Issued on 26 February 2023

Chris Penrose - new to the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League first division and better known as one of the leading players in the Romford League produced a performance which will make everyone sit up and take notice. He scored a superb hat-trick of wins as Danbury A lost 7-3 to the “champions elect” – OCA A, taking down Mark Mulley (10-12, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7), Keiran Lally (11-6, 14-12, 8-11, 11-6) and Paul Lucas (4-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4) – three very good wins. Chelmsford A beat Chelmsford B 7-3. Harry Chivers and James Donald were undefeated for Chelmsford A whilst Aidan Lees and Simon Jarvis both impressed for Chelmsford B by beating Saul Chivers. The 2023 Chelmsford Under 15 Singles Champion - Aidan Lees sparkled as he beat Saul 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 in the first game of the evening.

Division two has more twists and turns than a Wilbur Smith novel. With Danbury D not playing this week Galleywood A took full advantage to return to top spot by beating Danbury A 9-1. James Hicks and Peter Barrett were both undefeated whilst Neil Want was on target for the losers. He beat Gary Brignall (11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9). The battle to avoid relegation is very evenly matched in this division and Writtle C ran out 6-4 winners against a two-man OCA C. Gary Ward won twice to give Writtle the edge, beating David Porter (11-3, 11-4, 11-8) and Mick Richardson (11-9, 11-5, 11-4). Chelmsford C did well to beat Hatfield Peverel A 7-3. Victor Chan led the way with a hat-trick which included last gasp wins over Alastair Piper (8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9) and Julie Johnson (11-7, 11-13, 3-11, 11-5, 14-12). Writtle B scored an important 7-3 victory over OCA B. Matthew Brown was undefeated for Writtle and Phil Smith won twice, which included a very tight success against Robbie Burton (4-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9). It was honours even between Galleywood B and Chelmsford D. Nikita Tkachuk won his three singles for the Chelmsford side whilst Adi Kamma played his part by beating Mark Glenister (11-7, 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 16-14).

Division three leaders Danbury F pulled further away by beating Writtle E 9-1. Gus Heath and Chris Buer were both undefeated for Danbury whilst Writtle had to wait until the eighth game to notch up their success. Dave Moles will no doubt consider it worth waiting. He beat Steve Buer (11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7). Second placed Danbury G were held to a draw by Writtle D. No individual player remained undefeated and in the last game of the evening Alan Scammell secured a draw for the Danbury side by beating Malcolm Henstock (11-5, 11-13, 10-12, 11-5, 13-11). Aidan Lees won his three singles as Chelmsford E climbed into third place by beating OCA D 7-3. His game with Richard Baxter was a good one and he triumphed (11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 14-12). With a record of 90 % Lees has clearly outgrown this division. The impressive margin of victory (8-2) for Hatfield Peverel B over the higher placed Danbury K will have raised a few eyebrows. Neil Freeman and Robin Armstrong were both undefeated and Neil Freeman gave the Hatfield Peverel a winning start by beating Greg Cooper (11-5, 8-11, 12-14, 11-5, 11-9).

Chelmsford H, second to bottom in division four, took a big step towards avoiding relegation by beating OCA F 7-3. Cleon Fernandes led the way with three wins and he completed his hat-trick by beating Stuart Wintle (11-6, 12-10, 11-8). Third-placed Danbury M beat OCA E 6-4. Tim Pulham bagged a hat-trick defeating Bob Francis (11-9, 11-4, 11-6), David Newman (12-10, 11-9, 11-8) and Farooq Ahmed (11-8, 11-5, 11-8). Hatfield Peverel C (Peter Mortensen, Andy Whiley and Andy Simmonds) were in charge against Hatfield Peverel D and won 8-2. Peter Mortensen gave them that all important winning start by beating Bob Hillis (11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8) in the opening encounter.

The top of the table clash in division five resulted in a handsome 8-2 win for Highwood B against Highwood A although Highwood A still lead the way by eight points. Roger Patient and Dave Cockerel were both unbeaten for Highwood B. Roger Patient (95 % record) had to battle hard to defeat Nicole Pippen (11-9, 11-2, 10-12, 11-8) to complete his hat-trick. Highwood B were also held to a draw by Hatfield Peverel F. James Brookes was unbeaten and this included a 11-9, 12-10, 4-11, 11-8 victory against Roger Patient – only Roger’s second defeat in 38 games.  James Brookes was also undefeated in the drawn match between Hatfield Peverel E and Hatfield Peverel F. Brookes had to dig deep to win his third singles, finally seeing off Davina Brazier (11-8, 9-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-8). Danbury N beat Galleywood D 6-4. Graham Naggs led the way with three wins whilst Norman Hayes was within a whisker of repeating that feat. Steve Peacock pipped Hayes in five ends (6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 14-12).

Chelmsford Tigers are the early leaders in Junior division 2A with nine points out of 10. Harrel Choo and Sami Osman beat Chelmsford Lions 5-0.

Chelmsford Antelopes were 3-2 winners against Chelmsford Cougars in Junior division 2B. Three games were decided in five ends and Yishai Choo was unbeaten for the Antelopes. He beat William Guilloux (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9) and Joshua Freeman (4-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8).  Danbury Griffins came out on top 3-2, against Billericay Bulldogs. Peter Harverson was undefeated for the Griffins, beating Freya Hart (11-7, 11-5, 12-10) and Francesca Hart (11-8, 17-15, 6-11, 9-11, 11-9).         

Chelmsford Pumas beat Buttsbury Beavers 5-0 in Junior division 2C. Luka Riberiro and Ethan Li carried all before them. Luka Ribeoro gave the Pumas a winning start by beating Jago Ware (12-10, 13-11, 11-8).

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 18 February 2023

Bruce Kettle – narrow winner against Robert Shrimpton

This week’s action in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League revolves around KO Cup matches. Danbury A and Chelmsford A both progressed to the next round of the Open KO Cup with 5-0 wins. Danbury A beat Chelmsford C in a match which featured a titanic battle between Bruce Kettle and Rob Shrimpton. Bruce won this one, (10-12, 3-11, 15-13, 12-10, 12-10) which gave Danbury a 3-0 lead. Chelmsford A put club mates Chelmsford B in their place. Harry Chivers had to work hard to beat Kim Shead in five ends (5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5).

Division two leaders Danbury D are out  of the division two knock out Cup. They were beaten 5-4 by an inspired Writtle team. The crucial result here came in game no. eight when Matthew Brown beat Sanjay Saptashi (11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8) to level the scores at 4-4. With everything to play for in the deciding doubles Writtle’s Phil Smith and Trevor Colin came out on top (11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8) against Sanjay Saptarshi and Eamon Hall for a memorable victory. Danbury’s improving Sam Phillips beat both Matthew Brown (11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8) and Trevor Collin (11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6).

Division three leaders Danbury F made no mistake against Writtle D and they won 5-0 in the division three knock out cup. The opening doubles proved testing but a five game win for Gus Heath and John Tendler (11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 4-11, 11-6) against Matthew Brown and Bob Garson gave them the impetus and they never looked back. Gus Heath defeated Matthew Brown (11-9, 11-2, 7-11, 11-8).

Highwood A (Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Nicola Pippen) – long-time leaders in division five ran out 5-3 winners against Chelmsford J in the division five knock out cup. Chelmsford’s Jacqui Smith excelled by beating Keith Fitz-John (7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8) and Paul Bullock  defeated  Nicola Pippen (3-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6). Melanie Bonnett finally sealed the Highwood victory by beating Jacqui Smith (11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9). An outstanding effort from the Chelmsford side.       

Highwood were in action again in the Ladies knock out cup, but this time they lost, 3-2, against Chelmsford. Alesha Ellis-Austin, another fast improving player made the difference here. She beat Nicola Pippen (11-8, 11-6, 11-8) and Melanie Bonnett (11-8, 11-8, 9-11 11-6) and in the deciding doubles she teamed up with Emilie Guilloux to beat Melanie and Nicola (11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4) - a very good doubles win for Alesha and Emilie.   

Handicap Cup matches are by far the hardest to evaluate. Teams with fast improving players often cruise through as the teams “chasing” the handicaps make little impact. Chelmsford E -Aidan Lees (handicap of 63), Rev Matthews (55) and Vishnu Surendran (35) ran out 5-0 winners against Danbury K whilst Chelmsford G - Harrison Hill (58), Alesha Ellis-Austin (41) and Ben Chivers (37) beat Writtle C 5-0, no mean feat as Writtle C have fared well in this event in the past.   Danbury B defeated Writtle B 5-3 in a match where both teams featured players from the higher echelons of the League. Writtle’s Phil Smith (67) did well to beat Sam Lowman (81) (18-21, 21-18, 21-15). Neil Want (67) eventually defeated Richard Storey (70) (21-16, 18-21, 22-20) to seal the Danbury victory. Chelmsford F are safely through as well. Alex Tkachuk (51), Cleon Fernandes (40) and Dion Fernandes (37) prevailed 6-2 against Danbury N.

Matthew Brown was in action again, in division three, in what was a very busy week for him.  Matthew Brown, Malcolm Henstock and Peter Layzell all won twice as Writtle D beat Chelmsford E 7-3. Aidan Lees was unbeaten for Chelmsford and he defeated Malcolm Henstock (9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6), Matthew Brown (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6) and Peter Layzell (11-6, 14-12, 4-11, 11-8). Chelmsford E also drew with Maldon B. No surprises here - Aidan Lees was again the player who dominated the action. He beat Brian Riedling (8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9), Marty Englander (11-9, 11-6, 15-13) and Dawn Baldry (5-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5).   

In the Chelmsford Junior League division 2A Buttsbury Bears beat Chelmsford Lions 4-1. Calum Walker beat both Aryan Gupta (11-13, 11-1, 11-3, 11-6) and Atharv Gupta (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-4). Buttsbury Bulldogs defeated Chelmsford Antelopes 3-2 in Junior division 2B. All four players won once and Ben Robinson beat Freya Hart (11-4, 11-3, 5-11, 8-11, 13-11) in the closest game of the match.  Chelmsford Jaguars ran out 4-1 winners against Buttsbury Beavers in Junior division 2C. Grace Liu was undefeated.  

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 12 February 2023

Matthew Mulley – still 100 % after 24 games

OCA A, the outstanding side in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League moved another step closer to the title by beating a strong Chelmsford A team 7-3. They lead the way with 95 points from 13 games. Matthew Mulley (24 wins out of 24) retained his 100 % singles record with another “power house” performance beating Harry Chivers (11-7, 14-12, 11-8), James Donald (11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8) and Saul Chivers (12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5). Brother Mark Mulley had a real tussle with James Donald and he finally came out on top (7-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 12-10).  

