Wild about Harry
Harry Barlow threw a wildcat among the pigeons in the Clacton and District League’s Division Three promotion race when his lowly Nomads’ side inflicted an unexpected 7-3 defeat on second-placed Brotherhood H.
There was no Graham Parkes in the Brotherhood line-up but that takes nothing away from the Nomads Wildcats’ achievement, with Barlow producing a star performance to record an impressive hat-trick. His maximum included two five-set victories – 11-8 in the decider against Gerald Batt and, in an encounter between two of the League’s genuine elder statesmen, 11-6 in the decider against Brian Baines.
Barlow was well-supported by Andrew Cawley, whose two wins included a 13-11 in the fifth victory over David Wilkin, and Hazel Blanche who took one.
So, in the battle for the second promotion spot that changes week-by-week, Brotherhood H are now a point behind Nomads Lynx. The Lynx had to be satisfied with a 6-4 victory over Brotherhood L, Kevin Hume, Brian Friday and Peter Miller all winning twice. But none of them could get the better of young Morgan Harvey who took his three for Brotherhood.
Brotherhood G produced the best result of the three challengers with an 8-2 victory against a Windsor Swallows’ side fielding a guest. Malcolm Caley played well to take the losers’ two points with wins over Mark Trayhorn and Lee Allen.
The Swallows suffered a second defeat when they went down 7-3 to Windsor Penguins. Sheila Howe took two for the Swallows, beating Mike Monschau 11-4 in the fifth and Sue Chillingworth 11-8 in the fifth, while Monschau eventually wore down Iris Howlett to emerge a victorious 3-2 (9-11, 12-14, 13-11, 11-9, 11-4).
The Penguins’ number one Ray Chillingworth stayed unbeaten in the match against the Swallows and also in his side’s second match of the week, the draw with Nomads Pumas. John Bowers and Alan Dockerill won two each for the Pumas, Dockerill taking Chillingworth close before losing 11-8 in the decider. The tightest match saw Monschau scrape home 13-11 in the decider against the Pumas’ skipper Lionel Goddard, but Jackie Bunce produced the crucial win of the evening, defeating Goddard in four.
The Windsor Kites v Nomads Leopards encounter also ended all-square, the Kites’ first drawn match of the season. Carl Hubbard took a treble for Windsor whilst, for the Leopards, there were two each for Roger McNaughton and also for Stuart Wilkinson, his first League successes.
Unusually for Division Three, there was yet another drawn match as Walton E shared the spoils with Windsor Ospreys. Lynette Sparks recorded a spirited hat-trick for Walton but the match was closely contested throughout with three very tight encounters. Sparks beat Woody Fitzpatrick 12-10 in the fifth and, with Toni Hayhow-Khan, shared a doubles success for Walton, winning by the same score against Fitzpatrick and Lucy Burton. The Ospreys had their share of good fortune when Kayley Lamb beat Hayhow-Khan 15-13 in the decider.
In Division One Walton A inflicted a first defeat of the season on a Denyer-less Nomads Panthers, winning 6-4. Every player picked up a point but only Walton’s Peter Burrows emerged unbeaten. The doubles proved pivotal, Burrows and John Rice beating Colin Webber and John Poysden 3-2 (11-9, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6).
Despite the defeat, the Panthers need a mere seven points from their remaining four fixtures to guarantee a second consecutive title.
The Walton A victory keeps them in contention for the runners-up spot and, with a match in hand, they are only eight points adrift of second-placed Brotherhood A who this week beat Walton C 6-4. John Andrews showed his class to remain undefeated, whilst Martyn Green’s pair for the winners included an 11-5 in the decider victory over Mark Gale. The closest match saw Walton’s Derek Willis defeat Josh Sidki 3-2 (10-12, 11-8, 11-4, 13-15, 11-9).
Willis remained undefeated in Walton C’s second match, a draw with Windsor Hawks. In an encounter between two equally-matched mid-table sides, five of the individual matches went the distance. Felipe Rodriguez was involved in three of them, beating Paul Meikle 11-7 in the decider and Jason Gale 11-8 in the decider but losing 11-9 in the final set to Willis.
The Nomads Lions v Walton B match also ended with honours-even, John Hatley taking an unbeaten treble for the Lions. His team-mate John Fenton had a good scrap with Paul Newbould before winning 3-2 (10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8). It was Walton’s first drawn match of the season.
John Pattrick put in a fine performance for Windsor Condors, defeating Phil Smith, Fred Button and John Hobson in the 7-3 success against Windsor Eagles. But Smith had the satisfaction of defeating Colin Stallwood 11-9 in the decider, only the second defeat of the season for Stallwood. Annabelle Rodriguez played well to beat Button 11-7 in the fifth.
Nomads Cougars’ Houdini act continues and they edged further away from the relegation zone with a 9-1 win over Brotherhood D. Paul Hume and Sam Hume recorded hat-tricks and there were two from Colin Beaumont. Alas for Brotherhood D, the result confirms the inevitable and they are definitely relegated.
