Latest News from the BSE&DTTL

Below you will find the latest news stories covering the last few months below.

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30th April 2008

Chinese National Table Tennis Training Centre

Go to www.cntttc.org to check out the facility in Hebei and find out how to enrol in short,medium and long term courses with accommodation provided.

20th April 2008

Bury Free Press and Saffrons Shield Handicap Competitions

The League closed its season with the Bury Free Press and Saffrons Shields handicap competitions which were held over three consecutive weeks at King Edward V1 High School.

All teams are entered into the Bury Free Press competition with first round losers
getting another chance via the Saffrons Shield. With the handicapping system favouring lower ranked players the format generally produces a mixture of very close and less close finishes and the 2008 competitions continued this pattern.With tables fairly closely packed together in the early stages to accommodate the large entry, round 1 of the Bury Free Press Shield produced some tight encounters. The improving youngsters of second division Bury Conquerors, Martin West and Tom Wright, met the much more experienced Clive Grimwood and Dennis Morgan of first division Lawshall and received starts averaging four points per game. They used these to good effect and after the four singles had established a 7-5 match lead. This left the Lawshall
needing to win all three ends of the doubles to progress and their 12-10 first leg win kept their hopes alive. Their greater resolve then saw them take the next two ends 11-7, 11-6 to seal an 8-7 match victory.
 
The starting handicap difference between Thurston Jets and Bury Crusaders was much more severe at an average of seven points. This necessitated playing up to 21 points per game with Ben Branfield (Jets) starting from 17-8 ahead against Peter Fordham. Although he managed to win 1 game Fordham eventually lost 16-21, 22-20, 16-21 however he and Terry Thompson then fought back and held a 7-5 lead going into the doubles. This time the higher handicapped pair came out on top with Ben and his father, Peter, winning 21-15, 21-13,21-19 for another 8-7 match result.

In the next round Lawshall met second division Stowmarket Jaguars who included Andy Bennett who was completing his first season in the league. It became apparent that his early season results did not reflect his current form and his handicap began to look a little generous. With Bennett winning his singles 6-0 the Lawshall pair were left with too much ground to make up and eventually lost the match 11-4. In the following rounds Bennett's initial partner, Colin Belcher, was replaced by Granville Sutton whose steady play contributed to victories of 13-2 over Bury Saxons, 8-1 over 2007 winners Thurston Vulcans and another 13-2 over Bury Commandoes to take the
Jaguars into the final.
 
Unfortunately there were late withdrawals which unbalanced the bottom half of the draw and benefitted second division West End Home Guard Defenders in particular. They fielded Trevor O'Sullivan and James Cutler who enjoyed starts of 17-8 and 17-9
against British Sugar's Mark James and Terry Scott. Although the Sugar pair held on in the singles to be 5-7 behind they were well beaten 21-16, 21-14, 21-11 in the doubles to lose the match 5-10. In the semi-final the Defenders met Thurston Jets who had also beaten R.A.T.T.S 9-6 along the way. Despite the closeness of the
handicaps this match proved to be rather one-sided with the Defenders reaching the final with a 10-2 victory. This was where their luck ran out as Stowmarket Jaguars cruised to a 14-1 victory to win the trophy. The handicappers will have noted that Bennett won all of his singles in the competition 3-0 which will ensure that he will start on a less generous footing in the 2009 competition.

Although there were fewer matches in the Saffrons Shield consolation competition most of them produced much closer finishes. After a 12-3 victory over their clubmates, Bury Saxons, Bury Conquerors met the newcomers Oliver Jackson and Max Boulton of Walsham-le-Willows and had to concede game starts of between six and nine points. West and Wright started strongly with similar 23-21, 21-19, 21-17 and 21-17, 21-19, 23-21 victories to move into a6-0 match lead. Although they then relaxed slightly they held a match-winning 8-4 lead after the singles leaving the Walsham pair the consolation of taking the doubles 3-0. The match between first division Bury Vikings and the father and daughter pairing of Gordon and Katie Meadows of Thurston Arrows produced diverse handicap starts which ranged between two and eleven points. This resulted in the most even match of the entirecompetitions so far with the score standing at 6-6 after the singles. The Arrows pair took the first leg of the doubles 21-15 from a 15-10 start but the Vikings held their nerve to win the next two legs 21-17,21-17 and the match by an 8-7 scoreline. The Vikings then met their clubmates the Conquerors and found themselves in the same 6-6 match position after the next singles. However they were unable to cope with a 0-4 start in the doubles which the Conquerors won 11-2, 13-11, 11-6 to reach the final in which they met Bury Crusaders who had overcome West End Home Guard
Volunteers 9-5 in their semi-final. With handicaps fairly evenly matched the Conquerors held a 7-5 lead after the singles but could not repeat their success of the previous round in the doubles which the Crusaders took 11-9,11-6, 11-9 to win through 8-7 overall.

