It’s a fascinating battle at the bottom of Division Two of the Clacton and District Table Tennis League but the results this week did little to clarify the relegation picture.
Brotherhood F, whose season has been dogged by injury to key players, edged a little nearer safety with a 6-4 win in a hard-fought encounter against an equally-determined Nomads Tigers.
Shaun Beckham and Jack Bruce took two each for Brotherhood but Bruce will feel unfortunate not to have made it three, beaten 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-13 by the indefatigable Harry Hawkes.
The match between the two sides most in danger – Nomads Lions and Brotherhood E – gave neither side any great satisfaction, the match ending in a draw.
John Wacker took a maximum for the Lions whilst Duncan Dunne and Tony Edmonds won two each for Brotherhood, although it was 11-9 in the fifth for both players against the unlucky John Fenton.
Windsor Owls are not yet out of danger and, despite a victory for Barry Howe over Frank Burbidge, they lost 9-1 to Windsor Kestrels.
At the other end of the table, Brotherhood C shared the spoils with promotion rivals Nomads Cougars, Kevin Pryor unbeaten and Lawrence Torr winning twice for Brotherhood.
No-one stayed unbeaten in another drawn match, this between Brotherhood D and Walton B, Brotherhood’s Adam Wilkin and Russell Hillier, and Walton’s Sam Buxton and David North all taking two points apiece.
Ian Fielder won his three in Windsor Harriers’ 6-4 success over Windsor Ravens but it was Ferdy Rodriguez’s 9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 15-13 victory over Isabel Barton that proved crucial.
In Division Three Windsor Magpies extended their lead at the top to a massive forty-three points with a 10-0 win over Windsor Kites.
Brotherhood K beat Brotherhood L 9-1, Elliott Attrill taking a confident treble, with Barry Allen’s less-convincing three including an 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 14-12, 12-10 win over Jordan Blanche-Price.
Brotherhood G kept their promotion hopes alive with a 7-3 victory over Nomads Pumas, Ian Porter and James Smith-Daye unbeaten.
Three from Tony Rayner saw Nomads Leopards to an 8-2 win over Brotherhood I whilst Janet Beech will be encouraged by her two wins in Windsor Swallows’ 9-1 victory against Windsor Penguins.
The “H” team beat the “J” team in an all-Brotherhood clash, David Wilkin excelling with a treble, whilst Tom Wilkin’s pair included an 11-9 in the decider win over Lucy Burton.
In Division One brothers Gary and Colin Stallwood were on opposite sides of the table at St James’ Hall and although Gary had a narrow 13-11 in the fifth success over Jim Pallett, Colin stayed unbeaten in Windsor Condors’ 8-2 win over Nomads Jaguars.
Brotherhood A beat Nomads Panthers 8-2, Greg Green taking three with Nomads’ Colin Webber beating both Alan Burgess and John Andrews, whilst it was also 8-2 as Windsor Roosters beat Windsor Eagles, an undefeated Mark Smith outstanding for the winners.
In the fourth top-flight match to produce an 8-2 score-line, Walton A defeated Brotherhood B, Walton’s Neil Crook losing in five to John Owen and scraping past Martin Edwards 12-10 in the fifth.
In a vital relegation clash, Windsor Falcons edged out Windsor Hawks 6-4, unbeaten Felipe Rodriguez’s 11-9 in the decider victory over John Barton denying Barton his own treble.
Finally, Red Triangle A were 9-1 winners against lowly Lawford, Peter Sear picking up a consolation point for the losers with a tight 10-12, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 victory over John Rankin.
* In Division One of the Super-Veterans Section of the Essex Inter-League, Clacton were edged out 5-4 by Burnham, Dave Binns, Colin Dearman and John Hobson all winning one singles each for the town side, Binns and Hobson taking their doubles.
RESULTS
Division 1
Windsor Condors 8 Nomads Jaguars 2;
Brotherhood A 8 Nomads Panthers 2;
Windsor Falcons 6 Windsor Hawks 4;
Walton A 8 Brotherhood B 2;
Windsor Roosters 8 Windsor Eagles 2;
Red Triangle A 9 Lawford 1.
Division 2
Brotherhood C 5 Nomads Cougars 5;
Windsor Harriers 6 Windsor Ravens 4;
Brotherhood D 5 Walton B 5;
Windsor Owls 1 Windsor Kestrels 9;
Nomads Tigers 4 Brotherhood F 6;
Nomads Lions 5 Brotherhood E 5.
Division 3
Brotherhood G 7 Nomads Pumas 3;
Brotherhood L 1 Brotherhood K 9;
Windsor Kites 0 Windsor Magpies 10;
Nomads Leopards 8 Brotherhood I 2;
Windsor Penguins 1 Windsor Swallows 9;
Brotherhood H 8 Brotherhood J 2.
ESSEX INTER-LEAGUE
Super-Veterans’ Division 1
Clacton A (Binns, Dearman, Hobson) 4 Burnham 5.
| 2010/11 SEASON | |||||
| (as at 20th February 2011) | |||||
| DIVISION 1 | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Brotherhood A | 17 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 138 |
| Condors | 17 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 123 |
| Walton A | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 122 |
| Roosters | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 106 |
| Red Triangle B | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87 |
| Eagles (1) | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 86 |
| Red Triangle A | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 85 |
| Panthers | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 83 |
| Brotherhood B | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 67 |
| Jaguars | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 64 |
| Falcons | 17 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 54 |
| Hawks | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 46 |
| Lawford | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 18 |
| DIVISION 2 | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Kestrels | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 130 |
| Cougars | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 111 |
| Brotherhood C * (2) | 17 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 108 |
| Walton B | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 90 |
| Brotherhood D | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 82 |
| Ravens | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 80 |
| Harriers * | 16 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 69 |
| Brotherhood F (2) | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 59 |
| Owls | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 59 |
| Tigers | 17 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 55 |
| Brotherhood E | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 48 |
| Lions | 15 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 45 |
| DIVISION 3 | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Magpies | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 164 |
| Lynx | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 121 |
| Brotherhood G (2) | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 118 |
| Brotherhood K | 17 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 116 |
| Swallows | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 107 |
| Pumas | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 90 |
| Brotherhood H | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 82 |
| Brotherhood J | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 80 |
| Leopards (2) | 17 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 71 |
| Brotherhood I | 17 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 63 |
| Brotherhood L | 17 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 40 |
| Penguins | 17 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 27 |
| Kites | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 |
| Points deducted in brackets | |||||
| * Record includes one void match | |||||
By Tony Oswick