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

7th April-2009
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS IN COLCHESTER CUP FINALS

Two of the three Colchester and District Table Tennis League Cup Finals went right down to the wire at the Rowhedge Table Tennis Club. In the other final it was a different story with Rowhedge D completing a league and cup double defeating Pegasus B 9-0.

In the Kiltie Cup it was Rayne who won the event for the second time in three years. It looked as though there would be a new name on the cup however, as they trailed St Mary’s A 4-2 but then their number one Steve Kerns defeated Sue Welham and Steve Elmes, with an impressive win over Greg Green 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 levelled the match at 4-4. Rayne completed the victory in the last match of the evening as Kerns and Jon Hill teamed up to beat Colchester mixed Doubles Champions, Sue Welham and Gary Young 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8 and take the match 5-4. Both Kerns and Elms won both their singles and despite two excellent five set doubles wins St Mary’s failed to seal victory as Rayne won the last three games.

The Minor Cup was just as close as Division Four champions Rowhedge G took on the runners-up Great Horkesley E. Brett Angel, who is one of this season’s up and coming juniors won both his singles beating Chris Jones in the penultimate game to level the match. It was the Horkesley ladies who clinched victory in the fifth and final set of the match as Denise Thompson and Jennie Clarke came through against Daryl Lott and Jess Page 10-12, 11-6, 11-3, 3-11, 11-2 to give them avenge their league position in an excellent 5-4 win.

H20 Rowhedge D won the Intermediate Cup in style, 9-0 against Pegasus B. The closest match of the evening was between Toby Turner and Phil Smith with Smith coming through 11-5, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-4. Mike Sant and Toby Turner tried to keep their team in it but eventually ran out of steam in their doubles losing to Mark Smith and Fred Button 16-14, 7-11, 8-11, 7-11 leaving no way back for the Marks Tey side.

H20 Rowhedge D failed to make it a treble though in the Handicap Cup Final which had been played earlier in the week. It was Division Three’s H20 Rowhedge F whose team of youngsters proved too much for their D team. Rowhedge F won 5-0 with Edward Rudge, Andy Harvey and Brett Angel each winning their singles and two doubles. The team confirmed victory with Rudge and Angel winning their doubles over Mark Smith and Fred Button 21-13, 19-21, 21-17 to win the first five games without reply. This match was Rowhedge D’s only defeat of the season in all competitions making the victory all the more impressive for the ‘F’ team.

In the all Lawford Handicap Doubles Final the ‘D’ team beat the ‘B’ team 5-4 in an epic match that saw Sandie Haffenden and Steve Marr beat Phil Daley and Peter Armes in the final game.

In the first round of Essex Inter-League Vets matches Colchester A finished joint second overall. Mike Wright led the team winning all eight games he was involved in including four singles and four doubles. Colchester lost 5-4 to Burnham deuce in the final set of the final doubles and then beat Braintree 6-3 to leave them well placed with the final round at BATTS in two weeks time.