Browsing: Clacton

October 19, 2025 | Tony Oswick

Brotherhood A took the honours in this weekâ€s battle of the big guns in Division Oneof the Clacton League, beating reigning champions and title favourites Nomads Panthers 6-4.

Daniel Youngâ€s (pictured above, photo by Gavin Price) hat-trick for Brotherhood included impressive victories over last yearâ€s Closed Championship finalists James Denyer and Greg Green. Gary Young contributed two wins and Gracie Edwards one, while Denyer took two for the Panthers.

Somewhat surprisingly, only four of the individual matches were extended to a fourth set. It was the Panthers†first defeat since January 2024.

Elsewhere, Nomads Lions continued their perfect start to the season with another whitewash win, this time over the unfortunate Windsor Buzzards. Ethan Lloyd, Paul Hume and Martyn Green were this weekâ€s winning combination.

Windsor Eagles took four of the five of the matches which went the distance to run out narrow 6-4 winners against Walton A, Gary Cattermole undefeated for Windsor. Phil Smith won one, a tight 11-9 in the fifth against Paul Meikle, whilst it was an even tighter 12-10 in the fifth for Gavin Price against former team-mate Derek Willis. Crucially, Cattermole and Price took the doubles, 11-8 in the fifth, against Willis and Mark Gale. Gale was Waltonâ€s best player, winning two.

It was somewhat more comfortable in a second Windsor v Walton clash, the Hawks easing past Walton B 9-1. Andy Vincent and Felipe Rodriguez both took trebles and Scott Campbell two, Graham Buxtonâ€s win over Campbell preventing a Hawks†whitewash. Only three individual matches went beyond three sets.

An all-Brotherhood clash ended in an 8-2 victory for the ‘B†team over the ‘C†team. Patrick Cheung won three, and Simon Smith-Daye and Russell Hillier two each. There was a point each for Graham Playle and John Cleasby, Cleasby defying the odds to enjoy an excellent victory over Smith-Daye.

There was another surprise in Division Two where promoted Brotherhood J defeated Lawford 8-2. Joe Sherwin and Ruby Gallagher took hat-tricks, Gallagher defeating Charlie Denholm 11-6 in the decider and Ian Sherwood 11-8 in the decider. The only other match which went the distance saw Sherwin and Gallagher take the doubles 11-6 in the fifth against Denholm and Sherwood.

Brotherhood G notched up their second 7-3 victory in as many weeks, this time defeating club-mates Brotherhood D. John Gallagher remained unbeaten for the winners, with Paul Metcalf taking two and Mark Beckham one.

And there was a third Brotherhood victory in this Division as the ‘F†side enjoyed a convincing 8-2 success over Windsor Harriers, Mark Salter staying unbeaten. Paul Alden and Tricia Salter each won two, Tricia in fine fettle to beat both Isabel Barton and Ferdy Rodriguez, the latter match a nail-biting 11-9 in the fifth. Barry Allen picked up both Harriers†points.

Another maximum for Kelvin Olano-Harper was not enough to prevent Windsor Penguins going down 6-4 to Nomads Jaguars, for whom Andy Hart and Chris Petrou each won two. Paul Woolnough took one for the Penguins but lost 11-5 in the fifth to Hart and 11-8 in the fifth to Petrou.

It was also 6-4 as Windsor Kestrels defeated a Nomads Tigers†side fielding a reserve. Jonathan Foundâ€s treble for the Kestrels included an 11-9 in the decider win over Tom Wilkin. The Tigers†points were shared between Wilkin and Alex Baldock, each winning twice.

In Division Three, Walton C began their campaign with a 6-4 win over Holland Lancasters. Lynette Sparks won three, Maggie Earle two and Adrian Sexton one. Peter Evans notched up two for the Lancasters and Dave Wright one, the pair doing well as they combined to take the doubles against Sparks and Earle.

