The 2023-24 season of the Hastings and District Table Tennis league has been a particularly successful one for Tackleway Table Tennis Club. Occupying five of the six top-two positions across the three divisions would seem to justify the review of team composition which took place during the summer break. Added to this, fielding eleven teams, up from eight in the previous season, reflects well on the recruitment and coaching initiatives made by the club over the last couple of years.
This is how our teams fared across the three senior divisions this season.
Division One – 2 teams
Tackleway Aruna finished as runners-up to champions Bexhillians B in division one. The team consisted of captain James Gorridge, John Boreham, Arthur Bracken, Simon Phillipz and Kevin McEwan.
Tackleway Aruna got off to a sluggish start but ended strongly, winning all their last eight matches - a run which included becoming the only side to beat the champions. They also finished as runners-up in the Division One doubles league.
Tackleway Boll finished fifth in division one. The team consisted of captain Michael Funnell, Roy Funnell, Steve Hickey, Roger Pingram and Sue Pingram.
Tackleway Boll finished in a comfortable mid-table position, a crucial mid-season victory over Bexhillians A keeping them clear of the relegation places.
Division Two – 3 teams
Tackleway Chuquin finished as division two champions. The team consisted of captain Kevin Rowe, Adrian Goodrum, Danny Rickaby and Jacob McCarthy.
Tackleway Chuqin took their place at the top of the table thanks to a crushing win over Hastings Academy B in mid-November and never looked back. Their only defeat came in their penultimate league match against stable mates Tackleway Erlich.
Tackleway Erlich finished as runners-up in division two. The team consisted of captain Aaron Pain, Sachin Davis and George Gorokhov.
Tackleway Erlich recovered from losing all three of their November fixtures to go unbeaten until the end of the season. They secured second spot with that memorable victory over Tackleway Chuqin in late March.
Tackleway Drinkhall finished sixth in division two. The team consisted of captain Keith Lindsay, Dimitar Pachev, Michael Charter, Sophie Urban & Muhammad Ali Kiani.
Tackleway Drinkhall overcame Michael’s frequent unavailability to have a steady mid-table season. Never at risk of promotion or relegation, they picked up points from every fixture bar two - those being against the top two teams mentioned above.
Division Three – 6 teams
Tackleway Freitas finished as division three champions. The team consisted of captain Thomas Mann, Max Foster, Eden Vogel, Matt Gilman and Beau Larkin.
Tackleway Freitas were worthy champions. The runaway leaders from start to finish, superbly led by Thomas Mann who won all forty-five of his singles contests. A narrow defeat to Bexhillians H in their penultimate match was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect season for the team.
Tackleway Gaoyuan finished as runners-up in division three. The team consisted of captain Martin Woodward, Stuart Batchelor, John Quintos and Andy Holmes.
Tackleway Gaoyuan had a strong first half of the season which saw them hot on the heels of the leaders. Although performances tailed off a little after the Christmas break, they still had enough quality to secure second place with a match to spare.
Tackleway Ito finished fourth in division three. The team consisted of captain Chris Floyd, Phil Talbot, Peter Lilja and Andy Brown.
Tackleway Ito are clinging on to an excellent fourth place finish at the time of writing, but if results go against them tonight they may drop to fifth. Regardless, the twelve points from their final three matches saw them end the season with a flourish. They also finished as joint winners of the Division Three doubles league with Tackleway Harimoto.
Tackleway Harimoto finished sixth in division three. The team consisted of captain Stephen Milton, Josh Smith, Chris Embury and Dominic Bigg.
Tackleway Harimoto flew out of the blocks at the start of the season, setting the pace until they came up against the eventual champions. They then settled into a mid-table position, too good for the teams below them but never quite challenging for the promotion places. They also finished as joint winners of the Division Three doubles league with Tackleway Ito.
Tackleway Karlsson finished ninth in division three. The team consisted of captain Nigel Hobbs, Ian Edwards, Colin Marsden, Shahriar Mazandi, James Harrison, Amalina Gorridge and Ben Profit.
Tackleway Karlsson did superbly to avoid the wooden spoon in their debut season as not one member of the squad had any prior league experience. Although they used more players than any of the other teams, they maintained a good level of performance which will stand each player in good stead as they look to the next season.
Tackleway Jingkun finished tenth in division three. The team consisted of captain Peter Agar, Derek Goodsell and Mike Cruttenden.
Tackleway Jingkun were the team who benefitted little from the reorganisation of the playing personnel as they lost their strongest player from the previous season and were unable to replace him. Despite this, they approached each match with vigour and optimism and deserved to savour their solitary victory against Tackleway Karlsson.
If you are interested in joining one of our teams, or developing your game with our coaching team, please get in touch.
