The second instalment of the 2015/16 Premier British League season takes place this weekend, with Britain’s best teams taking to court to battle it out against one another.
The home side, Sycamore, perch at the top of the league going into the weekend, although both Drumchapel and Ormesby are hot on their heels.
Keep checking here for all the latest results and interviews from the whole weekend, you can also follow us on Twitter @BritishLeague.
END OF WEEKEND REPORT
Sycamore fans left their home venue happy as their team came out of the weekend with a two point lead at the top of the table following a 7-1 victory over Cardiff.
Despite an absolutely astounding victory for Craig Bryant over Chris Doran, Sycamore won the other seven sets with David McBeath, Petko Gabrovski and Victor Gorman winning two apiece. Gorman ends the second weekend as the only unbeaten player left in the division with 16 wins in as many outings.
Sycamore’s two point lead is over Drumchapel after they responded to the 7-1 defeat at the expense of the league leaders by hammering London Academy 8-0.
In a dominant display, Drumchapel dropped just five legs in the entire match; Xiaoxun Wu overcame Ryota Kawai in five whilst Craig Howieson was forced to come from two ends down to defeat Stephen Beerling. Despite ending with victory, their two point deficit means Drumchapel almost certainly need to beat Sycamore to secure the league title in the second half of the season.
Ormesby lost ground at the top as they suffered a shock 5-3 defeat to BATTS. A blistering start saw BATTS storm into an unassailable 5-1 lead to stun the reigning champions, with Israel number one Michael Tauber and the audacious trick shot king Johan Hagberg winning two each. Hagberg gave his side the perfect start with a stunning 3-2 win over Darius Knight despite going two ends down. Tauber used the momentum to full effect, defeating Gavin Evans 3-1 before Ormesby’s Danny Lawrence pulled one back with victory over Jack Bennett.
However BATTS wrapped it up by claiming the next three sets; Adam Nutland defeated Warren Li Kam Wa, Tauber impressively defeated Knight whilst Tauber put on an outstanding display against Lawrence to win, with trick shots and outrageous round the net shots on show throughout to seal victory in style.
Ormesby did take the final two sets with wins for Evans over Nutland and Wa over Bennett, but it was in vain as Ormesby fell to a potentially costly defeat.
A spirited Kingfisher effort was in vain as they ended the second weekend winless following a 6-2 loss to Fusion.
Mike O’Driscoll and Lorestas Trumpauskas led the charge with two wins each for Fusion, whilst Emran Hussain and Kazeem Adeleke chipped in with one apiece.
END OF ROUND 3
Sycamore took a huge stride towards the league title as they hammered title rivals Drumchapel 7-1.
The game promised to be a tight affair, however Sycamore’s quartet of Chris Doran, David McBeath, Petko Gabrovski and Viktor Gorman were in spending form as they stunned the Scottish based side and go a long way towards regaining the title they lost last season.
Doran got his side off to a great start with victory over Xiaoxun Wu before an exceptional victory for David McBeath over Drumchapel number one Chih Wei Yeh doubled their advantage.
The decisive blow arguably came in the third set as Sycamore’s Petko Gabrovski took on Hongsheng Wang. As the game entered a fifth set, Wang took a 10-6 lead, however Gabrovski overturned the deficit to win the match and give Sycamore a 3-0 advantage. They wouldn’t let it slip.
Gorman powered through Chris Howieson to put Drumchapel on the bring, and although Yeh salvaged a set back for his team with a fine victory over Doran, he was simply delaying the inevitable. Gabrovski secured the match with a 3-1 triumph over Wu before McBeath and Gorman made it a rout with successes over Howieson and Wang respectively.
That victory gives Sycamore a one point lead at the halfway stage of the season, with Ormesby hot on their heels in second.
Ormesby defeated pointless Kingfisher 7-1 to leapfrog Drumchapel. The game was over as a contest before Kingfisher registered their first set, with Darius Knight winning both of his matches.
It was Niall Cameron who got the set for Kingfisher, defeating Danny Lawrence, but Gavin Evans’ win over Liam McTiernan, followed by a second victory for the impressive Warren Li Kam Wa over Marcus Giles added emphasis to the score line.
BATTS sit in fourth place following a 4-4 draw with Cardiff.
Craig Bryant was a thorn in the side of BATTS as he picked up two unbelievable wins, defeating both Michael Tauber and Johan Hagberg as the two failed to return his serves. An outstanding display from Dan O’Connell, who also won two for Cardiff after defeating Adam Nutland and Jack Bennett, put Cardiff in position for victory. But a team effort, in which all four BATTS players won one match each, earned them a share of the spoils.
The final match of the round was also a draw as Fusion and London Academy couldn’t be separated.
