Team Handicap Week
Team Handicap first round
West CA 3-5 Sacriston St Bedes A
Durham CA 4-5 St Aidans B
St John A 7-2 St Chads
Silksworth CC 5-2 Silksworth IM
In the first round of this season’s team handicap second division Sacriston A defeated first division West CA 5-3. Sacriston were never behind in the match and although Geoff Salter and Rod Roberts overcame 10 and 6 point deficits against Peter Yeung respectively and Kevin Smith’s 7 start wasn’t enough to defeat Salter that was all West CA could manage. Smith took his other two matches against Roberts and Mark Shingler and John Wong contributed 3 wins after receiving start of between 6 and 10.
In another encounter between first and second division sides St Aidans B came out the victors 5-4 after the closest of matches against Durham CA. All three St Aidans players contributed to the win with Norman Polley picking up two 2-0 victories, Lynda Todd defeating John Foster and Linda Spensley winning twice including a nail biting 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 success against Gavin Bestford. Stuart Anderson replied with three wins and Bestford with one for Durham.
Division One
Seaburn Dene 3-7 Silksworth CC
Silksworth CC are firmly in the hunt for second place in division one after their 7-3 victory against Seaburn Dene. Graeme Barella showed his class for Silksworth taking his three singles, as did Kevin Wilson. The two players then combined to defeat Chris Dixon and John Bowman in the doubles and secure maximum points. Dixon, John Bowman and Bill Bowman took one singles each for Seaburn.
Division Two
Redby CA B 1-9 Thompson Insurance B
Redby CA A 3-7 St Aidans A
St Gabriels B 1-9 Sacriston St Bedes A
Thompson Insurance B extended their lead at the top of division two with a comprehensive 9-1 victory against third placed Redby CA B. Frank Booth defeated David Winterbottom 11-7 in the fifth for Redby but it was one way sailing after that as Shirley Gelder, Maurice Cheek and Winterbottom wrapped up the rest of the match.
St Aidans A took advantage of Redby CA B’s slip up to move into second place with a 7-3 win against Redby CA A. Dave Thomson, Dave Barber and Ian Miller all won twice for St Aidans with Alan Girdwood and Howard Forster replying for Redby with two wins and one win respectively. The fourth point was secured for St Aidans with a 3-1 doubles victory for Thomson and Barber against Girdwood and Forster.
Sacriston St Bedes A continued their fine form and remain in touch with the top three after they defeated St Gabriels B 9-1. Tony Taylor and Philipp Mueller were unbeaten in the singles and Kevin Smith won twice for Sacriston as they dominated the match. David Revell spared St Gabriels’ blushes with an excellent 3-1 victory against Smith.
Week Eleven
Division One
Thompson Insurance A 8-2 Silksworth CC
Silksworth IM 1-9 St Gabriels A
Thompson Insurance A produced a dominant performance to defeat an under par Silksworth CC 8-2. Andrew Wilkinson and Darren McVitie were relatively untroubled in winning their three singles for Thompson and combined to take the most comfortable of doubles 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 against Graeme and Anthony Barella. The brothers then each saw off Chris Blake to spare the whitewash for Silksworth but Blake hit back with a 3-0 win against Kevin Wilson.
St Gabriels A were equally convincing in their 9-1 victory against Silksworth IM. The scoreline hides the fact that all four of the five end encounters were won by St Gabriels players however. George Gibson returned from injury to pick up his three singles for St Gabriels as did Norman Pescod. Tom Bainbridge also won twice before missing out 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6 against Howard Brown.
Division Two
Sacriston St Bedes A 7-3 Redby CA A
Redby CA B 8-2 Sacriston St Bedes A
St Gabriels C 3-7 St Aidans B
Sacriston St Bedes A had a mixed week but remain fourth after beating Redby CA A 7-3 but tasting defeat against Redby CA B, 8-2. Against Redby A the two Kevins did the damage for Sacriston, both Smith and Sham winning three times and Sham combining with Peter Yeung to take the doubles. Allan Girdwood, Howard Forster and Ian Wilson replied with one win each for Redby. In their defeat to Redby B Smith and Yeung won once for Sacriston but that was all the away side could manage as Ken Tweedy, Frank Booth and Malcolm Deneven closed out the match for Redby.
St Aidans B picked up their first win over the season with a 7-3 victory against St Gabriels C. Nigel Coe was the star player for St Aidans winning three times and partnering Norman Polley to doubles success. Polley also picked up two singles wins but missed out by the smallest of margins 11-9 in the fifth end to Syd Gooding. Lynda Todd added a crucial win against Ronnie Douglas to secure maximum points for St Aidans but lost out to Gooding and Alan Ray.
Division Three
Redby CA C 6-4 St Aidans C
St Aidans C 9-1 St John B
Sacriston St Bedes B 9-1 Sacriston St Bedes C
Redby CA C continued their good form this season in defeating St Aidans C 6-4. Alan Whitwam had little trouble in taking his three singles matches for the league leaders. Michael Redfearn also won twice before tasting defeat against Tom Turner. Whitwam and Redfearn secured the win for Redby with victory in the doubles but St Aidans earned a point as Turner, Graham Sleep and Graham Brown all defeated David Kerr.
