DIVISION TWO AND THREE PROMOTION PLAYOFF

BREAKAWAY PROMOTED AT PEEL’S EXPENSE

The talented youngsters from Peel B had finished second to bottom of Division Two in the IOMTTA league, and so found themselves in the relegation zone just a year after having been promoted. Their fate would be decided in a play-off against Breakaway B from Division Three. Breakaway had been unlucky to finish second in their division having thrashed the league winners, Copy Shop C, 7-3 in the penultimate week of the season. Unfortunately, some of their earlier results had been adversely influenced by player unavailability.

Both teams were at full strength for the play-off which took place at Centre 21. Breakaway’s player/coach Chris Kewley has competed in the First Division, so it was no surprise that he didn’t drop a set in this crucial encounter.

Ben Christian, who is nearly back to full fitness, also hit a hat-trick for the ebullient boys from Breakaway.  His score against Matty Evans went unrecorded, but he was stretched to five sets by both Ashley Reid and Vishal Patel. In fact, the scorecard indicates that Patel won their last set 11/8 but, apparently, that was another administrative oversight.

What is clear is that the Division Three individual knockout title holder, Aaron Faragher, played brilliantly to beat Patel 6/11, 12/10, 13/11, 11/9, but could not convert perspiration to points against Reid and Evans.

By all accounts the match result of 8-2 to Breakaway does not do justice to the effort put in by the demoted Peelers. A number of the games were extremely close, including the doubles which finished 13/11 in favour of the newly promoted Breakaway B.

Well done Breakaway, and hard luck Peel; no doubt you will try to boomerang back next season.

MALCOLM LAMBERT