There are new champions in both men’s and women’s Veterans’ British Clubs League Premier Division after a keenly contested Weekend 2.
Bribar Deighton ended Ellenborough’s three-year reign as women’s champions, while Global University Systems Horsham Spinners’ had a perfect weekend to depose champions Topspin Fusion.
More than 420 players were in action in 15 divisions at Derby Arena and satellite venue Draycott & Long Eaton TTC.
Women’s divisions
Bribar Deighton leapfrogged both defending champions Ellenborough and Foresters in the final match to claim the Premier Division crown and end Ellenborough’s quest for a fourth successive title.
All three won their first match on Saturday, but Deighton’s 4-2 win over Foresters that afternoon started the shake-up at the top.
They came from 1-0 down and needed the final match to seal a 4-2 win as Kimmy Pui-Lai Brown beat Jurate Brazaityte in four to complete a personal double.
Deighton then really blew the title chase wide open with a 4-2 win over Ellenborough on Saturday evening, kick-started by Xiaoman Ji ending Sara Williams’ 100% record with a 3-2 (11-6, 5-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-8) victory. Deighton then won three of the next four to ensure overall victory.
Foresters got back to winning ways on Saturday night and all three title-chasers won on Sunday morning, leaving Ellenborough a point clear of the other two, but with Foresters to face.
Deighton did what they needed to do by beating TT Shop Liverpool 5-1, while Foresters versus Ellenborough went to the wire. Ellenborough won the first, Hurey Ahmetoglu defeating Gabriela Tankel in four, but Foresters hit back by winning the next three, including fifth-set wins for Larisa Titievskaja over Williams and Brazaityte over Sanja Clements.
Ahmetoglu beat Brazaityte to narrow the gap to 3-2, but Titievskaja’s win over Clements made it 4-2 to Foresters.
In the final analysis, that left Deighton and Foresters on 15pts, one ahead of Ellenborough, and Deighton got the verdict on countback.
Ahmetoglu’s double against Foresters completed a 100% weekend, and she topped the averages with 10/10.
Topspin Fusion held off a fast-finishing Waterside Fusion of Ladies to win Division 1 by a point.
Waterside won all five matches over the weekend, including defeating Fusion 4-2 on Saturday morning.
Fusion won their next three and, despite drawing 3-3 in their final match against third-placed DOJO Merchant Services, who led on three occasions, that was enough to give them the title with 16pts, one ahead of Waterside.
Kate Hughes topped the averages with 10/10 for Waterside, while Fusion’s MiJung Choi just missed out on a full house, with 19/20.
Foresters III were the Division 2 champions but it went to sets difference as they held off WW Lightning. Lightning actually only lost once, as against two defeats for Foresters, but three draws ultimately cost them – that and defeat to Foresters in the final round of matches.
Foresters lost to third-placed Billwood in the penultimate round, but came from 2-1 down to beat Lightning 4-2 in that final round to ensure the title.
The recovery was started by Sarah Jane Hilditch beating Clare Styles 13-11 in the fourth match and continued by Lynne Trussell, who beat Rebecca Hurrell 3-2 (6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8). Sue Pingram then defeated Sarah Hudson to clinch the title.
Styles had the consolation, however hollow, of topping the averages with 19/20.
Northrop Dragons could not be slayed as they won Division 3 with an unbeaten record, to finish four points clear of Sherwood Ladies.
Their only dropped point was in a 3-3 draw against Sherwood in Round 9, and they came from 3-1 down to do it after Catharine Cody had notched a double for Sherwood.
Lynne Harrison, Paulina Szewczyk and Tracey Sambrook all got one each for the champions – Szewczyk and Gillian Richardson of Northrop both finishing with 11/14 in the averages.
Men’s divisions
Global University Systems Horsham Spinners’ 100% weekend saw them dethrone defending Premier Division champions Topspin Fusion – winning the division by four points in the end.
Both teams got off to a fast start, with matching 5-1 wins over Central and Ormesby respectively on Saturday morning, while third-placed Bribar Knighton Park dropped a point in a 3-3 draw with Ormeau.
Fusion’s 5-1 win over Knighton Park on Saturday afternoon effectively made it a two-horse race, with Horsham whitewashing Ormeau at the same time.
Saturday evening saw Fusion draw against Ormesby, having trailed 2-1 and then led 3-2, while Horsham beat Knighton Park 4-2 having come from 2-1 down.
The top two both won on Sunday morning and, with gap at the top now two points, Fusion knew they needed a big win to get above their opponents on sets difference in the last round.
Hopes were raised when Victor Guang Shi came from 2-0 down to beat Jacek Koziarski 3-2 (9-11, 12-14, 14-12, 11-9, 11-5) and Lorestas Trumpauskas defeated Oleh Biletskyi in three to put Fusion 2-0 ahead.