Danbury D have taken over the leadership of division two, and they are one point ahead of Galleywood A. Danbury’s David Gatheral, Sanjay Saptarshi and Sam Phillips ran out 10-0 winners against Chelmsford C. Sanjay Saptashi (96 %) has only lost once from 26 starts.  The Danbury TTC Web Site found a novel way of describing this impressive win - “This morning’s earthguake in Danbury was undoubtedly caused by the D team’s immense victory over Chelmsford C ……………”. Long-time leaders Galleywood A won 8-2 against OCA C. James Hicks led the way with three wins whilst Mick Richardson notched up two wins for the Old Chelmsfordians team, beating Gary Brignall (11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8) and Ben Page (11-7, 11-5, 12-10). Chelmsford D did well to beat Maldon A 6-4. Nikita Tkachuk led the way, defeating Lloyd Bennett-Smith (11-8, 11-4, 11-7), Hamish Innes (11-5, 11-7, 11-6) and Colin Napper (11-6, 11-8, 12-10). Very impressive. No one player stayed undefeated in the match between OCA B and Galleywood B, which finished tied at 5-5. Galleywood’s reserve - Colin Blore made his mark with two hard fought victories. He beat Bertie Makoli (5-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-8) and Trevor Carter (6-11, 15-13, 13-11, 7-11, 14-12). Martin Archie led the way with a hat-trick as Hatfield Peverel A beat Danbury E 7-3. Archie had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Tim Cramphorn (11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9). Writtle B turned the tables on the higher placed Writtle C with an excellent 8-2 victory. Richard Storey and reserve Malcolm Henstock both stayed undefeated. Henstock downed the challenge of Gary Ward (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-3) whilst Ward had to work hard to beat Trevor Collin (5-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8). The match between OCA C and Hatfield Peverel A finished level (5-5). Mick Richardson won his three singles for the OCA C side; good wins as well, beating Alastair Piper (8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-4), Gareth Davies (4-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3) and Julie Johnson (11-5, 11-9 11-5).     

Danbury F scored their tenth win of the season, and they lead the way in division three with 97 points from 13 matches. Chris Buer was undefeated in their 8-2 victory against Hatfield Peverel B. Neil Freeman won twice for Hatfield Peverel and this included a (11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8) win over Gus Heath. Writtle D also won 8-2, at the expense of Writtle E. Matt Brown and Bob Garson were both undefeated. Matt Brown required five ends to see off Neil Thompson (5-11, 11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9).  OCA D shaded a closer match against second placed Danbury G, 6-4. The first game of the night set the tone for the match with OCA’s Richard Baxter getting the better of Alan Scammell (11-9, 2-11, 11-6, 10-12, 12-10).  Danbury G are still 17 points above third placed OCA D. Danbury K led by a hat-trick from Denis Balic ran out 7-3 winners against Chelmsford F. Balic beat Waseem Qureshi (11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3), Andy Swales (12-10, 11-6, 11-4) and Alex Tkachuk (11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6).

Division four leaders Chelmsford G were again indebted to 2023 Chelmsford Under 13 Singles Champion Harrison Hill as they beat Chelmsford H 6-4. With a deficit of a mere four points but with two games in hand the advantage still rests with second placed Danbury L. Back to Chelmsford G and Harrison Hill (29 wins out of 30 / 97 %) raced to wins over Felix Reeve (11-4, 11-7, 11-7), Vishnu Surendran (11-5, 11-6, 13-11) and Cleon Fernandes (11-3, 11-9, 11-3). Felix Reeve in turn defeated Alesha Ellis-Austin by a last gasp (6-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5, 12-10 margin). Danbury L ensured that Chelmsford G did not make any inroads on them by hammering Hatfield Peverel D 10-0. Rob Kneale, Dave Goody and Dave Powell carried all before them. OCA E came out on top in the inter-club clash against OCA F, by the comfortable margin of 9-1. Russell Hall beat Mike Morecroft (12-14, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10) in the closest game of the evening. Buttsbury A led by three wins from Jamie Elliott beat Galleywood C 7-3. Elliott beat Will Goodchild - the best of the Galleywood players (14-16, 8-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7) to complete his hat-trick. Fourth-placed Danbury M are still in the hunt for honours and they beat Hatfield Peverel C 7-3.  Tim Pulham won his three singles and with a record of 89 % he is having a great Season.

Division five remains a battle between Highwood A and Highwood B. The Highwood A side (12 wins and two draws from 14 games) were hard pushed to beat Buttsbury B 6-4. Melanie Bonnett had to dig deep to beat George Haglund (11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 6-11, 11-6). Keith Pallett went down fighting against both Oscar Hutt, losing (8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11) and against George Haglund where he missed out (6-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 10-12).  Highwood A also beat Hatfield Peverel E 7-3. Keith Fitz-John was undefeated this time. He beat Phil West (7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9), Davina Brazier (4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9) and James Brooks (11-7, 11-4, 11-8). The improving Davina Brazier scored a fine opening game success over Melanie Bonnett (12-14, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5). Highwood B ran out 7-3 winners against Maldon C. Roger Patient led the way with three victories whilst Kym Eames won twice for Maldon. She beat Martin Goddard (11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10) and Russell Downton (12-10, 11-9, 11-6).   Chelmsford J did well to beat Galleywood D 8-2. Jason Clark and Paul Bullock were both undefeated in a match where no games went to a fifth end although six games were decided over four ends. Hatfield Peverel F edged out Buttsbury B 6-4 Karen Braney won her three singles beating the Buttsbury trio of Charlie Ware (11-7, 11-5, 11-5), Lucy Elliott (12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6) and Calum Walker (11-7, 11-9, 11-9).

Highwood B emerged as 5-3 winners over Danbury in the division five knock out cup. They led 2-0 but were pulled back to 3-3. Dave Cockrell scored a vital (12-14, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5) win over Graham Naggs and this enabled Roger Patient (31 / 32 wins / 97 % record in the league) to seal his side’s victory with a (12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3) win against David Smith.

Chelmsford Tigers (Pav Srinavasmurthy and Wasi Omar) won all four singles in their 4-1 win over Buttsbury Bees in Junior division 2A. Pav Srinavasmurthy beat Charlie Ware (11-5, 13-15, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8) in a well contested opening encounter.

Chelmsford Cougars ran out 5-0 winners against Buttsbury Bats in Junior division 2B. Joshua Freeman and Amir Chetitah gave nothing away although the Buttsbury players – Noah Middleton and Jago Ware extended three games to a fifth and deciding end.  

Grace Liu won her two singles as Chelmsford Leopards defeated Chelmsford Pumas 4-1 in Junior division 2 C. Damon Chow was on target for Chelmsford Pumas, beating Sean Kwan (11-4, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7).     

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 5 February 2023

Simon Jarvis – hat-trick against Danbury C

Three of this week’s four scorecards in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League produced 6-4 scorelines. Simon Jarvis was on great form for Chelmsford B against Danbury C but it was Danbury C who shaded a close match 6-4. Jarvis beat Sanjay Saptarshi (22-20, 11-4, 11-6), David Gatheral (12-10, 11-3, 5-11, 11-5) and Ian Whiteside (11-6, 11-9, 11-5). Chelmsford B also lost 6-4 to Danbury B. Sam Lowman’s three wins gave Danbury B the edge. He beat Kim Shead (11-5, 11-5, 11-3), Simon Jarvis (11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5) and Wiktor Delimat (11-4, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8). Simon Jarvis made his mark with a five game win over Dan Anderson (11-9, 14-16, 11-3, 10-12, 11-6). The leaders OCA A overcame Writtle A 6-4. Lee McHugh caused them the most problems. He secured an excellent hat-trick of wins beating Berti Makoli (11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9), Mark Mulley (14-16, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6) and Paul Lucas (11-8, 11-9, 2-11, 12-10). Berti Makoli excelled with a fine (11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 11-9) victory against Richard Storey. Chelmsford A did well to beat the higher placed Danbury A 7-3. Harry Chivers and James Donald were both undefeated. James Donald had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Eric Green (11-8, 10-12, 11-2, 9-11, 11-9).    

Galleywood A top the table in division two with 94 points but Danbury B are hot on their tails with 93 points. Galleywood A scraped past their B team 6-4. Gary Copsey was the “thorn in their side” beating Ben Page (13-11, 14-12, 11-5), Gary Brignall (6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8) and James Hicks (11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7). Galleywood A also beat Writtle B 6-4. Peter Barrett won his three singles and Gary Brignall came very close to doing so as well. He just missed out to Mathew Brown (6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12). Danbury D took full advantage and with Sanjay Saptarshi and David Gatheral both staying undefeated they beat Chelmsford D 8-2. David Gatheral was on fine form for the Danbury side. He raced to wins against Felix Reeve (11-1, 11-6, 12-10), Nikita Tkachuk (11-4, 11-5, 11-5) and Adi Kamma (11-2, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6). Writtle C, led by a Gary Ward hat-trick ran out 6-4 winners against Galleywood B. John Gagg impressed for Writtle with a very good (3-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9) win over Gary Copsey. 6-4 was also the scoreline when Danbury E came out on top against Chelmsford C. Tim Cramphorn bagged a hat-trick for Danbury E, beating Victor Chan (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5), Mark Allaway (11-7, 11-3, 11-5) and Rev Matthews (11-9, 11-7, 11-5). Maldon A saw off a two-man OCA B 8-2. Colin Napper impressed for Maldon beating Kevin Worthington (11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5) and Trevor Carter (11-4, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5).     

Division three leaders Danbury F met their match against Chelmsford F, and the match finished tied at 5-5. Waseem Qureshi was undefeated for Chelmsford F beating Gus Heath (5-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7), Chris Buer (11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11) and Steve Buer (11-4, 11-13, 11-3, 14-12).  Reserve Pav Srinavasmurthy made his mark with a fine (12-10, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-2) victory over Steve Buer. With Aidan Lees and Charlie Donald in their side Chelmsford E ran out 8-2 winners against Danbury H. Aidan Lees completed his hat-trick by getting the better of David Meah (11-9, 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5). Neil Freeman led Hatfield Peverel B to a 6-4 win against Writtle D. He seemed to have “something in hand” cruising to wins against Colin Barham (11-8, 11-3, 11-3), Peter Layzell (11-4, 11-7, 11-7) and Malcom Henstock (11-6, 11-3, 11-7). Danbury G stay second; and Ken Sheard was on match-winning form as they defeated Maldon B 7-3. Sheard completed his trio of wins by defeating 2023 Chelmsford Ladies Champion Dawn Baldry (11-7, 11-18, 12-10).  Writtle E won a hard-fought match against OCA D 7-3. The last five games were five setters and Ian Hockley beat Richard Upson (11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8) to complete his hat-trick. Upson had in turn seen off Dave Moles (8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 14-12).  

Chelmsford G stay top in division four with 78 points but Danbury L have two games in hand. Alesha Ellis-Austin’s three wins gave Chelmsford the edge against OCA E and they won 6-4. Alesha had a real tussle against Farooq Ahmed before she prevailed (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-9) and she sealed the win for he side by beating Bob Francis (9-11, 11-6, 11-8 11-5). Danbury M won twice. Tim Pulham and Ken Wilding were both undefeated against Hatfield Peverel D (where they won 9-1) whilst Tim Pulham was also unbeaten against OCA F who they beat 7-3. With a record of 88 % Pulham is having a fine season. OCA’s Stuart Wintle secured a notable (11-5, 10-12, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10) victory over Ken Wilding. Colin Blore led Galleywood C to a 7-3 win over Chelmsford H and he completed his hat-trick by beating Cleon Fernandes (7-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-8). Steve Peacock beat Vishnu Surendran (9-11, 12-10, 2-11, 12-1, 12-10) in the closest game of the evening.  It was honours even between Hatfield Peverel C and OCA F. David Bishop was undefeated for the Old Chelmsfordians team.

