Natland Dominate the Divisional Shield
The finals of the annual Divisional Shield Competition in the Kendal & District Table Tennis League took place in the Sports Hall at Dallam School in Milnthorpe on Sunday, January 15th. 16 two player teams and 1 three player team competed for the 3 Divisional Shield titles and Natland took the honours, winning 2 of the 3 divisional competitions.
In Division 1, with only 4 teams competing, the Natland A team of Roger Pimblett and Tamas Bacsi, proved too strong for the opposition, winning all 3 of their round robin matches. The runners up, Burton A, with Mike Armishaw and Martin Wakelin, finished as runners up with 2 wins from their 3 matches. Natland A were pushed all the way by both Burton A and Natland B, winning 147-140.5 against Burton A and 152-149 against their own B team, represented by Louise Thompson and Craig James.
7 teams entered the Division 2 event and played initially in 2 round robin groups, one group with 4 teams and one with 3. Dallam A and Natland D finished top of their respective groups, each with a 100% record. The winners of the 2 groups then contested the final, in which the Natland D team of Mick Taylor and Sarah Tyson comfortably defeated the Dallam A team of John Fitzgerald and Thomas Parkinson by 164 points to 139.
With 6 teams entering, the Division 3 competition started with 2 round groups of 3 teams each. Dallam C and Kirkby Stephen D emerged victorious from the 2 groups. In the final, the young and not quite so young combination of Anna Parkinson and the evergreen Norman Philbey, now in his 81st year, were edged out by Kirkby Stephen’s Mike Sunderland and Karl Haygarth by 157.5 points to 147.
The event started at 9.30 and finished at 2.30 and an enjoyable time was had by all. Attentions now switch back to the League competition.
