DIVISION FOUR PROMOTION RACE FINALLY TAKING SHAPE
Without doubt this season’s Colchester and District Table Tennis League Division Four is the strongest in years, with new boys St James D, Gilberd A and Tollgate D occupying three of the top four slots and an all-new CRGS the other! Its advantage St James D at the moment following a 10-0 walkover with H20 Rowhedge I and the Gilberd School matched this score line when beating the same team. Evaldas Ablonskis, Roger Springett and Nik Baidoo all winning comfortably. CRGS recent run of five consecutive wins came to an end at Tollgate D in a close 5-5 draw. Jasper Chan was the man in form once again for the school, clinching the last game against Allan Smith as the two unbeaten players met to decide the outcome of the match. Chan won 11-4, 11-4,10-12, 2-11, 11-9. Dedham B slipped up at the fast improving Pegasus F, going down 8-2, Simon Boyton and Dave Haslam both undefeated. Paul Hewitt secured his first maximum of the season for Lawford D in a 5-5 draw at Pegasus G.
In Division Three Lawford B and St James A are hot favourites for promotion with Gt Horkesley E seemingly doomed already it appears the other relegation spot is between H20 Rowhedge H and Pegasus E. Pegasus were dealt no favours by their ‘C’ team, Paul Weston their only winner on the night as Mike Sant and Tony Eversden won three apiece.
Walton C following another big win, 8-2 at Pegasus B seemed destined to win Division Two with their strong squad. Glen Laing put up stiff resistance for Pegasus winning two but Mat Watson remained unbeaten for Walton. Tollgate C and Lawford A are both vying for the second promotion spot changing places with regularity. Tollgate put out a strong team at Clairmont, as their captain put it ‘a one-off’ experience against Marcia Ma who won three. Brian Riedling won three on debut for Tollgate only losing to Paul Tracey who won two. Tollesbury A accounted for St Peters 6-4 who are now seventeen points adrift at the bottom. Roger Clarke was the POM as he won an excellent treble including a notable win over Ian Carter who won two.
H20 Rowhedge A move six points clear at the top of Division One beating their ‘B’ team 8-2 after being two nil down! Kevin Gowlett beat Michael Andrews in an extraordinary opening game that saw him squeeze home 20-18 in the fifth end! David Moss who last won the Men’s Singles title three decades ago showed he will still be a force in this year’s tournament as he beat reigning champion Antony Greenwood, also in five sets. It was all downhill from there on in for his team however, as Steve Joslin completed a majestic treble. Rivals Tollgate A suffered their second loss in as many weeks, suffering with player shortages in a 7-3 defeat at home to St James A. James Denyer put in a polished performance with three wins whilst Colin Webber came back from 10-7 down in the fifth end to beat Martyn Green in a marathon,
14-12, 11-13, 11-7, 5-11, 13-11! Webber won two along with colleague Felipe Rodriguez as did Greg Green for Tollgate.
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