St Aidans bounced back from this defeat to move into second place as the same three players produced a 9-1 win against bottom placed St John B. Hugh Bevan’s victory against Sleep was all St John could manage. Sacriston St Bedes B beat their C side 9-1 to open up a four point gap between the two teams. Mark Walton and Dan Nicholson both won their three singles for the B team and Colin Prichard won two but then found Peter Whitfield too strong, losing out 3-0.
Week Ten
Division One
Silksworth IM 1-9 Thompson Insurance A
St Gabriels A 5-5 West CA
Thompson Insurance A already look to have built an unassailable lead in division one and they extended it by a further four points this week with a routine 9-1 victory against Silksworth IM. Alan Bickle produced a surprisingly easy 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 win against Allan Thompson for Silksworth but the Thompson Insurance player bounced back with victories against George Watson and George Carlyon. Darren McVitie and David Blackburne both won three times in the singles and combined to take the doubles to close out the match for Thompson.
In the only other division one match this week St Gabriels A and West CA couldn’t be separated as they fought out a 5-5 draw. Dave Robson continued his fine form this season for St Gabriels with three singles wins, although he was made to work hard against Geoff Salter, prevailing 11-6 in the fifth. Tom Bainbridge added a further victory for St Gabriels against Mark Shingler but Geoff Salter and John Williamson each won twice and Mark Shingler once to put West 5-4 up. Robson and Bainbridge secured a second point with a comfortable 3-1 victory in the doubles.
Division Two
St Gabriels B 3-7 Thompson Insurance B
St Aidans A 9-1 Redby CA B
St Aidans A 10-0 St Aidans B
St Gabriels C 0-10 St Gabriels B
Thompson Insurance B picked up maximum points against St Gabriels B in division two but were made to work hard in their 7-3 win. Maurice Cheek, Eddie Coxon and David Winterbottom each won two of their singles for Thompson but all three lost to an in form David Revell. Coxon and Winterbottom took the doubles 3-1 against Revell and Stephen Young to secure the final point.
St Aidans produced two excellent wins, against St Aidans B 10-0 and Redby CA B 9-1, to move into second position. Rob Kerr, Dave Thomson and Dave Barber were the players who went through the match against their B team unbeaten. Their win against Redby was particularly impressive as it was Redby who they overhauled to move into the second promotion place. Thomson and Barber were once again unbeaten for St Aidans and Kishore Sridharan won twice before being edged out in the closest of matches 12-10 in the fifth by Frank Booth.
St Gabriels B recovered from their defeat to Thopmson Insurance B to overwhelm St Gabriels C 10-0. The C team were unable to cope with the quality of Stephen Young, Geoff Young and Mark Burton.
Division Three
Redby CA C 6-4 Sacriston St Bedes B
St John A 8-2 Sacriston St Bedes B
St John A 10-0 St John C
Division three leaders Redby CA C won against Sacriston St Bedes B 6-4 but dropped a vital point in the process. Alan Whitwam continued his consistent season for Redby with three 3-1 victories in the singles. Michael Redfearn picked up a further two Redby wins and Vic Austin one but both found Mark Walton too strong. Walton partnered Nicholson to victory in the doubles and Nicholson secured Sacriston’s point with a win against Austin.
St John A won twice to retake second place. Their first victory also came against Sacriston B by the more comfortable score line of 8-2. Mark Walton won twice for Sacriston but that’s all his side could manage as St John’s side of Istvan Soos, Craig Burton and Craig Hilton closed out the remainder of the match. The same players produced a 10-0 win against St John C.
Week Nine
Division One
Thompson Insurance A 8-2 St Chads
St Chads 10-0 Seaburn Dene
Silksworth IM 5-5 Durham CA
St Chads moved into second place in division one with a claimed match against Seaburn Dene but were brought back down to earth in an 8-2 defeat to leaders Thompson Insurance A. Bart Vermoesen picked up a victory for St Chads against Chris Blake and Steve Penman defeated an injured Darren McVitie but that’s as far as the scoring went for the away side. Thompson closed out the rest of the match with McVitie and Blake winning both of their other singles and Andrew Wilkinson remaining unbeaten.
Durham CA achieved their best result of the season in a 5-5 draw with Silksworth IM. In a very close encounter Durham’s Brian Bateman was the star player taking all of his three singles and helping Gavin Bestford to a doubles victory against George Watson and Howard Brown. Bestford added a further victory in the singles but Suilksworth dug out their draw with a real team performance. George Watson lead from the number one spot with two wins with Alan Bickle adding a further two and Howard Brown one.
Division Two
Redby CA A 4-6 St Gabriels C
In a quiet week in division two St Gabriels C recorded a narrow 6-4 victory against Redby CA A. Syd Gooding won three times for St Gabriels but was made to work hard against Howard Forster, prevailing 11-6 in the fifth end. Forster took his other two singles for Redby and Alan Girdwood added two further victories before missing out against Gooding. St Gabriels secured their win with a single victory for Alan Ray and Brian Taylor and a win in the doubles for Gooding and Taylor.
