Weekly Reports - Week 26
CHAMPIONS AGAIN......DEBENHAMS ‘A’ RETAIN THEIR TITLE IN FINAL GAME OF THE SEASON
In a thrilling climax to the season reigning champions Debenhams ‘A’ retained their title by the narrow margin of two points, as the season went down to not only the final week but also the very last match.
Countdown to the title......
Optimists ‘A’ 8 v Rudford ‘B’ 2
Optimists desperate for points in their battle for the title came up against a team just as desperate for points in their own battle against relegation. A whitewash for Optimists would have assured them of the title but Rudford’s Lee Bruton and Stuart Greene responded by upsetting the formbook and claiming two valuable points to give them a glimmer of hope in avoiding relegation this season. Bruton managed to come back from a game down against Mike Kiff to win in four, while Greene also won in four against Optimist Gordon Shaw. Three wins for Optimists’ Darren Griffin and two apiece for Mike Kiff and Gordon Shaw meant that rivals Debenhams ‘A’ now needed to win their last two remaining fixtures and could only afford to drop a total of two points in the process if they wanted to retain their title.
One day later......
Rudford ‘B’ 1 v Debenhams ‘A’ 9
Debenhams ‘A’ responded by entering overdrive to ensure a comfortable away victory at relegation threatened Rudford ‘B’. Rudford’s Stuart Greene once again claimed a valuable point from his match with Debenhams’ Jason Million and while Lee Bruton and Mel Garlic both also pushed Million close, he held his nerve to emerge victorious in the fifth game of both matches to secure those vital points for Debenhams. Although the three victories apiece for Debenhams’ William Dawe and Matt Kittle were gained in less dramatic fashion, the points were equally precious and ensured that while Rudford’s relegation fate was sealed the title race was still well and truly on with just one match of the whole season remaining.
Five days later......
Debenhams ‘A’ 10 v Optimists ‘B’ 0
The reigning champions needed to win by nine clear points to pip their rivals Optimists ‘A’ to the title and in this nailbitting finale to the season it was ironic that they not only faced the team at the foot of the division but also…Optimists ‘B’! Debenhams were in no mood to let this opportunity pass them by as they whitewashed their opponents, not dropping a single game in the whole match. William Dawe, Matt Kittle and Jason Million were in dominant form and whilst Optimists’ Steve Greening pushed Matt Kittle in their match, the heavy scoreline was deserved on the night. Debenhams ‘A’ retained their title by the narrow margin of two points in one of the Association’s closest finishes and can now proudly boast to being for the second season in succession the Gloucester Table Tennis Association League Champions.
Remaining matches from all five divisions......
Division 1
Rudford ‘A’ 7 v Forest Products ‘A’ 3
Rudford’s John Davis was in convincing form as he won all three matches for the loss of no games. Two wins for the home team captain Ann Barnes were negated by two wins for the away teams Rob Freeman, which included a win over Ann Barnes in four games. Rudford’s Ken Smith claimed a point with an 11 – 5 win in the fifth of his game with Forest Products’ Don Sweeney while Jon Gaskell claimed a point for Forest Products with a victory over Ken Smith in four games. Rudford’s Ann Barnes and Ken Smith then paired up to win the doubles in five games against the away team pairing of Jon Gaskell and Rob Freeman.
Rudford ‘A’ 8 v Rudford ‘B’ 2
Six of the ten matches played on the night went to a fifth game though unfortunately for the 'away' team they emerged victorious in only one of them and this reflected in the scoreline. Paul Smyth and Ann Barnes both had to work hard for their three wins apiece on the night. Ann Barnes came through 11 – 9 in the fifth of her match with Mel Garlic while Paul Smyth had to come through three five game matches, being pushed close in all of them but especially by Lee Bruton where he won 13 – 11 in the fifth. Simon Moysey claimed a point for the home team with an 11 – 7 win in the fifth of his game with Lee Bruton while the away teams points came courtesy of Mel Garlick and Stuart Greene, who won 11 – 6 in the fifth of his game with Simon Moysey.
Forest Products ‘A’ 10 v Civil Service ‘A’ 0
Crucial points secured for Forest Products which gives them breathing space in their relegation battle at the bottom of division one. Three wins apiece for Russell Hayward, Rob Freeman and Don Sweeney ensured a comfortable night for the home team as Civil Service with two players playing up on the night struggled to make an impact in this fixture.
