Netts D have clinched the division two title in the Braintree Table Tennis League.

They needed just four points from their final match against Rayne E but scored twice that number to take them above Rayne D, who finish in second place.

Patrick Gilbert won his three sets to finish the season on an unbeaten run of 15 sets while Roy Hooper and Joe Meleschko both lost to Dave Marsh.

Apart from the doubles, and Gilbert’s win over Marsh which both went the full distance, all Netts’ wins came in straight games.

In another rearranged match, Netts had earlier beaten Felsted RBL A 7-3. This was a tighter match, with only two sets decided in straight games.

Gilbert again won his three, while Hooper had a good win over Jarek Pietraszuk despite losing two games 11-1. The final score was 3-2 (1-11, 13-11, 11-9 1-11, 11-8).

Hooper also featured in the closest set of the evening when he lost to Richard Upson in five (11-7, 10-12, 2-11, 13-11, 13-11).

One-time leaders Liberal C finished their season with a 10-0 win over a two-man Felsted B while Rayne D finished with an 8-2 win over Black Notley C.

Two reserves were to the fore in the latter match. Gauthier Chevalier, a new recruit this season, proved what an excellent acquisition he is by winning his three singles for Rayne, while Notley’s Warren Baines showed he had lost little in his relative inactivity over the past couple of seasons by registering good wins over Richard Whiteside and Kelly Yuenyongpknan.

Notley I have secured the runners-up spot in division three after Rayne I conceded the final fixture to them.

It was an unsatisfactory way to finish the season but Notley had needed only a 6-4 win to take second spot and given the form of Peter Pond, three defeats all season, and Elliot Game, one defeat in his last 24 sets, it is a result they would almost certainly have achieved on the table.

In division one, champions Liberal A finished their season with a 7-3 win over their B team. It was an excellent match for the B team’s Andrew Huckson, who scored wins over both Scott Dowsett and Simon Webber to secure a place in the division’s top ten individual averages for the first time.

Liberal B also beat Rayne B 10-0, an impressive result considering the formidable John Andrews was among the opposition.