First Junior League champions crowned
Week 31 saw division 2B’s Hutton Harriers and division 2C’s Chelmsford Panthers take the first two of four junior divisional titles on offer.
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
The Hutton Hawks moved within touching distance of the division 2A title with a 4-1 home win over the Chelmsford Cougars. Charlie Ware was in dominating form as he won both of his matches 3-0 - dropping just 24 points over the six games. Ben Robinson earned the sole point for the visitors with a 3-1 win over Noah Middleton. The Chelmsford Eagles kept their hopes of catching leaders the Hutton Hawks alive with a 3-2 win over the Buttsbury Bears - Joshua Freeman (12 wins from 12 this season) won two out of two for the hosts.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: Hutton Hawks 24 points (8 matches), 2: Chelmsford Eagles 19 points (7 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
The Hutton Harriers secured the division 2B title with a 5-0 home win over the Chelmsford Tigers - Billy Andrews (11 wins from 12 this season) and Martis Heyes (9 wins from 12) didn’t drop a game. The Buttsbury Bulldogs beat the Chelmsford Leopards 5-0 and can still finish level on points with the Harriers though would miss out on the title due to holding less wins (league rule 6.5.1).
Standings CJL 2B: C: Hutton Harriers 31 points (8 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 26 points (from 7 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
In a ‘winner takes all’ contest to conclude division 2C, the Chelmsford Panthers were crowned champions thanks to a narrow 3-2 win over clubmates the Chelmsford Jaguars. Tied on 28 league points apiece, the Panthers edged ahead when Nathanael Slade (8 wins from 8 matches this season) won the first contest before Sean Kwan and Atharv Srivastava gave the Jaguars the advantage. Slade levelled the fixture at 2-2 - with both teams on 30 points in the league and the destination of the titles to be determined by the doubles contest. Srivastava and Kwan took the opening game before Slade and Henry Mansell stormed through to take the match and the division’s top spot. The Hutton Hornets finished their season with a 4-1 home win over the Chelmsford Rhinos. Theo Rugg and Casper Norris dropped just one game of their singles matches between them to earn the Hornets their second victory of the 2C season.
Standings CJL 2C: C: Chelmsford Panthers 31 points (from 8 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 30 points (8 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2D
The Buttsbury Bats remain unbeaten in division 2D and look set to clinch the title as they won 4-1 at the Chelmsford Lions. Second-placed Chelmsford Pumas fell to a 4-1 away loss to the Hutton Hares with four of the five matches not being decided until the fifth game. Leon Smith came from 2-0 down to beat Hari Gumbeer before he teamed with Louis Smith to repeat the feat against Gumbeer and Taylor Cumber in the doubles.
Standings CJL 2D: 1: Buttsbury Bats 25 points (from 6 matches), 2: Chelmsford Pumas 25 points (7 matches)
Division 2
A Sanjay Saptarshi treble helped Danbury D nick third place from Writtle B by a sole point as the hosts wrapped up their season with an 8-2 win. Saptarshi dropped just one game during his singles matches and joined forces with Daniel Patynski to recover from 2-1 down to beat Steve Buer and Chris Buer. Hall had earlier beaten both Buer’s though lost out to Gus Heath in four.
Standings div 2: C: Chelmsford C 138 points (from 20 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 121 points (from 20 matches), 3: Writtle B 113 points (20 matches)
Division 3
With the destination of the division three title scheduled to be decided in week 32, week 31 saw action at the lower end of the division where bottom side Writtle E completed their season with a 6-4 home win over Danbury J - the result despite a hat-trick from Danbury’s Peter Hance. Hance beat Ian Hockley in three, Colin Barham in four and Malcolm Storey in five - Storey had earlier beaten Louis Gunn in five and later bested John Robinson in four. Hance and Robinson recovered from 2-0 down in the doubles to win - six of the first seven matches went the distance.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 140 points (from 19 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 134 points (19 matches), 3: Danbury H 110 points (from 19 matches).
