Bocking are ensured of second place in the first division of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League after beating a strong Maldon A side 7-3.

Rik James – back to his best this season, was the Bocking talisman with an excellent hat-trick of wins over John Poysden (3-0), Colin Stallwood (3-0) and best of all Alex Abbott (3-2).
Bocking’s Gary Cattermole impressed with a notable 3-1 (11-4, 11-4, 4-11, 12-10) victory over John Poysden. Alex Abbott in turn made his mark in this match with a quick-fire 3-0 (11-2, 11-6, 11-9) win over David Cole, a player who never gives in without a fight.

OCs B stay second to bottom but they will be pleased with their 6-4 victory over their A side. Steve Northcott hit the jackpot here and the hard-hitting top-spinner scored a superb 3-2 (5-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-8) victory over Brandon Crouchman – a definite contender for the “Win of the Season” award.

Hatfield Peverel A’s relegation from Division Two was sealed when they lost 9-1 to Elmtree Excalibur B. Peter Layzell and Paul Sturton were both undefeated. Sturton fought back from 2-0 down to get the better of Neil Freeman in five (9-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 12-10), whilst Freeman showed his own battling qualities by seeing off Lee McHugh 3-2 (8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-13, 13-11).

Hatfield Peverel A also lost 7-3 to their B side. Gary Ward was undefeated for the B team whilst Dave Fiddeman picked up two wins for the A side.

Elmtree Excalibur B were 7-3 losers to Rawreth. Gus Heath held the Rawreth side together with a hat-trick and this included a 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8) win over Ryan Pitt, the best of the Elmtree Excalibur players.

In Division Five, OCs H were 10-0 winners against Chelmsford F – Tejas Kotwal, Lawrence Bartlett and Tanishq Kotwal won all 10 games with Lawrence Bartlett coming up trumps 3-2 (6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8) against Jacqui Smith in the closest game of the evening.

Old Chelmsfordians (Adam Chalk and Harry Rogers) impressed in the CLICK League Handicap Competition with a 5-0 victory against Chelmsford H. Four of the five games were won three straight as the Old Chelmsfordians side dominated this particular match.