18th March 2008

Rougham Lions v RATTS

LIONS MAUL RATTS.Played on 13/03/08 Rougham Lions entertained their fellow club team RATTS @ Rougham Sports Hall with juniors William Woods & Will Hall turning out for Lions & Graham Self & Paul Hurst for RATTS. RATTS occupy second place in the Two Player Division & Lions are mid-table with previous encounters resulting in heavy wins for RATTS.By the end of the evening William & Will had both won their singles against Paul & Will had taken a set off Graham.The doubles decided the outcome & this had some spectacular rallies with the Lions winning 3-1 to take the match 3-2, a totally unexpected result based on previous scores and league positions.

18th March 2008

Thurston Vulcans v British Sugar

Played on 10/03/08 Sugar powered on in their bid for the Division 1 title.Phil Sinclair opened for Sugar beating Stuart Duncombe in 4 games with the first two very tight at 11-9,9-11 before Sinclair found his form to take the next two 4-11,3-11.Terry Scott & Mark James won 0-3 over Andy Janes & Ian Freeman. Freeman battled well only to lose 8-11 to Scott in the fifth and 5-11 to Sinclair in the fifth but by the end Sugar proved why they are top of the league.

3rd March 2008

League Closed Tournament 24th February 2008

The Bury St. Edmunds & District Table Tennis League individual Championships turned into a family celebration for Tony West (BuryCrusaders) and his 14 year old son Martin (Bury Conquerors) who won four of the nine events between them and created a domestic problem of where to display all of the new silverware. With Martin still in his first full season of league play and his younger sister Rachel gaining good results in other events it looks as if this could become a bigger issue in the West household in the future. The day started with the Handicap Singles competition which the higher-ranked players traditionally have the least chance of winning as many of their opponents start on 17 points playing up to 21. When the draw produced first round matches for David Unwin (Bury Vikings) starting with a 5-17 deficit against Tim Jolly (Bury Conquerors) and Tony West with a 3-17 deficit against William Woods (Rougham Lions) it looked as if the system would produce the expected outcomes and favour the underdogs. However Unwin managed to win through 21-18, 23-21 and West was even steadier in producinga 21-19, 21-19 victory. Buoyed by these early successes both then had three further victories without losing an end between them to reach the final.With Unwin starting at 11-10 this resembled a normal match during which both players held the upper hand at times. West took the first leg 21-18 but Unwin fought back to take the next 22-20. After a tense start West took control of the decider which he won 21-16 to clinch the title. All other events were played under the normal scoring system of 11 points per game with the winner being the first to 3 games. The Cadets (under 15years) event was played on a group basis with the five entrants all playing each other. Results went according to form with Martin West and George Kizis(Bury Commandoes) winning three matches each before meeting in the decider.West held the upper hand throughout and pulled off an 11-5, 11-8, 11-5victory to win his first local league title. He followed this by winning his group in the Junior (under 18 years) Singles despite losing one leg when beating Peter Wilcock (Rougham Lions) 12-10, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5 and setting up another meeting in the final with Kizis who had won his group in untroubled fashion. West was again in control throughout and won his second trophy11-3, 11-5, 11-8. Kizis hoped for a better result in the Two Player League Singles event and reached the final where he met Matt Easdown (Bury Saxons) who has returned to the league after a break of a few years. Easdown used his experience to good effect and completed an 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 victory. A similar scenario was played out in the Division Two Singles final in which Ray Stapleton(WEHG Volunteers) used his even greater experience and resolute defensive style to good effect when beating Martin West 11-7, 11-2, 8-11, 11-6. The Restricted Singles produced some close matches with Dennis Morgan beating Martin West 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 13-11 to set up a semi-final meeting against his Lawshall team mate Clive Grimwood. The impetus swung oneway and then the other before Grimwood finally edged home 11-9, 7-11, 11-8,10-12, 11-8. In the other half of the draw Mark James (British Sugar) had come back to beat Matt Easdown 5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-9 before meeting the improving Lok Wong (Bury Romans) in the semi-final. Despite James having won their League encounters Wong's powerful penhold attacking was allied to more consistency this time and he reached the final with an 11-6, 10-12,11-5, 11-6 victory. Grimwood's defensive style then provided an admirable foil in a match of fluctuating fortunes and he held his nerve against Wong's relentless pressure to eventually win through 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8. David Unwin reached the Veterans Singles final in untroubled fashion where he met Mark Cracknell (Thurston Spitfires) who had beaten Phil Sinclair(British Sugar) 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 12-10 in the semis. However Cracknell was unable to repeat this form and Unwin retained his title with an 11-3, 11-9,11-4 victory. He then teamed up with Dominic Melero (Bury Vikings) to produce a tight 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 win over James and Sinclair and set up a Mens Doubles final meeting with Tony and Martin West. This followed a similar pattern and again after falling behind Melero and Unwin came back to win 13-11, 9-11, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4. In the Mens Singles event Lok Wong created the biggest upset of the day when beating number two seed Lee Balaam (Stowmarket Eagles) 12-10, 11-8, 4-11,7-11, 11-9 in an all-out attacking match to set up a semi-final meeting against Unwin. After a close start Unwin was able to exert his dominance and came out on top 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-1. In the other half of the draw Cracknell repeated his previous win over Sinclair to reach the semi-final but he then came up against number one seed Tony West who proved too strong and won 11-7, 11-8, 11-7. In the final West was able to lift his game when it mattered and he lifted the title 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 to round off a successful day.

