November 17, 2025 | Eamonn Hall
The Team Handicap Cup in the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League has been dominated over recent years by the methodical and talented Cold Norton B team. With new rules and structure in place for this season would this command be threatened in any way? It would appear not.
Despite rule changes to provide the lesser handicapped teams with some extra points on the board, hot favourites Cold Norton B stormed to a traditional whitewash victory over the hapless Blackwater B trio in their Round of 16 knockout match. “5-0 to the Norton Boys†was the cry from the expectant crowd as the Cold Norton trio of Ian Wall (-18), Sam Lowman (-18), and Captain Dan Anderson (-12) went about their business.
Ian Wall & Sam Lowman in action
Despite the overall scoreline the games were all very close and the Blackwater trio of Louis Gunn (-2), Pete Mortensen (-2), and Roger Slade (-1) certainly made the hotshots work for their victory. Both doubles went to long deciding sets, with the opening match setting the tone for the evening with Lowman and Anderson coming though 26-24 in the decider against Gunn & Slade.
The singles were all won in straight sets but each leg saw the Blackwater team with over 15 points on the board with Cold Norton just having the focus and talent edge come the business end.
Last yearâ€s runners-up Blackwater A also progressed to the quarter-final stage courtesy of a 5-2 win over St Lawrence A with Neil Freeman (-6) in a starring role remaining unbeaten across his three matches. All the singles were won in straight sets with the only St Lawrence point coming from Nigel Brand (+12) against Alan Scammell (-3).
Division 3â€s Blackwater F grabbed the headlines with an unexpected 6-3 triumph against top Division 1 team Cold Norton A. Unfortunately, Cold Norton were short a player so Blackwater had a 4-0 start but still had to get past Duncan Taylor (-20), and Steve Maltby (-9).
Both David McHattie (+9) and Anne Brewer (+11) were able to use their head starts to great effect against Maltby for their actual wins, but none of the Blackwater team could muster the patience to outsmart Taylor. McHattie at least took a leg and forced Taylor into an energy sapping deciding leg but it was not to be.
Blackwater C are the most in-form team across the league and look to be a dangerous Handicap team. In a very closely matched encounter with Woodham D the Blackwater team somehow found themselves 4-2 down with just three matches to play as Jean Chasmer (+6) had dominated for Woodham with three wins already.
With four of the first six matches going to a deciding set the Blackwater team also had the clock against them – so a quick huddle, a change of tactics, and out they came firing on all cylinders as Peter Davenport (+1) ended the Chasmer unbeaten run, and then Gary Smith (0) outfoxed Chris Crooks (+2), and the final winner takes all doubles saw Smith and Andrea Alleyne (+3) outhit Chasmer and Simon Thomas (+4) just as the closing bell was clanging! Blackwater C are definitely a team to watch in this competition.
Woodham B often do well in the cup and their campaign this season got off to a good start with a hard-fought 5-1 victory over Cold Norton D. The sole cold Norton victory saw Terry Hyland (-3) keep his nerve against the hard-hitting Sanjay Saptarshi (-14) for a three-set victory that went to 24-22 in the decider. There were two further three-setters but Woodhamâ€s other players Graham Briggs (-6) and Peter Harverson (-6) kept their nerves to come through unbeaten all evening.
In a long evening at Maldon the Cold Norton E trio took eight matches to finally get the better of a stubborn Maldon C side. No player remained unbeaten but Cold Nortonâ€s Tony Forster (-6) was very effective winning three of his four matches including the important final match against Dawn Baldry (-7).
Another talented handicap team from Cold Norton showed their mettle as they triumphed in both three setters where Forster bested Chris Ravenhill (0), and Oscar Wyman (+4) came out on top against Brian Riedling (-2).
Cold Norton C completed the triple threat from the Cold Norton Club in the quarters as they overcame the strong resistance from Blackwater E to post a 5-2 victory. Neil Want (-11) did the most damage for the Cold Norton crew as he won all three of his matches as he overcame the handicaps of both Deb Ginn (+5) and Kath Little (+9) – who knew he had so much patience?
Wantâ€s display was very much needed as the Blackwater team took an early 2-1 lead winning the opening doubles and then Phil ‘Wild†West (+8) posted a very long and hard fought three-set win over Arron Chandler (-14). But that was it and the Cold Norton trio were not found Wanting in the remaining games as they heartlessly rattled off four wins on the bounce for a place in the next round.
In the final match of the round of 16, Mapledene hosted Woodham D and they got off to a flying start winning the opening three matches. As the early bath beckoned Woodham pulled the plug with Alan Dadswell (-2) overcoming the Bill Smith (-4) challenge to put a Woodham point on the board, and then the fun began and there was no time for a bath whatsoever as we hit final set mayhem.
Woodham pairing Tim Pulham (-5) and Scott Perry (-5) won the next doubles 21-17 in the decider, and then Smith found redemption following his earlier loss by taking Perry to a final leg and winning out 21-17. It was very late in the evening by now and Mapledene needed just one more win to progress. The next singles saw Woodhamâ€s Dadswell take the opening leg against Lin Roff (-6), but Roff fought back with a 21-17 second leg to tie up the match. It took a while for Roff to catch up the handicap in the final leg but once she did she was able to secure and maintain the lead for a 21-16 win for a game, set, and overall match declaration.
Cold Norton have three teams in the quarter-finals and look to have the handicap bit between their teeth for this one. Next round is played week of 15 December.
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