The title fight in Division One of the Clacton League is the closest it’s been for many years, with little to choose between Brotherhood A and Nomads Lions.
Brotherhood A are marginal favourites and they maintained their good form this week with an 8-2 success over the dangerous Windsor Eagles. The ever-reliable Kevin Gowlett remained unbeaten, with Gracie Edwards and Gary Young each winning two. John Pattrick picked up the two Eagles’ points.
Nomads Lions played twice and recorded two 7-3 victories. In their first match, they beat Brotherhood B, Charlie Fulcher’s treble including an 11-6 in the fifth win over Russell Hillier and an 11-4 in the fifth win over Joe Plummer. Jason Lloyd and Adam Wilkin each won two. But Hillier proved a thorn in the Lions’ side, winning two and sharing an excellent doubles success with Plummer over Fulcher and Lloyd.
The vastly-improved Ethan Lloyd (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance, was the Lions’ star player in their second match against Windsor Hawks, taking a well-deserved maximum. Jason Lloyd won two, including an 11-7 in the decider win over Scott Campbell, and Adam Wilkin one. Andy Vincent won a couple for the Hawks, although it was a close 11-7 in the fifth against Wilkin.
The Lions now lead the table by five points but Brotherhood A have a game in hand, and the result of the match between the two teams at the end of March could well determine the final destination of the 2025/26 Division One title.
Elsewhere, the meeting of the Walton A and B teams ended with honours even for a second time this season. Every player picked up at least one point but the ‘B’ team’s Pete Burrows was the undefeated player of the match. Clive Allenby and Graham Buxton, with an 11-6 in the fifth win over Paul Meikle, were the other points-scorers for the ‘B’ team. For Walton A, there were a couple for Mark Gale, one each for Meikle and Derek Willis, plus a Gale/Meikle doubles win, only their second doubles success of the season.
Brotherhood C were 9-1 winners over a Windsor Buzzards’ side fielding a guest player, Dave Miller and Tim Leung staying undefeated. Two matches went the distance, Miller beating Andy Cawley 11-5 in the decider and Dave Martin taking a consolation point for the Buzzards with an 11-8 in the decider victory over Graham Playle.
Top met bottom in Division Two, and, predictably, Brotherhood G beat Windsor Kestrels 10-0. Mark Boyland, Mark Beckham and John Gallagher were the winning trio, although Beckham struggled against Peter Aumord before emerging victorious 11-7 in the decider. It was only the second 10-0 result in the division all season.
Second-placed Brotherhood F were 7-3 winners against Nomads Jaguars who were forced, at the last minute, to include a guest player. Mark Salter remained unbeaten for Brotherhood while Chris Petrou’s couple for the Jaguars included the only five-setter of the encounter, defeating Paul Alden 11-9 in the decider.
Hat-tricks for Joe Sherwin and Tom Bryden were more than enough to give Brotherhood J an 8-2 win over Windsor Harriers. Brotherhood’s Lucy Carvell was involved in the only two matches which went the distance, getting the better of Ferdy Rodriguez but going down to Barry Allen. Isabel Barton picked up the second Harriers’ point.
Ian Sherwood produced his best form of the season, the Lawford skipper staying unbeaten to lead his side to an 8-2 success over Windsor Penguins. His hat-trick included an unexpected 11-9 in the decider victory over Kelvin Olano-Harper. John Colvin and Richard Spence won two each for Lawford, as did Olano-Harper for the Penguins.
Another captain, Brotherhood D’s Fred Gallone, was also in good nick, notching up a first hat-trick of the season as his side defeated Nomads Tigers 7-3. Kevin Pryor won two, including an 11-9 in the fifth win over Tom Wilkin, and Lily Liu one. Matt Sage won two for the Tigers.
Dan Grindrod, Danny Still and Gary Simpson of Brotherhood H took another step to the Division Three title with a comprehensive 10-0 victory over third-placed Nomads Leopards, a result which probably scuppers the Leopards’ outside chance of finishing as runners-up.
Current second-placed side Holland Hurricanes defeated Walton C 8-2 for a second time this season. Gary Stallwood took his three, with Gerry Widnell and Ian Gwillim each picking up a couple. Just one match went to five, Widnell getting the better of Adrian Sexton in a tight tussle, 3-2 (7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12, 12-10).
The Windsor Falcons v Brotherhood E match ended all-square, a first draw of the season for the Falcons but a third for Brotherhood. Jack Hillier impressed once again for Brotherhood with a treble, Joe Hillier and Rodney Betts both winning one. Gary Barnes and Matt Thomas each won two for the Falcons and shared a five-set doubles win, although Barnes’ 12-10 in the decider win over Betts was the closest match of the contest.
Windsor Magpies have been running on just two fit players for most of the second-half of the season and, as they were again forced to field a guest against Holland Vulcans, it was little surprise they went down 6-4. Bob Keefe remained unbeaten for the Vulcans, with John Plummer winning two for the Magpies.
* This year’s Closed Championships take place on 11 and 12 April at the Lift School (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall. The closing date for entries is Friday 20 March. As well as being a highly-competitive two days table tennis with 13 titles at stake, the tournament is a friendly and highly-sociable occasion, with the opportunity to watch the League’s top players in action.
For a fifth year, the Championships are being sponsored by The Survey Initiative. The League is most grateful to Gary Cattermole for his continued and generous sponsorship of the Championships which, among other things, has enabled the entry fees to remain unchanged since 2017.
RESULTS
Division 1
Brotherhood A 8 Windsor Eagles 2
Walton B 5 Walton A 5
Windsor Buzzards 1 Brotherhood C 9
Nomads Lions 7 Windsor Hawks 3
Brotherhood B 3 Nomads Lions 7
Division 2
Brotherhood G 10 Windsor Kestrels 0
Nomads Tigers 3 Brotherhood D 7
Lawford 8 Windsor Penguins 2
Brotherhood F 7 Nomads Jaguars 3
Windsor Harriers 2 Brotherhood J 8
Division 3
Windsor Falcons 5 Brotherhood E 5
Walton C 2 Holland Hurricanes 8
Nomads Leopards 0 Brotherhood H 10
Holland Vulcans 6 Windsor Magpies 4