ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP OF DIVISIONS TWO AND THREE

DIVISION ONE

Breakaway A (8) Strathallan A (2)

Second placed Breakaway were hoping to reduce their five points deficit to the leaders, Copy Shop, but Hadyn McLarney had other ideas. Firstly, he beat Darren Smethurst in five sets of all-out attack and then perhaps more significantly he thumped his older brother Mason, who is fourth in the averages, 11/3, 9/11, 14/12, 8/11, 11/5. Julian Briercliffe and Andy Horne could only win the odd set and neither they, nor Hadyn had an answer to Paul Corran’s intense and passionate play in either their singles or the doubles.

Tower A (2) Copy Shop A (8)

Top placed Copy Shop were without the services of Brian Crellin so Sean Drewry had to double up and he did just that, with impressive hat-tricks in this and his B team match. Ronan McDonnell, who is yet to be beaten this season, didn’t drop a set other than in the doubles which he won with Jane Kneale. John Callow and Tim Baker both beat Kneale who was pushed to the limit by sixth placed Tower’s sub: Steve Curtis who went 2-1 up in legs but just fell short 9/11, 11/9. 11/9, 8/11, 8/11.

Foxdale A (5) Arbory (5)

John Magnall was the hat-trick hero for third placed Arbory but his wins were far from easy. Ruth Bailey took him to five sets, Will Bayley had two 12/14 scores against him, but Becky Bayley out-scored only to lose their ‘nail biter’ 11/7, 8/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/13. Sixth placed Foxdale gained three of their points from Kieran Chan playing in only his second match this season. Mikhail Tamarov earned third placed Arbory a draw by beating both Becky and Ruth but he came unstuck against Will who then linked with his sister to level the match in the doubles, which surprisingly didn’t feature Magnall.  

Travellers A (4) Copy Shop B (6)

Despite playing up for the A team Sean Drewry was also the anchorman for relegation zoned Copy Shop B, winning all his matches, including the doubles at the end of an exhausting but exhilarating evening. Danny Hamill, Drewry’s doubles partner, beat both Gary Shilling and Chris Reynolds but lost to Paul Nelson who, along with his fellow Travellers, all sunk Dario Mazzotta. Mazzotta did not go down without a fight as evidenced by his 13/15 fourth leg against Nelson.

DIVISION TWO

Tower B (8) Foxdale B (2)  

With this emphatic win undefeated Tower turned a three point deficit into a three point lead to top the table for the first time this season. Tower had won 6-4 in their last encounter but on this occasion Mike Bayley was having a rare off-night and Foxdale were also without the services of Ken Mitchell. Hence, when Bayley bombed out and Andy McLarney lost three close five setters it was left to top seed Neil Quane to bag a brace by beating Graham McFarlane and Paul Kozlowski. Dave Parsons was in commanding form for Tower and inflicted a rare defeat on Quane to complete his hat-trick and leave his team-mates to mop up the doubles.

Peel B (3) Travellers C (7)

These two sides are fighting to avoid the dreaded relegation play-off position so Alan Harding’s hat-trick came in very handy for Travellers. Maurice Campbell and Jackie Gill chipped in with two each, losing only to Matty Evans and Ashley Reid respectively. Will Cross did everything but win for Peel as indicated by his last gasp 9/11 loss against Harding, and his 10/12, 12/10, 9/11, 15/13, 7/11 marathon match with Campbell. It may be small consolation but Reid and Evans won a thrilling doubles in five oscillating sets against Harding and Gill.   

Tower C (1) Salmon River Spinners (9)

JD’s Carl Blatcher is now finding his feet for Tower and even managed to steal a set off Nigel Beattie who stands second in the league averages. Blatcher, Dave Callow and Margaret Forsyth had no success in the singles for last placed Tower, but Callow and Forsyth took the final point in the doubles in a tactical tussle with Tommy Cowin and Colin Barron which was decided on a last set tie-breaker 11/7, 11/9, 6/11, 9/11, 12/10. 

Peel A (4) Travellers B (6)

A superb Steve Ellis-Pearson hat-trick swung this match fourth placed Travellers’ way. Marion Forrest was making only her second appearance this season for fifth placed Peel and her time away showed as Ellis-Pearson, Stu Mason and Stu Douglas blasted past her. Malc Lewis and Les Wilson hit back for Peel with wins over Douglas and, whilst Wilson walloped Mason, it was Mason who secured victory for Travellers with an eleventh hour comeback to beat Lewis 7/11, 6/11, 11/8, 11/5, 12/10. Peel had been pipped, but they won the doubles.

  DIVISION THREE

Breakaway B (6) IOM Junior Development One (4)

Wael Kassim was once again the star performer for JD1. Whilst he lost to top seed Chris Kewley, his 8/11, 11/8, 11/6, 9/11, 11/9 win against Aaron Faragher was a tremendous match and neither player deserved to lose. Faragher won his remaining matches and combined to harvest the doubles with the triple winner Kewley. Kassim, Carl Blatcher and Marcus Koske all beat Breakaway’s new recruit Kerenza Baker and so helped Copy Shop A take a one point lead in the division.

Fortress Management Services (2) Copy Shop C (8)

This week Marcus Koske was seconded in to assist fifth placed Fortress and he scored half their points by beating Henry Hyde who also lost to Pat Halliwell sixty years his senior. Karen Hassan tried to make it a miserable night for Hyde but he battled through 6/11, 11/8, 3/11, 11/7, 11/8. Malcolm Lambert won all his games as did super-sub Adam Davies who then partnered Pedro Cardoso to win the doubles and put Copy Shop top for the first time this season.

Copy Shop D (10) Peel C (0)

George Melvin, Chris Aspden and Kevin Drewry achieved the clean sweep for third placed Copy Shop over their fourth placed rivals. Oska Corkhill lost in straight sets; Fraser Dorling lost 14/16 at the end of four sets with Melvin and then pulled back from two sets down, but was edged out by Aspden. Nathan Evans came closest to duping Drewry after going two sets down he started smashing and hauled himself back only to lose 7/11, 11/13, 12/10, 11/7, 8/11.      

IOM Junior Development Two (3) Travellers D (7)  

James Colgan and Liam Cooper were beaten in straight sets by sixth placed Travellers, but the only hat-trick went to JD2 as Calvin Koske proved to be too consistent for Juan Moore Jnr and Juan Moore Snr. The fitting finale was a hat-trick decider between the hard hitting Alex Buck and the counter-attacking Koske. Buck went for his shots from all angles, which paid-off in the second set, but Koske weathered the storm to win 11/6, 9/11, 11/6, 11/9. Buck bounced back to win the doubles with Moore Jnr against Koske and Colgan.

MALCOLM LAMBERT