Division Three
St John B 2-8 Sacriston St Bedes C
St John C 6-4 St John B
Life isn’t getting any easier for bottom placed St John B in division three as they lost two matches in a week. The first was an 8-2 reverse against Sacriston St Bedes C. Hugh Bevan and Derek Buller both beat Jim Higginson 3-0 for St John but that was all they could manage as Glyn Jones and Peter Whitfield were unbeaten on the night and Higginson took his other singles 3-1 against Viv Ford.
In their second defeat they picked up their second point of the season against two man St John C. Michael Wilson and Michael Cameron both had two comfortable wins for the C team against Derek Buller and Val Barella and Wilson added a further win against Hugh Bevan. The wily Bevan earned his team a point, however, with an 11-9, 11-9, 12-10 victory over Cameron. The 6-4 result was secured for the C team with victory in the doubles.
Volunteering opportunities for clubs
There is an opportunity for sports clubs to get some young volunteers in to help with coaching etc. Details from Jenni Wade at Tyne and Wear sport are;
"As part of Step into Sport Programme we are looking to develop the number of community based volunteering placements for young people within local sports clubs. We feel this is a real opportunity for clubs to gain committed young people to support their clubs in a range of areas. Please can you promote and encourage your sports clubs to engage with Step Into Sport and complete the forms if they feel they can offer any volunteering opportunities."
If you are interested the relevent forms are the letter to clubs and the placement verification criteria.
Week Eight
Division One
Thompson Insurance A 8-2 West CA
Silksworth CC 7-3 St Gabriels A
Silksworth IM 0-10 St Chads
Thompson Insurance A extended their lead at the top of division one to 9 points after beating West CA 8-2 in a week where second placed St Gabriels A lost to Silksworth CC 7-3. Chris Blake has been Thompson’s most consistent player so far this season and continued his good form against West CA winning all three of his singles. Eddie Smith also contributed three wins for Thompson and Smith and Blake combined to take the doubles. Allan Thompson added a further win against Rod Roberts but found John Williamson and Mark Shingler too strong.
Silksworth CC’s victory against St Gabriels A came in spite of St Gabriels’ David Robson remaining unbeaten in singles. He was made to work hard in two of his matches, however, coming through 11-4 in the fifth against Anthony Barella and triumphing 11-9 in the deciding end against Graeme Barella. The Barella brothers bounced back to both take their other two singles and combined to see of Robson and Tom Bainbridge in the doubles. Kevin Wilson added two further wins to secure maximum points for Silksworth.
St Chads have moved level on points with second placed St Gabriels A after demolishing Silksworth IM 10-0. St Chads’ Keith Weatherby and David Bissett were far too strong for the Silksworth players but the player of the match was Barry Cuthbertson who saw off all three Silksworth players in the deciding fifth end and still had enough energy to win the doubles with Keith Weatherby.
Division Two
Thompson Insurance B 7-3 St Aidans A
Thompson Insurance B 10-0 Redby CA A
St Aidans A 9-1 Redby CA A
Redby CA B 7-3 St Gabriels B
St Gabriels C 2-8 Redby CA B
St Aidans B 5-5 St Gabriels B
Thompson Insurance B further strengthened their lead at the top of division two with two victories in a week. The first came against St Aidans A 7-3 and the second was a more comfortable 10-0 against Redby CA A. Maurice Cheek was the star player for Thompson against St Aidans with three singles wins but doubles success eluded him as with Eddie Coxon he was beaten by Robin Kerr and David Thomson. Coxon added a further two singles wins for Thompson as did David Winterbottom but both were defeated by Kerr who nearly snatched a point for St Aidans just losing out 11-9 in the fifth end against Cheek.
Redby CA B had a good week and moved into second place with wins against St Gabriels B and St Gabriels C. In the first match St Gabriels B could only turn out two players and this contributed to their 7-3 defeat. Starting with a 3-0 lead Frank Booth added wins in his remaining two singles. Malcolm Deneven also beat Stephen Young and Redby CA B secured all four points with victory in the doubles, David Revell’s two wins and Young’s one being all St Gabriels could muster.
St Aidans A recovered from their defeat against Thompson Insurance B to beat bottom placed Redby CA A 9-1. Redby’s Howard Forster came from 2-0 down to beat Ian Miller 3-2 but that’s as far as the scoring went for the away side as Robin Kerr, David Thomson and Ian Miller closed out the rest of the match for St Aidans.
Division Three
Redby CA C 10-0 St John C
Redby CA C have opened up a five point lead in division three courtesy of a 10-0 win against St John C. Michael Redfearn, Vic Austin and David Kerr were the players to inflict the whitewash although Michael Cameron almost spared St John’s blushes in the final match of the night, just missing out to Redfearn 8-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8.
Week Seven
Division One
Durham CA 0-10 Thompson Insurance A
Seaburn Dene 4-6 St Gabriels A
St Chads TTC 8-2 West CA
Silksworth CC 7-3 Silksworth IM
St Gabriels A beat Seaburn Dene 6-4 but it wasn’t enough to maintain their position at the top of division one as they were overhauled by Thompson Insurance A. Dave Robson was again the top performer for St Gabriels against Seaburn Dene winning three times and partnering Tom Bainbridge to success in the doubles. Bainbridge also added a victory against Bill Bowman. Norman Pescod also won against Bill Bowman to secure the victory but the crucial fourth point eluded St Gabriels as Seaburn’s Ken Bowman and Chris Dixon picked up wins against Bainbridge and Pescod.