When Stephen Beerling beat Lorestas Trumpauskas to give London Academy a 3-1 lead, the writing looked on the wall for Fusion. However a spectacular comeback saw them turn the match on its head. Mike O’Driscoll got the ball rolling with a superb five end win over Ryota Kawai before Kazeem Adeleke defeated Gabriel Achampong 3-1 to level the match, before Trumpauskas superbly overcame Matt Ware to put Fusion in front. Emran Hussain had the opportunity to secure a fantastic victory, but Beerling was on hand to salvage a point for London Academy with a 3-0 win.
END OF ROUND 2
Sycamore regained their league leaders status following an outstanding 8-0 win over Fusion.
Despite a 7-1 victory in the morning session, Sycamore were knocked off top spot after Drumchapel’s 8-0 win in the same session. However, after Drumchapel dropped two sets in a 6-2 win over BATTS, Sycamore ended the first day of their home weekend on top of the division.
A fantastic whitewash of Fusion saw Sycamore reassert their title credentials, with Chris Doran’s return to the team helping Sycamore to victory. It wasn’t always easy for last year’s runners up, with O’Driscoll taking Doran to five in an enthralling contest, but ultimately Sycamore did enough for victory.
As for Drumchapel, they ensure that they stayed level on points at the top following their win over BATTS. Chih Wei Yeh displayed his undoubted talents once again as he picked up two wins over Michael Tauber and Johan Hagberg, whilst Hongsheng Wang impressed in straight set victories over Adam Nutland and Jack Bennett.
Hagberg and Tauber did manage victories for BATTS, defeating Xiaoxun Wu and Craig Howieson respectively. But those two sets proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
Ormesby once again scraped to a 5-3 victory as they overcome a plucky Cardiff City outfit.
After losing Michael Marsden to injury, Warren Li Kam Wa stepped in, losing to Simon Noutch and Dan O’Connell. But Ormesby’s leading stars shined, as Darius Knight and Gavin Evans won two apiece, whilst Danny Lawrence’s victory over Yongbo Zhang secured victory.
Finally, London Academy moved out of the relegation places following a dramatic 5-3 win over bottom side Kingfisher.
In a hugely entertaining contest, five of the eight sets went the full distance, however it was London Academy who just prevailed thanks to Gabriel Acahmpong’s double.
Kingfisher enjoyed a superb start as Tom Maynard, playing his first competitive table tennis for seven months due to injury, defeated Matt Ware in five. However, London went on to win the next three sets, with Ryota Kawai’s victory over Niall Cameron being followed by Stephen Beerling’s 3-1 win over Liam McTiernan. The fourth set was crucial, as Achampong went up against David Barr. As the game went back and forth, Acahmpong eventually prevailed 12-10 in the fifth. All five ends finished in a 12-10 score line.
Maynard was on form again as he impressively dispatched of Kawai in the fifth, however London Academy wrapped it up as Ware and Achampong both secured 3-2 victories over McTiernan and Niall Cameron respectively. Barr won the last set for Kingfisher, defeating Beerling.
END OF ROUND 1
Drumchapel Glasgow moved to the top of Premier British League on GAMES difference following their 8-0 win over Cardiff.
The Chinese trio of Chih Wei Yeh, Xiaoxun Wu and Hongsheng Wang joined forces with Craig Howieson to secure a commanding victory for the team, dropping just four legs on their way to victory.
Debutant Chih Wei particularly impressed for Drumchapel as he comfortably defeated Yongbo Zhang and Craig Bryant, whilst Dan O’Connell put up the most resistance in the Cardiff team as he took an end of both Howieson and Wang.
Drum moved above home team Sycamore despite their 7-1 victory over Kingfisher. Sycamore opted to rest Chris Doran and replace him with Adam Harrison, and although Harrison became the latest victim of seasoned pro David Barr, David McBeath, Petko Gabrovski and Viktor Gorman all won two apiece before Harrison’s loss to secure a comfortable win.
As for Ormebsy, they kept the pressure on the leading pack following a 5-3 win over London Academy. The defending champions raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to five end victories for Darius Knight and Gavin Evans over Matt Ware and Ryota Kawai respectively before Danny Lawrence defeated Stephen Beerling.
Gabriel Achampong pulled one back for London with a 3-0 win over Marsden. However Knight went on to beat Kawai, and whilst Ware overcame Lawrence, Evans sealed victory for Ormesby following a 3-0 triumph over Achampong.
Finally, BATTS moved a step closer to survival following an impressive 5-3 victory over Fusion. BATTS’ two European imports; Israel’s Michael Tauber and Sweden’s Johan Hagberg both won two matches, with a single through Adam Nutland securing victory.
A comfortable 3-0 for Tauber over Kazeem Adeleke was followed by a narrow 3-2 victory for Hagberg over Michael O’Driscoll. When Nutland extended BATTS’ lead to 3-0 after victory over Okoh, BATTS were well on their way to victory, although Lorsetas Trumpauskas did pull one set back with victory over Jack Bennett.
But BATTS made sure soon afterwards as Tauber and Hagberg defeated O’Driscoll and Trumpauskas respectively to secure victory.