In Division Two Windsor Ravens beat Nomads Tigers 9-1, although the scoreline concealed a far tighter match. John Harvey and Gary Stallwood took trebles but Stallwood’s maximum included a nail-biting 3-2 (11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 12-14, 11-9) victory over Darren Bunce. Brian Thiel’s two wins for the Ravens were also close-run affairs, 11-7 in the fifth against Caroline North and 16-14 in the fifth against Eric Lemke.
Leaders Windsor Kestrels were 8-2 winners against struggling Windsor Magpies, John Plummer and Dave Sweetland taking the Magpies’ points, with Sweetland defeating Alan Rutledge 3-2 (4-11, 11-6, 14-12, 6-11, 11-9).
But the Magpies later had cause for celebration when they recorded their first victory of the season, 7-3 against Nomads Jaguars, a result which takes them off the bottom of the table for the first time since last November. Harry Hawkes was unbeaten for the Jaguars but a couple each for Sweetland, Plummer and Dan Wright saw the Magpies home. The result means that every one of the League’s 39 teams has now won at least one match this season.
Unfortunately for the Magpies, it seems unlikely to be enough to prevent them going down alongside Brotherhood I who this week lost 10-0 to Lawford. But they put up a fight, Allen Denyer taking Paul Hewitt to five, as did Rowan Cottee against Ian Sherwood.
Nomads Ocelots were 7-3 victors over Brotherhood J, Peter Giles taking a treble and Daryl Lott two. Gracie Edwards won a couple for Brotherhood, denying Lott his hat-trick with an 11-8 in the decider win.
Brotherhood C triumphed 8-2 over Windsor Owls. The much-improved Fred Gallone was the best player on the night, staying unbeaten. Windsor’s Adam Jackson had two tight victories, 13-11 in the fifth against Kevin Pryor and 15-13 in the fifth against Lawrence Torr.
Finally, Brotherhood F defeated Windsor Harriers 6-4 for a second time this season. Every player picked up a point but only Brotherhood’s Mark Beckham, another improved player, remained undefeated. Windsor’s Jenny Higgins lost 11-6 in the fifth to Beckham and 11-9 in the fifth to Barry Allen but caused the surprise of the evening by defeating Elliott Attrill in four.
* The Closed Championships, sponsored by Paul Newbould Planning and Building Design Services, will be held at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall on 26th and 27th April. The closing date for entries is Sunday 6th April. These can be sent to either Tony Oswick or Peter White, or made on-line via the League’s website.
* The Junior Combination Tournament takes place at the Windsor venue on Friday 4th April. Play starts at 7pm.
KEN GLADWELL 1926 – 2014
League stalwart Ken Gladwell, who died on 19th March 2014 aged 87 years, was considered by many to be the best male player ever to have graced the table tennis table in the Clacton League.
Between 1953 and 1974 he won a record nine Mens Singles titles, as well as three Men’s Doubles, three Mixed Doubles and five Veterans’ Singles. Six of the men’s titles came in consecutives years, a record unlikely ever to be surpassed and an indication of Ken’s dominance of men’s table tennis in the 1950s.
But as well as being a table tennis player of class and ability, Ken was always a true sportsman. He played the game in the way it should be played, showing sportsmanship and a phlegmatic calm whether in victory or defeat.
Ken continued to play League table tennis for more than 50 years, finally retiring in 2007. But even in his final season, as an octogenarian, he was still able to average 83 per cent while playing for Thorpe B in Division Three.
In recognition of his services to the League, Ken was awarded the Bob Phillips trophy in 1987 and, eight years later in 1995, he was made a League Vice-President.
We extend our deepest sympathy to Ken’s family.
RESULTS
Division 1
Walton A 6 Nomads Panthers 4;
Walton C 5 Windsor Hawks 5;
Nomads Lions 5 Walton B 5;
Windsor Eagles 3 Windsor Condors 7;
Brotherhood A 6 Walton C 4;
Brotherhood D 1 Nomads Cougars 9.
Division 2
Windsor Harriers 4 Brotherhood F 6;
Windsor Kestrels 8 Windsor Magpies 2;
Nomads Jaguars 3 Windsor Magpies 7;
Brotherhood C 8 Windsor Owls 2;
Brotherhood I 0 Lawford 10;
Nomads Ocelots 7 Brotherhood J 3;
Windsor Ravens 9 Nomads Tigers 1.
Division 3
Brotherhood L 4 Nomads Lynx 6;
Windsor Swallows 3 Windsor Penguins 7;
Walton E 5 Windsor Ospreys 5;
Nomads Wildcats 7 Brotherhood H 3;
Windsor Kites 5 Nomads Leopards 5;
Windsor Swallows 2 Brotherhood G 8;
Nomads Pumas 5 Windsor Penguins 5.
To view full tables, click here
by Tony Oswick (March 31, 2014)