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

5th January-2009
GT HORKESLEY CRASH OUT OF CUP!

H20 Rowhedge C jumped from bottom of Group One of the Kiltie Cup straight to the top following their hard fought 6-3 win over St Mary’s A. John Andrews was back at his best winning both of his doubles and a crucial five set win over Greg Green to avenge his defeat in the League previously. Gary Young was in imperious form for the West Bergholt team winning his two singles but with Rowhedge winning all three doubles St Mary’s only other win was Martyn Green’s four set defeat of Dave Moss as both teams now qualify for the semi-final knockout stages. In Group Two H20 Rowhedge B finish top and now face St Mary’s and Rayne end in second place to play H20 Rowhedge C in the semi-finals. With no Rowhedge A and Gt Horkesley knocked out the outcome of the Kiltie Cup is finely balanced.

To compound things for Gt Horkesley they suffered only their second defeat in Division One as current champions H20 Rowhedge A continued their impressive run with a 6-4 win. Dave Cole reeled off his sixth maximum and won a tense fifth end doubles with Kevin Gowlett and despite braces from Richard Goodhand and Jimmy Farrow Gt Horkesley just fell short. This leaves Gt Horkesley eleven points clear of both H20 Rowhedge A and B with the second string having a game in hand.

Back to the Cup and in the Intermediate section H20 Rowhedge D top Group One with a one hundred per cent record whilst H20 Rowhedge E complete a very successful cup campaign for the club winning Group Two. Pegasus A top Group Three by just one point from Walton D but their progress will be severely dented following Steve Nobles ruptured Achilles tendon that puts him out for the rest of the season after surgery. Pegasus B make it an all Rowhedge - Pegasus set of semi-finals. They defeated second placed H20 Rowhedge F 6-3 with Toby Turner leading the way winning all four games he was involved in.

Gt Horkesley E have won Group One of the Minor Cup and are joined in the semi-finals by H20 Rowhedge G who just edged out Gt Horkesley D following a 7-2 win over them as the bottom three were separated by just two points. Pegasus E have run away with Group Two with St Mary’s B joining them after defeating H20 Rowhedge H 6-3 in qualifying for the semi-finals.