Ormesby and Sycamore set for showdown.
The fierce battle to reign supreme at the pinnacle of the British League ladder shall conclude this weekend as the 2014/15 Premier British League season comes to a close.
Ormesby and Sycamore enter the weekend with mere games difference separating them, with their match on Sunday likely to decide the ultimate champion.
For all the latest action, regularly check this page and follow us on twitter @BritishLeague.
End of Round 14
Ormesby completed a historic treble as their Premier British League side wrapped up the title with an emphatic 8-0 win over Drumchapel.
Any sort of victory would have been enough for Ormesby given their superior sets difference, but, as their teams have done across the board in British League this season, they did it in style, winning in devastating fashion against a Drumchapel side that ultimately finished third.
In completing the treble, Ormesby have achieved a feat rarely replicated in British League history. Their Premier Division crown adds to their Women’s and Junior Boys’ title clinched in previous months, a truly astonishing accomplishment. Their conquests were commemorated appropriately with members of all three teams present for a celebration after the day’s play finished, with Enio Mendes given particular reason to celebrate for his player of the season award
Ironically, victory ended up to be irrelevant for Ormesby as title rivals Sycamore suffered a shock 5-3 defeat to the excellent Fusion. With the title already all but out of their hands, Sycamore appeared to find motivation hard to come by and ultimately fell flat. Nevertheless, Fusion deserve credit for their stunning performance, admirably defeating the title contenders with Lorestas Trumpauskas and Kazeem Adeleke winning two each, whilst Mike O’Driscoll superbly overcame the previously unbeaten Kenichi Matsubuchi, as did Adeleke. It was a hugely pivotal result for Fusion as it moved them into fourth, enhancing the size of their end of season cheque in the process.
In fifth place were Barrow, who secured the spot with a 6-2 victory over relegated Bournemouth Sports. Sean Doherty and Jonathan Crawford starred with two victories each, while Danny Lawrence and Paul Cicchelli chipped in with a win apiece to secure the win.
It meant London Academy finished sixth despite beating Kingfisher 6-2. Adam Nutland ended an impressive season with two wins, as did Gabriel Acahmpong, who continued to show his increasing ability. The win was sealed with a win apiece from Anthony Corbin and Chris Lewis.
End of Round 13
Ormesby took a giant leap towards securing the Premier British League title and an unprecedented treble after an epic 4-4 draw with Sycamore.
A thrilling match of high-quality table tennis culminated with nothing splitting the teams for the second time this season as Sycamore superbly came from 4-2 behind to salvage a draw.
Ultimately, Ormesby’s superior sets difference means any kind of win against Drumchapel is going to be good enough for Ormesby to take the title, barring some sort of mathematical miracle.
Sycamore took the lead in a potentially definitive set as Kenichi Matsubuchi defeated Enio Mendes in five sensational ends. However, the game completely turned on its head thereafter. Darius Knight produced the goods as he overcame the previously unbeaten Chris Doran to the delight of the expectant Ormesby home crowd before the superb Tom Jarvis stormed past Matt Ware, another feather on an ever growing cap for the youngster. His victory was backed up by fellow junior Helshan Weerasinghe,who held his nerve to claim victory over Paul McCreery.
Matsubuchi responded for Sycamore with a convincing win over Knight, however, Ormesby quickly regained their two point cushion as Mendes beat Ware.
However, Sycamore weren’t out for the count. Doran responded from his previous defeat by beating Weerasinghe 3-1 before McCreery secured a draw for Sycamore with a 3-0 victory over Jarvis.
Elsewhere in the league, the race for fourth shall go to the final round with a point separating three sides. Fusion’s convincing 7-1 victory over Barrow leapfrogged them ahead of the Cumbrians, with Sean Doherty’s impressive win over Mike O’Driscoll Barrow’s mere consolation. O’Driscoll had given Fusion the lead with victory over Danny Lawrence before two apiece for Kazeem Adeleke, Lorestas Trumpauskas and Luke Savill were sandwiched in between Doherty’s set.
