Rayne D’s winning run in division two of the Braintree Table Tennis League has come to an end after 11 matches.
After losing three of their first four matches, Rayne won one then drew one and then began the 11-match winning sequence which was finally brought to a halt by Black Notley C.
Notley had both Glen Laing and Dan Anderson in action, a tough proposition for any side, and too much for Rayne. They both won their three singles and the doubles but Rayne’s Nick Hasler, Kelly Yuenyongpknan and reserve Dave Moles picked up a win each to make the score 7-3.
Rayne rallied after that defeat to overturn league leaders Netts D by the same score. Yuenyongpknan was joined this time by Dean Andrews and Richard Whiteside and they took two singles each. Roy Hooper beat all three of them although Andrews stretched him to 13-11 in the fifth game.
The major winners of those outcomes were Liberal C, who beat Rayne E 7-3 – three wins for Garry Fryatt – to nestle in three points behind Netts D with a match in hand.
Notley C also won again, although they might have hoped to do better than 6-4 against a two-person Felsted RBL B, while Netts D won their earlier match 8-2 against Notley D.
Notley E won twice, 8-2 against Rayne E, where Takunda Nerutanga was unbeaten, and 6-4 against Notley D, for whom Sean Clift was unbeaten.
Ken Lewis and Richard Kemp were undefeated as Nomads beat Felsted A 8-2.
In division one, leaders Liberal A had to call on reserve Garry Fryatt for their match against Notley B and he did not let them down, winning as many singles as Simon Webber.
Fryatt’s defeat by Patrice Elonge was of little surprise but Webber’s certainly was. Elonge overcame him 3-2 (4-11, 12-10, 2-11, 11-8, 11-7), his best win since he joined the league two years ago.
Rayne A’s match against Rayne C was a battle of the reserves where Ian Whiteside and Hector Rogers stepped up to join Steve Pennell in the A team while Dean Andrews joined the C team.
Paul Wellington took both Whiteside and Pennell to five games but the A team were otherwise little disturbed in a 10-0 victory.
Third-placed Netts A lost only the doubles to Notley A – although Andy Holmes was stretched to 12-10 in the fifth by Victor Chan.
Gary Cattermole made his first appearance since October for Netts B, but could not prevent a 6-4 defeat by Liberal B.
Cattermole won two singles but three wins for Adrian Pitt and two for Andrew Huckson plus the doubles between them swung it for Liberal B.
James Mullane’s three singles helped Netts C to draw with Rayne B.