MATCH REPORT 19 NOVEMBER 2014
ABC ARBORISTS NARROW THE GAP IN DIVISION ONE
The three top teams in each division of the DLP Adapted Bathrooms sponsored Isle of Man Table Tennis League all won emphatically to consolidate their positions. However, ABC Arborists moved a point closer to Copy Shop A in the First Division after beating Foxdale 9-0. In Division Two top placed Travellers B beat third placed Surestrike Ramsey A 8-2 who have now fallen seven points behind Peel A. Surestrike Ramsey C increased their lead in Division Three to four points over Victory Roll Saints who lost two games in their match with the girls from Copy Shop E.
DIVISION ONE
Copy Shop A (8) Travellers A (1)
The league leaders looked likely to land all the spoils but Stu Douglas used a borrowed bat to baffle Jane Kneale and pick up a point for Travellers. Other than that Copy Shop dropped just one set as they coasted to their ninth consecutive win. It was Stu Mason who stole the odd set, 12/10 against Sean Drewry. Young Jack Nelson from the Third Division was substituting for Travellers so Drewry, Kneale and Ewan Watterson all blocked the ball back enabling Nelson to practice his smashes.
ABC Arborists (9) Foxdale A (0)
Just one game got to a fourth set as 2nd placed Arborists quickly disposed of 6th placed Foxdale and moved to within five points of top spot. Mike Tamarov, John Magnall and Jason Quirk both kept clean sheets against Andy McLarney and Ken Mitchell. Foxdale’s Will Bayley came closest to a win when he lost 10/12, 9/11, 10/12 to Quirk as, although he took Tamarov to the fourth set, he capitulated 3/11.
Breakaway A (4) Tower A (5)
Paul Corran secured yet another hat-trick for 4th placed Breakaway, but they now share it jointly with Tower who won this match by the narrowest of margins. Breakaway’s fourth point came courtesy of Aaron Faragher who beat Graham McFarlane in straight sets. Tower’s Paul Kozlowski and Mike Bayley both beat Faragher and his team-mate Keeran Chan who then went down 5/11, 11/13, 11/4, 12/14 in a ding-dong dual with McFarlane.
DIVISION TWO
Travellers B (8) Surestrike Ramsey A (2)
In a titanic tussle Rhys Yardley inflicted a rare defeat on Colin Brown of top placed Travellers. Yardley won 12/10, 8/11, 9/11, 11/5, 11/9 but couldn’t repeat the feat against Paul Nelson or Gary Shilling who narrowly won their match 11/9 in the final set. Neither Wael Kassim nor Jack Yardley really troubled the Travellers so Surestrike had to wait until the doubles to secure their second point. Kassim and Rhys Yardley won that in straight sets which helped keep Surestrike 3rd in the league three points clear of Copy Shop B who had no match scheduled.
Peel A (8) Tower B (2)
2nd placed Peel stopped the rot having lost their last two matches. Malc Lewis had back-to- back hat-trick deciders; this week meeting and beating Steve Curtis who bagged a brace for 5th placed Tower by blocking out Maggie Mulhern and Matty Evans who were on two apiece. Tower’s Yanchun Wang lost a tie breaker 10/12 and Simon Radcliffe grabbed a couple of consolation sets but there was real disappointment in the doubles where Curtis and Radcliffe pulled back from two sets down only to lose 4/11, 10/12, 11/9, 11/6, 9/11.
Peel B (6) Travellers D (4)
These two sides are fighting to get clear of the drop zone. Just one point separated them in the league, but Peel B extended this to three with two wins each for Nathan Evans, Harry Walters and Sasha Thomas over Alex Buck and Juan Moore Snr. They were denied hat-tricks by Travellers’ Juan Moore Jnr who secured his own, notably beating Evans 12/10, 8/11, 11/8, 7/11, 11/9 in the opening match and he remained undefeated by also winning the doubles with Buck.
Surestrike Ramsey B (4) Travellers C (6)
Tim Baker maintained his unbeaten record for 6th placed Surestrike Ramsey B and together with Carl Blatcher they delivered the doubles. However, Blatcher and substitute Frank Feeney found Travellers’ Jackie Gill, Maurice Campbell and Adrian Tinkler just too experienced. Although Blatcher snatched a set from Tinkler the Travellers’ player went on to win 11/7, 11/5, 7/11, 11/9. Their narrow victory moved Travellers to within two points of Surestrike B in the league.
Copy Shop C (10) Tower C (0)
Copy Shop C leapt clear of the drop zone with this whitewash of Tower who look likely to topple out of Division Two. Heather Kennett and Owen Cutajar didn’t win a set but Margaret Forsyth won three to no avail. Her first was against Max Walker and the others put Forsyth 2-1 up in sets against Pedro Cardoso who responded to his coach’s timely advice and went on to win 11/6, 5/11, 8/11, 11/5, 13/11. Malcolm Lambert sat out of the doubles so that Walker and Cardoso could take on the ladies.
DIVISION THREE
Surestrike Ramsey C (10) Surestrike Ramsey E (0)
Matthew Emison looked like landing a shock result for the E team when he went two sets ahead of his C team club-mate Billy Cain, but Cain bounced back to win 9/11, 6/11, 11.5, 11/5, 11/7. With nothing to lose, Emison, Tyler Hannay and Jack Craik went on the attack. However, the league leaders Kerenza Baker, Frank Feeney and Cain were able to weather the storm and move four points clear of 2nd placed Victory Roll Saints.
Copy Shop E (2) Victory Roll Saints (8)
Matt Harvey didn’t drop a set in the singles or the doubles against the Copy Shop girls. His team-mates Rob Campbell and Matty Kelly had a tougher time. Campbell lost in straight sets to Pat Halliwell and had to overcome a two sets deficit in order beat Freya Melvin 11/6 in their final frame. Kelly lost to Melvin in four sets but left Libby Quaggin without a win. Then Kelly just edged through 9/11, 11/4, 11/7, 7/11, 14/12 against the remarkable Halliwell who is 76 years young.
Copy Shop D (6) Breakaway B (4)
Zac Walker was once again a hat-trick hero for 3rd placed Copy Shop D. Super sub Kitty Thomas stepped in with two more points by beating Kieran Lane and Jack Christian. After losing to Lane, Kyle Dodd finished off the job for Copy Shop recovering from two sets down against Christian to win 10/12, 2/11, 16/14, 16/14, 11/7. In a very tight match Steve Walters lost 6/11 in the final frame against Walker but won his other two singles for Breakaway and then combined with Christian to convert the doubles.
MALCOLM LAMBERT