Debenhams ‘A’ 9 v Debenhams ‘B’ 1
The scoreline does not reflect how tight some of the matches were in this derby match at Debenhams. The ‘B’ team were down a player on the night and whilst a win for the ‘A’ team was never really in doubt the score could have been significantly different. Christine Williams secured the ‘away’ teams only point, winning 11 – 8 in the fifth of her match with Jason Million while Alec Robinson pushed both William Dawe and Matt Kittle to a fifth game before succumbing 11 – 8 and 11 – 7 respectively in both matches.
Forest Products ‘A’ 0 v Optimists ‘A’ 10
Ruthless form from Optimists ‘A’ who need every point in their quest to rip the title from the hands of reigning champions Debenhams ‘A’. Darren Griffin and Gordon Shaw won three matches apiece before teaming up to also claim the doubles, all for the loss of no games on the night. Optimists’ Mike Kiff showed no signs of rustiness as he made his comeback in the league after a five-month absence, also winning all three of his matches for the loss of no games.
Optimists ‘A’ 8 v Optimists ‘B’ 2
Two teams from the same club, two teams both desperately in need of points but two teams at opposite ends of the table met in this important derby match at Optimists. The 'home' teams Darren Griffin and Gordon Shaw both won three matches apiece and then later combined to win the doubles to ensure the majority of the points on the night went towards the Optimists ‘A’ title challenge. Alan Churchill and Steve Greening secured two points towards the optimists ‘B’ relegation battle with Steve Greening emerging victorious in the fifth of his match with Barry Turner, who himself also had one win on the night for the ‘A’ team.
Division 2
Rudford ‘D’ 3 v Rudford ‘C’ 7
Rudford ‘C’ secured the division two title with victory in this derby match. Three wins apiece for Chris Pearce and Trevor Oliver, who came through two five game matches with Stewart Jones and Chris Beard, ensured the victory. Keith Foord chipped in with another win while Colin Bruton and Chris Beard, who won 18 – 16 in the fifth of his game with Keith Foord, secured the home teams points along with a later win in the doubles for Stewart Jones and Colin Bruton.
Civil Service ‘B’ 6 v Highnam ‘A’ 4
Highnam needed a convincing win to snatch the second promotion place away from their opponents Civil service ‘B’ while they in turn needed a convincing win to snatch the title from leaders Rudford ‘C’. Top performer in division three this season Richard Maddrell suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Suleman Salehbnai but recovered to win his two other matches, coming through 11 – 9 in the fifth of his game with Paul Singh. Suleman Salehbnai went on to win all three matches on the night but had to come through a five game match with Jo Pigott in the process. Paul Singh won two matches for the home team and a win for Ahmed Bham was negated by a win for Highnam’s James Dance. Whilst the match result and promotion was already gone, Highnam claimed a further point with a thrilling 12 – 10 victory in the fifth game of the doubles match.
Division 3
British Energy ‘C’ 9 v Wotton ‘A’ 1
Important match between two teams desperate for points for completely opposite reasons met in this fixture. Three wins apiece for British Energy’s Mariusz Plaskowicki and Neil Dowding were followed up with two more from Allan Lardner who came through 11 – 9 in the fifth of his game with Norman Saunders. Chris East claimed Wotton’s only point with an 11 – 4 win in the fifth of his match with Alan Lardner though unfortunately this was not enough to help Wotton in their fight against relegation. Ironically though this result meant that British Energy would be deprived of the title if Rudford ‘E’ managed to win their final match of the season without dropping more than one point.
Rudford ‘F’ 1 v Rudford ‘E’ 9
A tale of two Rudfords as this victory ensured Rudford ‘E’ clinched the division three title by the narrowest of margins in their final match of the season, while also unfortunately ensuring that Rudford ‘F’ could no longer avoid relegation in their remaining fixtures. Three wins apiece for Gordon Wallace and Richard Spry, who had to come through 11 – 6 in the fifth of his match with Dave Vye, were supplemented by two wins for Glyn Lloyd. The home team’s only point came courtesy of Dave Vye who won 12 – 10 in the fourth game of his match with Glyn Lloyd.
