The Leicester and District League’s Presentation Evening was a joyous affair with Barry Robinson, who is the host club Goons’ lively secretary, conducting his annual quiz to give one or two breaks to the long list of winners and plenty of time for reunions.
Apart from the event awards there are three others and one of them, the Phil Reid Memorial Trophy, is for the most sporting player. There was no other candidate this year than Knighton Park’s Reza Kiani, a doctor by profession. His fierce but totally sporting behaviour is further enhanced by his unstinting enthusiasm for helping all and sundry, from various club duties to taking junior teams to a match at very short notice.
Martin Bolton won the AF Hayes Trophy for Secretary of the Year for his work putting into place the 365 system for the league as well as his usual duties looking after Division One. The Phil Smith Memorial for long term service to the league was won by Andy Wright who many years ago set up a website for the charts and averages.
The final all-play-all group for the Rose Johnson Memorial Ladies handicap saw seven players in action, with Shreya Mehta retaining the trophy she won last year despite a hefty hike up the gradings. Although she lost one along the way her crucial victory was against Karen Smith, who always gives many points away, but is a great supporter of this event.
There were many close matches, with the handicapping as close as you can get, the seven competitors being Mehta, Smith, Gillian Wisdish, Steph Burley, Kinar Sheth, Gemma Hargrave and Shirley Pickering, who organised the event.
Three Knighton Park teams reached the semi-final stage of the County’s Rose Johnson Challenge Trophy, a handicap for teams of four where points count instead of games or sets.
KP 5 beat Nomads when Max Huggins, Oscar White, Adam Green and Dan Pearson started 76 points up, and won by 76 points. The Nomads quartet of Roger and Steph Burley, Andy Searle and Tony Burns fought all the way with Searle winning all his games.
KP 3 defeated their own first team when Rayan Kotecha, George McClurkin, Shirley Pickering and Jack Rogers gave away 84 points over the 16 games, catching up at game 14 and winning by 19 points. The other Park team, KP 2, received a walkover against Electricity 2.
The other Electricity team made amends by beating KP 4 with Charlie Bateman proving a tough nut to crack, his team-mates being Sheriff Makhani, Chris Woodward and Harry White. There was just one game to go when the Sparks went ahead for the first time having given away 106 points. Karen Smith was the Park’s most successful player.
John Bowness (publicity officer)
June 1, 2015