Second placed Highwood B were narrow 6-4 winners against Hatfield Peverel B in division five. Roger Patient won his three singles which gave them the edge. He beat Davina Brazier, the best of the Hatfield Peverel players (11-3, 11-6, 11-5) in the last game of the evening to seal the Highwood victory. Writtle F also won, 6-4 - team-work, in this case two wins for Ron Tam, Paul Aarons and Jo Hart gave them the edge although they all missed out against Dave Benstead. It was a night Benstead will remember. He beat Paul Aarons (8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9, 12-10) and Ron Tam (11-4, 10-12, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10).  In yet another close match Galleywood D beat Hatfield Peverel F 6-4. Steve Peacock was unbeaten for Galleywood and he beat James Brookes (a two time winner for Hatfield Peverel) (7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 1-11, 11-6). Danbury F were 7-3 winners against Writtle F. David Smith, Graham Naggs and Steve Martin all won twice for Danbury N whilst Paul Aarons won two times for the Writtle side. Aarons defeated Davis Smith (7-11,11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9) in the opening encounter.      

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 29 January 2023

Danbury D return to top spot in division two

Danbury D have hit a rich vein of form in division two of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League. They returned to the top of the table by beating Danbury E 9-1. Sanjay Saptarshi and Sam Phillips were both undefeated although Sanjay had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Neil Want (3-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4, 14-12). Want was on target for the losers, beating David Gatheral (11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 11-6). Maldon A did well to beat Writtle C 6-4, good going as Gary Ward was undefeated for Writtle. Ward completed his trio of wins by beating Hamish Innes (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 13-11). Teamwork saw Hatfield Peverel A through to a 7-3 win over Writtle B. Julie Johnson, Alastair Piper and Martin Archie all won twice. Julie Johnson gave her team a winning start with a (7-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4) victory over Phil Smith. In what was a well contested match Phi Smith hit back by beating Martin Archie (11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 3-11, 11-9). Chelmsford D, well served by Adi Kamma and Nikita Tkachuk beat OCA B 8-2. It’s a night OCA B will prefer to forget as they lost five games in the fifth end. Adi Kamma won the last game of the evening (11-6, 11-4, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8) against Gareth Joice whilst Nikita Tkachuk defeated Robbie Burton (6-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-9, 13-11). Chelmsford C shaded a close match against OCA C 6-4. Mark Allaway, Dusan Doszkoty and Takunda Nerutanga all won twice to negate Mick Richardson’s three wins for the OCA team. Dusan Doszkoty secured a fine (3-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6) win over David Porter.

2023 Chelmsford Veterans Champion Duncan Taylor was undefeated as Writtle A ran out 6-4 winners against Danbury A in division one. Taylor had to come from behind to pip Chris Penrose (7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9). Penrose had made his mark by beating Kevin Read (11-9, 11-7, 11-8). OCA A stay top and with Paul Lucas and Mark Mulley winning their six singles they beat Danbury B 6-4. Mark Mulley beat Sam Lowman by a none too comfortable (7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1, 11-9) scoreline. Sam Lowman / Dan Anderson registered a fine (6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 13-11) win over Mark Mulley / Paul Lucas in the doubles.   

Division three leaders Danbury F were indebted to Gus Heath this week. He was unbeaten against Danbury K with wins over Greg Cooper (11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5), Denis Balic (11-7, 11-5, 11-4) and Denis Crapnell (11-9, 11-6, 11-4) as Danbury F won 6-4. With a record of 91 % Gus Heath is having a fine Season. Richard Baxter was also on “hat-trick form” as OCA D beat Hatfield Peverel B 7-3. He raced to wins over Neil Freeman (11-8, 12-10, 11-8), Paul Mulley (11-7, 11-3, 11-8) and Roger Slade (11-7, 11-5, 11-5). The match between Maldon B and Writtle B finished tied at 5-5. 2023 Chelmsford Ladies Champion Dawn Baldry won her three singles for Maldon. She completed her hat-trick of wins with a (11-9, 11-6, 15-13) victory over Malcolm Storey. No one player stayed unbeaten in the match between Danbury H and Danbury G; a match that Danbury H shaded 6-4. Dave Marsh and Peter Hance won twice for Danbury H whilst Alan Scammell and Ken Sheard won twice for Danbury G. Ken Sheard impressed with a fine (16-14, 11-6, 11-7) win over Peter Hance. Matthew Brown led the way with three wins as Writtle D beat Chelmsford F 8-2. Dusan Doszkoty beat Dave Carter over five ends (11-4, 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9) for the losers.

Chelmsford G stormed to a 9-1 win over Hatfield Peverel C in division four. They lead the way with 72 points. 2023 Chelmsford Under 13 Singles Champion Harrison Hill (96 %) and 2023 Chelmsford Junior Girls Singles Champion Alesha Ellis-Austin (81 %) were both undefeated.  Alesha came out on top over five ends against Peter Mortensen (11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9). Galleywood C impressed by beating OCA E 7-3. Colin Blore led the way with a hat-trick of wins and he completed an excellent evening’s work by defeating Farooq Ahmed (11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 6-11, 11-3).

The two leading teams both recorded “big” wins in division five. Highwood A (Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Keith Pallett) were 9-1 winners over Writtle F. Keith Fitz-John came through in five ends against Paul Aarons (13-11, 3-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7). Highwood B gave nothing away against Buttsbury B. Roger Patient, David Cockerell and Francis Whitbread ran out 10-0 winners. Davina Brazier was undefeated as Hatfield Peverel E beat Maldon C 8-2. Davina beat James Raymond (5-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6), Ella Sach (11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 12-10,11-8) and Ross Wheeler (11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7); three hard fought wins. Chelmsford J led by James Grimston were 7-3 winners against Danbury N. Grimston had to work hard to get the better of Steve Martin (11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-8) whilst Peter Davenport beat Oliver Martin (9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 8-11, 13-11) in an even closer game.

Chelmsford E (Charlie Donald, Rev Matthews and Joachim Mapes) beat Writtle E 5-1 in the division three knock out cup. Rev Matthews gave Chelmsford a 2-0 lead by beating Dave Moles in five ends (12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-4).    

Danbury L (Rob Kneale, Dave Powell and Dave Goody) are safely through to the next round of the division four knock out cup. They beat Buttsbury B 5-2. Jamie Elliott was on target for Buttsbury with a (12-10, 11-7, 11-9) win over Rob Kneale.

Division five leaders Highwood A made no mistake against Buttsbury C in the division five knock out cup and they won 5-0. Melanie Bonnett, Keith Fitz-John and Marin Goddard were in control here.

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 22 January 2023

Matthew Brown’s excellent win leads the way as Writtle B beat Danbury F  

The division two knock out cup clash between division three leaders Danbury F and division two’s Writtle B looked to be a match to savour. However, it was Writtle B who came out on top 5-0, a scoreline few people would have predicted. Mathew Brown gave Writtle an important 2-0 lead by beating Chris Buer (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9) and Paul Sturton made it 3-0 by beating Gus Heath (18-16, 11-6, 11-3). There was no way back for Danbury after Trevor Collin had beaten John Tendler (11-4, 14-12, 9-11, 11-8). Galleywood (a combined Galleywood A and B trio of James Hicks, Gary Copsey and Mark Glenister) are safely through to the next round. They beat Chelmsford 7-1. The odd-looking (11-4, 4-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9) win for Gary Copsey against Nikita Tkachuk stood out here. Writtle C impressed by beating OCA C 5-1. John Webber sealed the Writtle victory but he was made to work hard by Mick Hayes before he triumphed (11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9). Danbury D, currently second in division two produced a workmanlike display to beat Chelmsford F 6-2. Sam Phillips had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Waseem Qureshi (8-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9).

Danbury F, who didn’t make an impact in the division two knock out cup made no mistake in the division three competition. They raced to an 8-1 win over Danbury H. Chris Buer and Steve Buer were both undefeated although Dave Meah scored a fine (11-9, 5-11, 11-2, 11-4) win over John Tendler for the losers. Writtle D were 6-1 winners over Chelmsford H. Dave Carter sealed his side’s victory by beating Felix Reeve (11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9). Danbury G ran out 5-0 winners against Chelmsford G, a slightly flattering result as Chelmsford lost four matches in the fifth end. The fast improving Alesha Ellis-Austin came close to scoring a real upset before succumbing to Ken Sheard (9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11).   

Both Highwood teams were beaten in the division four knock out cup. OCA (Farooq Ahmed, Dave Bishop and Russell Hall) ran out 5-1 winners over Highwood B. Farooq Ahmed beat Nicola Pippen (14-12, 11-8, 13-15, 6-11, 14-12) in what looked to be the pick of the night’s action. Danbury L beat Highwood A 5-0. Dave Powell, Rob Kneale and Dave Goody gave nothing away. Dave Goody came out on top against Keith Fitz-John in five ends (5-11, 11-6, 10-12. 12-10, 11-8).

Chelmsford J (Peter Davenport, Jacqui Smith and Paul Bullock) beat Writtle F 6-3 in the division five knock out cup.  Ron Tam made his mark for Writtle by beating Jacqui Smith (11-9, 11-6, 11-7).     

It was honours shared in division one between Danbury B and Danbury C. Trevor Lloyd scored a fine hat-trick for the C side beating Dan Piggott (14-12, 11-4, 11-7), Dan Anderson (11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8) and Sam Lowman (9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3).

Galleywood A returned to the top spot in division two by beating Maldon A 7-3. James Hicks (90 %) and Peter Barrett (78 %) were both undefeated. James Hicks got the better of Lloyd Bennett-Smith (11-5, 11-2, 11-5), Hamish Innes (11-2, 11-8, 11-5) and Colin Napper (11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-5). He’s clearly having a very good Season.

Buttsbury Bats ran out 4-1 winners against Danbury Griffins in division 1B of the Junior League. Thomas Lewis was unbeaten for Buttsbury seeing off Oscar Wyman (11-9, 11-8, 11-5) and Ollie Ware (11-5, 11-13, 3-11, 11-7, 11-4).   

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 17 January 2023

Keith Adams – 2023 Chelmsford Mens Singles Champion

Danbury’s Keith Adams was crowned the 2023 Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League Mens Singles Champion at Old Chelmsfordians Association on Monday 16 January 2023. His game is based around a hugely effective forehand loop and an equally good block, on both the forehand and backhand. No matter how powerful his opponent attacks Keith has the ability to stay in the rally, often with his forehand block and to then unleash his own powerful attacking shots.

The evening began with Keith Adams playing Writtle’s Kevin Read in the Mens Singles SemI-Final and Kevin started the better. He won the first end 11-7 only for Keith to level 11-6. The next two games couldn’t have been closer and it was Keith who shaded them 12-10, 12-10; fighting back from 10-7 down in the fourth end to pip his opponent.

The second Mens Singles Semi-Final was even closer and Lee McHugh (Writtle) prevailed in five close ends against Saul Chivers (Chelmsford TTC) - who had ousted the top seed Duncan Taylor (Writtle) in the tournament weekend. Lee, playing with a noticeably more defensive style than previously shared the first four games 2-2 with Saul and he managed to get his nose in front in the fifth end to win (12-10, 7-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8). A very hard fought win indeed.