It was a first match of the season also for Nomads Leopards and they also started with a win, 8-2 against Windsor Falcons. Dominic Joannou and returning super-veteran Doug Green both recorded trebles, as well as sharing a doubles success. Anne Bonny took the eighth Leopards†point, whilst there was a point apiece for Windsorâ€s Gary Barnes and Matt Thomas.

No-one remained unbeaten in the Holland Vulcans v Brotherhood E encounter, the match ending all-square. Bob Keefe and Derek Foxley each won two for the Vulcans, as did Tony Edmonds and Jack Hillier for Brotherhood. Brotherhood will feel grateful to have taken all three five-setters, Edmonds beating Keefe 11-9 in the decider, Joe Hillier beating James Horsler by the same score, with the two Hilliers taking the doubles by an even closer 13-11 in the decider against Keefe and Foxley.

Finally, Holland Hurricanes won 8-2 against a Nomads Ocelots†team forced to field a guest player. Gary Stallwood remained unbeaten for the winners while Mike Wellum took both points for the losers.

* It was with great sadness that the League has learned of the death recently of Arthur Wells-Garrett. Arthur had been playing in the League since 2016 and had become a regular in the Nomads Ocelots side. A quiet, friendly and likeable man, and never one to seek the limelight, he had developed into a reliable and good standard Third Division player. We send our sincere condolences to his family.

RESULTS
Division 1
Windsor Eagles 6 Walton A 4
Brotherhood A 6 Nomads Panthers 4
Walton B 1 Windsor Hawks 9
Brotherhood B 8 Brotherhood C 2
Nomads Lions 10 Windsor Buzzards 0
Division 2
Lawford 2 Brotherhood J 8
Windsor Penguins 4 Nomads Jaguars 6
Brotherhood G 7 Brotherhood D 3
Windsor Kestrels 6 Nomads Tigers 4
Brotherhood F 8 Windsor Harriers 2
Division 3
Holland Vulcans 5 Brotherhood E 5
Holland Lancasters 4 Walton C 6
Nomads Ocelots 2 Holland Hurricanes 8
Nomads Leopards 8 Windsor Falcons 2

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October 14, 2025 | Tony Oswick

Nomads Lions set out their stall in the first week of the season in Division Oneof the Clacton League with a convincing 10-0 win over Walton A.

There were hat-tricks for Paul Hume, Adam Cuthbert (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance) and Ethan Lloyd. The tightest match of the contest saw Cuthbert narrowly get the better of Mark Gale 13-11 in the fifth in the first match of the evening.

Reigning champions Nomads Panthers were 8-2 victors against Brotherhood B, Greg Green starting as he finished last season with an unbeaten three. John Hatley and Denes Somodi each won two but both lost to Brotherhoodâ€s new signing Patrick Cheung.

Kevin Gowlett and Daniel Young led the way with undefeated performances for Brotherhood A in their sideâ€s 8-2 success over Windsor Hawks. The Hawks will, nevertheless, feel pleased to have sprung a couple of surprises, Andy Vincent and reserve Kelvin Olano-Harper taking the doubles in four against Young and Gracie Edwards, and Vincent taking match ten with an excellent 11-6 in the decider win over Edwards.

But there was an exact reverse of fortune for the Windsor and Brotherhood clubs in another fixture, the Eagles beating Brotherhood C by the same 8-2 scoreline. Gavin Price, on debut for Windsor, and John Pattrick took trebles, although Pattrick had tough matches with both Dave Miller and Graham Playle, winning 11-7 in the fifth and 11-5 in the fifth respectively.

Walton Bâ€s Graham Buxton remained unbeaten in his sideâ€s match with promoted Windsor Buzzards but the Buzzards, determined to defy pre-season predictions of an early return to the Second Division, emerged unexpected 6-4 winners. There were two each for Dave Martin and Andy Cawley, one for Andy Foster, with Cawley and Foster combining to take a crucial doubles. Almost uniquely, all 10 matches played were settled in four sets.

