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

New signing, Great Britain Paralympian David Wetherill, helped Brixham Sharks to the top of the First Division. Two fine victories in 3 days by the Sharks has given them a seven point advantage over their rivals Torbay Academy I. Both David Wetherill & Stam Kioufis were unbeaten in their whitewash over an understrength Dawlish Aces and in their 7-3 victory over third-placed NA Batmen. The Academy, with a game still in hand, and with Kris Piwowar & Patrik Cincala maximums, kept the pressure on with an 8-2 victory over Halwell. Halwell also lost out 8-2, to a strong Dawlish Aces side, Rory Harries & Giles Tushingham with maximums for the Aces. There was a fine draw by basement side Torbay Academy II at Brixham Gulls, and Connor Adams was in top form, gaining a maximum for his NA Buzzards side, but they were also held to a draw at Brixham, against the Trawlers.

Battlers had a fine 8-2 win over title rivals N A Eagles, with Keith Hawkins & Ed Thompson gaining maximums for the Battlers, who lead the Second Division by 11 points with just 2 games to go. Second- placed Taverners, with Geoff Read & Colin Harrop unbeaten, comfortably saw off Marldon Tykes 9-1.  Marldon beat Brixham Pirates 7-3 with help from a Dave Atkin maximum; the Pirates also came unstuck at Torre against Torbay Academy III, this time losing 6-4, with Dave Wills unbeaten for the Academy side.  Marldon picked up a second win in the week over Brixham teams, this time out Graham Holmes was unbeaten as Marldon defeated the Imports 7-3.

The Third Division clash between the side 24 points ahead at the top, Denbury Tykes, and the team 24 points adrift at the foot, Brixham Swifts, went to form, with a comfortable 10-0 win for the Tykes.  Dawlish Diamonds, in second place, saw off club mates Drifters 7-3; the match included a titanic 5-game battle between 2 players with a combined age of 159. The more experienced 82 year old Frank Frain proving too much for the ‘spring chicken’, Don Beesley to win 11-8 in the 5^th game. Dave Friend’s maximum was not enough to prevent his Brixham Rebels side going down 6-4 to Hasbeens.

Another top of the table v bottom of the table match in the Fourth Division resulted in Torbay Academy IV stretching their lead with a whitewash over the battling, and improving youngsters, NA Owls. The Academy side also saw off Torre Nadoes 8-2, with Karol Lapa & Jerry Hollings getting maximums in both matches. The Torre Nadoes had better luck at Newton Abbot against the Kestrels winning 6-4, with League sponsor, Robert Excell gaining a maximum for the Torre side.  NA Hawks continued their fine run of form, although they will feel disappointed not to have won over third-placed Brixham Dolphins, where they let a 5-3 lead slip, and must have felt they were strong enough to beat the Shipley brothers in the final doubles, but Stuart & Nick Shipley won in 4 games to claim the draw.

Division 1

Halwell 2 (Atkinson 1, Wadling 1, Sugden 0, Dbls)  Dawlish Aces 8 (Harries 3, Y Tushingham 2, G Tushingham 2, Dbls)

Dawlish Aces 0 (Short 0, Cooper 0, Pustowka 0)  Brixham Sharks 10 (Kioufis 3, Wetherill 3, Shipway 3, Dbls)

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

Brixham Trawlers 5 (Banham 2, Williamson 1, Baron 1, Dbls)  N A Buzzards 5 (Adams 3, Cheung 2, Tyrrell 0)

Brixham Gulls  5 (Millman 2, Mercer 2, Smith 1)  Torbay Academy II (Furgol 2, Perkins 1, Wills 1, Dbls)

Brixham Sharks 7 (Kioufis 3, Wetherill 3, Shipway 0, Dbls) N A Batmen 3 (D Gibbs 1, S Gibbs 1, Halse 1)

Division 2

Brixham Pirates 3 (Deakin 2, Johns 1, Mercer 0)  Marldon 7 (Atkin 3, Holmes 2, Breyley 1, Dbls)

Taverners 9 (Read 3, Harrop 3, Tyrrell 2, Dbls)  Marldon Tykes 1 (Dilkes 1, Garner 0, Hern 0)

Marldon 7 (Holmes 3, Glover 2, Breyley 1, Dbls)  Brixham Imports 3 (Slocombe 2, T Haggerty 1, P Haggerty 0)

Torbay Academy III 6 (Wills 3, Perry 1, Cincalova 1, Dbls)  Brixham Pirates 4 (Johns 2, Deakin 2, Mercer 0)

Battlers 8 (Hawkins 3, Thomson 3, Nicholson 2)  N A Eagles 2 (McIvor 1, Long 0, Morgan 0, Dbls)

Division 3

Brixham Swifts 0 (Duckett 0, K Andrews 0, T Andrews 0)  Denbury Tykes 10 (Dilkes 3, Metcalfe 3, P Darch 3, Dbls)

Dawlish Drifters 3 (Beck 1, Tudball 1, Beesley 1)  Dawlish Diamonds 7 (Davies 3, Frain 2, Rabbage 1, Dbls)

Brixham Rebels 4 (Friend 3, Parton 0, Atkinson 0, Dbls)  Hasbeens 6 (Smallshaw 2, Fitzgerald 2, Alexander 2)

Division 4

N A Kestrels 4 (Bastow 2, Robins 2, Walmsley 0) Torre Nadoes 6 (Excell 3, A Davies 1, E Davies 1, Dbls)

Torbay Academy IV  8 )Lapa 3, Hollings 3, Bonfante 1, Dbls)  Torre Nadoes 2 (Excell 1, A Davies 1, Ryan 0)

Brixham Dolphins 5 (N Shipley 2, Gilpin 1, S Shipley 1, Dbls)  N A Hawks 5 (Webster-Hall 3, Strickland 2, Graham 0)

N A Owls 0 (D Bayliss 0, R Bayliss 0, Hiles 0)  Torbay Academy IV 10 (Lapa 3, Hollings 3, Bonfante 3, Dbls)