Division Four
14 March
This week saw some defining results at either end of the table.
Starting at the top, Lutterworth hosted bottom side Regent, and left with a predictable victory. James Smith for Regent claimed their only victory on the wrong end of a 9-1 score. Colin Jones claimed POM to further his 100% individual success in the league this season.
The crunch match for 2nd spot saw Abbots Road entertain Syston and achieve a 10-0 victory. Some matches were closer than the scoreline might suggest, but Syston were very gracious in defeat, praising the opposition for their individual improvement and progress compared to the first half fixture. Ketan Patel claimed POM and only dropped one set (to Wes Glauds) all evening.
The Knighton Park side were home to Nomads ll and recorded a fine 6-4 victory. This was largely due to Michael Parkers POM max and Roma Morjaria defeat of Chris Weston. Roma and Michael paired up in the all important doubles against Chris Weston and Terry Wale, needing to win for the match victory, and succeeded to claim 4 league points.
Winstanley played Fleckney and were defeated 4-6. Wizards Ben Cooke, Elly Bajarias and Thomas Seeds all won one each, but none were able to beat POM Nick Wyche on the night.
These results make some interesting reading for the league table. Lutterworth are now 6 points clear of second placed Syston but have a game in hand. Syston are now only 1 point ahead of Abbots Rd, but Abbots have a game in hand. Although Lutterworth are not mathematically champions yet, it will take a major upset for them not to finish top. Abbots are in a favourable position to claim 2nd spot but the final matches will be an interesting situation to monitor.
At the other end, Nomads lll relegation spot was confirmed when Fleckney won their match to move into safety. The positions at the lower end of the table are open to change in the final weeks of the season, as 3 points separate 4 teams.
Individually, Colin jones is still 100% and providing he plays the remaining 3 matches, looks favourite to take the individual honour over Kevin Jones who is currently on 90.48% in 'second' position. Another good performance from Bradley Lapworth moves him up to 3rd spot on 88.67%, just ahead of Chris Weston on 85.19%
Regards
Ian
HANDBOOK AMENDMENTS
HOME NIGHT CHANGE
BLABY & WHETSTONE
Now Thursday instead of Wednesday
WINSTANLEY WIZARDS II. Team 4.
Now Wednesday instead of Thursday
The contact for this team is now the Secretary, Ken Oram.
PAST REPORTS
7 March
This week saw the clash of the top two sides, Syston Vs Lutterworth. It was an evening of very good table tennis, Lutterworth going home with a 10-0 win under their belt. There were some closer games than the scoreline suggests, but Lutterworth fielded a strong side of Colin Jones, Freddy jones and POM Mike Eastell that proved too much for Systons Wes Glauds, Nick Bishop and Ian Lockington. This win sets up Lutterworth to win the League barring any mishaps
At the other end of the table, Regent hosted Winstanley Wizards and were on the wrong end of a 9-1 scoreline, Dave Dewsbury defeating Kalan Bhakta for the one game. Kai Bhakta had a good evening, stepping up to take POM.
There was a good away win for Desford who managed to beat Nomads lll by 6-4. Luke Blair was POM in this fixture, winning all 3 including a victory over Nomads' Chris Weston. Luke generously put this win down to a good collective performance from Desford, ably assisted by the net and edge calls going in their favour. Steph Burley, although not playing was grateful for the point having lost 8-2 in the reverse fixture!
Fleckney hosted their match against Knighton Park, and won the doubles for a 6-4 victory. Bob Palmer was POM in this fixture. The first game of the evening saw Bob play Roma Morjaria, losing the firsr set to 3 points. Bob then won the next two by 3 and 4 points. Roma then rallied round to take the fourth set 11-13. The final set saw Bob win by 11-9 and I see this game as a good example of never giving up because things change very quickly. Good effort Roma!
Nomads ll played promotion hopefuls Abbots Rd and went home as 10-0 losers despite some close games. Terry Highton feels Nomads were a bit below par but takes nothing away from Abbots who played very well. Bradley Lapworth took POM with a fine 3 straight max
Lutterworth are now well set to top this division, sitting two points ahead of second places Syston with a game in hand. They are 7 points ahead of third placed Abbots Rd having played the same number of matches. This coming week sees a fantastic fixture between Abbots Rd and Syston which could prove decisive for the runners up spot.
The other end of the table looks all but decided with Regent relegated and Nomads lll facing the same fate unless Fleckney fail to win 2 more points in their remaining matches.
Regards
Ian