Division One of the Creative Digital Printing Ltd Table Tennis League again looks likely to be the most keenly fought Division with all teams quite capable of making a promotion challenge. Setting the early pace are Pontesbury’s B and C teams with both teams locked on 14 points but only the C are amongst the three teams in the Division currently with an 100% winning record. Pontesbury B started their campaign off in emphatic style with a comfortable 9-1 win over Rushbury A with Paul Richards and Bill Moran both remaining unbeaten with Rushbury’s solitary point coming with a win for Chris Griffiths over Steve Chapman. Next time out Pontesbury could have been forgiven for a bit of complacency as they made the trip to Rushbury B looking to equal or if not better that opening result. Any complacency would have quickly vanished as Moran lost the opening match in four sets to Ian Pennington and the villagers knew they would have a fight on their hands. They knuckled down and won the next four before Pennington, the player of the match, got Rushbury back into with another win. At 4-2 to the visitors the next match proved pivotal in the eventual outcome and this saw the underrated Fred Robinson take on Chapman and it was Robinson who stormed out of the starting blocks as he won the first two sets, 6 and 1. Chapman was not going to give in and, thanks to a moment of good sportsmanship from Robinson following a controversial umpiring decision, as he requested the umpire to deduct two points from his score and without doing so he would have seen him on the brink of victory, Chapman managed to win the third 13-11 and added to Robinson’s woes in winning the next to take them to a final set decider. Robinson though regained the momentum and took the fifth to further close the gap to 3-4. The gap was back to two after Richards defeated Bryn Robinson and it looked like Pontesbury were going to clinch a narrow win but Fred Robinson won his second of the night to leave the match 4-5 going into the final match between Pennington and Chapman. Rushbury were not to be denied a share of the spoils as a composed performance saw Pennington home in three to leave his side with a thoroughly deserved draw.

Pontesbury C recorded two 7-3 wins in their first two league matches, the first being on a trip to Rushbury A where three wins each from Richard Hunt and Darrell Corfield saw them home to a fairly comfortable win. The second was far from regulation as only one match in their tussle with Cricket Club E was settled in three sets, leading the team to victory was reserve Ken Pratt as he won his three and he was supported by Hunt who won two, they also combined to win the doubles. Paul Davies chipped in with one for Pontesbury and he did it the hard way fighting back from two sets down to defeat Dave Gwilliams in five. Gwilliams the hard luck story of the night in that he played extremely well before losing his three all in final set deciders.

Unison B also have a 100% winning record as they made it two from two with a 7-3 win over Leebotwood B. In an all-round team display Dilwyn Pryce, Keith Tabner and Mike Chidlow each won two with Pryce and Chidlow also winning the doubles. The Unison trio did not have any answer to Leebotwood’s own marathon man, Nick Holmes. Holmes was inspired to win his three, all being decided in the final set.

Pontesbury A, looking to bounce back to the Premier at the first attempt following their relegation, also have a winning, albeit from one match played. That win came against Cricket Club E with Colin Sayce remaining unbeaten, he was aided by Adrian Gwilliam and Pete Worrall who both won two, as did Gary Brown for the cricketers.