A spectacular opening rally in the Junior Boys Singles Final between Chelmsford’s Harry Chivers and Danbury’s Toby McLewin perhaps gave an indication of what was in store. Harry Chivers was on sparkling form and playing with controlled power and aggression he played superbly to win (11-9, 11-5, 11-7). His swish stylish backhand looked unstoppable at times.

Writtle’s Duncan Taylor put his set-back in the Mens Singles firmly behind him with a fine display to beat Keith Adams (11-6, 11-9, 11-5) in the Veterans Singles Final. “Mixing it up” with attacking shots ace defender Duncan always looked the more likely winner on this occasion and he made no mistake to take the title 3-0.

The Mens Doubles Final featured four Danbury players and it was new pairing Paul Davison / Toby McLewin who came out on top in four ends against last year’s winners – Trevor Lloyd / Bruce Kettle. Trevor and Bruce who looked a very well drilled pairing came very close to taking the match to a decider before succumbing (9-11, 3-11, 11-8, 10-12).

The favourite Dawn Baldry (Maldon) beat her club mate Andrea Alleyne (11-4, 11-7, 11-9) in the Ladies Singles Final. Dawn’s attacking shots are pretty ferocious at times and it says a lot about Andrea’s fighting spirit and controlled play that she was very much in contention in the second and third games.

It was Keith Adams who came out on top in a close Mens Singles Final. There was never much in it between Keith and Lee McHugh over three hard fought ends, but Keith’s ability to whip a forehand loop wide of Lee as well as to control Lee’s attacking shots with his ultra-reliable blocking shots (both backhand and forehand);  and to read Lee’s defensive shots, meant Keith edged Lee out (12-10, 11-8, 11-9). Congratulations Keith.        

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 14 January 2023

Gary Copsey scores superb hat-trick for Galleywood B

Division two of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League saw two players produce standout performances this week. Galleywood B’s League stalwart Gary Copsey excelled by taking a hat-trick against Hatfield Peverel A although it was Hatfield Peverel A who ran out 7-3 winners. Gary Copsey beat Gareth Davies (11-6, 11-6, 11-2), Alastair Piper (11-9, 11-4, 20-18) and he completed a memorable treble with a (14-12, 6-11, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10) win over Martin Archie. Writtle B’s Phil Smith, better known in the Clacton League, also picked up three very good wins against Chelmsford C although Chelmsford shaded the match 6-4. Phil Smith saw off the challenges of Victor Chan (11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7), Joachin Mapes (11-8, 11-9, 11-9) and Mark Allaway (11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9). OCA C won a close match against Danbury E 6-4, although no one player remained undefeated. Mick Hayes sealed the victory for the Old Chelmsfordians side with a fine (7-11, 11-9, 11-7. 7-11, 11-8) win over Tony Forster. Danbury D returned to the top of the table by beating OCA B 9-1. Chris Buer and Sanjay Saptarshi both won twice although Chris Buer had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Trevor Carter (9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3, 13-11). Writtle C defeated Chelmsford D 8-2. Gary Ward and John Webber were both undefeated whilst John Gagg gave Writtle a winning start by beating Keith Martin (9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9) in a hard-fought opening encounter.  

First played second in division one this week and the leaders – OCA A produced a top-class performance to beat Danbury C 8-2. Matt Mulley retained his 100 % singles record (21 wins out of 21) beating Keith Adams (11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7), Toby McLewin (9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4) and Trevor Lloyd (11-5, 12-10, 12-10). Impressive or what !. Toby McLewin made his mark with a (13-11, 13-11, 11-3) victory over Paul Lucas. Chelmsford B scored a fine 7-3 win over Writtle A. Wiktor Delimat excelled and his trio of wins included a fine (11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10) win over Lee McHugh. Writtle A fared even worse against Chelmsford A, losing 8-2. Josh Bickles won his three singles for Chelmsford, beating Richard Storey (12-10, 11-13, 11-6, 11-9), Ryan Pitt (11-7, 12-10, 11-7) and Lee McHugh (11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9). Chris Penrose, best known in the Romford League produced his best display of the Season as Danbury A defeated Danbury B 7-3. His excellent hat-trick of wins included victories over Ian Wall (12-10, 11-1, 7-11, 11-8), Matt Stringer (11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6) and Dan Anderson (9-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4).

No fewer than seven scorecards in division three this week. With no scorecard from leaders and firm favourites Danbury F all seven games were well contested. Dawn Baldry was on good form for Maldon B and she won her three singles against Hatfield Peverel B although Hatfield Peverel won 6-4. Dawn completed her hat-trick with a (9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6) victory over Neil Freeman. Second-placed Danbury G also won 6-4, beating Chelmsford E. Gordon Gatheral and Ken Sheard won twice for Danbury with Aidan Lees picking up two wins for Chelmsford.  Alan Scammell made his mark with a fine (11-7, 11-8, 11-4) success against Aidan Lees. It was honours even between Maldon B and Danbury H. Peter Hance won his three singles for Danbury and this included a hard-fought (11-9, 11-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8) win over Dawn Baldry. Richard Baxter’s hat-trick left OCA D in the ascendancy against Writtle D and they ran out 7-3 winners. Dave Carter was on target for Writtle with a last gasp (11-9, 15-13, 9-11, 8-11, 13-11) win over Richard Upson. OCA D were also winners against Chelmsford F, and in a match where no one stayed undefeated they won 6-4. Chelmsford’s Dusan Doszkoty scored a fine (11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8) victory over Richard Baxter.  Fourth-placed Danbury K were held to a draw by Writtle D. Matthew Brown won his three singles for Writtle beating Mervyn Perriman (9-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-6, 12-10), Denis Crapnell (11-4, 11-6, 17-15) and Denis Balic (11-8, 11-6, 11-5). Third placed Danbury H beat Writtle E 7-E. The last four games were all decided in the fifth end, with Danbury H winning all four of them. The last game of the match ebbed one way and then the other before Dave Marsh pipped Malcolm Storey (8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 1-11, 11-9).

Division four leaders Danbury L ran out 8-2 winners against Chelmsford H. Dave Powell and Rob Kneale were both undefeated. Jacqui Smith scored a fine (5-11, 13-11, 5-11, 11-8, 13-11) win over Richard Allen for the losers. Hatfield Peverel C, also won 8-2; against Galleywood C, impressive going against a team level with them on 43 points. Connor Payne led the way with a hat-trick and this included a very hard fought (10-12, 12-10, 12-14, 11-4, 11-9) win against Colin Blore. The match between Hatfield Peverel D and OCA F finished tied at 5-5. David Bishop was undefeated for OCA. Chelmsford G moved up to second by beating Danbury H. Harrison Hill, 23 wins out of 24 – 96 % scored yet another hat-trick. He was poised at 2-2 with Tim Pulham before powering ahead in the decider to win (9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 11-0).

Highwood A stay top in division five after beating Galleywood D 9-1. Melanie Bonnett (88 %) and Keith Fitz-John (80 %) were both undefeated. Chelmsford J with Jacqui Smith and Paul Bullock on top form raced to an 8-2 win over Maldon E. Jacqui Smith completed her hat-trick with a (8-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7) victory against Kym Eames in the last game of the evening. Highwood also ran out winners, 7-3, against Writtle E. Roger Patient and Martin Goddard were both undefeated.

All players are reminded that the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League Finals night takes place on Monday 16 January 2023 at 19.30 hours at Old Chelmsfordians Association, Lawford Lane, Roxwell Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2NS.  

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 8 January 2023

Saul Chivers on sparkling form in Mens Singles

The Mens Singles Semi-Finals in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League will feature two relatively young players and two more mature campaigners on Monday 16 January 2023. The venue will be Old Chelmfordians Association, Lawford Lane, Roxwell Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2NS starting at 19.30 hours.

Saul Chivers, aged 18, and possibly seeded too low at number 17, was the undoubted star of the show. Ironically, he failed to win his Mens Singles group, losing out to Sanjay Saptarshi; not too big a shock in itself. However, this result pitted him against top seed, ace defender Duncan Taylor in the first round, a player he had lost to 3-0 to in a recent League match. It is clear that Saul had learned a lot from this defeat as he came out on top here in five gruelling ends, in the day’s best game, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 0-11, 11-7. Having lost the fourth game 11-0 it says a lot for his composure and fighting spirit that he played so well in the fifth end. Perhaps it is a slightly controversial thing to say but this was also the game which “set this event alight”. Saul went on to beat his brother – Harry Chivers (11-6, 12-10, 11-2) and Sam Lowman (11-8, 9-11, 13-11, 11-6) to book his Semi-Final appearance. Sam Lowman had defeated Robert Shrimpton (11-6, 14-12, 15-13) to clinch his Quarter-Final place.

Joining Saul in the Semi-Final will be Lee McHugh, aged 33, very well known as the League’s most active Coach. Lee seemed to pick up pace as the rounds progressed. It took him five games to beat Paul Sturton in round one (11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-7), and four games to see off Wiktor Delimat (11-7, 14-12, 6-11, 11-6) in the second round. Lee peaked in the Quarter-Final, defeating Toby McLewin (aged 17, and another outstanding prospect) decisively (11-5, 11-7, 11-4). More on Toby later. Toby McLewin had been hard pushed to defeat Babul McLeod (11-8, 6-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8) a round earlier, after another enthralling encounter.

In the other half of the draw, Kevin Read, aged 49, and twice previously a Semi-Finalist, lived up to his billing as number three seed. He is playing as well as ever. Facing a tricky draw he fought his way past Peter Barrett (9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 11-2), Joshua Bickles (11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9) and Paul Davison (11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6). Davison had seen off another hugely promising Junior - James Donald (11-3, 7-11, 11-3, 11-3) a round earlier. In other compelling games Joshua Bickles defeated Aidan Lees (11-9, 15-13, 6-11, 11-7) whilst James Donald beat Dan Anderson (11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3).

Kevin Read will face second seed, Keith Adams, aged 54, in his Semi-Final. Keith Adams had to dig deep as well to battle his way through. He beat Victor Chan (11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 11-4), then Ian Wall, after a titanic battle (8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 12-10) and finally Eric Green (11-8, 15-13, 11-5).  Ian Wall overcame Sanjay Saptarshi in five ends (11-13, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5).  

The Ladies Singles Final will be between the top two seeds – holder and favourite Dawn Baldry and second seed Andrea Alleyne.  Dawn did not drop a game as she beat Jacqueline Smith (11-5, 11-8, 12-10) and Frances Hutt (11-7, 11-8, 11-7) whilst Andrea Alleyne defeated Davina Brazier (12-10, 11-8, 11-7) and Alesha Ellis-Austin (11-6, 11-7, 11-13, 11-3). Alesha Ellis-Austin made her mark with a fine (11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6) win over Melanie Bonnett whilst Frances Hutt defeated Annabel Sweeney (11-8, 11-2, 11-9) and Jacqueline Smith beat Kath Little (11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9).