Reigning champions Thompson Insurance moved into top spot in style with a comprehensive 10-0 victory against bottom placed Durham CA. Chris Blake, Allan Thompson and Dave Blackburne were the players who did the damage in this match for Thompson.
St Chads remain third with a good 8-2 victory against West CA. Neil Herrington and Keith Weatherby were relatively untroubled in the match for St Chads in picking up three singles wins each and combining to win the doubles 3-0. St Chads third player Barry Cuthbertson found Geoff Salter and Mark Shingler too strong but picked up a hard fought 10-12, 4-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-9 win against John Williamson.
Elsewhere Silkswoth CC beat Silksworth IM 7-3.
Division Two
St Gabriels C 1-9 Sacriston St Bedes A
St Aidans B 5-5 Redby CA B
Redby CA A 5-5 St Aidans B
St Gabriels B 7-3 Redby CA A
Sacriston St Bedes A climbed another place to second in division two and are now just three points behind leaders Thompson Insurance A with a 9-1 win against St Gabriels C. Syd Gooding gave St Gabriels hope with a victory in the opening game against Tony Taylor. But it was short lived as Kevin Smith, Taylor and John Wong closed out the rest of the match for Sacriston with relative ease.
St Aidans B picked up their first points of the season with two draws in a week. The first came against Redby CA B and was a real team performance with Norman Polley and Linda Spensley both winning twice and Lynda Todd once. Frank Booth replied for Redby with two wins and Ken Tweedy and Amanda Paxton both won once. Redby secured their draw with a 3-2 victory in the doubles for Tweedy and Paxton against Spensley and Todd.
St Aidan’s second draw came against Redby CA A. This time Nigel Coe was their top performer with two singles wins with Spensley and Todd both taking a single victory. Redby’s top performer was Allan Girdwood who was undefeated in the singles and Howard Forster lost just once, to Coe. Redby were denied their first victory of the season in the doubles, losing out 3-2.
In the final match in division two this week St Gabriels B secured a fairly comfortable 7-3 victory against Redby CA A. David Revell was unbeaten for St Gabriels and Mark Burton also had two comfortable 3-0 victories in the singles but missed out to Allan Girdwood who also beat Geoff Young. Ian Wilson picked up a single win against Young but it wasn’t quite enough to earn a point for Redby.
Division Three
St John A 6-4 Redby CA C
St John B 1-9 St John A
St Aidans C 8-2 Sacriston St Bedes C
St John C 3-7 St Aidans C
S John A moved from second bottom to third in division three with two wins in a week. First they inflicted the first defeat of the season on leaders Redby CA C 6-4. Isvan Soos and Craig Hilton both took two singles wins for St John but each found Alan Whitwam too strong. Craig Burton added a further victory for St John but David Kerr and Whitwam beat him to take the score to 5-4 in favour of the away side. Victory was secured with a doubles win for Soos and Hilton.
St John A’s second win was far more routine, coming 9-1 against St John B. The A side of Istvan Soos, Craig Burton and Mike Hampshire never looked unduly troubled as just Hampshire’s match against Hugh Bevan eluded them.
St Aidans C also won twice, against Sacriston St Bedes C 8-2 and St John C 7-3. Their victory against St John C was a good one as St Aidans only fielded two players. With no margin for error they still managed to pick up maximum points as both Tom Turner and Graham Brown managed to stay unbeaten in both singles and doubles.
Week Six
Division One
Thompson Insurance A 8-2 St Gabriels A
St Gabriels A 10-0 Durham CA
St Chads TTC 1-9 Silksworth CC
A top of the table clash in division one saw second placed Thompson Insurance A maintain their unbeaten start to the season beating current leaders St Gabriels A 8-2. Andrew Wilkinson is still yet to taste defeat this season with three singles wins in this match for Thompson. He also partnered Chris Blake to a doubles victory with Blake and David Blackburne each taking two of their singles. Both came unstuck, however, against St Gabriels A’s top player Dave Robson who recovered from his first defeat of the season against Wilkinson to take two singles wins.
In spite of this defeat St Gabriels A remain top of the table thanks to a 10-0 win against bottom placed Durham CA. Durham never looked likely to spring a surprise in this match with George Gibson, Tom Bainbridge and Norman Pescod having things all their own way.
A strong St Chads team lost for only the second time this season against an inspired performance from Silksworth CC. St Chads will feel the scoreline of 1-9 was harsh on them as they were on the wrong end of three of the four five end encounters. Anthony Barella was once again in good form for Silksworth winning all three of his singles matches, a feat equalled by Kevin Wilson. Graeme Barella also won twice before being edged out 11-9 in the fifth by Neil Herrington.
Division Two
St Aidans A 8-2 St Gabriels C
St Gabriels B 4-6 St Aidans A
St Aidans B 3-7 Sacriston St Bedes A
St Aidans A won twice in a week to move into second place in division two. Their first victory was an 8-2 success against St Gabriels C. David Barber was the top performer for St Aidans in this match winning three times and also helping David Thomson to a 3-2 success in the doubles. Thomson also won two singles but lost out in the closest of matches to in form Syd Gooding 13-11 in the deciding fifth end. Gooding added a second singles win against Kishore Sridharan but the St Aidans wrapped up maximum points for St Aidans winning his other two matches.
