side has had over the past 2 x fixtures was Lions J's narrow 6-4 win over Lions I in a match which saw Steve Potter unbeaten for the I side. Potter beat Luke Evans and Andy Ozanne in 4 sets before finishing with a nice straight sets win over Aiden Ozanne. Potter ensured his unbeaten evening was completed when he teamed with Jenny Powell to edge out Aiden and Evans in 5 sets in the doubles rubber, however his side were unable to pick up any further wins on the night.
The top of the table clash between the unbeaten Lions O and Ravenscroft Panthers F sides ended in a comfortable 7-3 win for the Lions side, who now hold a 4 point advantage at the top, albeit having played a match more than their title rivals.