In Division Two, last yearâ€s runners-up, Brotherhood G, were given a stern test by promoted Brotherhood J but finally emerged 7-3 victors. Mark Boyland took three, John Gallagher two – including a win over daughter Ruby in their first-ever League meeting – and Mark Beckham one, with Boyland and Gallagher winning the doubles. Joe Sherwin picked up a couple for the ‘J†team and Ruby Gallagher one, while Tom Bryden only just failed to get on the scoresheet, going down 11-9 in the fifth to John Gallagher.

Every player picked up at least one point in the drawn match between Windsor Harriers and Lawford, the two teams sharing the four matches which went the distance. Windsorâ€s Barry Allen was the unbeaten star of the show, the closest of his three wins a 3-2 (5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6) victory over Ian Sherwood. Charlie Denholm won a couple for Lawford and, with Sherwood, took a vital 11-7 in the fifth doubles against Allen and Isabel Barton.

Four matches also went to five in the Brotherhood D v Windsor Penguins fixture and, again, each side took two. But despite a treble from Windsorâ€s Kelvin Olano-Harper, Brotherhood took the honours 6-4. Fred Gallone and Kevin Pryor each won two for Brotherhood, while Lily Liu edged out Paul Stanton by a nail-biting 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 13-15, 11-9, 12-10).

Brotherhood F defeated Nomads Tigers 7-3 thanks to a Paul Alden maximum, two from Mark Salter and one from Tricia Salter. All three Tigers†points came from matches which went the distance, Tom Wilkin overcoming both Mark Salter and Tricia Salter 11-8 in the fifth, and Matt Sage defeating Tricia Salter by the same score.

Bob Jillins and newcomer Andy Hart remained unbeaten as Nomads Jaguars beat Windsor Kestrels 8-2. For the Jaguars, Jonathan Found had a good individual win over Chris Petrou, with Found, together with Graham Bunce who only played in the doubles, taking the second Kestrels†point against Jillins and Petrou, 11-7 in the decider.

In Division Three, Brotherhood H started their season in fine style with a 10-0 victory over Holland Lancasters, Owen Woollard, Danny Still and Gary Simpson all unbeaten. But the Lancasters didnâ€t go down without a fight, newcomer Peter Evans losing 11-6 in the fifth to Still, Dave Wright going down by an even closer 12-10 in the fifth to Woollard, while Evans and Wright were pipped 11-8 in the fifth in the doubles by Still and Simpson.

Three for John Plummer, two for Alan Rutledge and one for Dave Sweetland saw Windsor Magpies home 7-3 against Holland Hurricanes. Gerry Widnell won a couple for the Hurricanes and Ian Gwillim one, Gwillim narrowly losing 3-2 (11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 12-10, 5-11) to Rutledge.

Brotherhood E defeated a two-player Nomads Ocelots 6-4 but the returning Mike Wellum showed all his old class to stay undefeated for the Ocelots.

Holland Vulcans defied the pundits†pre-season pessimistic predictions with a fighting 6-4 victory in a highly competitive encounter against Windsor Falcons. Bob Keefe, on League debut, won three for the Vulcans and Derek Foxley two. For the Falcons, there were a couple for Matt Thomas who did well to edge out Foxley 11-9 in the decider, while debutant Gary Barnes beat James Horsler 11-7 in the decider, and Nigel Rolph defeated the same player 11-6 in the fifth.

RESULTS
Division 1
Windsor Buzzards 6 Walton B 4
Windsor Hawks 2 Brotherhood A 8
Walton A 0 Nomads Lions 10
Brotherhood C 2 Windsor Eagles 8
Nomads Panthers 8 Brotherhood B 2
Division 2
Brotherhood J 3 Brotherhood G 7
Windsor Harriers 5 Lawford 5
Nomads Jaguars 8 Windsor Kestrels 2
Brotherhood D 6 Windsor Penguins 4
Nomads Tigers 3 Brotherhood F 7
Division 3
Windsor Falcons 4 Holland Vulcans 6
Brotherhood H 10 Holland Lancasters 0
Brotherhood E 6 Nomads Ocelots 4
Holland Hurricanes 3 Windsor Magpies 7

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