The second St Adians victory came against St Gabriels B 6-4. All three St Aidans players contributed to the win with Robin Kerr and David Thomson taking two wins and David Barber one. In reply David Revell won twice for St Gabriels and Stephen Young and Mark Burton took a singles each. St Aidans secured the win with victory in the doubles for Thomson and Barber against Revell and Young.
St Aidans B stay rooted to the bottom of the table after suffering a 7-3 defeat against Sacriston St Bedes A. Tony Taylor was the thorn in St Aidans’ side with three singles victories and he was well assisted by Kevin Smith with two wins. Peter Yeung secured maximum points for Sacriston with a victory against Lynda Todd but found Nigel Coe and Linda Spensley too strong. Spensley added a further win against Smith but it wasn’t quite enough to earn a point for St Aidans.
Division Three
St John TTC B 1-9 Redby CA C
The match between Redby CA C and St John TTC B went with the form book with the top team in division three beating the bottom placed side comfortably 9-1. Hugh Bevan came from 2-0 down to defeat David Kerr 7-11, 3-11, 12-10 11-9, 11-9 for St John but the Redby team of Alan Whitwam, Vic Austin and Kerr never looked likely to drop any points and closed out the rest of the match with relative ease.
Week Five
Where are you now?
On 3rd March 2010 Sunderland and District Table Tennis Association/League will celebrate 100 years of organised table tennis in the city, making it one of the oldest, if not the oldest table tennis league in the world. To commemorate this occasion the Association is organising a centenary dinner and would like as many current and former players, coaches, officials etc to attend as possible. Anyone who used to be involved in any way with the league is asked to give their contact details to Chris Blake on 07793 305364 or email him at chris.blake@gentoogroup.com so that they can be informed of further developments and personal invitations can be sent out.
Division One
Durham CA 2-8 St Chads TTC
West CA 5-5 Silksworth CC
Seaburn Dene 4-6 Silksworth IM
St Chads TTC maintained their third place in division one with a comfortable 8-2 victory against Durham CA. Keith Weatherby and Neil Herrington weren’t ever really extended for St Chads in each winning their three singles matches. Barry Cuthbertson added a further two singles wins but found Brian Bateman too strong going down 3-0. Cuthbertson partnered David Bissett in the doubles but they were well beaten 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 by Durham’s Bateman and Stuart Anderson.
West CA and Silksworth CC couldn’t be separated as they fought out a 5-5 draw. Silksworth’s Anthony Barella produced a Dr Jekyll performance in the singles with three good wins but reverted to Mr Hyde in the doubles with Kevin Wilson, the pair coming unstuck against Geoff Salter and Rod Roberts in straight sets. Kevin Wilson and Bernie Morris added a single win each for Silksworth over Rod Roberts but both found Mark Shingler and Geoff Salter too strong.
Seaburn Dene are still looking for their first win of the season after their 4-6 defeat against Silksworth IM. It was a real team effort from the Silksworth players with Howard Brown, George Watson and Bob Sanderson all winning two of their three singles matches. In reply Ken Bowman was unbeaten for Seaburn winning his three singles without dropping an end and combining with up and coming youngster John Bowman to defeat Watson and George Carlyon 11-1, 11-5, 11-6 in the doubles to earn the home side a point.
Division Two
St Gabriels C 4-6 Thompson Insurance B
Redby CA B 8-2 Redby CA A
Thompson Insurance B remain unbeaten in division two after beating St Gabriels C 6-4. Eddie Coxon and David Winterbottom are enjoying life in this league and it showed, the Thompson players both winning their three singles matches. St Gabriels C will be rightly proud of their point from this match which was a real team effort. Brian Taylor, Alan Ray and Ronnie Douglas each won once and Taylor and Ray combined to see off Winterbottom and Susan Grimes in the doubles.
In the Redby derby the B side produced an upset to see off their A team 8-2. Frank Booth held the home side together from the number one spot with three singles wins and was well backed up by Ken Tweedy and Malcolm Deneven who each won twice. For Redby CA A Alan Girdwood and Howard Forster each took one victory, Girdwood’s against Ken Tweedy being the highlight of the match as he came through a pulsating contest 11-8 in the fifth and deciding end.
Division Three
Redby CA C 9-1 Sacriston St Bedes C
Sacriston St Bedes C 1-9 Sacriston St Bedes B
St John TTC B 1-9 St Aidans C
St Aidans C 4-6 St John TTC A
Sacriston St Bedes C 5-5 St John TTC C
Sacriston St Bedes C are finding life in division three tough with two 9-1 defeats, against Redby CA C and Sacriston St Bedes B, and a 5-5 draw against St John TTC C in a week. The result against runaway leaders Redby wasn’t unexpected as Alan Whitwam, David Kerr and Michael Redfearn again showed their quality for Redby, Glyn Thomas’s hard fought 3-2 win against David Kerr being all Sacriston could manage. Thomas was also the sole C team winner in their match against Sacriston St Bedes B, defeating Colin Prichard. Dan Nicholson and Mark Walton were unbeaten for the B team.
