Disappointing start

All three Cippenham teams made disappointing starts to the new British League season, especially as the first and second teams had the benefit of hosting the weekend at the impressive Cippenham Table Tennis Centre. A mere four points were collected between the teams although all teams were under strength because of injury. Lee Dredge and Steve Buck should both be fit to take their places in the first and second teams respectively when the second weekend of fixtures takes place in December and that will mean that the third team is also stronger as it will not have to provide reserves for the two higher teams.

There were highlights from the weekend. Martin Adams was once again magnificent as he led the first team, winning seven of his eight matches in Division 1 South. His only loss came 11-9 in the deciding game against Fusion’s Simon Phillipz. Adams is the most natural timer of the ball in the Cippenham ranks and always appears to have more time than other players to produce his two-winged attack with devastating accuracy. His best display of the weekend was a 3-1 demolition of Cameroon international Marco Essomba in the match against DHS London Progress II. Adams was backed up well by Mark Butler, despite only winning three matches. Butler’s two wins against York Gardens on Sunday morning was the key factor in the Cippenham first team’s only point of the weekend in a 4-4 draw. However, Butler was extremely unlucky not also to beat James Sprackling in the match against London Progress. He led 10-8 in the fifth and deciding game but could not clinch the final point that would have earned his team a draw instead of a 3-5 loss. Rob Lemon’s haul from the weekend was a solitary win while Paul Baker and Gemma Chapman shared the number four spot without success. The other results were defeats 3-5 against DML Woolwell and 1-7 to Fusion.

In the second team it was Mark Jackson that proved the most successful player. He won four of his matches as Cippenham beat Oxford Fireplace Centre 6-2 but lost the other matches against DHS London Progress III 1-7, Polska 1-7 and OLOP IMPACT 2-6. The latter match provided another highlight. David Hayes, after having spent a year in France playing full-time, was asked to lead the second team playing in Division 1 South and Midlands, at the same level as the Cippenham first team. By his own omission, Hayes had a disappointing weekend, winning only three times. However, one of these victories provided the most entertaining match of the weekend. Hayes showedkenhis prowess against one of the best defensive players in the country, David Barr. Barr had already dispatched Cippenham’s Danny Baxter 3-0 rather simply but Hayes rose to the challenge and after a ferocious display of attacking power, swept the former England international away 3-1 including one game of 11-4. Steve Munson also won three times while Danny Baxter played only on Sunday, winning once and Phil Clarkson was winless on Saturday.

The third team, playing at Southall, gained a solitary point on Sunday with a 4-4 draw with OLOP IMPACT II. The architect of this performance was Paul Elliott who won both his matches and finished with four out of eight for the weekend. The other wins came from Phil Clarkson and Paul Baker. New boy Steve Smith missed out in this match but had marked his debut on Saturday morning with two wins in a match that was lost 3-5 against Ellenborough II. Smith won three times altogether over the weekend while Gemma Cha[ma, Baker, Clarkson and Jonathan Evans played one day only and each won one out of four. The other results were both 2-6 against SHE Britannia Ipswich and TTK Greenhouse II.