The Mens Doubles, typically one of the most open events of the Championships will see the holders and top seeds -Bruce Kettle and Trevor Lloyd face new pairing Paul Davison and Toby McLewin in the Final. Trevor and Bruce saw off James Donald / Joshua Bickles (11-9, 11-9, 11-5) and Babul McLeod / Eric Green (11-5, 5-11, 11-4, 11-4). Babul and Eric had ended the aspirations of Saul Chivers / Harry Chivers (8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8). In the other half of the draw Paul Davison / Toby McLewin battled their way past Keith Adams / Lee McHugh (7-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-4) and in a very testing Semi-Final they played superbly to beat Duncan Taylor / Kevin Read over four ends.

The top seeds Dawn Baldry /Andrea Alleyne are the 2023 Ladies Doubles Champions. They fought back from 2-1 down to beat Melanie Bonnett / Nicola Pippen (7-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8) in the Final. Andrea / Dawn booked their Final berth by beating Annabel Sweeney / Jackie Treacy 11-4, 11-2, 11-8) in the last four whilst Melanie / Nicola defeated Frances Hutt / Lucy Elliott (10-12, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6) at the same stage.

Annabel Sweeney / Sam Phillips came through unseeded to win the Mixed Doubles with three hard fought wins. They beat Ian Wall / Freya Hart (13-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6), top seeds Dawn Baldry / Adi Kamma by a very hard fought (11-9,10-12, 11-9, 12-10) margin and they fought back strongly after a slow start to the Final to win (5-11, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-4) against Frances Hutt / Paul Sturton. Well played !.    

The Veterans Singles Final will be between the top two seeds - Keith Adams and Duncan Taylor. Keith Adams beat Peter Barrett in the Semi-Final after Peter had beaten Paul Davison at the group stage, Johnny Tendler and Babul McLeod. Duncan Taylor looked down and out in his Semi-Final as he trailed Kevin Read 10-7 in the fifth end. However, he was far from finished and came back to win.

Kevin Read / Keith Adams are the 2023 Veterans Doubles Champions. They came through two stirring battles, beating Paul Davison / Eric Green (11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 13-11) in the Semi Final and holders Duncan Taylor / Babul McLeod (7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7) in the Final. In yet another five setter Duncan / Babul defeated Simon Jarvis / Peter Barrett (7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-13, 11-4) in their Semi-Final.

The Under 40s Singles Final was between the top two seeds and it was second seed Ian Wall who came out on top. Ian Wall beat Lee McHugh (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7) in the Final having beaten Daniel Piggott (11-6, 11-6, 11-9) a round earlier. Daniel Piggott made his mark by ousting Sam Lowman (11-6, 11-6, 11-13, 11-2) whilst Robert Shrimpton defeated Dan Anderson (11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-5),   and Wiktor Delimat defeated Richard Storey (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9).

The Under 40s Doubles produced a win for Sam Lowman / Dan Anderson who beat Sam Phillips / Richard Storey in the Final (11-9, 11-6, 11-3) having beaten Robert Shrimpton / Wiktor Delimat )11-9, 11-9, 15-13) a round earlier.

A high-class Junior Boys Singles event meant that players of the standard of James Donald, Aidan Lees and Harrison Hill could not progress beyond the Quarter Final stage. The Final, which will deservedly be played on Finals Night will be between top seed, Harry Chivers, aged 16 and Toby McLewin (aged 17). Harry beat Josh Bickles (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8) in the Semi-Final whilst Toby defeated Saul Chivers (11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5). Saul had been pushed very hard by the hugely promising Harrison Hill before he won (11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4). Toby McLewin beat Aidan Lees (11-6, 11-6, 11-8) at the Quarter Final stage.

There was further success for Toby McLewin / James Donald who won the Junior Doubles. Their opponents in the Final ?. You probably guessed correctly – Harry and Saul Chivers. Toby and James came out on top (11-9, 11-6, 11-7).

Alesha Ellis-Austin won the Junior Girls Singles title. She beat Francesca Hart (8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6) in the penultimate round and top seed Annabel Sweeney (11-7, 11-8, 11-7) in the Final. Annabel boked her place in the Final by beating Lucy Eliott (8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5).

Top prospect Aidan Lees won the Under 15 Singles title with a series of 3-0 wins. He beat Damon Chow (11-5,11-2, 11-3) Pav Srinivasmurthy (11-4, 11-4, 11-5), Harrison Hill (11-9, 11-9, 11-6) and in the Final, Dion Fernandes (11-5, 11-8, 11-2). Dion Fernandes came through two five setters. It was (11-5, 1-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-5) against Oscar Hutt and (11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10) against Oliver Martin.

Another top prospect -Harrison Hill duly won the Under 13 Singles. He beat Joshua Freeman (11-5, 11-5, 11-9) and in the Final, Charlie Ware (11-8, 11-7, 11-4).  Ben Robinson fought his way to the Semi-Final with wins over Noah Middleton (11-9, 12-14, 11-5, 11-9) and Gil Martins (6-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-5) before missing out to Charlie Ware (5-11, 9-11, 4-11).

The Handicap Singles Final was won by Oscar Hutt (handicap of 35) who beat Aidan Lees (handicap of 55) in the Final, 22-20, 21-15. Oscar was hard pushed to see off his mother - Frances (handicap of 44) (21-18, 16-21, 21-18), but that match aside he progressed with 2-0 wins over- Jamie Elliott (55) (21-17, 21-14), and Alan Scammell (57), 21-12, 21-8. Aidan Lees left a whole host of players in his wake, beating Alex Ware (48) (21-13, 21-15), Robert Shrimpton (70), (21-13, 21-4), Cleon Fernandes (46), a real test, this one (7-21, 21-18, 21-16) and Sanjay Saptarshi (21-15, 21-10), an indication if any was needed, just how much improvement Aidan has made recently.

Peter Davenport / Alesha Ellis-Austin forged a very solid partnership to win the Handicap Doubles. Peter’s steady, consistent game combined with Alesha’s big hitting meant they were rarely in trouble. They left Denis Crapnell / Richard Storey, Jackie Treacy / Simon Jarvis, Lee McHugh / Oliver Martin, Jamie Elliott / James Donald trailing in their wake and they beat Dawn Baldry / Cleon Fernandes in the Final.

New events this year – the Bat & Chat Singles and Doubles were both were well contested and well received. The Bat & Chat Singles event was played on a Handicap basis and Dave Deller captured the title with a 11-4, 19-17, 11-6 Final win over Simon Hacker. The Bat & Chat Doubles Final couldn’t have been closer and the title went to Tony Berman and Mark Gowers who beat Ian Leff and Shirley Pitt (5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 4-11, 16-14) in the Final. Mark enviously looked as fit as when he ran for Chelmsford Athletics Club some 40 years ago whilst Shirley was cheered on by husband Mike and sons Ryan and Adam, well known to all League players.  

Sunday’s play commenced with the Divisional Singles and  Paul Sturton came through a strong field to win the Dvision two Singles title. Denis Crapnell ended the hopes of top seed Sanjay Saptarshi (4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9). Paul Sturton beat Sam Phillips 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9) and then he eclipsed Denis Crapnell (11-5, 11-9, 11-3). Paul Sturton defeated Victor Chan (11-9, 11-8, 3-11, 11-4) in the Semi Final and Ian Whiteside, the second seed (11-8, 11-8, 11-6) in the Final. Ian Whiteside had booked his Final appearance with a last gasp (12-10, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9) Semi-Final win over Chris Buer. A round earlier Chris Buer had needed five games to beat Mark Allaway (7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6).

Chris Buer came into his own in the Division three singles. He beat Jamie Elliott (11-8, 12-10, 11-6), Richard Baxter (11-5, 11-6, 11-4), Alan Scammell (11-9, 11-7, 11-9) and in the Final he defeated Denis Crapnell 3-2 (11-8, 3-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-1).

Jamie Elliott is the Division four Singles Champion. He defeated Alex Ware (10-12, 13-11, 11-5, 12-10) in a hard fought Semi Final and he defeated Farooq Ahmed (11-8, 11-8, 11-3) In the Final. Farooq Ahmed saw off Cleon Fernandes (11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 15-13) after a hard fought Semi-Final whereas Cleon Fernandes had defeated Jacqueline Smith (9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4) a round earlier.

Alex Ware dominated in the Division five Singles. He beat Vishnu Surendran (11-2, 11-7, 11-6), Phil  West (8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5) and he annexed the title by beating Steve Martin in the Final (11-9, 11-8, 11-2). Steve Martin came through his Semi-Final, beating Jacqueline Smith over five ends, (11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-3.

Keith Adams, retained his unbeaten record in the main Singles events by winning the Over 50s Singles. His run through to the Final was relatively smooth and he beat David Parker (11-3, 11-6, 11-5), Eric Green (11-3, 11-9, 11-5) and in the Semi-Final - Bruce Kettle (11-8, 11-6, 11-8). In contrast, his Final victory against Trevor Lloyd was a real struggle, and the scores of (6-11, 4-11, 11-9, 14-12, 12-10) tell their own story. Trevor Lloyd won his Semi-Final decisively against Babul McLeod (11-6, 11-6, 11-5).         

Bruce Kettle produced some top draw play to capture the Over 60s Singles title. He excelled in his Semi-Final, beating Trevor Lloyd (11-5, 11-9, 11-9) and was equally dominant in the Final, taking down Babul McLeod (11-8, 11-6, 11-4). Babul came through over five ends in his Semi-Final (9-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9, 11-14) against Eric Green. Dave Parker scored one of the wins of the event, toppling Ian Whiteside (11-8, 11-5, 11-7).

Ian Whiteside is the 2023 Over 70s Singles Champion.  It was a different story this time with Ian beating Dave Parker (13-11, 11-1, 11-9) in the Semi-Final and in the Final Ian defeated Johnny Tendler (11-4, 15-13, 11-7).

The Hardbat Singles Tournament is meant to be a fun event to finish the weekend off. It was played as best of three games up to 15 points (with no deuces) and featured numerous lengthy draining rallies. A superb all action Final was contested between Bruce Kettle and Eric Green and it was Bruce who ran out a 15-14, 15-12 winner. A fitting end to the weekend.  

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 1 January 2023

Duncan Taylor - top seed in Mens Singles

It’s that time of year again. The Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League Annual Championships are taking place. It’s slightly earlier in the Season this year and it’s back at the plush Anglia Ruskin University, Mildmay Hall, Alan Cherry Drive, Chelmsford, CM1 1QT from Friday 06 January 2022 to Sunday 08 January 2022.  Admission is free and it is hoped that former players will pop in over the weekend to watch.   Tea and coffee will be sold but please bring your own mugs as disposable cups will not be available. The good news is that entries are considerably up this year, at 136 players, which is largely due to the League’s thriving Bat & Chat initiative. Bat & Chat have their own set of competitions.

Finals Night takes place on Monday 16 January 2023 at Old Chelmsfordians TTC, Lawford Lane, Roxwell Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2NS at 19.30 hours.

Here is a look at some of the events that will be taking place. The blue riband event as always is the Mens Singles and the 2022 Winner - Dan Young and the 2022 runner – up Harry Buckle haven’t entered this year. Former winner - vastly experienced ace defender - Duncan Taylor is top seed whilst last year’s Chelmsford Veterans Champion Keith Adams is seeded second. You certainly can’t discount third seeded Kevin Read or no. four seed Lee McHugh and indeed the next four seeds – 5­ - Ian Wall, 6 - Paul Davison, 7 - Babul McLeod or 8 – Eric Green. If you suspect that the younger fast improving players are the ones to watch then the lower seeded players -14 - Toby McLewin, 16 – Harry Chivers and 17 -Saul Chivers could be the ones to look out for.