Handicap Cup
Semi Final
Chelmsford E booked a place in the Handicap Cup final with a 5-2 win against Chelmsford B. The scoreline was locked at 2-2 after Sami Osman earned the second of his two wins for Chelmsford B but James Grimston, Rev Matthews and Alesha Ellis-Austin all won their second singles matches as the E team romped home. Chelmsford E will face Danbury B in the final who did extremely well to win their match with a Chelmsford G side despite some generous handicaps on display. Dan Anderson, Sam Lowman and Eric Green were not deterred by starting each game with a 16-22 point deficit and won through by a 5-2 scoreline.
Final to play
07/05/2024 CTTC E v Danbury B
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
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Issued on 13 April 2024
Chelmsford C clinch division two title as division three title goes to the wire
The destination of the division two title was finally decided in week 30 as Chelmsford C did enough to get over the winning line having sparred over the top spot with Hatfield Peverel A for much of the season. The division three title goes to the final match of the season as second-placed Buttsbury A host leaders Galleywood B needing a 9-1 victory to snatch the title - this match is scheduled for Monday 22nd April.
Division 2
Chelmsford C became division two champions with a 9-1 home win over Danbury G’s two-manned team of Mervyn Perriman and Denis Balic. Balic fought back from 2-0 down (and a second game scoreline of 0-11) to beat Victor Chan while Perriman went close against Harrison Hill - succumbing 11-9 in the fifth. Trevor Carter won all three of his singles matches as Writtle B got the better of clubmates Writtle C by a 7-3 scoreline. Two of Carter’s victories came via fifth-game deciders - both Gary Ward and John Gagg lost out to Carter 11-8 in the crucial game. Carter joined forces with Phil Smith to recover from 2-0 down to take the ‘W’ against Ward and John Parodi. Writtle B’s victory moved them up to third place as Maldon A fell to a 6-4 loss at Danbury E with Danbury’s Tony Forster scoring a hat-trick of wins. Forster beat Hamish Innes and Ross Kirby in three straight games but had a ding-dong battle with Lloyd Bennett-Smith which was only settled in the fifth. Bennett-Smith and Innes came back from 2-1 down to win the doubles match 3-2 against Neil Want and Tim Cramphorn.
Standings div 2: C: Chelmsford C 138 points (from 20 matches), 2: Hatfield Peverel A 121 points (from 20 matches), 3: Writtle B 113 points (20 matches)
Division 3
In division three, second-placed Buttsbury A closed the gap on leaders Galleywood B with a 9-1 away win at Danbury K - Jamie Elliott and Paul Sturton both won three matches apiece. Galleywood B were held to a 5-5 draw with Danbury J - Will Goodchild’s two wins for the hosts were both five-gamers before he lost out to Danbury’s Peter Hance. Hance beat John Holland but missed out in five against Gary Copsey. Third-placed Danbury H cruised to a 9-1 win over Chelmsford F thanks to trebles from Ian Whiteside and Alan Scammell as well as a double from Peter Lucraft. Chelmsford’s Sami Osman beat Lucraft 3-2 in their encounter but lost out to Scammell by the same scoreline. Trevor Collin was in fine form as his hat-trick fired Writtle D to an 8-2 win over Writtle E. Neil Thompson recovered from 2-1 down to beat Malcolm Henstock while Malcolm Storey edged past Pete Layzell 11-9 in game five. Gareth Davies won all three of his matches as Hatfield Peverel B won 8-2 on the road at Old Chelmsfordians C. Davies beat Richard Upson in three, Tom Barker in four and withstood a Richard Baxter fightback from 2-0 down to finally complete the job in game five. Baxter was the sole point scorer for the hosts with 3-1 wins over Neil Freeman and Paul Mulley.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 140 points (from 19 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 134 points (19 matches), 3: Danbury H 110 points (from 19 matches).
