The two teams who ran Rayne E close last season have set out their stall as likely challengers in division two of the Braintree Table Tennis League.
Black Notley B and Liberal C are the only two teams to have won their two opening matches, Notley with two 9-1s while Liberal added a 10-0 win to their opening 6-4.
Notley’s wins came over Rayne G and Netts D. They had to call on a reserve on both occasions but with players of the calibre of Mick Richardson and Steve Noble in the wings, that is hardly a problem. Both remained undefeated.
Steve Siggs beat Dave Parker for Rayne’s solitary point in the first match while 16-year-old Max Plumridge scored an excellent win over Gordon Fairchild, eighth in last season’s division averages, for Netts.
Liberal C came up against Dave Marsh at his most obdurate in their first fixture. He took his three singles for Rayne F, who added a surprise win for Ted Sims over Jon Fieldsend, the division’s No 2 last season.
Rayne E have also got off to a good start with a win in their only match so far – but not as good as they thought after losing points for playing an ineligible player. Richard Whiteside and Kelly Yuenyongpknan were unbeaten.
Nomads followed up a 6-4 defeat with a 6-4 win. They lost to Notley C, for whom Glen Laing was unbeaten, and then with Ken Lewis in the side beat Notley’s D team.
Netts E did it the other way round, following a 6-4 win with a defeat by the same score.
Fred Evans made a winning return to the league with two wins against Felsted RBL A, but neither he nor his team-mates could get the better of Felsted’s new signing Richard Baxter.
In their next match against Rayne F Marsh was the stumbling block but Joe Meleschko can be pleased with his win over Dave Moles.
Netts D began with a draw against Notley D.
Division three started with a series of tight matches, two draws, a 7-3 and an 8-2.
Peter Hardy held Netts F together with his three singles in the draw against Notley G but Peter Taylor had to work hard to follow suit for Rayne H in their draw with Felsted C. He had to come from 2-1 or 2-0 down in games before taking his three sets.
Notley F beat Rayne J 7-3 but no one could get past Chris High, while Notley E were the most convincing winners of the week, their 8-2 win over Rayne I featuring three singles wins for Jamie Brooks and two for Jill Canning in her comeback match after a season off with a shoulder injury.
In division one Matthew Brown led the way with his three singles for Rayne B in their 6-4 win over Netts C.