The holder Dawn Baldry is favourite to win the Ladies Singles with Andrea Alleyne seeded second. Melanie Bonnett and Frances Hutt are seeded third and fourth whilst fast-improving Alesha Ellis-Austin looks to be the most likely non seeded player to make an impact.

The Mens Doubles remains one of the most open events, and it is being played on Saturday morning this year instead of late on the Saturday evening. Holders Bruce Kettle / Trevor Lloyd will face stern opposition from a whole host of pairings – Duncan Taylor / Kevin Read, Keith Adams / Lee McHugh, Babul McLeod / Eric Green, Paul Davison / Toby McLewin, Saul Chivers / Harry Chivers, Simon Jarvis / Ian Wall and Dan Anderson / Sam Lowman.

Last year’s Ladies Champions Frances Hutt and Ella Sach won’t be able to defend their title as Ella is skiing. Frances is joined by fellow Buttsbury player Lucy Elliott whilst another new pairing Andrea Alleyne / Dawn Baldry will be very hard to beat. Nicola Pippen / Melanie Bonnett, winners in 2016 are seeded third with Annabel Sweeney / Jackie Treacy seeded fourth.

The Mixed Doubles is also open and Dawn Baldry will be bidding to win the title with Adi Kamma. They are the top seeds and other pairs to look out for include second seeds Frances Hutt / Paul Sturton, third seeds Andrea Alleyne and James Donald and fourth seeds Deborah Ginn and Dan Anderson. Don’t discount Allesha Ellis-Austin / Harrison Hill either.

The Veterans Singles is restricted to 24 players on what looks like being a busy Friday night. Action commences at 18.00 hours. The quality of the eight seeded players speaks for itself – (1) Keith Adams (2) Duncan Taylor (3) Kevin Read (4) Paul Davison (5) Babul McLeod (6) Eric Green (7) Bruce Kettle (8) Simon Jarvis.

The quality in the Over 50s Singles is equally high. Keith Adams (who looks like being one of the busiest players this weekend), is the holder and the top seed. and he faces stiff competition from (2) Trevor Lloyd (3) Babul McLeod (4) Bruce Kettle (5) Eric Green (6) Ian Whiteside (7) Simon Jarvis (8) Sanjay Saptarshi.

The holder - Trevor Lloyd is the favourite to win the Over 60s Singles and the number of entrants is up considerably in this event. Babul McLeod is seeded no. two whilst the other seeds – (3) Eric Green (4) Bruce Kettle (5) Ian Whiteside (6) John Tendler (7) Trevor Collin (8) John Parodi (9) Gary Copsey will also be bidding for honours.

John Holland will be disappointed that he can’t defend his Over 70 Singles title and in his absence Ian Whiteside and John Tendler are the top two seeded players.

The Junior Boys Singles will see Chelmsford’s impressive Chivers bothers – top seed Harry and second seed Saul go head-to-head with Colchester prospect Toby McLewin. Fourth seeded Josh Bickles and fifth seeded James Donald shouldn’t be discounted either, whilst Charles Donald and Harrison Hill will also be out to make their mark. A point of prestige to the players involved – the Final will again be played on Finals Night.

The Junior Girls Singles is back on the agenda after a two-year absence and credit must go to the Buttsbury Club who have provided three of the five entrants. The event will be played as a Group and Annabel Sweeney, Alesha Ellis-Austin, Francesca Hutt, Lucy Elliott and Freya Hart will all be out  to make their mark.

The standard in the other Junior events is refreshingly high. England no. 53 Cadet Charlie Donald and England no. 71 Cadet – Harrison Hill are the top seeded players at Under 15 and 13 level whilst England no. 82 Cadet Aidan Lees will be a tough nut to crack as well at Under 15 level.

The Junior Doubles should be between the Chivers brothers – Harry and Saul and Toby McLewin and James Donald who play together for Tollsbury A in the Colchester League.

The Under 40 Singles is on the agenda for a second time. It is restricted to players aged between 19 and 39 and the holder Lee McHugh is the favourite. The other seeds are Ian Wall (2), Sam Lowman (3) and Dan Anderson (4) whilst Robert Shrimpton, Paul Sturton, Daniel Piggott, Richard Storey,  Wiktor Delimat and Sam Phillips all look capable of making their mark in a competitive field.

The Divisional Singles have retained their Sunday morning berth. Division two sees Sanjay Saptarshi seeded at no. one with Ian Whiteside seeded no. two. Third seed - Chris Buer, the holder should certainly not be underestimated whilst the other seeds – (4) Rob Shrimpton (5) Paul Sturton (6) Daniel Piggott and (7) Mark Allaway are also capable of making their presence felt.

Chris Buer is the favourite in the division three singles with team-mate John Tendler seeded second. Neil Freeman (3), Richard Baxter (4), Ken Sheard (5) and Malcolm Henstock (6) make up the seeds in this event.

The four seeded players in the division four singles are Farooq Ahmed (1), Alan Dadswell (2). Jamie Elliott (3) and Alex Ware (4) whilst there are five seeds in the division five singles. These are (1) Martin Goddard (2) Alex Ware (3) Graham Naggs (4­) Jaqueline Smith and (5) Philp West.  

John Wickins - Obituary

Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League Life Member Chris Hibbitt has reported –

“The Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League were saddened to learn of the death of John Wickins over the Christmas period.

John was a member of the Writtle Tennis Club for over 50 years and both Wendy and I have been friends with him for all that time and we have played with him in many matches.

He also played in the Chelmsford Table Tennis League for the same period. He did not play for Writtle but for the Chelmsford Table Tennis Club. Many of us, including Brian Cook and Barry Lummis regularly played against him for many years. Norman Hayes, played with him in the 1970s and 1980s and John was still playing this season with his last match being on 29 November 2022.     

I would imagine he was the oldest and longest standing player currently registered in the League”.

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 27 November 2022

Clear-cut leaders emerge in divisions one, two, three and five 

With nine rounds of matches completed divisions one, two, three and five of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League all have one team who have broken away from the rest at the top of the table.

OCA A lead the way in division one with 48 points from six matches and this week they beat Danbury A 8-2. Matthew Mulley (15 wins out of 15) retained his 100 % record whilst Paul Lucas and new signing Keiran Lally both won twice. Danbury’s Babul McLeod scored an outstanding (12-10, 11-4, 5-11, 6-11, 12-10) win over Paul Lucas whilst Dave Richardson secured a fine (11-8, 11-9, 11-9) victory over Keiran Lally. Chelmsford A (represented by the youthful line-up of Harry Chivers, Saul Chivers and Josh Bickles) overpowered Chelmsford B 10-0. Try as hard as they did the Chelmsford B side of Kim Shead, Simon Jarvis and Paul Nicol just couldn’t get a foothold in this match. A strong Danbury C team ran out 8-2 winners against Writtle A. Keith Adams powered his way to three wins whilst Lee McHugh won twice for Writtle. Good wins as well. He beat Paul Davison (5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10) and Trevor Lloyd (5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6).

Galleywood A returned to winning ways in division two and they have 62 points from eight matches. James Hicks (90 %) who has led this team in impeccable style was undefeated in their 8-2 win over Writtle C. He beat John Webber (11-9, 16-14, 12-10), John Gagg (11-8, 11-4, 11-8) and Gary Ward (9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4). No fewer than five games were decided by 6-4 score-lines.  Danbury D are second but they missed out 6-4 against Writtle B. This was no fault of Daniel Piggott who won his three singles, beating Paul Sturton (11-9, 11-5, 18-16), Richard Storey (12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 12-10) and Matthew Brown (9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 12-10). Team-work enabled Danbury E to get the better of Maldon A 6-4. Seven games were decided in the fifth end and no one player remained undefeated. Danbury’s Dick Wyman and Neil Want and Maldon’s Lloyd Bennett-Smith and Hamish Innes all won twice. Hatfield Peverel A ran out 6-4 winners against OCA B although none of their players were able to get the better of Kevin Worthington who was on top form. Worthington raced to wins over Gareth Davies (11-8, 13-11, 11-7), Julie Johnson (11-8, 11-4, 11-6) and Alastair Piper (11-8, 11-6, 15-13).  Chelmsford D beat Chelmsford C 6-4 with Nikita Tkachuk winning his three singles. Nikita defeated Robert Shrimpton, the best of the Chelmsford C players (11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6).    Galleywood B did well to beat OCA C 6-4. Good going as Mick Richardson won his three singles for the Old Chelmsfordians side. Galleywood’s Bryn Thomas scored a fine (11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 7-11, 11-8) win over David Porter.

Danbury F are clearcut leaders in division three with 63 points from eight matches. Gus Heath and Steve Buer were both undefeated against Maldon B who they beat 9-1. Dawn Baldry was on target for Maldon B with a (10-12, 5-11, 16-14, 11-6, 11-9) win over Dave Powell. Steve Buer scored three 3-0 wins beating Garry Eames (11-5, 11-1, 11-3), Andrea Alleyne (11-8, 11-2, 11-9) and Dawn Baldry (13-11, 11-6, 11-9). Maldon B fared better against Writtle D and they drew 5-5. League stalwart Brian Riedling won his three singles for Maldon although he had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Malcolm Henstock (12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9). Chelmsford E were impressive 9-1 winners against Chelmsford F. Aidan Lees and Rev Matthews were both undefeated. Cleon Fernandes was on target for the losers with a five game (10-12, 11-5, 7-11, 11-3, 11-2) victory over  Joachin Mapes. Danbury G ran out 8-2 winners against Hatfield Peverel B. Ken Sheard and Alan Scammell both bagged hat-tricks. Ken Sheard had to work hard to see off Paul Mulley (12-10, 12-10, 7-11, 13-11).

Second placed Buttsbury A were the week’s big winners in division four. Jamie Elliott, Frances Hutt and Kevin Willis powered to a 10-0 win over Hatfield Peverel C. Danbury L are top and they beat Danbury M 6-4. Tim Pulham was undefeated for Danbury M and he sealed his hat-trick by beating Alan Dadswell (7-11, 11-5, 12-10. 7-11, 11-9) in the last game of the night. Harrison Hill (94 %) was again unbeaten although it wasn’t enough to prevent Chelmsford G losing 6-4 to Galleywood C. Emilie Guilloux defeated Nathan Blore by a last gasp (12-10, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 12-10) margin. Team-work, in this case two wins for Neil Wood, Bob Hillis and Deb Ginn enabled Hatfield Peverel D to beat Chelmsford H 6-4. Deb Ginn beat Felix Reeve (11-4, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 14-12).  OCA E scored their fourth win of the Season, beating Chelmsford H 8-2.  Farooq Ahmed led the way with three wins and he completed his hat-trick with a (3-11, 15-13, 11-3, 11-6) victory over Cleon Fernandes who had won twice for the Chelmsford side.

