It’s been a long haul back to fitness but Fred Button is making his mark again in Division One of the Clacton & District League.
Button only managed two matches in the whole of last season but this year he’s played in all six of Windsor Eagles’ fixtures and his good form has been a major factor in seeing his side rise to second place in the table.
This week, Button showed all the grit and determination which has become his trademark over the years to record his first maximum since March 2014 to lead the Eagles to a convincing 9-1 victory over Windsor Kestrels.
Gary Cattermole, making his first appearance of the season, was also undefeated for the Eagles but he was involved in two tight matches that went the distance, beating John Harvey 11-4 in the fifth and Graham Bunce 11-7 in the fifth. Harvey took the Kestrels’ consolation point with a victory over Sue Welham.
Walton C’s Gary Young also made a first appearance in his team’s match with Brotherhood C and, predictably, he recorded a hat-trick. Derek Willis gave good support with a couple and Mark Gale one but it was a struggle in the doubles, Willis and Young scraping it 3-2 (11-6, 5-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9) against Alan Burgess and Kevin Pryor. Burgess took two singles and Pryor one for Brotherhood.
The tightest match in the division saw Walton B and Brotherhood B share the spoils. Gavin Price’s maximum for Walton included a 3-2 (8-11, 11-6, 13-15, 11-7, 11-3) victory over David North and a five-set (9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 13-11) nail-biter against Martin Edwards. North and Edwards each won two for Brotherhood, North involved in another five-setter before defeating Graham Buxton 11-8 in the decider. Walton took a crucial doubles victory, Price and Buxton beating Martin Edwards and Gracie Edwards 3-2 (11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9).
Felipe Rodriguez and Andy Vincent were unbeaten as Windsor Hawks breezed past Brotherhood D 8-2 in a fixture where only one of the matches was extended to a fourth set. Lee Harvey and Russell Hillier took a point apiece for Brotherhood.
Just a point separates the top two teams in Division Two.
Current leaders Nomads Tigers edged past Brotherhood F 6-4 but none of their players could get the better of an on-song Barry Allen who enjoyed fine victories over John Bonner, Roger Hance, and John Marshall. Hance and Marshall each won two for the Tigers. An unfortunate Gerald Batt failed to get on the Brotherhood score-sheet despite taking both Marshall and Bonner to five.
No-one stayed undefeated in the drawn match between Windsor Owls and Brotherhood H. There were two each for Frank Burbidge and Mark Salter of the Owls, as there were for Brotherhood’s Grant Sharpe and Graham Parkes. Both Salter and Burbidge lost their 100 per cent tags, Sharpe beating Salter 3-2 (11-6, 11-8, 3-11, 10-12, 11-9) and Parkes excelling to defeat Burbidge in three-straight. But Parkes struggled to overcome Tricia Salter, just winning 3-2 (11-9, 12-10, 13-15, 9-11, 11-5), whilst Salter required a full five sets to dispose of John Wrigley.
The Owls are now a point behind the Tigers but have a game in hand.
Lawford were 9-1 winners over Brotherhood I. Richard Spence and Paul Hewitt stayed undefeated and only Jonathan Found’s unexpected victory against Ian Sherwood spared the Brotherhood blushes.
Brotherhood E edged past Nomads Bobcats 6-4 despite a hat-trick from a returning Tony Robinson for the losers. Duncan Dunne and Tony Edmonds won two each for Brotherhood, and Gary Bayliss one, whilst Edmonds and Bayliss took a critical doubles 3-2 (11-6, 4-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-5) against Robinson and Vic Little. Jill Canning, on her Clacton League debut, took the Bobcats’ fourth point.
Nomads Pumas are powering along at the top of Division Three, this week beating Nomads Leopards 8-2, with skipper Lionel Goddard taking a maximum. John Bowers and Andrew Cousins each won two, Bowers playing well to defeat Tony Rayner in five. But he narrowly failed to make it a hat-trick, losing out to Roger McNaughton 11-9 in the decider. Rayner took the Leopards’ second point with an 11-8 in the fifth victory over Cousins.
The all-Nomads’ encounter between the Wildcats and Ocelots produced a hard-fought clash which the Wildcats edged 6-4. It was the Ocelots’ first defeat of the season. Brian Friday’s treble for the winners included a tight 3-2 (11-8, 3-11, 7-11, 11-7, 14-12) victory over Mike Wellum. Andrew Cawley picked up a pair for the Wildcats and, with Jordan Webb, took the doubles 3-0 (12-10, 12-10, 11-8) against Tom Collins and Scott Campbell. Campbell won a valuable point for the Ocelots with a narrow 3-2 (9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 13-11) victory over Webb.
Brotherhood G chalked up their first win of the season, Rob Bright and Paul Metcalf unbeaten, and Joanne Millar picking up a debut League victory, in their 8-2 success against Nomads Cougars. Zoe Strange and Gill Knight took a point each for the Cougars.
Nomads Lynx had a torrid week, going down 10-0 to both Windsor Swallows and Walton D. Toni-Hayhow-Khan and Lynette Sparks both recorded their first hat-tricks of the season in the Walton match whilst Kayleigh Stratford picked up her first League treble for the Swallows.
In their second match, the Swallows found Windsor Ospreys a tougher nut to crack and, despite a battling performance, went down 6-4. Kayley Lamb won two and Kayleigh Stratford one, with the two players sharing an 11-8 in the fifth doubles success against Debra Found and Millie Easton. For the Ospreys, Debra Found won her three, including a close 11-8 in the decider against Lamb, and Maci Harvey two, which included a win by the same score against Stratford. Easton took the sixth Ospreys’ point.
* A reminder and a request to Team Secretaries to ensure score-cards reach the Press and Records Secretary by 10am on the Saturday following the match in order that the results can be included in the following week’s report.
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RESULTS
Division 1
Walton B 5 Brotherhood B 5
Windsor Eagles 9 Windsor Kestrels 1
Brotherhood D 2 Windsor Hawks 8
Brotherhood C 3 Walton C 7
Division 2
Brotherhood I 1 Lawford 9
Brotherhood E 6 Nomads Bobcats 4
Windsor Owls 5 Brotherhood H 5
Nomads Tigers 6 Brotherhood F 4
Division 3
Nomads Leopards 2 Nomads Pumas 8
Windsor Swallows 4 Windsor Ospreys 6
Nomads Lynx 0 Windsor Swallows 10
Nomads Cougars 2 Brotherhood G 8
Nomads Wildcats 6 Nomads Bobcats 4
Walton D 10 Nomads Lynx 0