St Aidans C had a mixed week, with a comfortable 9-1 victory against a struggling St John TTC B followed by a 4-6 defeat to St John TTC A. St Aidans turned out the same team in both matches with Tom Turner and Graham Brown remaining unbeaten against St John B and Graham Sleep winning twice before tasting defeat against Hugh Bevan 11-8, 3-11, 9-11, 6-11. Brown was their best player against St John A winning twice in the singles with Turner and Sleep both recording one singles victory. Istvan Soos was the thorn in St Aidans’ paw as he took all three of his singles matches and combined with Craig Burton to win the doubles. Burton also won two singles matches to secure the victory for St John A.
Week Four
Division One
Silksworth CC 2-8 Thompson Insurance A
Thompson Insurance A 10-0 Silksworth IM
Silksworth IM 3-7 St Gabriels A
West CA 9-1 Durham CA
Reigning champions Thompson Insurance A have moved ominously into second place in division one with two comfortable wins; against Silksworth CC 8-2 and Silksworth IM 10-0. Andrew Wilkinson and Darren McVitie were unbeaten in the match against a strong Silksworth CC side, each taking their three singles matches and also despatching Anthony and Graeme Barella in the doubles 3-0. They were both made to work hard against Graeme Barella, however, Wilkinson coming through 11-6 in the fifth end and McVitie sneaking home 18-16 in the decider. Chris Blake completed the scoring for Thompson getting the better of Kevin Wilson, but he found Graeme and Anthony Barella too strong. It was one way traffic in Thompson’s 10-0 victory over Silksworth IM, Chris Blake, Tony Gelder and Allan Thompson proving too strong for their opposition.
Silksworth IM suffered a second defeat in a week when they lost 7-3 against St Gabriels A. George Gibson led from the front for St Gabriels winning all three of his singles matches and then combining with Norman Pescod to take a comfortable doubles match. Pescod won his singles match against Bob Sanderson but found George Watson too strong. Pescod’s final match against Alan Bickle was the highlight of the contest, Bickle scraping through after a seesaw contest 17-15 in the fifth end. Maximum points were secured for St Gabriels with two singles wins for Tom Bainbridge.
West CA picked up their first victory of the season with an 8-2 win against Durham CA. John Williamson and Rod Roberts proved equal to everything the Durham players could throw at them on the night, each winning all three of their singles matches. Mark Shingler combined with Roberts to take the doubles and also won two of his singles. The single slip up for West CA came in Shingler’s game against Brian Bateman, with Bateman sparing Durham CA’s blushes winning the deciding fifth game 11-5.
Division Two
St Aidans B 2-8 Thompson Insurance B
Thompson Insurance B 9-1 Redby CA B
Redby CA B 6-4 St Aidans A
Redby CA A 2-8 Sacriston St Bedes A
Sacriston St Bedes A 7-3 St Gabriels B
St Aidans B 3-7 St Gabriels C
In a glut of matches in division two Thompson Insurance B maintained their top spot with two wins, first against St Aidans B 8-2 and then against Redby CA B 9-1. Shirley Gelder was unbeaten for Thompson in their match against St Aidans with three singles wins. She was well backed up by Eddie Coxon and David Winterbottom who each won twice in the singles and also took the doubles. The St Aidans wins were good ones, however, with Norman Polley in fine form to defeat both Coxon and Winterbottom. Coxon bounced back in the match against Redby CA B winning three times and taking the doubles with Maurice Cheek, who also won all three of his singles. David Winterbottom won two singles in this match as well, finding Redby number 3 Malcolm Deneven too strong.
Redby CA B recovered from defeat against Thompson Insurance B to beat St Aidans A 6-4. Ken Tweedy and Frank Booth both won twice for Redby and Tweedy combined with Malcolm Deneven to win the doubles. It was Deneven who secured the victory for Redby with a 12-10, 11-6, 11-7 win against David Barber. St Aidans earned a point with two victories each for David Thomson and Kishore Sridharan.
Sacriston St Bedes A recorded two victories, 8-2 against a struggling Redby CA A and 7-3 against two man St Gabriels B. Kevin Smith was the top performer for Sacriston over the two matches winning all 6 of his singles. He was well backed up in the game against Redby by Tony Taylor with three wins and Peter Yeung with two. A changed line up against St Gabriels saw Sham Chi Leung back up Smith well with three singles victories and Yeung combine with Smith to earn maxumim points with a win in the doubles against Goeff and Stephen Young.
St Gabriels C continued their sequence of a loss followed by a victory with a 7-3 win against St Aidans B. Syd Gooding continued his good form (no pun intended) this season with three singles wins and he was well supported by an excellent display from Ronnie Douglas who won twice in singles and also in the doubles with Gooding. Brian Taylor completed the scoring for St Gabriels C with an 11-6, 14-12, 11-8 victory against Lynda Todd. The St Aidans victories came from Norman Polley with two wins and Linda Spensley with one.
