Division 1
With Lions A not in action this week, Whistlers A moved to the top of Division 1 with a 9-1 win over Lions C. Garry Dodd and Mark Pipet picked up wins over Ian Le Page, Jamie Ferbrache and Andy Gill, while Martin Sarre defeated Le Page and Ferbrache but was beaten in 4 games by left-handed Gill. In the other match this week, Whistlers B beat Lions B 8-2 to move up to 3rd in the league, with multiple Island Games medallist Dawn Morgan making her return after injury. She teamed up with Josh Stacey and Matt Casey to defeat Ryan Bichard and Andre De Carteret, however both Casey and Morgan were beaten by Phil Ogier. The results mean that Josh Stacey moves into 3rd place in the individual averages, behind only Dodd and the holidaying Paul Hainsworth.
Division 2
A busy week for Division 2 saw two rounds of matches, with Whistlers D pulling 3 points clear of closest challengers Lions D, albeit having played one match more. The Whistlers team started the week with a fixture against Ravenscroft Panthers B but found it tough going and edged out a 6-4 win. In Kay Chivers and Ellis Tomlin, Whistlers have 2 of the top 3 players in the individual averages, but Albert Unden used his intense attacking style to defeat them both. Tomlin was also surprisingly beaten in 5 sets by Ben Foote, though victory in the doubles and 2 wins for Keith Opie over Foote and Juliette Yeaman saw Whistlers over the line. Later in the week, they followed this up with a 10-0 result over St Pauls A, with Chivers, Opie and Tomlin overcoming Maurice James, Chas Elliott and reserve Craig Dunning. Lions D only had one fixture this week, earning a 7-3 win over Ravenscroft Panthers C with 3 wins for Steve Ozanne but remain very much in the hunt for the league title.
Division 3
St Pauls B maintained their 100% record at the top of Division 3 with a narrow 6-4 victory over second-placed Whistlers G. St Pauls’ Craig Dunning was one of only two 3rd Division players unbeaten in the league but suffered his first loss to rapidly improving junior Callum Gilson, 11-9 in the 5th game. With Whistlers’ Ben Sharp unavailable for this match, he is now the only player left with an individual 100% record. Gilson showed he has nerves of steel to later defeat St Pauls’ Brian Le Cras and John Wills, both also at deuce in the final game. This wasn’t enough to claim a point however as Dunning and Wills beat Whistlers’ stand in players Robert Naftel and Joe Le Page, while Le Cras beat Naftel in the final match to seal the win.
Division 4
Lions K and Lions L remain level of points at the top of Division 4 after both recorded victories on Thursday. Val Guilbert claimed 3 victories from the ‘K’ side’s match with Whistlers M, which along with 2 wins apiece for James Le Tissier and Diane Le Page meant an 8-2 win. Sammy Tostevin is new to the league this season and showed he is one to watch for the future, recording wins over Le Tissier and Le Page. Lions L were 8-2 winners over Whistlers L with Jan Priest and Rosemary Powell ranking up 3 wins each against the young Whistlers side.
