SOUTH DEVON & TORBAY TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE – SPONSORED BY ALBANY FLORISTS

PRESS REPORT – Sunday 26^th March 2023

NA Batmen completed their league season with an excellent 8-2 victory over club mates the NA Buzzards, Rory Harries with a maximum for the Batmen who lead the first division table by just four points. Second placed and prospective champions, Torbay Academy 1, were led to an 8-2 victory over NA Eagles by Toma Mitranescu who has yet to be beaten, Adam Shipway also secured a maximum. The Academy still have two matches to play next week and should have little trouble in gaining the five points required to seal the First Division title. Brixham Sharks finished their campaign with a 7-3 victory over Halwell B, Christopher Harper with a man of the match performance for the Sharks.

NA Batmen – Rory Harries, Naomi Jackson, Dennis Gibbs

With the champions of the Second Division already decided there is an excellent battle for the runners-up spot between Brixham Gulls and Torre Titans, who meet next week to decide who will finish second. Brixham Gulls defeated NA Raptors 8-2 thanks to maximums from Alan Maynard and Allen Pack. Torre Titans, playing catch-up, firstly defeated Brixham Trawlers 8-2, they then suffered a setback when they lost 6-4 to a Mike Dummett inspired NA Falcons. The Titans’ Rhys Lush & Ed Crawford with maximums against the Trawlers. The Champions, Torbay Academy 2, had a tough final fixture just edging a battle with Dawlish Aces 6-4 thanks to maximums from Nicholas Shipley and Ben Hoare.  A Wojtek Cyron maximum helped his NA Owls to an 8-2 victory over the Taverners.

Mike Dummett & Louis Wilshire (NA Falcons) v Ed Crawford & Rhys Lush (Torre Titans)

Quillan Wilson & Curtis Sage (NA Owls) v Martin Dilkes & Geoff Read (Taverners)

The Third Division had a brilliant final week of the season where three different teams have been battling it out for the title. Although unlikely to win the race NA Kestrels 8-2 win, with maximums from Rob Williams and Bruce Freeman, over Torbay Academy 5 had them sitting at the top of the table. The two main contenders The Grove and Torbay Academy 3 met at the beginning of the week when The Grove kept up their unbeaten season with a narrow 6-4 victory at the Academy, David Pearson leading them to victory. The Grove, during a busy week for them, welcomed Torbay Academy 4 to Totnes and despatched them comfortably 9-1 with another maximum from David Pearson and Derek Bowerman was also unbeaten. This placed The Grove on top of the table with their fixtures completed, leaving Torbay Academy 3 requiring eight points from their final fixture at Newton Abbot against NA Harriers. Torbay Academy 3 did just that! A maximum from Ed Damanskas led the Academy 3 side to an 8-2 win and the Third Division title by just one point. NA Hawks climbed up the table to finish in fourth place with a 9-1 victory over Torre Tornadoes, David Doxsey and reserve, Nick Kitchen, with maximums for the Hawks.

Division 3 Champions, Torbay Academy 3 – Will Whittington, Ed Damanskas, Neville Cregan

Dawlish Renegades, although maintaining their 100% record, will have to wait for their final fixture to claim the Fourth Division crown as NA Ospreys limited the Renegades to 6 points, they needed eight to seal the title.  There is an interesting battle for the runners-up position. NA Merlins 9-1 victory over Torbay Academy 7, thanks to maximums from Chris Bishop and Nick Kitchen, gave them a 14 point lead over Torbay Academy 6 who had two matches left to play. The Academy side halved the deficit with a 7-3 victory over Dawlish Doubtfuls whose Marc Grim recorded a fine maximum. 

The Torbay Academy 4 team of Peter Moretta, Andy Harris, John Fowler and Kevin Palin may be struggling in the third division but they reached the final of the Team Singles Handicap Challenge Cup with a 366-319 victory over NA Raptors. The two sides meet again next week in the semi-final of the Doubles Cup.

RESULTS

DIVISION 1

NA Buzzards 2 (Sage 2, Nicholls 0, Ryland 0) NA Batmen 8 (Harries 3, D Gibbs 2, Jackson 2, Dbls)

Torbay Academy (1) 8 (Shipway 3, T Mitranescu 3, A Mitranescu 1, Dbls) NA Eagles 2 (Yarde-Buller 1, M Burridge 1, T Burridge 0)

Brixham Sharks 7 (Harper 3, Banham 2, Holmes 2) Halwell B 3 (Wadling 2, Symons 0, Sugden 0, Dbls)

DIVISION 2

Dawlish Aces 4 (Davies 1, Sharratt 1, Bellham 1, Dbls) Torbay Academy (2) 6 (Hoare 3, N Shipley 3, S Shipley 0)

NA Owls 8 (W Cyron 3, Wilson 2, Sage 2, Dbls) Taverners 2 (Dilkes 2, Harrop 0, Read 0)

Brixham Trawlers 2 (Saxby 1, Williamson 0, Lamden 0, Dbls) Torre Titans 8 (Lush 3, Crawford 3, Garner 2)

Brixham Gulls 8 (Maynard 3, Pack 3, Edwards 2) NA Raptors 2 (Darch 1, Moffatt 0, Hine 0, Dbls)

NA Falcons 6 (Dummett 3, Redfern 2, Wilshire 0, Dbls) Torre Titans 4 (Lush 2, Crawford 1, Garner 1)

DIVISION 3

Torbay Academy (3) 4 (Damanskas 2, Whittington 2, Cregan 0) The Grove 6 (Pearson 3, Daly 1, Bowerman 1, Dbls)

Torbay Academy (5) 2 (Mitranescu 1, Payne 0, Ichim 0, Dbls) NA Kestrels 8 (Freeman 3, Williams 3, Millman 2)

The Grove 9 (Pearson 3, Bowerman 3, Cornish 2, Dbls) Torbay Academy (4) 1 (Moretta 1, Fowler 0, Harris 0)

NA Harriers 2 (Haslam 2, Fabian 0, Winstanley 0) Torbay Academy (3) 8 (Damanskas 3, Whittington 2, Cregan 2, Dbls)

Torre Tornadoes 1 (Davies 1, James 0, Morris 0) NA Hawks 9 (Doxsey 3, Kitchen 3, Sercombe 2, Dbls)

DIVISION 4

Torbay Academy (7) 1 (Maynard 1, Dillon 0, Pearce 0) NA Merlins 9 (Kitchen 3, Bishop 3, Abu Ali 2, Dbls)

Dawlish Doubtfuls 3 (M Grim 3, S Grim 0, Pook 0) Torbay Academy (6) 7 (Hollings 2, Gibbs 2, Neafcy 2, Dbls)

Dawlish Renegades 6 (Kashap 2, Doutreligne 2, Girling 1, Dbls) NA Ospreys 4 (Ramsden 2, Ferguson 1, Dulling 1)

SINGLES CUP SEMI-FINAL

Torbay Academy (4) Beat NA Raptors 366-319

TABLES

DIVISION ONE

DIVISION TWO

DIVISION THREE

DIVISION FOUR