Highwood A stay top in division five with an impressive total of 69 points out of 90. This week they were held to a 5-5 draw by Chelmsford J, the first time they had failed to win a match. Key results here included a (11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 6-11, 11-7) win for Vishnu Surendran over Keith Pallett, a (11-2, 11-5, 5-11, 7-11, 11-9) victory for Peter Davenport against Keith Fitz-John and an excellent (7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 14-12) success for Jacqui Smith over Melanie Bonnett. Highwood B defeated second-placed Danbury N 7-4. Roger Patient won his three singles and he was supported by David Cockrell and Martin Goddard who both won twice. Buttsbury B defeated Galleywood D 7-3 with Frances Hutt leading the way with three wins whilst Lucy Elliott won twice. Writtle F also won 7-3, beating Maldon C.  Maldon’s Ross Wheeler was involved in two hard fought five enders. He beat Ron Tam (11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 13-11) but he lost to Jo Hart (11-8, 12-10, 8-11, 7-11, 10-12). Writtle F added a further six points to their tally by beating Galleywood D 6-4. Paul Aarons (two wins), Ron Tam (two wins) and Jo Hart (one win) all played their part in this success although none of them were able to get the better of Nathan Blore.

Buttsbury Bears moved into pole position in Junior division 1A. They beat Chelmsford Tigers (4-1) and Danbury Dragons (3-2). Calum Walker won his four singles although he was taken to five ends on three occasions. He beat the Danbury Dragons duo of Oliver Martin (12-14, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3) and Oliver Ware (10-12, 11-9, 11-2, 6-11, 12-10) and Chelmsford Tigers’ Pavanaj Srinivasmurthy (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7).

Calum Walker was also in action in Junior division 1 B and he led Buttsbury Bats to a 5-0 win over Chelmsford Cougars who still lead the way at the top of the table. Joseph Hutt was also undefeated in what was a very good result for Buttsbury Bats. With two different players Buttsbury Bats lost 3-2 to Buttsbury Bees. Charlie Ware won twice for the Bees beating Torsten Greeenan (11-3, 11-7, 13-11) and Thomas Lewis (11-4, 11-6, 11-3).

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 20 November 2022

Impressive 9-1 win for Chelmsford B

Chelmsford B impressed this week in division one of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League. Wiktor Delimat (three wins), Nikita Tkachuk (two wins) and Simon Jarvis (three wins) raced to a 9-1 victory over Writtle A. Richard Storey was Writtle’s sole winner and he beat Nikita Tkachuk (6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9). Richard Storey was also poised at 2-2 with Simon Jarvis before Simon “turned it on” in the third game to win (11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-1).  Wiktor Delimat gave his side a great start by beating Ryan Pitt (11-9, 12-10, 15-13) in the opening singles. OCA A turned in a top-class performance to beat Chelmsford A 10-0. On this showing – Paul Lucas (87 %), Matthew Mulley (100 %) and Mark Mulley (92 %) are going to take some stopping. Danbury C missed out 6-4 to Danbury B, although the form of new signing – Toby McLewin was a major plus-point. The Essex ranked junior beat Dan Anderson (11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9), Sam Lowman (9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-5) and Ian Wall (11-9, 11-9, 17-15). More on Toby McLewin later. A hard fought match between Danbury A and Chelmsford A finished tied at 5-5. Bruce Kettle and David Richardson won twice for Danbury whilst Harry Chivers picked up two wins for Chelmsford. Josh Bickles fought back strongly from 2-0 down to beat Chris Penrose (2-11, 6-11, 13-11, 13-11, 11-7) whilst Bruce Kettle sealed the draw for Danbury A by beating Saul Chivers (11-7, 11-5, 4-11, 11-9).

It’s happened again. The Press Officer afforded Galleywood A headline status last week and this week they lost 7-3 to Danbury D in division two. Danbury D were without leading player – Sanjay Saptarshi but Toby McLewin proved to be an ideal replacement. He won his three singles with wins over Peter Barrett (11-3, 12-10, 11-6), James Hicks (9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7) and James Mullane (11-7, 7-11, 11-1, 11-6). Danbury’s Eamon Hall made his mark with a fine (11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8) victory over Peter Barrett. Julie Johnson led Hatfield Peverel A to an excellent 8-2 win over Writtle C. Her trio of wins include a top draw (11-9, 12-14, 12-10, 11-6) success against Gary Ward.   A close match between Danbury E and Chelmsford D finished level (5-5).  Nikita Tkachuk won his three singles for Chelmsford although he had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Tony Forster (11-6, 9-11, 19-21, 11-9, 12-10). Quite a battle !. Forster was also involved in a tense five-setter against Alex Gorshkov and this time he won (11-4, 12-10, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10). Writtle B did well to beat Galleywood B 8-2. There were five fifth setters and they won four of them. Phil Smith and Paul Sturton both bagged hat-tricks for Writtle. Galleywood’s Gary Copsey beat Trevor Collin by the odd looking scoreline of 11-8, 8-11, 11-0, 5-11, 14-12.  Colin Napper scored three good wins as Maldon A beat OCA C 7-3. He saw off Mick Hayes (4-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-6), David Porter (12-10,11-8, 9-11, 11-6) and Mick Richardson (11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5). OCA B ran out 6-4 winners against Chelmsford C. Kevin Worthington’s three wins gave OCA B the edge and he completed his hat-trick with a last-gasp (11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 6-11, 13-11) victory over Mark Allaway. Mike Johnston looked dead and buried against Charles Yeung but he fought back strongly to win (7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9).

_{Doubles Action from Galleywood A (James Hicks & James Mullane) vs Danbury B (David Gatheral & Toby McLewin)}

Division three leaders Danbury F turned in a strong performance to beat Danbury H 9-1. John Tendler, Gus Heath and Steve Buer won all nine singles. John Tendler with nine wins out of nine remains undefeated. Writtle E did well to beat the higher placed Hatfield Peverel B 7-3. Writtle’s Neil Thompson won his three singles, defeating Debbie Ginn (11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2), Phil Shippen (13-11, 12-10, 11-7) and Neil Freeman (14-12, 11-8, 5-11, 7-11, 11-8).   Danbury K overcame the handicap of being a player short to beat Chelmsford E 6-4. Denis Crapnell gave his side a winning start by getting the better of Rev Mathews (11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6). Chelmsford F included the up-and-coming Harrison Hill in their line-up against Danbury G and he impressed mightily with three excellent wins. He downed the challenges of Ken Sheard (11-9, 11-6, 12-10), Peter Lucraft (11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 1-11, 11-4) and Alan Scammell (12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8). The match finished tied, at 5-5.

Buttsbury A are top in division four after six matches and they beat Chelmsford G 6-4. Harrison Hill was untroubled for Chelmsford racing to wins over Kevin Willis (11-7, 11-3, 11-7), Alex Ware (11-6, 11-2, 11-3) and Jamie Elliott (11-5, 11-4, 11-6). Galleywood C ran out 7-3 winners against Hatfield Peverel D. Colin Blore and Will Goodchild were both undefeated.  Danbury L who are second beat OCA F 8-2. Dave Goody won his three singles for Danbury L whilst Dave Powell suffered his second loss of the Season. He missed out against David Bishop (11-6, 9-11, 3-11, 11-3, 8-11).   Richard Allen had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Stuart Wintle (11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8).

Danbury N stay second in division five and they beat third-placed Hatfield Peverel E 6-4. Good going as Chris Rolinson won his three singles for the Hatfield Peverel side. Rolinson defeated  Steven Martin (11-4, 12-10, 11-7), David Smith (5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6) and Dan Wise (5-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8). Roger Patient’s hat-trick enabled Highwood B to beat Chelmsford J 7-3. Patient eased to wins over James Grimstock (11-4, 11-4, 12-10), Paul Bullock (11-8, 11-7, 11-1) and Jacqui Smith (11-4, 11-9, 11-6). It was honours even between Hatfield Peverel F and Maldon C. Karen Branney won her three singles for Hatfield Peverel seeing off the challenges of Ella Sach (11-2, 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 11-7), Kym Eames (9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9) and Ross Wheeler (11-8, 11-6, 11-7).

Chelmsford Tigers won twice in Junior division 1A to move into top place. Pavanaj Srivinasmurthy won twice in their 4-1 win over Buttsbury Bulldogs beating Lucy Elliott (11-9, 7-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5) and Freya Hart (11-9, 11-6, 11-4). Harel Choo and Pavanaj Srivinasmurthy were both undefeated in their 5-0 victory over Chelmsford Lions. Pavanaj Srivinasmurthy won the opening encounter with a (11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10) victory against Luka Ha.

Chelmsford Cougars with 21 points out of 30 lead the way in Junior division 1B. Josh Freeman and William Guillox won all four singles in their 4-1 win over Buttsbury Beavers. They missed out to Vivaan Babbar and Will Fullerton (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-13) in a very hard fought doubles encounter. Chelmsford Antelopes beat Chelmsford Cougars 3-2, and with Amir Chetitah winning his two singles for the Cougars it all came down to the deciding doubles. Yishai Choo and Ethan Li came up trumps against Atharv Srivastava and Amit Chetitah by a last gasp 7-11, 11-3, 7-11, 12-10, 14-12 margin. Charlie Ware was undefeated for Buttsbury Beavers who ran out 4-1 winners against Danbury Griffins. Ware beat Oscar Wyman (11-6, 11-2, 11-6) and Felix Ride (10-12, 11-4, 1-10, 11-4).  

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Issued on 13 November 2022

Galleywood A open up a clear lead in division two

Galleywood A have opened up a healthy eight point lead in division two of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League after beating Hatfield Peverel A 9-1. Gary Brignall and Peter Barrett were both undefeated whilst James Mullane won twice, only missing out to Alistair Piper (10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11). James Mullane beat Neil Freeman by a last gasp (8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10) margin whilst Peter Barrett had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Julie Johnson (9-11, 11-4, 12-14, 12-10, 11-4). Second placed Danbury D fell back, as they could only beat Galleywood B 6-4. Sam Phillips was undefeated for Danbury but Gary Copsey and John Holland both won twice for Galleywood. Chelmsford D did well to beat OCA C 7-3. Nikita Tkachuk and Adi Kamma were both undefeated. Nikita Tkachuk gave his side a winning start by getting the better of Mick Richardson (11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6). Six games were decided in the fifth end as OCA B defeated Danbury E 6-4. Berti Makoli’s three wins gave OCA B the ascendancy and he beat Tony Forster (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8), Neil Want (11-6, 11-8, 11-6) and Tim Cramphorn (9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6).  Chelmsford C were bolstered by the inclusion of Robert Shrimpton and his hat-trick helped them beat Writtle C 8-2. Shrimpton scored an all-important victory over John Webber in the opening game (6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6).

In the first division the ultra-attacking OCA A side of Mark Mulley, Matt Mulley and Paul Lucas (it’s hard to think of a more attacking trio of players) raced to a 10-0 win over Writtle A. On that showing they will take some stopping. Writtle A were also on the wrong end of a 7-3 defeat against Danbury A. Babul McLeod and Bruce Kettle both bagged hat-tricks.  Babul McLeod defeated Lee McHugh (5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8) whilst Bruce Kettle beat McHugh (12-14, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9). Richard Storey made his mark for Writtle with a fine 9-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 victory over Eric Green.  Danbury B ran out 6-4 winners against Chelmsford B. Sam Lowman’s hat-trick of wins gave Danbury the edge. Sam Lowman was stretched by Victor Chan before he pulled away in the fifth end to win (5-11, 11-9, 16-14, 7-11, 11-7).