Division 4
Division four champions Galleywood C tasted defeat for the first time this season with a 6-4 away loss to Highwood A. Keith Fitz-John, Roger Patient and Melanie Bonnett all won two matches apiece for the hosts while Galleywood’s Will Goodchild won two for Galleywood. Melanie Bonnett recovered from 2-1 down to beat Nathan Blore in their contest before the duo of Blore and Goodchild won 3-2 over Bonnett and Fitz-John in the doubles. Second-placed Chelmsford G finished their season with a 7-3 home win over Hatfield Peverel D thanks to a hat-trick each for Cleon Fernandes and Vishnu Surendran. Fernandes and Surendran fought back from 2-1 down to take the doubles against Bob Hillis and Gary Simmons, later Surendran clinched the final game decider against Samuel White. Hatfield Peverel E got the better of clubmates Hatfield Peverel C with a 6-4 scoreline thanks to a treble from James Brooks and two wins for Davina Brazier. Brazier’s wins over Richard Drozd and Andy Simmonds were both over five games while Peter Mortenson’s wins over Brazier and Kath Little were both three gamers.
Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 143 points (from 18 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 127 matches (from 18 matches), 3: Maldon B 117 points (from 17 matches)
Division 5
Division 5 champions Danbury M earned their eighteenth league win from nineteen matches this season with a 6-4 victory over the then second-placed Buttsbury C - this was despite a fine treble by Buttsbury’s Richard Pond. Pond had to comeback from 2-0 down in his first match of the night with Graham Naggs before beating both David Smith and Steve Martin over four. Martin had earlier secured an important point for the hosts with a recovery from 2-1 down against Francesca Hart. Chelmsford J leapfrogged Buttsbury C into second place with a 9-1 away win at bottom placed Hatfield Peverel F. Ian Russell gained the only point of the night for the hosts with a 3-1 win over Mark Nolan while Jackie Treacy couldn’t hold onto her 2-1 lead against David Parker. Chelmsford H now stand third in the table following a 7-3 home win over OCA E - Shengbing Zhu led the way with three wins for the hosts while Jacqui Smith won twice. Anglia Ruskin University kept their hopes of a second place finish alive with a comprehensive 10-0 win over the two-person team of Writtle F. ARU - who were tenth in the table after four weeks of league action and eighth after nine weeks - have shown great improvement as the season has progressed. Kelvin Edeh, Douglas Bawuah and Connor Case did the business against Writtle despite Ron Tam taking Bawuah and Case the distance. David Cockrell won all three as Highwood B earned a 7-3 home victory against Maldon C. The closest contest of the night was James Raymond’s 3-2 win over Highwood’s Keith Pallett - Raymond had trailed 2-0.
Standings div 5: C: Danbury M 137 points (from 19 matches), 2: Chelmsford J 115 points (19 matches). 3: Chelmsford H 112 points (from 20 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
Chelmsford Eagles kept their hopes of catching division 2A leaders Huttons Hawks alive with a 4-1 home win over second-placed Danbury Dragons. Joshua Freeman dropped just one game in winning both of his matches while Danbury’s Oscar Ware picked up a 3-1 win over Chelmsford’s Arnav Lanka.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: Hutton Hawks 20 points (7 matches), 2: Danbury Dragons 17 points (from 8 matches), 3: Chelmsford Eagles 16 points (6 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
Two wins by George Gregory weren’t enough to prevent his Chelmsford Leopards side slipping to a 3-2 loss at the hands of Hutton Hyenas in division 2B. Both of Gregory’s wins were over four games with his match with Hugo Perry a close 10-12, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9.
Standings CJL 2B: 1: Hutton Harriers 26 points (7 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 21 points (from 6 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
The Chelmsford Jaguars set up an exciting finale to the division 2C season with a 5-0 home win over the Chelmsford Rhinos. Sean Kwan and Ethan Li won two matches apiece dropping just one game between them - they next face the Chelmsford Panthers in a title decider. The Hutton Hammerheads beat the Hutton Hornets 5-0 with James Williamson and Archie Giles dropping just one game.
Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 28 points (from 7 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 28 points (7 matches)
No results for division 2D received.
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
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Issued on 1 April 2024
Two more divisional winners crowned as the 2023/2024 season reaches its climax
Old Chelmsfordians A successfully defended the division 1 league title they won last season while Danbury M improved upon last year's third place finish (as Danbury N) by winning division five - registering just one defeat from their 18 matches. The destination of the division two and division three titles is still undecided with two rounds of matches remaining.
Division 1
OCA A clinched the division one title with a 9-1 home win over Danbury B - Paul Lucas and Mark Mulley earned trebles while Scott Dowsett won twice. The closest singles match of the night was Mark Mulley’s 3-2 win over Dan Anderson whereby Anderson had taken a 2-1 lead. Later, Anderson and partner Sam Lowman took a 2-1 lead over Lucas and Mulley in the doubles only for the OCA pairing to come through for the win. Two wins apiece for Aidan Lees and Omar Wasi boosted sixth-placed Chelmsford B to a 6-4 home win over Galleywood A. Lees recovered from 2-1 down to beat Peter Barrett but later was on the wrong end of another 3-2 scoreline - James Hicks clinching the decider 13-11 in their clash. Wasi had earlier beaten Hicks in four but fell to Barrett in their contest. Hicks also saw another five-game match whereby he fought back from 2-1 down against Wiktor Delimat.
Standings div 1: C: Old Chelmsfordians A 153 points (from 20 matches), 2: Chelmsford A 126 points (19 matches), 3: Danbury A 123 points (21 matches).
Division 2
Hatfield Peverel A moved to the top of division two with a 6-4 away victory at third-placed Maldon A - Julie Johnson fired a hat-trick on her return. Johnson beat both Chris Hancox and Dawn Baldry in four and just about edged out Colin Napper over five close games. Baldry won her other two games - an epic 3-2 win over Alastair Piper was followed by a four game win over Martin Archie who won his other two matches. Another player who returned to action this week was Gary Ward who won all three of his matches
in Writtle C’s 5-5 draw with OCA B. Ward won each of his matches in four games while teammate John Parodi lost out to Michael Hayes over five games before edging David Porter in the decider. Sanjay Saptarshi clinched three wins as his Danbury D beat Danbury G 6-4. Peter Chastin was unfortunate not to get a win on the board having played in three five-gamers. Three wins by Adi Kamma backed up by two from Sami Osman helped Chelmsford D earn a 6-4 home victory over Danbury E. Chelmsford’s Kamma dropped just two games during the evening while Danbury’’s Tony Forster’s two successes were both earned the hard way - over five games.
Standings div 2: 1: Hatfield Peverel A 121 points (from 19 matches), 2: Chelmsford C 119 points (from 18 matches), 3: Maldon A 105 points (19 matches)
Division 3
Ian Whiteside won all three of his singles matches as fourth placed Danbury H beat tenth placed Danbury J 6-4 in division three. Whiteside dropped just one game while J’s Peter Hance and H’s Alan Scammell both recovered from 2-1 down in their respective matches against Ken Sheard and John Robinson. Felix Reeve and Pav Srinivasamurthy were both unbeaten as Chelmsford F beat Writtle E 7-3. Reeve dropped just one game in his three wins while two of Srinivasamurthy’s wins were not secured until a fifth game decider - his match against Malcolm Storey was a close 6-11, 13-11, 13-11, 9-11, 13-11. Jarek Pietraszuk won three, James Grimston two and Andy Swales two as Chelmsford E won 8-2 against Danbury K. Grimston was denied a treble by Alan Dadswell who battled back from 2-1 down to take the win while Dave Oxley-Goody got the better of Swales in three.
Standings div 3: 1: Galleywood B 135 points (from 18 matches), 2: Buttsbury A 125 points (18 matches), 3: Danbury H 101 points (from 18 matches).
