Results

After the succession of lockdowns, it was with great delight that the 2021 – 22 winter Table Tennis leagues got under way this week. It is noticeable that the number of teams registering to play this year has fallen, as many players are still reluctant to return to play competitively until the intensity of the pandemic subsides.

Division 1

First match saw Gnomads hosting previous runners-up, Wiveliscombe. Star performer for the home side was Nigel Foster who missed a maximum by a single point to win the player of the match award. Team captain, Martin Rant, battled hard for his 3 points, and new team member, Derek Myall got his season underway with 1 singles point. 4 Valuable doubles points were added to give a final tally of 16 points.

A good start to the season in the face of such tough opposition. Wiveliscombe played steadily and consistently throughout the evening. There was a welcome return to table tennis for David Woodland, following recent injury. Both he and John Edbrooke scored 7 points apiece, with Paul Nutkins adding a further 6. The 8 doubles points gave Wiveliscombe a comfortable victory with 28 points.

House Martyns have a new, and stronger, line-up this season with Curtiss King and Matt Lawrence joining Scott Milton for the campaign. White Horse were their opponents for the first match. All three members of the home team scored freely. Scott was awarded player of the match for his maximum; however, Curtis also scored a maximum on his match debut. Matt has stepped up a division this year and his ever-improving game earned him 8 points on his division 1 debut. Maximum points were scored in the doubles to give House Martyns a total of 35, and the lead of division 1. White Horse were perhaps suffering from such a long break from competitive table tennis. Ian Rew was the only player to make any headway in the singles, scoring the team’s only 3 singles points. David Bryant and Jamie Robertson battled hard but never managed to trouble the scorecard during the evening. Doubles points were also hard to come by, with 2 points gleaned for their efforts.

With a total of 5 points at the end of the evening for White Horse it perhaps gives a hint that House Martyns may be the team to watch this season.

Division 2

With a diminished number of teams in division 2 this year there was only one match this week. Junior team, Hawks, started their season by entertaining Minehead Breakaways. Hawk’s captain, Mark Scyner, gradually returned to match form as the evening progressed scoring 6 singles points. Tom Lawrence made his match debut and opened his table tennis account with a valuable singles point. Nathaniel Southam completed the singles scoring with a further point. The doubles were closely contended, with Alfie Southam as Hawk’s doubles specialist for the evening. With 5 doubles points the final score for Hawks was 13 points. Minehead Breakaways had a solid start to their season with captain Andrew Berry leading the way with a maximum and the player of the match award. Andy Godfrey added a further 7, with Arnould Guilliard completing the singles with 6 points. With the doubles evenly balanced, it was edged by Breakaways with 6 points, giving them the match victory with 28 points.

TABLES:

Division 1

Division 2