Rudford ‘F’ 3 v Wotton ‘A’ 7
Two teams at the bottom of division three met and with no hope of avoiding relegation pride was all that was at stake. Wotton’s Chris East came through 11 – 9 in the fifth of his game with Dave Vye to register three wins while Len Horwood came through 11 – 5 in the fifth of his game with Elaine Marshall to record two wins on the night. Rudford’s Dave Vye came through 11 – 9 in the fifth of his game with Chris East to claim two points for the home team while Elaine Marshall claimed their only other point. A further win for Norman Saunders and a win in the doubles ensured the victory for Wotton in rather sad circumstances as one of the friendliest clubs around will be no longer, as they are withdrawing from the league.
Grange Baptist ‘A’ 5 v Redcliffe College 5
Three wins on the night for the home teams Alistair Wood who had to come through two five game matches with Vidas Rimkus and Andy Taylor, winning 11 – 9 and 12 – 10 respectively. Errol Johnson secured another point for Grange Baptist’s with a victory over Andy Taylor who himself won one match for the away team with a victory over Nigel Emberson. Two wins apiece for Redcliffe’s Richard Johnson and Vidas Rimkus meant that the overall result would be decided by the outcome of the doubles match. A fitting finale to the night ensued with Nigel Emberson and Alistair Wood combining for Grange Baptists’ to win in the fifth against the Redcliffe College pairing of Richard Johnson and Andy Taylor, ensuring honours were shared on the night.
Division 4
Crypt ‘A’ 2 v Optimists ‘C’ 8
Optimists already ensured of the Division four title claimed an emphatic victory in their final match of the season. Three wins for Ben Roberts were followed by two apiece for fellow Optimists’ Nick Walker and Matt Inman. Luke McFarland claimed Crypt’s only points on the night, this included an impressive 11 – 9 win in the fifth of his game with Optimist Matt Inman after being 7 – 1 down in the final game. Unfortunately for Crypt ‘A’ this was not enough to prevent them from being relegated on the night as Optimists’ Ben Roberts and Nick Walker went on to also win the doubles.
St James Church 5 v Civil Service ‘D’ 5
Two of the form players in division four met in this fixture and Alan Page avenged his previous loss to impressive youngster Hamza Bham with an 11 – 9 victory in the fifth of a terrific match. Page went on to win all three matches but had to also come through another tough match with Civil Service’s Phil Lewis who himself registered one win on the night, winning 11 – 9 in the fifth. St James Church’s Moses Adelowo won two matches including an 11 – 9 win in the fifth of his match with Phil Lewis. Two wins for the away teams Hamza Bham and one more from Kevin Burden meant that the overall result hinged on the doubles in which the consistently performing pair of Civil Service’s Hamza Bham and Phil Lewis claimed victory and ensured honours were even on the night.
Sir Thomas Richs ‘A’ 9 v Highnam ‘B’ 1
Highnam ‘B’ missing a player travelled to Sir Thomas Rich’s ‘A’ and their only point of the evening came courtesy of Clare Bell who won in four against Janie Kirby. Sir Thomas Rich’s Ian Kellie came through a tough match with Derek Pigott to win in the fifth and similarly Tony Saxton came through 13 – 11 in the fifth of his match with Clare Bell to complete the victory.
Division 5
Crypt ‘C’ 1 v Crypt ‘B’ 9
The only team in the whole of the five divisions to have a one hundred per cent winning record ensured this fact remained intact as they demolished the ‘home’ team in this derby fixture at Crypt’s. Josh Roberts chipped in with two wins while Ben Tegg and Nigel Cullis won three matches apiece before combining to win the doubles and thus ensured that the division five title was theirs. Matt Skelding claimed the home team’s only point with an 11 – 3 win in the fifth of his match with Josh Roberts.
Sir Thomas Rich’s ‘C’ 10 v St Peters 0
Sir Thomas Rich’s ‘C’ finished the season in clinical form as they whitewashed St Peter’s in this fixture. Liam Foylan, Chris Green and Sammy Hau all won three matches apiece before also winning the doubles to take all the points on offer. Jake Roberts came closest to gaining a point for St Peters when pushing Liam Foylan all the way before finally succumbing 11 – 9 in the fifth.
Elfyn Roberts
Press Secretary
| 
