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

With just a handful of games left to play across the Divisions, all the major League issues have now been settled.  NA Falcons 10-0 win over clubmates the Owls confirmed the Falcons as 4^th Division champions. With Torbay Academy V completing their fixtures ahead of schedule it was down to the Falcons, (Tom Nicotra, Lee Passmore, Derek Stratton & Bernard Bretagne), to claw back in their final 3 matches sufficient points to overtake the Academy’s 20-point lead; this was comfortably achieved by the Falcons. Brixham Dolphins virtually confirmed their 3^rd place with an 8-2 win over Torbay Academy V, Nick Shipley with another maximum for the Dolphins.  NA Hawks continued their fine run of form defeating stablemates the Kestrels 7-3.

N A Falcons – Lee Passmore, Tom Nicotra, Bernard Bretagne, Derek Stratton

Dawlish Aces put out 2 completely different teams for their final two matches in Division 1, Short, Crawford & Cooper lost 7-3 to champions Torbay Academy I, while Harries & the Tushinghams defeated Brixham Trawlers 9-1. The Trawlers also suffered a defeat at the hands of Torbay Academy II 8-2, with the Academy side reversing a 9-1 defeat by the Trawlers at Brixham earlier in the campaign. In the process, the Academy picked up their first ‘win’, in their last match of the season.

Taverners wrapped up the runners-up spot, behind the Battlers, with a 9-1 victory at Brixham over the Imports.  NA Eagles finished 3^rd also with a 9-1 win over a Brixham team, the Swallows. The Eagles’ Mike Coxhead returned from injury to record a maximum, as did  Jim McIvor.

Although top, runners-up and bottom places have been decided in Division 3, it is very close throughout the rest of the division and climbing up the table is a real possibility for several teams. Champions Denbury Tykes beat Brixham Rebels 8-2, Pat Darch gained a maximum for the Tykes, with Dave Friend getting the Rebels’ 2 points. Runners-up Dawlish Diamonds convincingly beat third-placed Torre Warriors 9-1, with Dave Davies of the Diamonds completing the season unbeaten.  Brixham Diamonds, with games in hand, should be eyeing up 3^rd place.

Division 1

Brixham Trawlers 1 (Banham 1, Williamson 0, Slocombe 0) Dawlish Aces 9 (Harries 3, Y Tushingham 3, G Tushingham 2, Dbls)

Dawlish Aces  3 (Short 2, Crawford 1, Cooper 0) Torbay Academy I  7 (Cincala 3, Wojtowicz 2, Barnett 1, Dbls)

Torbay Academy II  8 (Wills 3, Perkins 2, Ricketts 2, Dbls)  Brixham Trawlers 2 (Banham 2, Maynard 0, Baron 0)

Division 2

Brixham Imports 1 (Stead 1, Beavington 0, T Haggerty 0)   Taverners 9 (Read 3, Harrop 3, Tyrrell 2, Dbls)

N A Eagles 9 (Coxhead 3, McIvor 3, Long 2, Dbls)   Brixham Swallows 1 (Andy Millman 1, Meah 0, Holmes 0)

Division 3

Torre Warriors 4 (Lush 2, Holtham 1, Lavery 0, Dbls)  Dawlish Diamonds 6 (Davies 3, Freeman 2, Frain 1)

Denbury Tykes 8 (P Darch 3, H Darch 2, Dilkes 2, Dbls)   Brixham Rebels 2 (Friend 2, Parton 0, Munns 0)

Dawlish Diamonds 9 (Davies 2, Frain 2, Freeman 1, Dbls, Awarded 3)  Torre Warriors 1 ( Holtham 1, Lavery 0)

Division 4

Brixham Dolphins 8 (N Shipley 3, S Shipley 2, Gilpin 2, Dbls)  Torbay Academy V 2 (Hoare 2, Cooper 0, Neafcy 0)

N A Hawks 7 (Webster-Hall 3, Graham 2, Strickland 2)  N A Kestrels 3 (Robins 2, Walmsley 0, Short 0, Dbls)

N A Falcons 10 (Nicotra 3, Passmore 3, Bretagne 3, Dbls)  N A Owls 0 (R Bayliss 0, D Bayliss 0, Embury 0)

Also this week a brief report from Dennis Gibbs on Exeter Finals night –

The Exeter and District table tennis league season was completed last week, and culminated in Finals Night at Coaver Club, County Hall, Exeter. The Denbury team of Dennis Gibbs, Kevin Nicholls and Shaun Gibbs were there to be presented with the Division One Shield for the seventh time, and Dennis Gibbs and Kevin Nicholls faced each other yet again in the Veterans Final, with Gibbs coming out on top for a record twelfth time. Gibbs had earlier won the Mixed Doubles with Penny Perry for the fifth year in a row and his twelfth Mixed title. The seventy spectators were rewarded with one of the best Men's Singles Finals for many years, between Dawid Gawron and the quickly-improving 16 yr old Edward Haskell. Ed had just travelled back from an England training camp and was too quick for Dawid in the first game. Dawid, however, was not to be denied, and won the next three legs using his superior power to take the title for the third successive year. David Conn of West Exe Club won the prestigious Keith Ponting Shield for services to the league.