News & Views from the Colchester Table Tennis League
with Press Officer Martyn Green

4th December 2007
H20 ROWHEDGE TEAMS DOMINATE CUP

With the Colchester and District Table Tennis season at the halfway break attention has turned to both the Knockout and Handicap Cup competitions. In the Kiltie Cup, open to all teams there are two qualifying groups and H20 Rowhedge teams head both. In Group One their C team have qualified for the knockout semi-final stage with two wins, 5-4 over Gt Horkesley A and a surprising 9-0 win against St Mary’s A. The West Bergholt team were without Gary Young and had no answer to the experienced trio of John Andrews, David Moss and Alan Burgess. Andrews was back to his best following a lean spell in the league as he went through the evening without dropping a set in either singles or doubles! Their other match was all together closer as they came back from 3-0 down and then 4-3 down. Dave Moss was the man to turn things around with two wins and the final doubles with John Andrews against Richard Goodland and Lloyd Bennett-Smith. The Gt Horkesley pair had earlier enjoyed singles successes, Goodhand winning both of his including a four set win over Kevin Gowlett whilst Bennett-Smith won three straight against John Andrews. The result should see both teams through at the expense of higher placed league team St Mary’s A. In the second group H20 Rowhedge B lead the way following a 9-0 whitewash of Second Division Anchor Press and with Rayne beating them 8-1 both Division One teams have already qualified prior to their clash.

In the Intermediate Cup for Division Two and Three teams there are four groups with the top from each qualifying for a semi-final knockout spot. Pegasus A have carried there unbeaten league form into the cup and head Group One with two wins; 8-1 at Dedham B and 9-0 against their ‘B’ team. As expected Division Two leaders Gt Horkesley B head Group Two following two straight wins and realistically only H20 Rowhedge D stand in their way as they sneaked past Gt Horkesley C 5-4 with a five set win in the deciding doubles courtesy of Phil Smith and Lawrence Wilcox over Wudong Liu and Steve Holland. H20 Rowhedge E are favourites to qualify from Group Three after a tight 5-4 win against St Mary’s B where Mick Taylor’s penultimate game win over Pete Giles set things up nicely for a last doubles decider. This went all the way with Martin Edwards, who had won his three previous games and Lorrie Austin succumbing to the experience of the two Peter’s; Kirkland and Simmonds. In the fourth group it now appears a straight fight between Anchor Press and Lawford B who both won their opening games, Anchor Press 8-0 against Gt Horkesley D and Lawford B 4-3 over Pegasus C. Both matches were not without controversy as Gt Horkesley’s Dan Farrow following two wins had these reversed as he was not registered. Pegasus B were a player short but with Lawford’s Peter Welch arriving too late to play points were conceded by both sides.

There are four groups in the Minor Cup open to Division Four teams only and here Lawford C and D as well as Pegasus D have all qualified for the knockout stage and will be joined by either H20 Rowhedge H or Gt Horkesley E. Division Four’s bottom team Lawford D amazingly accounted for CRGS B after the Grammar School fielded an illegible layer. League form was once again turned upside down with the youngsters of H20 Rowhedge H upsetting their more senior competitors of St Mary’s C 7-2 thanks to Mark Smith, Andrew Harvey and a good win from Harry Totham over John Lander.