Browsing: Norton

October 6, 2025 | Eamonn Hall

Cold Norton B took an early grip on the top division of the Burnham & District Table Tennis Winter League this week as they recorded a sizeable win whilst their main rivals stumbled again.

The team rattled off a second 9-1 victory this week leaving them firmly on top of the Burnham pile in these early stages of the campaign.

This weekâ€s victims were a strong Mapledene B side featuring the giant twins of Keith Willett and Glenn Johnson. The contest itself was much closer than the scoreline suggests as Willett took a game off everyone and secured the Mapledene point in a rankings-upsetting victory over the tricky Eric Green.

Green then went deep into Fergie time to finally secure a win over Johnson in a 13-11 final set extravaganza that saw Johnson take an early 2-0 lead before the Green gears were cranked up. Hat-tricks for Cold Nortonâ€s Ian Wall and Sam Lowman (pictured above), who also partnered up for the doubles extra point.Â

The only other top-flight match this week saw the return of former singles champion Daniel Young as he ventured out for the first time with his new Woodham A crew. Young was involved in all the excitement as he went all out against fierce rivals John Poysden and Keith Adams – in two extraordinary rollercoaster five-set battles.

Young lost out to Adams 11-9 in the decider in his first key battle, but then used this disappointment to rally himself when facing the very competitive Poysden. Poysden levelled the match at 2-2 but this must have just irked Young as he rattled off the final set in record time to secure the point.

In between these games, Young and new partner Sanjay Saptarshi came from behind for a notable five-set doubles bonus victory over Poysden and Adams.

Fambridgeâ€s third player Gurj Bhambra had an off-night, losing out to Young and Chris Hancox before having to retire unwell. So all of this led to an impressive hat-trick for Adams, a welcome return for Young the younger, and a stalemate draw that dampens Fambridgeâ€s hopes of reclaiming the title.

In Division 2 the early pacesetters are Woodham C and Mapledene C, who have already opened up a gap at the head of the table.

This week an all-firing Woodham C trio dispatched the usually very competitive full-strength Maldon B side. In a final 8-2 scoreline there were trebles for Tiny Tim Pulham and Peter Harverson (average age of 38), with Alan Dadswell notching a good win over Colin Barrell.

Pulham and Dadswell then did the unthinkable and won the doubles against the usually unbeatable Barrell/Steve Aspland combo. For Maldon, Garry Eames did well to overcome the Dadswell threat in a turbulent five-setter.

Mapledene C were held to account by Blackwater A and their wide variety of styles and rubbers. It all ended in an honourable draw with the forehand of Andy Seaman taking a treble for his Mapledene posse.

Maldon A dominated the Maldon derby against their C team, winning out 8-2 with a hat-trick for Lloyd Bennett-Smith that required some thinking about when he took on ex-team-mate Dawn Baldry and found himself at deuce in the fifth with his hard-hitting opponent. Even at 13-13 it was hard to call, but Bennett-Smith just edged those last two points for the bragging rights. Baldry won her other matches to keep the A-team in check.

In the mid-table clash between Stow Maries B and Cold Norton D it was the sparingly used Dave Moles who shone brightest as he poked and prodded his way to a season debut hat-trick for his Stow side as they secured a draw. Perhaps theyâ€ll call on him more frequently now.

Blackwater C and D are already basking in the daylight between themselves and the rest of the Division 3 teams. Both had in-house victories this week as the C team defeated F, and D team bettered the E team offering – all maintaining the alphabetical equilibrium.

The F teamâ€s Jason Bush was the only thorn in the progress of the C team as he took his teamâ€s two points, leaving Gary Smith as the only unbeaten player of the night – a straightforward and accomplished set of three-set victories for the serving maestro.

The D team had Davids Sage and Benstead to thank for all their points as they beat the E team 7-3.  A lot of five-setters in this derby that almost spilled over into the following morning. Kath Little and Deb Ginn both took five to get the better of Jacqui Treacey, Benstead needed all 10 sets to get past Little and Phil West, and Sage came from behind against Ginn to take the final two sets 11-9 for a close-fought win for his hat-trick.

St Lawrenceâ€s David Bateman had a cracking night as his team took on Maldon D – he was the only one smiling in the Bay though as his hat-trick combined with all the other points from his team still only added up to three. The Maldon trio of Shirely Carroll, James Raymond, and Luca Riedling all recorded two wins apiece.

The Burnham League was saddened this week at the loss of one of its former stalwart players – Ralph Gibson – who passed away this week after a battle with illness. Ralph most latterly played for the Mayland club and will be sorely missed by all his clubmates and opponents alike.

Ralph Gibson

Source link