Division Three
Sacriston St Bedes B 9-1 St John TTC C
Sacriston St Bedes C 7-3 St John TTC B
St John TTC B 4-6 St John TTC C
Sacriston St Bedes B picked up their first win of the season with a 9-1 victory against St John TTC C. Sacriston numbers one and two Dan Nicholson and Mark Walton were both unbeaten in the match with three comfortable singles victories. Colin Prichard also won twice and took the doubles with Nicholson but tasted defeat against Michael Wilson going down 9-11, 8-11, 4-11. St John TTC C bounced back from this defeat to beat their B side 6-4. Michael Wilson and Michael Cameron were both unbeaten in the singles for the C team but that was as far as the scoring went for them. Hugh Bevan and Viv Ford combined to defeat Cameron and Rebecca Haynes in the doubles and Bevan, Ford and Derek Bulker each beat Haynes in the singles to earn a point for St John TTC B.
Sacriston St Bedes C opened up their division three campaign with a 7-3 victory against St John TTC B. Glyn Thomas and Peter Whitfield proved to be too good for the St John players each winning three times and also taking the doubles. Again Hugh Bevan, Viv Ford and Derek Bulker won once each for St John TTC B.
Week Three
Division One
St Gabriels A 4-6 St Chads
St Chads 3-7 Thompson Insurance A
Last season’s champions Thompson Insurance A opened up their first division campaign with an excellent 7-3 win against the runners up from last year, St Chads. Thompson have been pretty much unbeatable in recent years having won the top division in each of the last four years and will be the team to beat again this season. Andrew Wilkinson and Eddie Smith were the match winners against St Chads both winning all three of their singles matches and also combining to take a comfortable doubles 11-9, 11-7, 11-2 against Bart Vermoesen and Keith Weatherby. For St Chads Vermoesen, Weatherby and Steve Penman all won once but it was not enough to earn the home side a point.
St Chads bounced back in their next match to beat a strong St Gabriels A side 6-4. Dave Robson was unbeaten on the night for St Gabriels A but was made to fight all of the way against Bart Vermoesen, prevailing 11-7 in the deciding fifth game. Vermoesen took both of his other two singles and was well backed up by David Bissett who also had two tight wins over five ends. Barry Cuthbertson finished off the scoring for St Chads with a singles win against Tom Bainbridge and combined with Vermoesen to defeat Robson and George Gibson in the doubles 3-0. Gibson secured a point for St Gabriels with a single win against Cuthbertson.
Division Two
St Aidans B 2-8 St Aidans A
St Gabriels B 7-3 St Gabriels C
St Aidans A showed their superiority over their B side with a 9-1 victory. The A side’s Rob Kerr was the best player on the night winning all three of his singles matches and he was well backed up by Dave Thompson and Kishore Sridharan who both won two singles and then combined to take the doubles against Norman Polley and Lynda Todd. Polley was the best of the St Aidans B players with a victory against Dave Thompson and his defensive skills almost won him another as he just missed out 12-10, 8-11, 811, 7-11 against Kishore Sridharan.
In another derby game St Gabriels B got the better of St Gabriels C to record a 7-3 victory in a strange game in which all 10 matches were won in 4 ends. David Revell was the best player on show taking three singles wins for St Gabriels B and was the only player to defeat the St Gabriels C number one Syd Gooding. Geoff Young and Stephen Young bounced back from defeat to Gooding to take their other two singles against Alan Ray and Ronnie Douglas. Gooding and Douglas beat the two Youngs in the doubles but it wasn’t quite enough to earn their team a point.
Division Three
St John TTC C 4-6 St John TTC A
St Aidans C 2-8 Redby CA C
St Aidans C 6-4 Sacriston St Bedes B
Redby CA C extended their early lead at the top of division three with an 8-2 victory against St Aidans C. Alan Whitwam is already looking too strong for this division winning his three singles matches for Redby without the loss of a single game. Team mates Vic Austin and Michael Redfearn were made to work harder but still each won two of their singles to make sure of maximum points. Whitwam and Redfearn underlined Redby’s superiority winning against Tom Turner and Graham Sleep in the doubles 11-9, 11-6, 11-8. Turner was the pick of the St Aidans players defeating Redfearn and just missing out 11-6 in the fifth end against Austin. Graham Brown beat Austin in the only other victory for St Aidans.
St Aidans C performed better in their match against Sacriston St Bedes B, prevailing 6-4. Graham Brown two of his three singles matches for St Aidans and combined with Graham Sleep, who also won one singles match, to take the doubles. Tom Turner completed the scoring for St Aidans with two wins. In reply Mark Walton was unbeaten for Sacriston and Dan Nicholson won once to deny St Aidans maximum points.
A two man St John TT A side produced an excellent performance to defeat their C team 6-4. Craig Burton won three times and Mike Hampshire twice for the A team and the two players combined to also win the doubles. St John C’s single win is worth a mention as Michael Cameron picked up his first victory of the season over the vastly more experienced Mike Hampshire 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3.
Week Two
Division One
West CA 4-6 St Gabriels A
Silksworth CC 6-4 Seaburn Dene
Durham CC 4-6 Silksworth IM
St Gabriels A moved are the early leaders in division one with seven points out of a possible eight after their 6-4 victory against West CA. Dave Robson wasn’t ever really stretched for St Gabriels, winning his three singles for the loss of just one end. He was well backed up by Norman Pescod with 2 victories and Tom Bainbridge who won one of his three matches. Geoff Salter was the best of the players for West CA beating both Pescod and Bainbridge and Rod Roberts also won 21-19, 11-9, 11-7 against Bainbridge. West earned a hard fought point by taking the closest of doubles matches 3-2. It could have been even better for West, though, as John Williamson just missed out twice in the fifth end, to both Pescod and Bainbridge.