Mircea Neagu beat Neil Pickard in four to narrow the gap. With much hinging on the meeting between Loziarski and Trumpauskas, it was the former who edged it 3-2 (11-6, 3-11, 13-11, 8-11, 14-12). And when Neagu beat Guang Shi 3-2 (11-4, 11-9, 7-11, 10-12, 11-6), it was Horsham’s title – the last match was defaulted by Fusion, making the final score 4-2.
Thomas Guignat of Fusion – who scored 7/8 on the first weekend – remained top of the averages, with Koziarski (16/19) and Trumpauskas (8/10) next – would things have been different had Trumpauskas been available on Weekend 1?
Draycott edged the battle of the unbeaten teams in Division 1 (Group 1), a division which was characterised by draws with no fewer than 10 across the season.
Draycott won seven to go with their three draws, while Custom Deighton were a point behind having won six and drawn four.
They met in the final round and Draycott took a 3-1 lead which guaranteed the title, though Deighton pegged them back by winning the last two.
John Taylor of Draycott headed the averages with 16/18, just ahead of Lee Horton’s 14/16 for Deighton – both took a double in that final match, not facing off against each other.
Hurricane were the class act in Division 1 (Group 2) as they finished unbeaten and four points clear of Foresters A.
The champions won eight and drew two, their only dropped point coming on Sunday morning against Cippenham – and they finished in the grand manner by beating Foresters 6-0.
Hurricanes had three of the top four in the averages, but not No 1 – that accolade went to Sherwin Remata of fifth-placed Moberly, who won 19/20, losing only to Hurricane’s Richard Jermyn.
Admiral Paws finished three points clear of Wolves VETTS to claim the Division 2 (Group 1) title.
The champions had a 100% second weekend, culminating in a 4-2 win over their closest rivals.
Paws had the top two in the averages as Filip Wojtkowiak won 19 of his 20 matches (losing only to Zayn Mauthoor of BATTS II), three more than team-mate Dave Tiplady.
Ashford completed an unbeaten season to win Division 2 (Group 2), two points clear of Foresters C.
It was seven wins and three draws for the champions, drawing their last two matches against Draycott II and then Foresters. They came from 3-2 down in the latter as Percy Collino beat Neil Herrington 3-2 in the final match to preserve the unbeaten record and seal the title.
Michael Moir of CVS won 8/10 on Weekend 1 and he remained top of the averages.
Newton Abbot held off Ajax Wolvey to win Division 3 (Group 1) and were unbeaten, only dropping point all season, to Foresters E on Weekend 1.
They completed their triumph 5-1 against Ajax in the final round – Ajax won every match except the two against the champions.
Michael Hugh of Newton Abbot was top of the averages with 18/20.
Division 3 (Group 2) was exceptionally tight – and the champions won by scoring only 12 points out of a possible 20.
It was Norton Commandos who took it, ahead of both Fusion Topspin II and Cippenham II on countback.
Commandos actually drew two and lost two of the first four fixtures of the weekend, but beating Foresters D 4-2 in the final round proved crucial.
Cippenham’s Steve Joel, with 13/16, led the averages, just ahead of Simon Philipsz of Fusion on 16/20.
Bristol Associates won the Division 4 (Group 1) title by a point ahead of Loughborough Unicorn, whom they beat 5-1 in the final round to clinch it. The champions lost the one match, 4-2 to Ashford II.
Bristol’s Daniel James Harris was top of the averages on 18/20, a smidgin above Robin Oearce of Unicorns on 16/18.
Lancashire Hotpots won Division 4 (Group 2), Division 1 (Group 2), two points clear of Bristol Associates II. Hotpots’ unbeaten season was wrecked in the final round by Guernsey, who won 4-2 – but the title was already secured.
Hotpots’ Phil Crankshaw headed the averages, with 18/20 – though team-mate Rick Beattie and Bristol’s Serhii Herheliuk were also on 90%, from 10 matches apiece.
Allied TTC took Division 5 (Group 1) by three points from Altrincham Grandpa, winning nine and losing one.
That defeat was to their nearest rivals on Weekend 1, but they made amends with a 5-1 success in the final round.
Chun Sing Leung of the Grandpas was top of the averages with 100% from 15 matches.
Continental Stars were unbeaten and six points clear of the pack in winning Division 5 (Group 2), with a record of eight wins and two draws. It was a full house of five victories on Weekend 2 as they pulled clear of the rest.
Swerve’s Steve Brunskill was top of the averages, picking up 18/20 – Jeff Rigby of Oxhill was also on 90%, from 10 matches.