As you are aware, the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in March 2020 caused the postponement of the final few matches of the 2019/20 season. 

As some of these matches were critical to deciding the final positions at both the top and bottom of both Divisions, the Committee decided to postpone the games, in the hope that they could be completed later in the year when the crisis was over.
 
In late Summer/early Autumn, it appeared that this would be possible and arrangements were underway to complete the matches when the crisis re-intensified causing a further delay. 

With the continuation of the pandemic, no timescale for completion of the season is currently feasible.

The Committee has therefore had further consultations with all the clubs involved to determine how best to proceed  with outstanding matches.

On the basis of their latest replies, the committee has decided that there is more desire to complete the 2019/2020 season rather than to continue postponing the games in the hope of playing them at some time in the future. 

Slightly different solutions were used to finalise each division.

Division One

Richard Campbell - the Division One Secretary - has used his considerable and extensive experience of the teams and players to predict the probable match results and scores for each outstanding match. 

Inter alia, Richard used the following guidelines :

• a team's track record over the whole season;
• a team's "form" at the time the outstanding matches would have been played;
• the likely compositions of each team for the outstanding matches;
• the first half result between the teams;
• other possible known influences e.g. a successful player throughout the season who was injured and/or known not to be available for the remaining matches.
  

The Committee has considered the proposals and have agreed and accepted them.
While the results suggested might reasonably be varied by a set or two in any direction, 
we do not think there are any convincing arguments to vary them by any significant margin.

Division Two

Here only matches involving one team - Insurance - could effect the positions at the top of the division.
They decided that they were happier to forfeit their outstanding games rather than continue.

After discussions between the committee and the divisional secretary - Colin Walkinshaw - it was decided to void all the remaining matches as none of the possible results would significantly alter the existing league placings.

All Clubs have been notified via their Club Secretaries/Team Captains of these decisions.

We are pleased to announce :-

• NSY Comets A and Morpeth A as the winners and runners up respectively for the 1st Division .
• Old Sedcopians and Beauty & the Beasts as the winners and runners up for the 2nd Division.

Our congratulations to all the teams and their players.

Full details of the final league tables are available on the web site(s).

Hope to see you for the 2021/22 season.

Neil Le Milliere
Chairman
Gerry Martin
Secretary
LBCS Table Tennis League