Silksworth CC picked up their first points of the season with a 6-4 victory against Seaburn Dene. Graeme Barella led from the front for Silksworth, taking all three of his singles from the number one spot. Kevin Wilson also won his three singles but that was as far as the scoring went for the home side. Ken Bowman, Andrew Dryden and Bill Bowman all took one of their singles for Seaburn Dene and Ken Bowman and Dryden got the away side a point with a fine 3-2 victory against Barella and Wilson in the closest of doubles matches.
Silksworth IM bounced back from a heavy defeat last week to beat Durham CC 6-4. George Carlyon and Howard Brown each won against John Foster 3-0 for Silksworth but found Brian Bateman and Stuart Anderson too strong. It was Goerge Watson who was Silksworth IM’s match winner, though, with a comfortable victory over Foster and two very hard fought wins over five games, first over Anderson 11-7, 12-14, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6 and then from 2-0 down against Bateman 5-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9. Watson and Brown took the doubles against Bateman and Anderson to wrap up the win.
Division Two
Thompson Insurance B 8-2 St Gabriels B
St Gabriels C 6-4 Redby CA A
Thompson Insurance B maintained their one hundred percent record so fat this season with an 8-2 win against St Gabriels B. Already looking good for an instant return to division one Eddie Coxon and Shirley Gelder were just too good for the St Gabriels players, each winning their three singles comfortably. An out of sorts David Winterbottom wrapped up maximum points for Thompson with a single win. David Revell and Goeff Young spared St Gabriel’s blushes with excellent wins against Winterbottom, Revell in five ends and Young in style by the scores of 11-7, 11-8, 11-2.
St Gabriels C and Redby CA A both picked up their first points of the season in a very close match which St Gabriels edged 6-4. It was a real team performance from the home side with Syd Gooding, Brian Taylor and Alan Ray all winning two of their three singles. Allan Girdwood put up the sternest resistance for Redby with wins over Taylor and Ray. Howard Forster caught Gooding cold, however, getting the better of him in the first game of the night 3-1. Redby salvaged a point when Girdwood and Forster combined to defeat Gooding and Taylor in the doubles 13-11, 11-3, 10-12, 9-11 11-9.
Division Three
St John TTC C 0-10 Redby CA C
Just one scorecard received in the opening two weeks of division three and it shows a 10-0 victory for a strong Redby CA C side agianst St John TTC C. The Redby team of Alan Whitwam, Vic Austin and David Kerr were never troubled in this match and the promotion hopefuls dropped just two ends in their win. Those two ends are worth a mention as they were won by a newcomer to our league, Michael Cameron, who has a bright future in table tennis. As the old saying goes you must learn how to lose before you can learn how to win.
Week One
Division One
Silksworth IM 0-10 St Chads
St Gabriels A 8-2 Silksworth CC
Newly promoted Silksworth IM had a baptism of fire in their first game in division one going down to last year’s runners up St Chads 9-1. The Silksworth team of George Watson, Alan Bickle and Howard Brown had no answer as Keith Weatherby, David Bissett and Barry Cuthbertson each took all three of their singles and Weatherby and Cuthbertson combined to see off Watson and Bickle in the doubles.
The match between St Gabriels A and Silksworth CC ended with an excellent 8-2 victory for St Gabriels. David Robson was the star of the show winning all three of his singles and combining with Norman Pescod to defeat Anthony Barella and Eszter Soos in the doubles. Pescod and George Gibson each won two singles, both picking up very good wins against Graeme Barella. Pescod edged the first of these matches in 5 tight ends 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 3-11, 11-9 and Gibson followed suit with an equally close 11-3, 10-12, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 victory on a night Graeme Barella will probably want to forget. Anthony Barella avoided a whitewash for Silksworth with wins against Gibson and Pescod.
Division Two
Redby CA A 3-7 Thompson Insurance B
Redby CA B 9-1 St Gabriels C
Thompson Insurance B ended their first match since last season’s relegation by taking maximum points with a 7-3 victory over Redby CA A. Eddie Coxon and David Winterbottom were unbeaten on the night with three singles wins but neither had things all their own way. Coxon in particular had to dig deep to secure the tightest of victories 9-11, 13-15, 11-6, 11-9, 12-10 over Allan Girdwood in a fine game. Girdwood hit back by beating Susan Grimes along with the doubles with Howard Forster. Grimes also found Forster too strong losing in 4 ends but secured Thompson’s vital fourth point with a 3-0 win against Ian Wilson.
Redby CA B began their season with a 9-1 win against St Gabriels A. Ken Tweedy and Frank Booth were both on top form for Redby with 3 singles victories each and were well backed up by Amanda Paxton who won two of her singles and combined with Tweedy to take the doubles against Syd Gooding and Ronnie Douglas. Gooding was the best of the St Gabriels players defeating Paxton 3-1 and just missing out to Tweedy and Booth in the 5th end 11-9 and 12-10 respectively.