This weeks matches in Division One of the Eastern Valley Table Tennis League saw Bristol Nomads looking to extend their lead over their nearest rivals. This they did with a convincing win 24 - 10 over Cwmbran Colts. For the Nomads Mike Bishop and Keith Armstrong had maximum wins. However the Colts Nigel Gore and Mark Edmunds did record good wins over the higher ranked Ian Maggs.
In the other match in Division One Cwmbran Blues were attempting to keep in the title race with a match against YMCA. The Blues were without their top 2 players David Lloyd and Mark Farrow but they were still able to secure a 22 - 15 win thanks 3 wins from Tony Collins. The Blues' Matthew O'Dwyer underlined his improving form with 2 wins over higher ranked opponents and his team mate Mark Edmunds also recorded 2 wins including an exciting 5 sets win over Ray Goulding.
In Division Two there was a top of the table clash between the leaders Cwmbran Panthers and 3rd placed Blaenavon Aces. For this match the Aces, looking to make a late charge for the title, brought out their big gun Jonathan Allen who is unbeaten this season. Allen had his anticipated 3 wins, but, it was the good overall team performance from the Panthers that saw them through 17 - 14 to maintain their narrow lead at the top. For the Panthers there were 2 wins each for Howard Gaut and Mike Blatchford, with Gaut in particular registering a good win over his higher ranked opponent Mathew Pearce.
The favourites for the Division Two title are Cwmbran Dynamos who have a game in hand over their rivals the Panthers and the Aces. Their latest match was against the mid table team Cwmbran Fellows which they won convincingly 21 - 11. The player of the match was Alson Limbu with his 3 wins including a good win over Wayne Ford in an exciting match. Limbu was the second best player in the averages last season, but, his form has suffered this season due to lack of early season matches. However, in his match against Ford he was certainly looking like getting back to his best by coming back from 2 sets down to win 15-13 in the final set to inflict only the second defeat of the season on Ford.
The final match in Division Two saw Cwmbran Eccentrics proving to be too strong for Cwmbran Bulldogs and winning 23 - 12. Player of the match was the Eccentrics' Lincoln Alford with his 3 wins and was well supported by Peter Alderson and Alan Howes with their 2 wins. For the Bulldogs there was an excellent performance from the ever improving Joseph Hill with his 2 wins, including a 5 set win over the higher ranked Peter Alderson.
