READING TRIUMPH @ CIPPENHAM NATIONAL CADET LEAGUE
With only 12 tables available this season, the number of teams accepted for 2012-13 was restricted to 24. These entries were split into 4 divisions with 6 teams in each and with promotion/relegation being applied at the end of each of the three rounds of matches. All 24 teams were present for all 4 days of play and the value of this could be seen at the end of the final day on the 17th of March, when in Division 2, the winning team had a “round three score” of 18 sets (out of 30) and 6th place had 12 – an extremely close competition between all 6 teams.
At the sharp end, however, and with the medals in Division 1 being decided on a cumulative score across the 3 rounds, Reading “A”, represented by Sam Liu, Leo Long and Josh Gallen, were runaway winners with 98 sets won out of a possible 105. The second, third and fourth places were hotly disputed across all 4 days between Horsham Spinners, Oxford and Crusaders (Sutton), and indeed changed during day 4. Crusaders players on this day were Tom Beales, Guy Webster and Richard Pelc and courtesy of a 5-1 win over Oxford in the penultimate match on the 17th, they won the silver medals with a total of 58 sets as compared to Oxford’s 54 in 3rd place.