24th February 2008

Match Report - Bury Vikings v Stowmarket Eagles

12/02/2008, played at King Edward VI School Lower Hall.
Bury Vikings drew with Stowmarket Eagles 5-5.
KEGS School was the venue for the division 1 match between current champions Bury Vikings and Stowmarket Eagles. Vikings were without Dominic Melero, so Will Vale was playing his first match in the top flight this year, whilst Stowmarket were unfortunately fielding a depleted team of only two players. The first game saw David Unwin record a straight sets win over David Aldous, 11-7, 11-4, 11-4, to get Vikings off the mark. Next on were John Waters and John Leith, with the first two sets being shared one apiece. Set three proved to be the turning point of the game, with Leith edging a closely contested affair 12-10, before running out a comfortable 11-4 fourth set victory to clinch the game. The third game pitched the debutant Vale against the more experienced Aldous. The game appeared to be going the way of Aldous as he established a two set lead, 11-9, 11-6, before Vale got into his stride taking the next two 11-7, 11-9 to level at two sets each. The deciding fifth set was a titanic battle, Vale saving a match point to get to 10-10, and then two more before Aldous finally sealed victory 14-12. David Unwin and John Leith contested game four, Leith pitching his impressive backhand attack and anti-loop forehand against Unwin’s two winged topspin attack. The first game saw Unwin move ahead only for Leith to fight back and take the set 15-13. Unwin then got to grips with the varied spin from Leith’s game and took the next three sets 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 for a 3-1 victory. John Waters and David Aldous were then back at the table for game five, Aldous taking a close first set 11-9, and Waters coming straight back with a storming 11-3 second set. The next two sets were closely fought, Aldous just managing to pull ahead towards the end of each to take the game 3-1. The final singles game saw the experience of Leith being too much for the young Vale, who put up a good fight before going down 11-9, 11-5, 11-6, to leave the match poised at 5-4 to Vikings with the doubles to come. This encounter proved to be a decidedly one sided affair, the Stowmarket pairing completely overwhelming Unwin and Waters 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 to leave the match level at 5-5. The final result could have been different had Eagles had a full compliment of players, or equally if Dominic Melero had been available for Vikings. However it was pleasing to see Will Vale putting in a good performance in the first division, and all involved enjoyed a good evening with a fair outcome.

11th February 2008

Success at The Suffolk Schools Table Tennis Association Individual Tournament

Held at the County Table Tennis Centre @ Stowupland High School on 02/02/08 local league players at junior level coached at Bury and Rougham Clubs performed extremely well to win 3 titles and take 2 runners up positions. So many congratulations to Will Vale, Bury Conquerors winner of the U19 title with James Downes, Bury Saxons the runner-up.Martin West, Bury Conquerors the U16 champion with George Kizis, Bury Commandoes, the runner-up. Will Hall, Rougham Lions the new U13 champion. Mention should also be made of Becky Macintyre, who has played for Rougham Stags,for the Under 16 girls title although she was unopposed on the day and Rachel West who I am sure will play in our league in seasons to come,the U11 winner.

8th February 2008

Westfield Table Tennis Camp

Held 17th-20th August 2008 at Wellingborough`s own purpose built table tennis hall with 15 tables @ Weavers Leisure Centre. Coaches include Desmond Douglas,Andrew Rushton, Tim Yarnall,Joanna Parker & Frank Regenhart. Book early to avoid disappointment. Please ask your Match Secretary, Ray Stapleton for further information if you are interested.

7th February 2008

Match Report - Thurston Vulcans v Thurston Spitfires

04/02/2008, played at New Green Community Centre.
Thurston Vulcans lost to Thurston Spitfires 0-10.
Spitfires showed their strength in depth.The 10 points were well deserved in a long hard battle.Paul Evans opened for the away team beating Gordon Meadows in five after levelling in the second set and then just keeping his nose in front.Mark Cracknell won 3-1 over Andy Janes and Colin Baxter beat Stuart Duncombe in three his strong defence and surprise attack dominating.Vulcans fought on with two more games going to five, Baxter beating Meadows in the fifth 7-11 and Duncombe losing to Cracknell 9-11 in a match which kept changing in style and fortune.The away doubles combination of Cracknell/Evans with loop and precise placing respectively was too good for Meadows/Duncombe, 9-11,8-11 & 5-11.

