Results

Division 1 – It was over the hill and far away for Shooting Stars as they travelled across the wilds of the Brendon Hills to play their final match of the season against current champions and in-form Wiveliscombe. Throughout the evening there were some sets where Shooting Stars came close to winning points but failed to capitalise due to a merciless net, meaning the score sheet remained blank. Both player of the match John Edbrooke, and Paul Nutkins, scored maximums for Wiveliscombe, with David Woodland adding 8 points. It was also maximum points in the doubles to give the home side 35 points. Nearing the end of the match the only thing Shooting Stars had won was the toss until Martin Shoots won a fantastic 3 points to save the whitewash. This significant win now places Wiveliscombe in a favourable position to retain their division 1 title this year as they gain the top spot for the first time this season.

Division 2 – Allsorts took on the juniors this week when they entertained House Martyns. The senior side scored steadily but never really got going. Mike Lawrie top scored with 6 points and Andy Godfrey added another 3. With 5 doubles points Allsorts ended the evening with a modest 14 points. House Martyns scored consistently with player of the match Joe Burt scoring the only maximum, closely followed by Jack Lancaster with 8 and Ellie Baker with 5 singles points. The juniors just edged the doubles with 7 points to take their match score to 29.

Barn Boys were back in action at home to Mad Batters in a fairly close contest. Player of the match Steve Palmer scored the only maximum and was well supported by Graham Lamacraft with 7 points. 5 handy doubles points left Barn Boys with a total of 21 for the evening. Mad Batters played more consistently with Matthew Short scoring 7 and Jamie Short and Hamish Cuthbertson scoring 6 points apiece. A further 7 doubles points gave Mad Batters a winning score of 26 points.

Closest match of the week was between Space Invaders and Drifters. For Space Invaders it was rising star Matt Lawrence who provided the initial lift off for the team with 7 points. Jim Stiles boosted the score with 4 and Margo Baker 4 points. A marginal win in the doubles added a further 7 points to take the total to 23. Drifters played equally well with player of the match Dave Smith scoring the only maximum of the evening. Andrew Miles added an excellent 6 and Mike Pretty 5 singles points. Trevor Stockdale was the doubles specialist and his contribution towards the 5 doubles points meant victory for the Drifters by only 2 points. Final score: 25 points.

With only one final match to play it will be a grandstand finish in division 2 with only 6 points between top team Mad Batters and second place Tony’s Troopers. House Martyns are a further 27 points behind but with a game in hand. So its all to play for in the coming week and I look forward to reporting on the final positions in the next report.

CUP:

The quarter final matches have been completed this week....

Gnomads had a convincing win over House Martyns with all players ending the match with gains: Nigel Foster 27, Martin Rant 21 and Eddie Ferris 15 to give Gnomads a win by 63 points.

In a close fought match Tony’s Troopers managed to keep the lead from the very first game to win by only 12 points. Tony Burrows was the star performer with a gain of 29 points, supported by teammate Chris Wickham with 7. Stogumber replied with gains of 13 for David Bryant and 9 for Marcus Short.

There was another convincing win for Wiveliscombe when they visited Drifters. For the home team only Andrew Miles ended with a gain of 5 points against the current and multiple division 1 champions. The final score ended with the home team some 61 points ‘adrift’. The gains for Wiveliscombe came from Paul Nutkins with 44 and David Woodland with 21. 

The Knockout Cup Semi Finals will be competed between:

Wiveliscombe vs. Basement Dwellers

Tony’s Troopers vs. Gnomads

Division 1

Division 2

Geoff Williams - Press Officer