Robert Excell Photography-Sponsored South Devon & Torbay Table Tennis League

With first division leaders Newton Abbot Batmen having a week off, Brixham Sharks and Torbay Academy closed the gap at the top.  Brixham Sharks beat their Trawlers side 9-1 whilst the Academy beat Halwell 8-2. Just 5 points separate the top three, then there is a 30 point gap to 4^th placed Halwell.  The fight for survival in the first division saw relegation rivals Newton Abbot Battlers contest a draw with Brixham Trawlers, Alan Maynard getting a maximum for the Trawlers, a result which sent Dawlish Aces back to the foot of the table. A Mark Smith maximum for Brixham Gulls helped his team overcome the Battlers and lift them up to 5^th in the table.

The Second Division is also very close. Two 10-0 victories for leaders Taverners keep them at the top, but Torbay Academy are not letting them out of their sights, having a 10-0 & 9-1 win themselves. Brixham Swallows & Pirates suffered at the hands of the top two, as did Tykes & Torre 21 Up. Third-placed Bishops Academy received a massive setback in their outside chance of challenging the top two, being whitewashed at Marldon. Brixham Pirates came back to form with an 8-2 win over bottom club Dawlish Diamonds.

Torbay Academy III lead the Third Division but have played two more games than handily placed Marldon Badgers. The young, fast-improving Academy side whitewashed Brixham Swifts.  Hasbeens, catching up with their fixtures, closed the gap with the top two with convincing 9-1 wins over Brixham Panthers & Dawlish Dynamos, Hasbeens’ Mike Wickens & Richard Fitzgerald being unbeaten in both matches. Hasbeens also battled for a draw against Brixham Rebels, who at 5-3 up will have been disappointed to have gone away from Bishopsteignton without the win. Richard Johns gained another maximum for the Rebels.   Dawlish Drifters 8-2 win inflicted more damage on bottom team Brixham Dolphins; the Dolphins’ captain, Gareth Gilpin, continues to win the odd game, however 9^th place now looks odds on for the Dolphins.  The Drifters also defeated Brixham’s Swifts side 7-3, Don McConnell getting maximums for the Drifters in both matches.

As the Cup competitions enter the quarter final stage this week, Bishops Academicals booked their place in the last eight of the Dyment Doubles while Newton Bishops did likewise in the Challenge Cup.

Results

Div 1

Torbay Academy I 8 (K Piwowar 3, Cincala 3, Brewer 1, Dbls)  Halwell 2 (Wadling 1, Sugden 1, Atkinson 0)

Battlers 5 (Hawkins 2, Thompson 2, Nicholson 1)  Brixham Trawlers 5 (Maynard 3, Beavington 1, Baron 0, Dbls)

Brixham Trawlers 1 (Maynard 1, Stead 0, Beavington 0)  Brixham Sharks 9 (Johns 3, Dunn 3, Shipway 2, Dbls)

Brixham Gulls 7 (Smith 3, J Millman 2, A Millman 1, Dbls)  Battlers 3 (Thompson 2, Glover 1, Nicholson 0)

Div 2

Taverners  10 (Read 3, Tyrrell 3, Harrop 3, Dbls)  Torre 21 Up 0 (Excell 0, Heathcote 0, Lush 0)

Torbay Academy II 10 (Perkins 3, Furgol 3, Bartlett 3, Dbls)  Tykes 0 (P Darch 0, Ayling 0, Garner 0)

Dawlish Diamonds 2 (Freeman 1, Stratton 0, Frain 0, Dbls)  Brixham Pirates 8 (H Johns 3, R Johns 3, Haggerty 2)

Brixham Pirates 1 (H Johns 1, Haggerty 0, Jones 0)  Torbay Academy II  9  (Furgol 3, Perkins 3, Barnett 2, Dbls)

Brixham Swallows 0 (Millman 0, Slocombe 0, Meah 0)  Taverners 10 (Read 3, Morley 3, Harrop 3, Dbls)

Marldon 10 (Atkin 3, Holmes 3, Oatley 3, Dbls)  Bishops Academicals 0 (Tyrrell 0, Coxhead 0, Stephens 0)

Div 3

Brixham Panthers 1 (Deakin 1, A Brown 0, I Brown 0)  Hasbeens 9 (Fitzgerald 3, Wickens 3, Alexander 2, Dbls)

Brixham Swifts 0  (Daniels 0, Mercer 0, Hodierne 0)  Torbay Academy III  10 (Hastie 3, Cincalova 3, Perry 3, Dbls)

Hasbeens 9 (Wickens 3, Fitzgerald 3, Smallshaw 2, Dbls)  Dawlish Dynamos 1 (Charlesworth 1, Bretagne 0, Passmore 0)

Brixham Dolphins 1 (Gilpin 1, S Shipley 0, N Shipley 0)  Dawlish Drifters 9 (McConnell 3, Copley 3, Kevern 2, Dbls)

Hasbeens 5 (Fitzgerald 2, Alexander 1, Smallshaw 1, Dbls)  Brixham Rebels 5 (R Johns 3, K Salt 2, Atkinson 0)

Dawlish Drifters 7 (McConnell 3, Copley 2, Kevern 1, Dbls)  Brixham Swifts 3 (Daniels 2, Tucker 1, Hodierne 0)

Dyment Doubles

Bishops Academicals 5  Tykes 2

Challenge Cup

Battlers 1  Newton Bishops 5

Division 1

Division 2

Division 3