Nomads Lions made it five wins out of five with a 6-4 victory over Walton C to continue their unbeaten start to the season in Division One of the Clacton & District League.
Every player in the match picked up at least one point but Paul Hume was once again the star of the show, maintaining his 100 per cent record with a treble which included an impressive 3-1 (11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4) win over Peter Burrows.
Arran Hutchinson, with an 11-9 in the fifth victory over Graham Buxton, and Ethan Lloyd with a success over Paul Newbould, took a singles each, with Hume and Lloyd combining to win the doubles 3-1 (11-13, 14-12, 11-9, 11-9) against Burrows and Buxton.
Burrows won two singles, and Newbould and Buxton one each for Walton, but the defeat leaves the Walton side struggling in the bottom two places and facing a long season ahead to avoid the ignominy of relegation.
At the other end of the table, Nomads Panthers moved to the top for the first time this season after defeating Walton A 8-2. James Denyer and Sam Hume again took hat-tricks whilst John Hatley’s pair included a nail-biting 12-10 in the decider win over Kevin James. For Walton, Gavin Price took a singles victory and, with Paul Woolnough, enjoyed an excellent 11-8 in the fifth doubles win against Denyer and Hatley.
It was also 8-2 for the Eagles in the all-Windsor clash against the Hawks, the Eagles taking all three matches that went to five. Gary Cattermole took his maximum, and Phil Smith and Sue Welham two each. Andy Vincent captured the Hawks’ two points.
And there was another 8-2 result in another all-Windsor encounter, the Condors predictably defeating the Kestrels. Felipe Rodriguez and Colin Stallwood, making his first appearance of the season, stayed unbeaten. Annabelle Rodriguez chipped in with an important victory in five over Colin Beaumont but went down to both Graham Bunce and Dave Martin, albeit a tight 11-8 in the decider against Martin.
In Division Two, Lawford were 7-3 winners over Windsor Magpies, Paul Hewitt starring with a treble. Ian Sherwood and Richard Spence supported with two each, although Sherwood’s two wins were too close for comfort – 11-6 in the fifth against Dave Sweetland and 11-7 in the fifth against John Plummer. Ollie Rampton, who’s proving a valuable asset for the Magpies, won two and, with Sweetland, edged a close 12-10 in the decider doubles against Sherwood and Spence, to record the Magpies’ first doubles success of the current campaign.
Windsor Buzzards moved into gear with a first victory of the season, a hard-fought 6-4 win against Windsor Harriers in a match where every player won at least one singles. In a good team effort for the Buzzards, there were three for Pete Bloomfield, two for Ray Chillingworth and one for Dan Malinowski. The Buzzards took the final three games of the evening to secure the win, the closest being Malinowski’s 11-9 in the fifth victory over Isabel Barton.
Three for Mike Wellum, and two each for Kevin Hume and Andy Cawley, saw Nomads Jaguars to a 7-3 success over Brotherhood E – whose three points doubled their points tally for the season. Brotherhood’s Duncan Dunne won two tight singles, 11-7 in the decider against Cawley and 14-12 in the decider against Hume. Dunne and Rodney Betts also shared an unexpected doubles victory, their first of the season, against Cawley and Hume.
However, even at this early stage of the season, Brotherhood E are becoming isolated at the bottom of the table, as are Walton D who, when not including Rivhu Khan, look vulnerable. This week, the Walton side went down 10-0 to Brotherhood I, Graham Parkes, Paul Aden and Fred Gallone all unbeaten. Just three of the individual matches were extended to a fourth set.
In Division Three there were hat-tricks for Dave Harris and Liam Harris as Nomads Lynx defeated a Windsor Kites’ side without its best two players. Cameron Cini won a couple in the 9-1 win but had to concede second-best to Jack Haylett who took the Windsor point with an 11-6 in the fifth success.
The result moves the Lynx level on 30 points at the top with Brotherhood G. And, with Windsor Penguins on 29 points and Brotherhood J on 27 points, it promises to be a tight battle at the top.
Finally, the unusual 6-2 scoreline (which is subject to ratification) in favour of Nomads Pumas against Nomads Ocelots was the result of the Ocelots having to field two guest players.
RESULTS
Division 1
Nomads Panthers 8 Walton A 2
Windsor Eagles 8 Windsor Hawks 2
Walton C 4 Nomads Lions 6
Windsor Condors 8 Windsor Kestrels 2
Division 2
Windsor Buzzards 6 Windsor Harriers 4
Walton D 0 Brotherhood I 10
Brotherhood E 3 Nomads Jaguars 7
Windsor Magpies 3 Lawford 7
Division 3
Nomads Pumas 6 Nomads Ocelots 2
Windsor Kites 1 Nomads Lynx 9