‘MAY BUGS’ LAWFORD AS ST JAMES GO TOP OF DIVISION THREE
St James C beat title rivals Lawford B 6-4 and in doing so leap-frogged over them into a one point lead at the top of the Colchester and District Table Tennis League Division Three. Terry May won three, making it eighteen wins without defeat, as previous leaders Lawford fought back from 6-2 down thanks to braces from Peter Freeborough and Richard Spence. With an 8-2 win over H20 Rowhedge H, Gt Horkesley D stay in touch, nine points back with a game in hand in third place. They were indebted to stalwart Phil Wolski who won three and in doing so took his first player of the match award. For H20 Rowhedge H, Oliver Reynolds impressed winning two, including a notable win over the prolific Steve Holland. Tollesbury A remain fourth with a 10-0 win over bottom team Gt Horkesley E. University of Essex continue to improve as they accounted for fifth placed Pegasus C 7-3, no player remaining unbeaten. Dedham A were held to a 5-5 draw by Pegasus B, Dale Everett winning his three. Youngster Jermaine Fearon led H20 Rowhedge G to a 7-3 win at Pegasus E, aided by Daryl Lott who won two.
In Division Four the teachers from Gilberd A upset both leaders Tollgate D and second placed Dedham B with excellent back-to back 6-4 victories. Roger Springett and Evaldos Ablonskis both dropped just one game in the two matches, Springett to Allan Smith of Tollgate and Ablonskis to Marjorie Culham of Dedham. This puts the school team firmly in the promotion race of which fourth placed CRGS are favourites, still unbeaten. This week they beat Pegasus G 9-1, with maximums from Ryan Cheung and Martin Wu. St James D are third, winning 8-2 at Lawford C thanks to Tricia Salter’s fine treble. Gilberd B pupils Dan Rhodes and Keir Brown chalked up maximums as their team beat H20 Rowhedge I’s ‘all Burrows’ team 8-2.
Attention focused on the foot of Division One this week and Walton B are cast ten points adrift at the bottom following a 9-1 defeat at rivals St James A. Gill Locke and Colin Webber were both unbeaten as they rise out of trouble. Second from bottom Gt Horkesley C recorded their first win of the season 6-4 against Tollgate B. Gary Young won his customary three although pushed all the way by an inspired Martyn Green, winning 12-10 in the fifth end. However, Green could not stop Paul Brownlie winning his first game of the season as his team move to within a point of Horkesley’s B team, who lost 6-4 at H20 Rowhedge C. Fred Button and Gary Cattermole won all seven points for Rowhedge as their team go up to sixth, moving over Pegasus A who lost 7-3 at H20 Rowhedge B, Kevin Gowlett unbeaten for the village team.
Division Three leaders Walton C beat third placed Tollgate C 6-4 with Matt Watson winning three, still unbeaten this season. Martyn Green and Jane Li both won two for Tollgate, another fine performance from the England cadet. Second placed Lawford A went down 6-4 at home to St James B, Andy Vincent and John Hobson both showing their class, undefeated. Fourth placed H20 Rowhedge E were held to a draw by Tollesbury A with a vintage performance by Pete Giles who turned in his best performance of the season, winning three. Bottom team St Peters suffered two more defeats both by the same 7-3 score line. The first was at St James B with John Barton and Hobson again undefeated and the second at home to Clairmont where both the Tracey’s also won three.