Division 4
Fourth placed OCA D finished their season in style with a 10-0 away victory against winless Hatfield Peverel E as David Bishop, Russell Hall and Farooq Ahmed did the business for the visitors. Davina Brazier was the best performer for the hosts - taking both Russell Hall and David Bishop to five games. A Peter Mortenson treble wasn’t enough to prevent his Hatfield Peverel C side from going down 6-4 at Danbury L. Mortenson beat Paul Thirkettle in three, John Manning in four and Greg Cooper in five, while teammate Richard Drozd had two matches which went to a decider - winning one. Roger Patient didn’t drop a game as Highwood A won 6-4 at Hatfield Peverel D. Highwood’s Keith Fitz-John went winless but saw two of his losses go to deciders while Melanie Bonnett edged Deb Ginn over five games.
Standings div 4: C: Galleywood C 139 points (from 17 matches), 2: Chelmsford G 120 matches (from 17 matches), 3: Maldon B 117 points (from 17 matches)
Division 5
Graham Naggs, Steve Martin and David Smith earned two wins apiece as Danbury M became division five champions with a 7-3 away win at Maldon C. Shirley Carroll bagged two wins for Maldon - both in fifth game deciders while her teammate Ross Kirby beat Martin before missing out in five against Smith. Buttsbury C moved up into second place with a 9-1 win over Galleywood D on Friday thanks to three wins each for Oscar Hutt and Francesca Hart as well as two wins by Freya Hart. Galleywood D had played earlier in the weeks whereby Nick Rounce won all three of his singles matches in the 6-4 home victory over Chelmsford H. Rounce had to fight back from 2-1 down for his victory against Peter Davenport who won two matches himself. Anglia Ruskin University cruised to a 9-1 victory over winless Hatfield Peverel F - trebles by Kelvin Edeh and Douglas Bawuah were backed up by a double by Connor Case. Chelmsford J and Highwood B shared a 5-5 draw - Chelmsford’s Shweta Lees and Mark Nolan as well as Highwood’s Keith Pallett and Nicola Pippen all won two games each.
Standings div 5: C: Danbury M 131 points (from 18 matches), 2: Buttsbury C 107 points (19 matches), 3: Chelmsford J 106 points (18 matches).
Chelmsford Junior League division 2A
All to play for still in CJL division 2A as the Hutton Hawks stay top despite slipping to a 3-2 home defeat by the Chelmsford Eagles. Joshua Freeman won twice for the visitors - his victory over Charlie Gould in the opener was after going 2-0 down. The Danbury Dragons leapfrogged the Buttsbury Bears into second place with a 4-1 home victory - Oliver Martin won both of his matches by a 3-1 scoreline while Peter Harverson beat Thomas Lewis before Vivaan Babbar earned the only win of the night for the visitors.
Standings CJL 2A: 1: , Hutton Hawks 20 points (7 matches), 2: Danbury Dragons 16 points (from 7 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2B
Martis Heyes and Hugo Perry went undefeated as the Hutton Harriers extended their lead at the top of CJL 2B with a 5-0 home win over Chelmsford Leopards. Heyes withstood a George Gregory comeback from 2-0 to clinch the decider in the closest contest. Lewis Woods won both of his matches as the Buttsbury Bulldogs won 4-1 at Hutton Hyenas on Wednesday night. The tightest match was Hugo Perry edging past Vivaan Babbar in a fifth game decider.
Standings CJL 2B: 1: Hutton Harriers 26 points (7 matches), 2: Buttsbury Bulldogs 21 points (from 6 matches)
Chelmsford Junior League division 2C
Ethan Collins won twice and Amelie Lucas once as the Chelmsford Panthers retained top spot in CJL 2C with a 4-1 away win at the Hutton Hornets, while the Hutton
Hammerheads beat the Chelmsford Rhinos by the same scoreline thanks to an Archie Giles double backed up by a victory for Spencer Giles.
Standings CJL 2C: 1: Chelmsford Panthers 28 points (from 7 matches), 2: Chelmsford Jaguars 23 points (6 matches)
Jeremy Hill, Press Officer, Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League
