COPY SHOP NOW 17 POINTS CLEAR OF ABC ARBORISTS

In the First Division of the DLP Adapted Bathrooms sponsored Isle of Man Table Tennis League the defending champions Copy Shop A moved 17 points clear of ABC Arborists who have a game in hand.  Down in the relegation zone Travellers A and Zurich Spinners both lost but they stay above Foxdale who had a free week.

Second–placed Copy Shop B squandered points by unfortunately turning up a player short in Division Two where the leaders Travellers B had another rest week but are ten points clear with two games in hand. Peel B were the recipients of the walk-over points from Copy Shop and this helped them move four points clear of Travellers D who are in the relegation zone along with Tower C.

It was a similar story in Division Three where the leaders Surestrike Ramsey C met Copy Shop E who were weakened by illness and this helped Surestrike extend their lead to four points over Victory Roll Saints who could only beat bottom placed Junior Development 7-3.

DIVISION ONE

Travellers A (2) Tower A (7)

Last week Paul Nelson was Travellers’ super substitute. This week it was Colin Brown from Division Two table toppers Travellers B who walked off with the wins for his sixth-placed top division A team. Brown beat Dave Parsons and Mike Bayley but they were more fortunate against Stu Mason and Stu Douglas who were both beaten 10/12 in the final frame of their respective encounters. Hard hitting left hander Paul Kozlowski had no such issues in smashing a hat-trick for fourth-placed Tower.

Copy Shop A (9) Breakaway A (0)

Captain Paul Corran was unavailable for fifth-placed Breakaway and top placed Copy Shop took full advantage of his absence. Keeran Chan and Aaron Faragher both took a set off of Ewan Watterson but neither they nor Ben Christian looked like purloining a point against Watterson, Jane Kneale or Sean Drewry who helped the league leaders move 17 points clear of ABC Arborists who had a free week and now have a game in hand.

Zurich Spinners (0) Strathallan A (9)

Third-placed Strathy took all the points from their seventh-placed opponents who remain in the relegation zone three points behind Travellers A. Multi-talented Nigel Beattie almost pinched a point for Zurich Spinners having pulled himself back from two sets down only to lose to the equally athletic Hadyn McLarney 7/11, 14/16, 11/9, 11/9, 10/12. Colin Barron lost in straight sets whereas Tommy Cowin took Julian Briercliffe and Andy Patterson to a fourth set.  

DIVISION TWO

Travellers D (3) Surestrike Ramsey A (7)

A doubles win plus a hat-trick from Rhys Yardley helped Surestrike Ramsey’s A team retain third-place. His doubles partner Wael Kassim beat Juan Moore Snr and Alex Buck but came unstuck against Juan Moore Jnr. Moore also won his encounter with Jack Craik who bounced back to disappoint Juan’s father 10/12, 8/11, 11/9, 11/3, 11/9. Craik was not so fortunate against Alex Buck who broke his duck in this match for tenth-placed Travellers by taking Craik 13/11 in their last leg.

Surestrike Ramsey B (6) Tower B (4)

A nice neat scorecard with no match going beyond three sets but this obscures the topsy-turvy nature of the match. Fifth-place Surestrike B never got more than a point ahead until the doubles which hat-trick hero Tim Baker and his daughter, Kerenza, won 11/2, 11/5, 12/10 against Steve Curtis and Simon Radcliffe who both bagged a brace by beating Kerenza and Carl Blatcher in the singles. Substitute Kerenza and Blatcher played their part in toppling eighth-placed Tower B by both beating Yanchun Wang.

Peel B (3) Copy Shop B (6)

Due to poor communication second-placed Copy Shop B presented relegation zoned Peel B with three valuable points by turning up a player short. Rob Sim and Vishal Patel had to work hard for their wins against Sasha Thomas, Nathan and Harry Walters but by far the closest match was the doubles which Thomas and Walters narrowly lost 11/9, 9/11, 11/8, 7/11, 11/13.

Copy Shop C (4) Travellers C (6)  

Sixth-placed Copy Shop C are now just two points ahead of their opponents who won the decisive doubles 11/8, 4/11, 3/11, 12/10, 12/10 having survived several match points. Traveller’s Adrian Tinkler and Maurice Campbell got two apiece by out-chopping Max Walker and Kevin Drewry. Jackie Gill added another by outfoxing Drewry. Copy Shop responded with a Malcolm Lambert hat-trick and a fine top-spinning win by Walker over Gill.

Tower C (1) Peel A (9)

Margaret Forsyth has had some ding-dong battles with IoMTTA chairman Maggie Mulhern over the years and ended 2014 on a high by beating her 14/12, 11/6, 7/11, 11/9. That was it for bottom placed Tower as Mulhern came back from two sets down to pip Mike Chapman 11/9 in their fifth set and although Matt Evans and Malc Lewis had some other close calls they completed their hat-tricks for third-placed Peel A with wins over Heather Kennett. 

DIVISION THREE

Surestrike Ramsey C (10) Copy Shop E (0)

Copy Shop’s player/coach Pat Halliwell was unfortunately indisposed so Leo Doyle from the Junior Development squad was invited to make a guest appearance for the sixth-placed side. Billy Cain, Kerenza Baker and Frank Feeney ensured that top-placed Surestrike Ramsey C had an early night by winning their matches against Kitty Thomas and Sophie Short in straight sets. However, young Doyle showed his potential by extending Baker to a fourth set although he lost 6/11, 11/8, 3/11, 7/11.

Junior Development (3) Victory Roll Saints (7)

The top team can thank the Junior Development squad for enabling them to move four points clear of second placed Victory Roll Saints. JD’s Tiernan Garvey confidently took points off Rob Campbell and Dean Greenland who also lost to Cameron Dudley. Josh Dudley looked like matching his brother’s achievement but Greenland held on to win 11/8, 9/11, 11/6, 8/11, 11/3. The Saints marched on to take the doubles and remain the only unbeaten side in the division.

Peel C (5) Surestrike Ramsey D (5)

Jack Yardley hit a hat-trick for eighth-placed Surestrike Ramsey D and Dylan Yardley ensured the draw by beating Tom Noble and Mason Prince who had defeated his brother Alex. However, Alex almost achieved victory for Ramsey in a marathon match with Corin Haddock who had earlier beaten Dylan in straight sets. It could hardly have been closer as Haddock landed the point for Peel 12/14, 11/7, 12/10, 9/11, 13/11 and then joined Noble to deliver the draw by winning the doubles against Alex and Dylan.