TRAVELLERS STAY TOP

Travellers increase their slender lead at the top of Division One in the Fun 88 sponsored Table Tennis League. Five points behind are Copy Shop A. With one game to go it looks like a new name will be etched on the winner’s shield.

Tower B take a strong lead in Division Two, with Surestrike Ramsey B and Travellers B still in the mix. Peel A surprisingly lost 10-0 and are all but out of the title race. Their young club-mates Peel B moved off the bottom but are only three points ahead of Copy Shop B and they no longer have a game in hand.

In the Third Division Travellers D lost their unbeaten record to a strengthened Surestrike Ramsey X side which helped top of the table Surestrike Ramsey C move nine points clear. However, Travellers D do have a game in hand. At the bottom Surestrike Ramsey D are definitely relegated with a 52 point gap between themselves and salvation.

Peel C have a ten point advantage over Copy Shop E in Division Four however, Copy Shop have a valuable game in hand.

DIVISION ONE

Strathallan (4) Copy Shop A (5)

The newly crowned senior Top Twelve champion Sean Drewry picked up another hat-trick for the current league champions Copy Shop which was almost matched by Paul Corran.

However, Andy Patterson snatched their match 11/9 in the fifth set, leaving Corran with two wins.

Patterson also secured his other match against Adam Davies and his teammates Mason McLarney and Andy Horne did the same.

Travellers A (9) Tower A (0)

An important, but not unexpected, clean sweep for Travellers with hat-tricks from Mark Johnson, Liam Chan and Malcolm Cummings saw them increase their lead and the top of the division.

Tower A are demoted

but their B team look likely to gain promotion from Division Two so the club will still be represented in the top flight.

DIVISION TWO

Peel A (0) Travellers B (10)

A huge result for Travellers B with Colin Brown, Tommy Cowin and Stu Douglas all collecting three points followed with a win in the doubles from Brown and Cowin. This result moved them into second spot but they are eight points behind Tower B and there are only two fixtures left to play.

Peel B (5) Travellers C (5)

Sasha Thomas started bottom-placed Peel B off with a brace which was matched by Harry Walters with their final point provided by Nathan Evans. Paul Mathieson-Nelson brought fifth-placed Travellers C back with a hat-trick. Alex Buck bagged a point against Evans leaving it to a deciding doubles which Mathieson-Nelson and Dave Buck won in four sets to secure a draw. The result moved Peel B three points ahead of Copy Shop B who had a rest week.

Tower B (6) Surestrike Ramsey B (4)

Tim Baker maintained his unbeaten run for third-placed Surestrike B with a hat-trick

and Chris Holmes added another point to their tally.

Dave Parsons started the comeback for the league leaders with two, followed by another two from Mike Bayley. Then a win from Matt Crabtree left Kerenza Baker with the wooden spoon. Crabtree and Dave Parsons clinched the doubles 7/11, 13/11, 8/11, 11/9, 11/8 to also take the win overall.

DIVISION THREE

Surestrike Ramsey C (6) St Ninian’s A (4)

A no show from St Ninian’s gifted Ramsey three points.

Wendy Hogan won her two remaining matches and Fraser Dametto picked up another for the league leaders.

In response for fourth-placed St Ninian’s Ken Hegarty obtained a brace along with a point from Matt Harvey. The pair also claimed the doubles in straight sets.

Travellers D (4) Surestrike Ramsey X (6)

Travellers D’s unbeaten run has finally ended as a brace from Alan Harding and a point each from Maurice Campbell and Jackie Gill wasn’t enough to keep it alive. Gill almost saved it however she lost 7/11 in the fifth against Dave Bufton, who also beat Campbell.

Former First Division player Daryl Yardley hit a hat-trick for Ramsey and then joined Bufton in the doubles where they notched up a win

against Adrian Tinkler and Harding to take the fixture.

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

A clean sweep for Copy Shop thanks to hat-tricks from Billy Coulter, Chris Aspden and Malcolm Lambert. Coulter and Lambert also obtained a win in the doubles. With this result Leo Tomlinson, Dylan Yardley and his older brother Alex unfortunately boomerang back to Division Four.

DIVISION FOUR

Copy Shop E (10) St Ninian’s B (0)

A disappointing evening for second-placed Copy Shop who were met with no opponents. However, it did mean that they were gifted all ten points which could prove crucial in the closing stages of the season.

IOM JD 2 (2) Copy Shop D (8)

Oliver Ashe secured two for JD2 which was very nearly increased by Lauren Allwright who lost 11/13 in the fifth against Pat Halliwell who had won two for Copy Shop. Kitty Thomas added to this with her usual hat-trick and another two came from Libby Quaggin who also won the doubles alongside Thomas.

IOM JD 1 (0) Peel C (10)

A dominant performance from the league leaders Peel with hat-tricks from Callan Reed, Tiernan Garvey and Louis Faragher although he was pushed to the limit by William Shooter but prevailed 11/9 in the fifth set. Faragher and Garvey also notched up a win in the doubles.

IOM JD North (7) Surestrike Ramsey E (3) 

Glenn Callow bagged a hat-trick and William Dalugdugan secured a further two, one of which ended 12/10 against Lily Byrne. Charlie Callow also netted a point against Victoria Watson. The two Callows also picked up a point in the doubles. For Surestrike Ramsey Stuart Watson pulled back from two sets down to beat Dalugdugan and went on to score a brace. Lily Byrne also obtained a consolation point by beating Charlie in three close sets.

JUAN MOORE

Photos: Malcolm Lambert