The 2006/17 season of the Clacton & District League may only be seven weeks old but the Division Two meeting between Nomads Pumas and Nomads Jaguars already had the feel of a vital relegation battle.
It turned out to be a typically tight-fought encounter, with the match ending all-square with honours even. Every player picked up a point but no-one stayed unbeaten.
Caroline North and Kevin Hume won two each for the Jaguars, Hume needing all five sets to beat both Eric Lemke and Alan Dockerill. Allen Denyer picked up their fifth point with another five-set win over Andrew Cousins.
Lemke won two for the Pumas, with Cousins and Dockerill taking one apiece, Dockerill recording a first win of the season with a 3-2 (12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7) victory against Denyer. There was also a first doubles success of the campaign for the Pumas, Lemke and Cousins sealing the draw by defeating North and Denyer 3-1 (6-11, 11-8, 14-12, 13-11).
Elsewhere, Grant Sharpe, Stewart Murray and Graham Parkes cemented their promotion push with a comfortable 10-0 victory over Windsor Magpies, a result which sees the Brotherhood side move to the top of the table and the Magpies crash to the bottom.
Brotherhood F showed no fraternal feelings for Brotherhood E, defeating their club-mates 10-0. Barry Allen, Lee Allen and Sandie Isaac all took trebles. The closest matches of the evening saw Isaac defeat Duncan Dunne 11-6 in the fifth, whilst Isaac and Lee Allen edged out Dunne and Rodney Betts in the doubles by the same score.
Nomads Wildcats stay top of Division Three following their 10-0 victory over Nomads Ocelots. Mike Hillier, Mike Wellum and Peter Martin were their unbeaten players although Martin only just made it past Arthur Wells-Garrett in five (6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 13-11).
Walton D continue to hang on to the Wildcats’ coat-tails, this week beating Windsor Kites 9-1, thus ending the Kites’ six-match unbeaten run. There were trebles for Jared Chelski and Daniel Young. Jane Young’s pair included an 11-9 in the decider win over Carl Hubbard but she couldn’t get the better of Chris Simson who took their individual match 3-2 (7-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7).
Windsor Penguins beat Windsor Ospreys 6-4, Jackie Bunce and Debra Found winning two each and Zoe Strange one. Found had two tough matches, beating Jordan Webb 11-8 in the fifth but losing by the same score to Robbie Strutt. Strutt, who’s looking a good find for Windsor Ospreys, stayed unbeaten whilst Jordan Webb won one.
Norman Jacobs recorded his first maximum for over two seasons as Nomads Leopards beat Brotherhood J 9-1, his treble including a 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 12-14, 12-10, 11-8) victory against Oleksandra Klymenko. Dave Wright, who had a close 11-6 in the fifth win over Harley Wood, and Tom Collins also stayed unbeaten. Brotherhood had the satisfaction of avoiding the whitewash by taking the doubles, Klymenko and Wood beating Collins and Jacobs in five (12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9).
In Division One, James Denyer and Sam Hume led the way for Nomads Panthers, staying undefeated in their side’s 9-1 success over the more-than-useful Walton B. Gill Locke contributed two close wins, 11-9 in the fifth against Paul Meikle and 11-7 in the fifth against Mark Gale, making his first appearance of the season. Derek Willis picked up the Walton point.
Walton A won three of the four matches that went the distance to beat Brotherhood C 7-3. Gavin Price’s hat-trick for the winners included a fine 11-7 in the decider victory over Alan Burgess. Graham Buxton won a couple although he struggled before defeating Fred Gallone 11-7 in the decider. Paul Woolnough, who also won two for Walton, experienced an evening of highs and lows, inflicting a shock 11-9 in the decider win on Burgess before unexpectedly losing 11-8 in the fifth to Kevin Pryor.
Trebles from Phil Smith and John Pattrick saw the Eagles home 8-2 in the all-Windsor clash with the Hawks – although it was a far-from-easy 11-7 in the fifth for Pattrick against Elliott Attrill. Gary Cattermole’s couple included a nail-biting 12-10 in the fifth against John Barton but he lost out 11-6 in the decider to Andy Vincent. Barton and Vincent took an excellent 3-0 (11-4, 14-12, 12-10) doubles win against Smith and Pattrick.
John Owen was Brotherhood B’s unlikely hero in his side’s 8-2 success against bottom team Lawford, his treble including wins in five against both Richard Spence and Paul Hewitt. Spence recorded a fine win in four against John Cleasby whilst Hewitt also excelled in edging out Martin Edwards 14-12 in the fifth.
Three from Adam Cuthbert and two each from Roger Hance and Adam Wilkin helped Nomads Lions to an 8-2 success against relegation-threatened Windsor Owls. But Windsor’s Frank Burbidge will feel more than satisfied with his two 3-2 wins – 1-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 over Wilkin and 6-11, 11-8, 10-12, 15-13, 11-8 against Hance.
RESULTS
Division 1
Windsor Hawks 2 Windsor Eagles 8
Walton A 7 Brotherhood C 3
Walton B 1 Nomads Panthers 9
Brotherhood B 8 Lawford 2
Nomads Lions 8 Windsor Owls 2
Division 2
Brotherhood H 10 Windsor Magpies 0
Brotherhood F 10 Brotherhood E 0
Nomads Pumas 5 Nomads Jaguars 5
Division 3
Nomads Ocelots 0 Nomads Wildcats 10
Windsor Ospreys 4 Windsor Penguins 6
Brotherhood J 1 Nomads Leopards 9
Windsor Kites 1 Walton D 9