A strong Danbury F side of John Tendler, Gus Heath and Chris Buer powered to 10-0 win over Chelmsford F in division three. They top the table with 45 points out of 60. John Tendler was involved in three five enders. He beat Rev Mathews (8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5), Takunda Nerutanga (6-11 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8) and Dave Parker (8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8). Other games in this division were closer. OCA D were indebted to Richard Baxter as they beat Danbury H 6-4. Baxter completed his hat-trick with a 11-9, 1-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7 victory over Peter Hance. It was also 6-4 when Chelmsford E played Writtle E. Dusan Doszkoty’s three wins gave Chelmsford F the edge. He had to dig deep to beat Malcolm Storey (11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9).  In yet another 6-4 result Ken Sheard won his three singles as Danbury G beat Danbury K. Sheard completed his hat-trick with a 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 success against Denis Balic; the win that secured his team’s victory. Maldon B (three wins for Dawn Baldry plus two victories for Brian Riedling) ran out 7-3 winners against OCA D. Dawn Baldry beat Richard Upson, the most successful of the OCA players (11-6, 13-11, 12-10). Division three isn’t division three without a 5-5 draw and Writtle D and Danbury H couldn’t be separated. Weittle’s Malcolm Henstock was unbeaten although he had to work hard to get the better of Dave Marsh (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8).

Danbury M lead the way in division four but with 34 points from seven games their lead is less than conclusive. Danbury L (33 points from five games) and Chelmsford G (32 points from five games) are clearly better placed. Tim Pulham was undefeated as Danbury M beat Buttsbury A 7-3. Pulham gave his side a winning start by getting the better of Jamie Elliott (5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8) in the opening encounter. Danbury M also drew 5-5 with Chelmsford H. Cleon Fernandes won his three games for Chelmsford downing the challenges of Ken Wilding (11-7, 12-10, 11-6), David Smith (11-1, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10) and Paul Thirkettle (11-9, 11-6, 11-5). Danbury L raced into a 4-1 Lead against Chelmsford G before eventually winning 6-4. Dave Powell won his three singles for Danbury whilst Harrison Hill and Alesha Ellis-Austin both won twice for Chelmsford.  A good trio of wins for Dave Powell who has a 92 % record, and he beat Alesha Ellis-Austin (11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9), Harrison Hill (12-10, 11-8, 11-5) (Harrison’s first defeat) and Emilie Guilloux (11-1, 11-6, 11-6). OCA E ran out 7-3 winners against Hatfield Peverel D. David Newman and Farooq Ahmed were both unbeaten for the Old Chelmsfordians side. Farooq Ahmed overcame Bob Hillis (11-9, 7-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9) in the closest game of the evening. Hatfield Peverel E defeated Chelmsford H 6-4. Connor Payne’s hat-trick gave his side the ascendancy although he was hard pushed to get the better of Felix Reeve. He eventually triumphed (9-11, 11-8, 7,11, 13-11, 11-9).      

Highwood A made it seven wins out of seven in division five. They beat Hatfield Peverel F 7-3. Keith Fitz-John led the way with three wins beating Jackie Treacy (11-3, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7), Martin Kilbey (11-7, 11-6, 11-9) and Dave Benstead (11-5, 11-9, 11-6). Galleywood D did well to beat Maldon C 6-4. Nathan Blore won his three singles for Galleywood and this included a 13-11, 9-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8 win over Ella Sach, the best of the Maldon players. Steve Peacock sealed the Galleywood victory by beating Ross Wheeler (11-3, 8-11, 11-2, 11-8) in the last game of the night. Phil West won his three singles as Hatfield Peverel E beat ARU 8-2. Chris Rollison won twice and this included a hard-fought 7-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8 success against Douglas Bawuah. “Teamwork” – in the shape of Kath Little (two wins), Phil West (two wins) and Jackie Treacey (one win) was enough to see Hatfield Peverel over the line against Chelmsford J, with a 6-4 victory. Kath Little had to dig deep to beat Shengbing Zhu (3-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8). In another close game Danbury N beat Buttsbury B 6-4. Graham Naggs and David Smith won twice for Danbury whilst Lucy Elliott and Oscar Hutt both picked up two wins for Buttsbury. Four games were decided in the fifth end and Steve Martin lost two of them. He missed out (11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-5, 9-11) to Oscar Hutt and (7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11) against Lucy Elliott.

Buttsbury Bears took a giant step towards the Junior division 1A title. Callum Walker and Lucy Elliott won all four singles in their 4-1 win over Chelmsford Lions. Callum Walker got his team off to a winning start with a very hard-fought (11-8, 10-12, 6-11, 11-6, 12-10) victory against Luka Ha. Chelmsford Lions returned to winning ways by beating Danbury Dragons 3-2. Amir Chetitah won twice beating Oliver Martin (9-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-8) and Alex Wilson (11-7, 11-7, 4-11, 11-3). Danbury Dragons also tasted success. Alex Wilson and Oliver Martin ran out 5-0 winners against Buttsbury Bulldogs.     

Junior division 1 B leaders Buttsbury Bees won twice and they lead the way with 16 points from five games with Chelmsford Cougars (15 points from four games) breathing down their necks.  Noah Middleton won twice as they beat Buttsbury Badgers 3-2 whilst Charlie Ware won twice as they saw off Chelmsford Antelopes 3-2. Buttsbury Bats also won 3-2. Thomas Lewis was their match-winner against Danbury Griffins with wins over Oscar Wyman (11-7, 11-3, 11-4) and Felix Ride (11-3, 11-6, 11 -4). Buttstbury Bats didn’t fare so well against Chelmsford Antelopes and lost 4-1. Jayden Bandari won twice with two hard fought victories - beating Torsten Greenan (5-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-6) and Thomas Lewis (12-14, 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-6) .  

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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Issued on 5 November 2022

Matt Mulley undefeated as OCA A return to winning ways

OCA A represented by their best team of Matt Mulley, Mark Mulley and Paul Lucas returned to winning ways in the first division of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League by beating Danbury B 8-2. Matt Mulley was undefeated for OCA A whilst Sam Lowman impressed for Danbury. He beat Mark Mulley 11-3, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8.

Six scorecards for division two this week which reflects the fact that this division has 12 teams. Where’s a the best place to start ?..........  Second placed Danbury D were held to a draw by Hatfield Peverel A. There was a first defeat for Danbury’s Sanjay Saptarshi who missed out 2-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5, 12-14 to Martin Archie who bagged a fine hat-trick of wins. Archie also defeated David Gatheral 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8. Leaders Galleywood A took advantage to pull further ahead by beating Chelmsford C 9-1. Ever-presents James Hicks and Gary Brignall were both unbeaten whilst Victor Chan was on target for the losers with a 11-7, 11-7, 16-14 win over Steve Kerns.  It was honours even between Danbury E and Writtle C. No one player remained undefeated, and Dick Wyman excelled for Danbury E. He beat both John Webber (11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 11-6) and Gary Ward (12-10, 3-11, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10). Evergreen John Holland was on commanding form as he led Galleywood B to a 7-3 win over Maldon A - a team they have struggled against in the past. Not this time. Holland beat Brian Riedling (11-4, 11-5, 11-6), Dawn Baldry (11-8, 11-8, 13-11) and Hamish Innes (11-7, 11-6, 11-3). OCA C ran out 8-2 winners over a two-man OCA B side. Mick Richardson was undefeated for the C side whilst Berti Makoli picked up two wins for the B team. The fast-improving Nikita Tkachuk won his three singles as Chelmsford D edged out Writtle A 6-4. Tkachuk was poised at 2-2 against Paul Sturton but he made no mistake in the decider, powering to a 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 11-1 success.   

Danbury G stay top in division three after beating a two-man Danbury F 6-4, although they have played a game more than Danbury F and third placed Hatfield Peverel B. Alan Scammell defeated Steve Buer 7-11, 2-11, 11-4, 11-9, 12-10 in the closest game of the night. Hatfield Peverel B ran out 6-4 winners against Chelmsford F in a match where five games were decided in the fifth end and Chelmsford won four of them. Neil Freeman was unbeaten for Hatfield Peverel with wins over Andy Swales (9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-5), Luke Richardson (11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5) and Alex Tkachuk (11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9). Ryan Pitt, so impressive in division one last week wasn’t the first player to suffer the “curse” of the Press Officer. He was beaten by both Charlie Donald (aged 11) (6-11, 11-6, 6-11, 16-14. 9-11) and by Aiden Lees (aged 14) (11-9, 4-11, 1-11, 9-11) although Malcolm Henstock’s trio of wins ensured that Writtle D won 6-4 against Chelmsford E.  Aiden Lees had to pull out all the stops to beat the wily Peter Layzell (11-6, 13-11, 8-11, 7-11, 13-11). Team work, in this case two wins for each of Malcolm Storey, Neil Thompson and Dave Moles enabled Writtle E to beat Danbury K 7-3. None of them were able to beat Denis Balic.    

Division four is low scoring and Hatfield Peverel C jumped into second place (with 28 points) by beating OCA E 7-3 although with six games on the board they have played more games than all of their opponents. Connor Payne, in his first game of the Season was undefeated with wins over David Newman (7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-5), Russell Hall (11-4, 11-5, 13-11) and Farooq Ahmed (7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6). Having used nine players to date Hatfield Peverel C are on target to set a record for the largest number of players to turn out for a team in a Season. Full marks to their Team Captain - Andy Simmonds for making efforts to turn out a full team each week. Danbury L also won 7-3, and Dave Powell led them to victory over Galleywood C. Powell beat Will Goodchild, the most successful of the Galleywood players (11-9, 11-1, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5).  

Division five leaders Highwood C (Nicola Pippen, Melanie Bonnett and Keith Fitz John) scored an impressive 10-0 win over Maldon C. Nicola Pippen won all three of her games in a deciding set. She beat Ross Wheeler (6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6), Kym Eames (11-9, 9-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9) and Ella Sach (8-11 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6). Danbury N are second and they beat Writtle F 7-3. Dave Smith won his three singles and he was well supported by Steve Martin and Graham Naggs who both won twice.

Danbury Dragons (Alex Wilson and Oliver Martin) beat Buttsbury Bulldogs 5-0 in Junior division 1A, their first win of the season.

Chelmsford Cougars (Atharv Srivastava and Pankil Sharma) beat Danbury Griffins 5-0 in Junior division 1B. They lead the way with 15 points from four matches. 

Highwood A were narrow 5-4 winners against their club mates Highwood B in the Handicap KO Cup. Roger Patient ((handicap of 51) won his three singles to keep the B team in contention. With the match tied at 4-4 Keith Pallett (36) scored his second win with an emphatic 21-7, 21-10 victory over Martin Goddard (47). Buttsbury C – Francesca Hart (22). Freya Hart (20) and Calum Walker (34) were 7-2 winners against Butttsbury D. Callum Walker gave his team a winning start by beating Will Fullerton (21) 15-21, 21-18, 21-14. Chelmsford F are also safely through to the next round. Alex Tkachuk (51), Cleon Fernandes (40) and Dion Fernandes (37) defeated Buttsbury A 5-2. Cleon Fernandes sealed the victory by getting the better of Oscar Hutt (38) 21-13, 21-19.

Steve Kerns Press Officer Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League

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