Gill Locke was the star of the show as Nomads Panthers marched on at the top of the Division One of the Clacton & District League with an emphatic 8-2 win over Brotherhood C.
Locke’s hat-trick included a 3-1 (12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9) victory over the more-than-useful Alan Burgess before inflicting an unexpected 3-0 (11-9, 13-11, 11-6) defeat on Kevin Gowlett, three times a Clacton Mens Singles champion and previously unbeaten this season.
James Denyer and John Poysden both won two for the Panthers, whilst Burgess failed to register a win in a League match for the first time in five seasons.
The Walton C v Windsor Hawks encounter ended all-square, Walton’s Gary Young taking his three. Paul Meikle won one and, with Young, edged the doubles 3-2 (4-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10) against Andy Vincent and Felipe Rodriguez. For the Hawks, Vincent and Rodriguez each won two whilst skipper John Barton defeated Jason Gale 11-9 in the fifth but narrowly lost out 11-6 in the fifth to Meikle.
A second clash between teams from the Windsor and Walton clubs also finished level, Greg Green unbeaten for the Condors as they shared the spoils with Walton B. Green’s treble included wins in five against both Gavin Price and Paul Woolnough whilst the doubles also went the distance, Green and Elliott Attrill beating Price and Woolnough 3-2 (11-5, 7-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7). Price and John Rankin each took a couple for Walton, Rankin involved in the closest match of the evening when he edged past Annabelle Rodriguez in five (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 9-11, 12-10).
Three for Mark Smith and two apiece for Phil Smith and John Hobson were enough for Windsor Eagles to defeat bottom side Brotherhood D 8-2. Paul Alden played well to take both Brotherhood points – a victory in four against Hobson and a fine 3-2 (7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8) success against Phil Smith.
It was also 8-2 for Nomads Lions against Brotherhood B, with Paul Hume unbeaten and Adam Wilkin taking two. Brian Parish also won twice for the Lions, excelling with victories in four against Martin Edwards and John Owen, and only just failing to convert these successes into a maximum, going down 11-7 in the decider to Gracie Edwards.
Brotherhood H produced the most noteworthy result in Division Two with a 9-1 victory over Windsor Buzzards. Graham Parkes and Grant Sharpe both stayed unbeaten whilst James Smith-Daye contributed two commendable wins. Ray Chillingworth picked up the losers’ consolation point and took Sharpe close before losing 11-6 in the fifth.
It was also 9-1 for Brotherhood I against Windsor Magpies, Mark Beckham and Maurice Hardy taking three each and Tom Wilkin two. Dave Sweetland was the Magpies’ best player, enjoying a surprise 3-2 (4-11, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7) win over the in-form Wilkin and taking Beckham the distance before losing 11-5 in the final set.
Promotion-seeking Lawford showed no mercy to lowly Nomads Bobcats, Richard Spence, Ian Sherwood and Paul Hewitt winning 10-0 with only four of the matches extended to a fourth set. The result puts them level with Windsor Owls at the top of the table on 90 points – although they’ve played a game more.
The Owls also recorded a convincing win, 8-2 over a Brotherhood E side which fielded a guest player. Brotherhood’s Rodney Betts was involved in the two matches that went the distance, beating Tricia Salter 11-7 in the fifth but losing 11-3 in the fifth to Frank Burbidge.
The mid-table clash between Brotherhood F and Windsor Harriers was a much tighter affair and ended, appropriately, in a draw. Sandie Isaac took three and Lee Allen two for Brotherhood whilst Ferdy Rodriguez won a couple for the Harriers but was denied his treble by Isaac, going down 14-12 in the fifth.
In Division Three, leaders Nomads Pumas got off to a bad start against Windsor Kites, Carl Hubbard taking the first point of the match with an impressive 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8) win against John Bowers. But that was as good as it got for the Kites who lost the remaining nine matches in three-straight. It was good to see Alan Dockerill back in action for the Pumas and, in his first match of the season, he stayed unbeaten.
Rivhu Khan took his predictable three for Walton D in their 7-3 success against Windsor Swallows. Lynette Sparks won two and Toni Hayhow-Khan one but neither of them could get the better of the evergreen Iris Howlett who returned to League action after a four-month lay-off through injury with two fine wins. The closest matches of the evening saw Kayleigh Stratford beat Hayhow-Khan 3-2 (9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9), whilst Howlett defeated the same unfortunate player in five (11-5, 6-11, 7-11, 14-12, 11-9).
Three each from Woody Fitzpatrick and Debra Found, and one from Millie Easton, saw Windsor Ospreys to a 7-3 win against Brotherhood G. Paul Metcalf and Graham Healey took a point each for Brotherhood with Metcalf and Rob Bright, who only played in the doubles, defeating Fitzpatrick and Found 3-2 (7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8).
Nomads Wildcats were 9-1 winners over an injury-hit Windsor Penguins’ team forced to field a guest player. Jordan Webb defeated Jackie Bunce in five (9-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8) but went down to Ron Dacey who picked up the Penguins’ only point.
Doug Green made his first appearance of the season for his registered team, Nomads Lynx, and made an immediate difference, his maximum helping his side to draw their match with Nomads Ocelots. Liam Harris contributed a victory over Dave Wright and, with Green, scraped a super-narrow 3-2 doubles win (12-10, 11-13, 3-11, 11-7, 17-15) against Mike Wellum and Scott Campbell.
* The Windsor Quiz Evening takes place on Saturday February 20 at St James’ Hall, Clacton-on-Sea, 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Table nibbles will be provided, as will tea and coffee. Bring own drinks if required. The cost is £5 per person, which includes a raffle, for teams of up to six people. For more details and to enter a team, contact Jenny Higgins on 01255 432397 or 07790 240566, or e-mail [email protected].
RESULTS
Division 1
Walton C 5 Winsor Hawks 5
Nomads Lions 8 Brotherhood B 2
Windsor Eagles 8 Brotherhood D 2
Windsor Condors 5 Walton B 5
Brotherhood C 2 Nomads Panthers 8
Brotherhood B 5 Walton C 5
Division 2
Windsor Buzzards 1 Brotherhood H 9
Windsor Owls 8 Brotherhood E 2
Lawford 10 Nomads Bobcats 0
Brotherhood I 9 Windsor Magpies 1
Brotherhood F 5 Windsor Harriers 5
Division 3
Brotherhood G 3 Windsor Ospreys 7
Nomads Ocelots 5 Nomads Lynx 5
Windsor Kites 1 Nomads Pumas 9
Windsor Swallows 3 Walton D 7
Nomads Wildcats 9 Windsor Penguins 1