November 24, 2025 | Eamonn Hall
An honourable draw in the battle betwixt the top two teams in the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League keeps Cold Norton B well on track to retain their title, and finally Blackwater C have been tamed (ish) in Division 3.
The clash of the titans finished in an respectable draw this week as Fambridge came from 2-5 down to squeeze out a draw against league leaders Cold Norton B. It was a mish mash of results as everyone came away with a win, and John Poysden, Keith Adams and Ian Wall all took a brace.
A key component of any table tennis match is to ensure you have your tried and tested racket, customised to your grip, preferred rubbers and style of bat. As you leave for each match you always do your final checks as you close the door behind you – phone, keys and bat.
Given his failure to implement these simple rules it was a miracle that Fambridgeâ€s Bruce Kettle (pictured above) managed to get to grips with his temporary weapon of choice and completed a very notable straight sets win over the in-form Sam Lowman in his final match of the night.  A great effort, and at last a dent in the previously unblemished win record of the leaders.
Mapledene B have snuck into third place courtesy of a 6-4 win over Cold Norton A largely inspired by a Kieran Skeggs hat-trick including a four-set victory over the extremely talented and consistent Kevin Read.
Read won his other matches and combined with erstwhile traveller Arron Chandler for the extra doubles point. Mapledeneâ€s penhold magician Colin Chatfield won the tightest contest of the night with a 17-15 deciding set win over the unlucky Kim Shead.
In Division 2, Maldon A climbed back into second spot following their 7-3 win in the latest Maldon derby against their own B side. Hat-tricks for both Lloyd Bennett-Smith and Hamish Innes and a bonus point as Ross Kirby defeated Garry Eames in straight sets following his earlier five-set losses to Steve Aspland and Colin Barrell. Barrell and Aspland naturally took the bonus doubles point as they always do.
Woodham C seem to have found their bouncebackability mojo of late following some recent crushing defeats. This week they saw off a very strong Cold Norton E side featuring both Dick Wyman and Steve Maltby.
The Woodham star in the 6-4 victory was the bandana extremist Tim Pulham who went undefeated across all four of his matches keeping his win ratio well above the 70% mark so far this season.
There was some joy for Cold Nortonâ€s youngest player, Oscar Wyman, as he recorded his first win of the season as his game continues to improve. Wyman jnr came from behind in his match with Jeremy Giffin to win 11-7 in the final set. Giffin was not deterred by this unexpected loss as he channelled his disappointment into his next game and recorded an eye-catching win over Steve Maltby – swings and roundabouts.
Blackwater B eased their way out of the relegation zone with a notable 8-2 score over Maldon C with trebles for both Merv Perriman and Roger Slade. Maldonâ€s Chris Ravenhill scored the only singles point for his team with a straight sets win over Louis Gunn.
The tightest and I assume the longest match by far of the evening saw Perriman taken all the way to a fifth and final set against Brain Riedling – unfortunately none of the umpires fully understood how to implement the Expedite rules so the game ran on and on and on.
Finally, Blackwater C have had a difficult match as they march towards the Division 3 title. This week Woodham D got stuck into the Blackwater trio and were actually 4-3 up going into the final straight of singles matches. Blackwater captain Gary Smith could see the unbeaten run drifting away as he fell two sets down against Chris Crooks but the spirit of Blackwater is strong and he summoned his inner strength to turn that match around and square the overall score at 4-4.
David McHattie then bettered Diane King to put the Blackwaterarians 5-4 in the lead and back in control with trump card Colin Barham coming up in the final match. But Woodham were having none of it, as Simon Thomas ignored the Blackwater confidence and fired off a quick straight sets victory to ensure the Blackwater win column wasnâ€t troubled for one week at least this season.
Blackwater D registered a comprehensive 8-2 winning margin over St Lawrence A with hat-tricks for Jacquie Treacy and Roger Tiffin. David Sage chipped in with a couple of wins, just losing out to Dave Bateman in the other match.
Blackwater E Wildman Phil West was trigger happy this week with an impenetrable treble, including a tight five-setter against Peter Hughes as his side ran out 7-3 winners against Blackwater F. Deb Ginn won her first two singles but then lost out to Peter Hughes as he avenged his earlier five-set loss with a turnaround five-set victory. Jo Hart was victorious in the other five-set match as she defeated the E teamâ€s Anne Brewer 12-10 in the decider.
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