With only two fixtures being contested per club on the one-day event that was weekend three of the Senior British Clubs Leagues Premier Division, it leaves the clubs with lots to play for in the final fixtures of the season at both the top and bottom of the table.
Ormesby TTC, who have lifted the trophy twice in the last 10 years, will be hoping to regain the prestigious title and stop their closest competitors, Brighton TTC, from making history of their own as they chase a third consecutive title.
Ormesby were without David McBeath for this weekend, however the unbeaten Enio Mendes was available for selection and was joined by Ben Piggott and Louis Price as they whitewashed Drumchapel Glasgow 7-0, who were without headline signing Paul Drinkhall. Ormesby completed a perfect weekend, defeating hosts Fusion TTC by the same scoreline. The only match going the distance was between Louis Price and Fusion’s Shaquille Webb-Dixon, where the Ormesby man came out on top 11-9 in the decider.
Brighton kept up their title charge with two wins from two, but not without a fight from Ormeau who are in the relegation battle at the other end of the table. Ormeau came to the weekend with possibly the signing of the season, Par Gerell. The former 12x Swedish National Champion and multiple European medallist swept aside Felix Thomis and Igor Zavadksyi, however it was not enough as Thomis secured the victory for Brighton as he defeated Adam Faulkner in straight games.
Brighton also overcame Drumchapel Glasgow 4-3, however had the victory secured as they led 4-1. Drumchapel’s points came from an impressive double for Aaron Mckibbin, and Xinliang Sun’s victory over Thomis.
At the other end of the table, eBaTT lost out narrowly to North Ayrshire, who could still mathematically be in the relegation battle despite sitting in fourth. Despite eBaTT winning every match that was played thanks to a Patryk Dziuba double, with one player ineligible and Nahom Agedom’s walkover vs Martin Johnson, the scoreline reads 4-3 in favour to the Scottish side.
eBaTT also lost out 4-3 to Ormeau, where Gerell once again stole the show, despite dropping an end to Dziuba who has also had an instant impact in the division. The fixture went down to the wire, where Faulkner overcame Olivier Chu.
BATTS’ Alexis Douin, unbeaten across 3 seasons in Britain, saw his impeccable record tarnished by the host’s Larry Trumpauskas, who came out on top 3-2. Isaac Kingham defeated Trumpauskas 3-0, with a dominant performance in a repeat of the U21 National Championships Final, reversing that outcome. Webb-Dixon’s 12-10 in the fifth victory Abraham Sellado meant the fixture went to a decider, with the score level at 3-3, Kingham stepped up to defeat Rikuto Morota 3-1.
North Ayrshire’s 4-3 victory over BATTS saw them leapfrog Fusion, leaving the hosts in fifth place level on points with the Scottish side. Hugo Torngren’s return for North Ayrshire helped the side overcome third-placed BATTS, with a victory over Kingham and a narrow defeat to Douin 3-2. BATTS led 3-2 after Douin’s victory over Torngren, but an inspired performance from Colin Dalgleish to defeat Kingham 12-10 in the fifth, left a decider between Martin Johnson and England international, Sellado. It was Johnson who came out on top 3-1 and secured the impressive victory.
Find the latest updated standings below, which leaves the table in a very exciting position heading into the final weekend, hosted by Ormesby on April 11, where the club could be crowned champions on home soil.
Find the full results, upcoming fixtures, player averages and much more on the British Clubs Leagues website, as well as heading to the Table Tennis England YouTube channel to watch all the action in one place, where every fixture from throughout the season is uploaded.
