Pride of place in the Clacton & District League this week goes to Nomads Tigers who celebrated a first Division One success, their 7-3 win over Walton C lifting them off the foot of the table.
There were trebles for John Marshall and Chris Parr, and a debut victory at this level for Daryl Lott, a narrow 13-11 in the decider win over Paul Newbould. John Marshall’s 11-8 in the fifth win over Graham Buxton was the only other match extended to a deciding set. Buxton and John Rankin, with a singles win each, and Buxton and Newbould in the doubles, picked up the Walton points.
Both of the other teams in the relegation zone suffered heavy defeats. Lawford went down 8-2 to Brotherhood C, Alan Burgess and Kevin Gowlett remaining unbeaten for Brotherhood. Richard Spence and Paul Hewitt were Lawford’s points-scorers.
Brotherhood D lost 9-1 to Windsor Hawks, for whom Felipe Rodriguez and Andy Vincent recorded trebles. Scott Campbell’s win over John Barton was Brotherhood’s only success.
It was also 9-1 for champions Nomads Panthers against Windsor Eagles. Paul Hume and James Denyer won three each, although Denyer had his toughest test of the season to date, leaving it late to beat Gary Cattermole 3-2 (14-12, 6-11, 11-3, 5-11, 11-9). John Hatley won two for the Panthers but went down in three-straight to Cattermole.
Six of the matches in the Nomads Lions v Windsor Condors encounter went the distance, the two teams sharing them three apiece. But it was the Condors who emerged victorious 7-3, Ollie Rampton excelling to stay unbeaten, Mel Rampton and Martin Hogg chipping in with a pair each. Ethan Lloyd won two close singles for the Lions, 11-7 in the fifth against Hogg and 11-9 in the fifth against Mel Rampton. He and Adam Cuthbert also took the doubles, defeating the two Ramptons 11-9 in the fifth. However, the closest match of the evening was Hogg’s 13-11 in the decider victory over Jason Lloyd.
Walton A were 10-0 winners against club-mates Walton B who will feel unfortunate to have lost all four matches which went to a fifth set. Daniel Young, Gary Young and Gavin Price stayed undefeated for the ‘A’ team.
Two Brotherhood teams are setting the pace in Division Two and both enjoyed convincing victories this week.
Brotherhood I were 10-0 victors against Windsor Buzzards. John Owen, Paul Alden and the much-improved Fred Gallone all took hat-tricks, with only Owen’s 11-5 in the decider win over Ray Chillingworth going the distance.
It was also 10-0 for Woody Fitzpatrick, Frank Burbidge and Mark Salter of Brotherhood H against bottom-team Nomads Jaguars. None of the matches were extended to a fifth set.
Walton E edged past Brotherhood F 6-4, Gary Stallwood’s 11-8 in the fifth win over Lee Allen ultimately proving decisive. Stallwood stayed unbeaten and Mark Gale won two for Walton, whilst Barry Allen got a couple for Brotherhood.
Windsor Kestrels got their season into gear with two wins on consecutive nights. Bob Sawyer stayed undefeated in the 7-3 success against Windsor Magpies, with Colin Beaumont and Graham Bunce taking two each. Dave Martin won two for the Magpies and, alongside John Plummer, enjoyed a good doubles win over Beaumont and Bunce.
The Kestrels then beat Windsor Harriers 6-4. A late call-off meant Jonathan Found was drafted into the Kestrels’ team and he rewarded his captain with two deuce in the fifth wins, including a see-saw 3-2 (12-10, 10-12, 10-12, 11-6, 12-10) success over Isabel Barton. Colin Beaumont stayed unbeaten for the Kestrels whilst Debra Found enjoyed an unexpected win over Barton. Ferdy Rodriguez won twice for the losers and, with Barton, beat Beaumont and Found 11-7 in the fifth in the doubles.
Another hat-trick for Liam Harris, and two each for Eric Lemke and Andy Cawley, gave Nomads Bobcats an 8-2 win over Brotherhood G. Mark Beckham and John Gallagher took a point each for Brotherhood, Gallagher recording a surprise win over Cawley.
In Division Three Nomads Pumas put in a good all-round team performance to take it 7-3 against Walton D. Andrew Cousins won three, Alan Dockerill two and John Bowers one. Tony Sharman picked up a couple for Walton, beating Bowers 11-8 in the fifth but going down by the same score to Cousins.
There was a hat-trick for Dan Still and two for Harley Wood as Brotherhood J took it 6-4 against Nomads Leopards. Bob Jillins won a couple, and Dave Wright and Stuart Wilkinson one each, for the Leopards.
The all-Windsor clash between the Merlins, who fielded a guest, and the Falcons ended in an honourable draw. Bradley Henshaw and Sharon Gowlett each won two singles for the Merlins, and shared a doubles victory, but neither could get the better of the Falcons’ Kayley Rodriguez.
Nomads Ocelots defeated a Windsor Robins’ side with a guest player 7-2. Arthur Wells-Garrett won his two for the Ocelots, and Hazel Blanche and Barbara Rhodes one each, but the closest match saw Oleksandra Klymenko of the Robins edge past Blanche 13-11 in the decider. The unusual scoreline came about because the final match was declared void, Barbara Rhodes being called away because of a family illness and having to concede her match against the Robins’ reserve.
* Information about the first two rounds of the Knock-Out Cup, and the first round of the Division Three Challenge, will be circulated by Wednesday 28th November at the latest.
RESULTS
Division 1
Walton C 3 Nomads Tigers 7
Brotherhood C 8 Lawford 2
Windsor Hawks 9 Brotherhood D 1
Windsor Eagles 1 Nomads Panthers 9
Walton B 0 Walton A 10
Nomads Lions 3 Windsor Condors 7
Nomads Tigers 0 Windsor Eagles 10
Division 2
Brotherhood I 10 Windsor Buzzards 0
Nomads Jaguars 0 Brotherhood H 10
Windsor Magpies 3 Windsor Kestrels 7
Brotherhood F 4 Walton E 6
Windsor Kestrels 6 Windsor Harriers 4
Brotherhood G 2 Nomads Bobcats 8
Walton E 3 Windsor Magpies 7
Division 3
Brotherhood E 5 Nomads Pumas 5
Windsor Merlins 5 Windsor Falcons 5
Nomads Leopards 4 Brotherhood J 6
Nomads Pumas 7 Walton D 3
Windsor Robins 2 Nomads Ocelots 7