London Academy capitlaised on Barrow’s defeat by beating Bournemouth 6-2, hence throwing their hat in the mix for fourth. Gabriel Achampong was the star as he claimed two sets, and was ably supported by Adam Nutland, Christopher Lewis and Anthony Corbin.
Finally, Drumchapel Glasgow extended the gap between them and the pack with an 8-0 win over Kingfisher. The score was somewhat harsh on Kingfisher with just one end finishing 3-0. However, Drumchapel’s execution was sharper, with Craig Howieson particularly impressive.
End of Round 12
Ormesby ensured they ended the penultimate day of Premier British League on top after dispatching of Bournemouth 8-0, confirming Bournemouth’s relegation in the process.
Most crucially, Ormesby’s quartet dropped just one game throughout, with Stephen Beerling forcing Darius Knight to four ends, boosting Ormesby’s game ratio.
The result heightens the pressure on Sycamore, who could only manage a 6-2 win over Drumchapel. In reality, a 6-2 win over Drumchapel is a solid result, but with competition so tight at the top two dropped sets means that Sycamore must now beat Ormesby tomorrow or their title challenge shall effectively fall flat.
Fusion ended the day unbeaten as they picked up a superb 7-1 victory over London Academy. Fusion’s victory confirmed their status as a Premier Division team next season, condemning Kingfisher to relegation in the process. The victory leapfrogged Fusion above London, important given the increased prize money for each position gained in the league ladder.
It was a dominant display from Fusion, impressively winning five of the ends three games straight. Michael O’Driscoll put Fusion in the lead with victory over Gabriel Achampong before Adam Nutland responded for London with an impressive victory over Kazeem Adeleke. But from their Fusion were dominant, with Luke Savill particularly impressive as Fusion gained five unanswered sets.
End of Round 11
A commonly used line in sport is that ‘every minute matters.’ In the case of the Premier British League, every set counts. This fact was on show in the opening round of the weekend’s action as Ormesby leapfrogged Sycamore to the top of the Premier British League despite the previous league leaders winning 7-1.
Yes, 7-1 wins aren’t good enough to win you titles anymore, that is how fierce the competition is at the top of the league this year. The two teams were level on league points and sets difference before the round, with games difference the only way to separate the two sides. However, Sean Cullen’s defeat to Chris Lewis in Sycamore’s 7-1 win over London Academy means Ormesby are now at the top after they defeated Kingfisher 8-0.
It could have got worse for Sycamore had Chris Doran not come through his tense match with the improving Adam Nutland in five, but Doran kept his unbeaten season intact with victory in the fifth.
It means the gap at the tap is a astronomical gap of one mere set. It may be tense for the players, but for the league and its supporters, a terrific advert for the league.
Drumchapel all but confirmed third place in the league with a 7-1 victory over Barrow. Craig Howieson gave Drumchapel the lead with a victory over Sean Doherty before Barrow’s Danny Lawrence levelled the match with a superb victory over Sung Meng Chen.
But from then on the match belonged to Drumchapel, who won six unanswered sets. Howieson earned a double, as did Scott Barton and Sephr Bidhari, whilst Chen responded with victory over Doherty.
Fusion moved a big step towards solidifying their place in the division next year with a 7-1 win over Bournemouth Sports. The result was somewhat harsh on Bournemouth, who could well have taken a 3-0 lead with a bit more luck on their side. Steve Beerling had given Bournemouth an unexpected lead with a superb victory over Kazeem Adeleke, Then came the pivotal moments of the match. First, Nathan Bingham came agonoisingly close to clinching a stunning victory over Michael O’Driscoll, eventually losing in five, before Stephen Foster almost caught out Luke Savill, only for the youngster to prevail deuce in the fifth set. The two setbacks appeared to take the wing out of the Bournemouth sails, as they could only claim one set thereafter as Fusion raced through the gears.
Fusion are now four points clear of the relegation zone and, barring a miraculous fightback from Kingfisher or Bournemouth, are all but safe.