29th January 2008

Local League Players in Suffolk Table Tennis Association Veterans Tournament

Held on 13th January 2008. BSE & District League players performed well with Clive Grimwood of Lawshall beating John Seabrook in the Handicap Final 31-15 (one game format),Peter Fordham of Bury Crusaders also beating Seabrook 11-7,11-4,11-7 in the Over 60`s Final and Colin Baxter ( Thurston Spitfires) & Phil Sinclair(British Sugar) losing out to Warner/Collins 6-11,8-11,9-11 in the Doubles Final.

18th January 2008

Match Report - Walsham-Le-Willows v Thurston Jets

16/01/2008, played at Walsham Le Willows Sports Pavilion.
Walsham-Le-Willows lost to Thurston Jets 2-3.
This was a very close match, well and sportingly contested until the last point of the doubles.Bryan Garrard despite not playing much in the division this season came up with two good singles wins whilst Oliver Jackson took Peter Branfield to 5 games and Luke Hardwick to four.A very tight doubles was lost 11-13 in the fifth by the Walsham pair.

15th January 2008

Match Report - British Sugar v Lawshall

09/01/2008, played at British Sugar Sports and Social Club.
British Sugar drew with Lawshall 5-5.
Leaders Lawshall visited British Sugar who were only one point behind them.With Martin Gray in the Lawshall team the Sugar side knew that they would have their work cut out but battled strongly all evening. Gray duly won his three singles although Janet Scoulding ran him close before losing 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 10-12. For Lawshall Dennis Morgan started slowly against both Phil Sinclair and Scoulding but after losing the initiative the Sugar pair each recovered to win the tense fifth game. Sinclair won by 11-4, 11-4, 10-12, 7-11, 11-8 and Scoulding by 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8. Morgan managed to get something out of the evening by beating Mark James 11-13, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 but Scoulding and Sinclair's victories over Clive Grimwood kept the match very tight. Grimwood's 14-12, 4-11, 11-7, 16-14 win over James meant that Lawshall went into the doubles with a 5-4 match lead. As Lawshall included Gray in their pairing and had not lost a doubles all season the odds were stacked against James and Sinclair. However the Sugar pair stuck to their task and managed to share the first four games 5-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9. The fifth game became a tense affair with fortunes fluctuating. However the Sugar pair held their nerve to the end and won through 12-10 to ensure that the match ended in a 5-5 draw and that Lawshall's lead in the League remained at the smallest possible margin.

9th January 2008

Match Report - West End Home Guard Volunteers v Bury Conquerors

07/01/2008, played at West End Home Guard Club.
West End Home Guard Volunteers beat Bury Conquerors 10-0.
A full strength WEHG Volunteers side had too much experience,expertise and firepower for Conquerors who fielded a team who were playing in the 2 player division last season.Apart from a blistering opening set by Tim Jolly against Julian Hall which he was unable to sustain, all games were won comfortably 3-0 including the doubles.

30th November 2007

Match Report-Thurston Spitfires v Thurston Vulcans

Played on 19/11/07 this second clash of the season between the top two Thurston teams produced exactly the same score as the first namely 10-0 to Spitfires.The best game was the very first with Paul Evans,Spitfires after each game swung from player to player finally taking the honours 13-11 in the fifth against Gordon Meadows. The latter also took a set of Colin Baxter before losing 11-6,7-11,11-4,11-9 but this proved to be the only other leg Vulcans managed all evening.Mark Cracknell continued his recent good form by winning his 3 games comfortably.Ian Freeman and Stuart Duncombe battled well without success but look as though they are enjoying the experience of playing in the first Division. 

21st November 2007

Thurston Jets v Thurston Arrows

Played on 19/11/07. In this local derby the final result rather flattered The Jets as Katie Meadows, Arrows took both Peter Branfield and Luke Hardwick to five sets and Clare Meadows also took a set off Branfield.

21st November 2007

British Sugar v Thurston Spitfires

21st November 2007

Match Report - West End Home Guard Volunteers v Rougham Stags

19/11/2007, played at West End Home Guard Club.
West End Home Guard Volunteers beat Rougham Stags 7-3.
Division 2 leaders WEHG Volunteers missing Colin Davies hosted Rougham Stags.Julian Hall, Volunteers, unbeaten this season again showed his class in accounting for Mark Cocksedge,David Brinkley and Lee Taylor in straight games with his quick touch and powerful attacking play on both wings.The defensive minded Ray Stapleton just edged penholder Mark Cocksedge 11-7 in the fifth in a repeat of the earlier in the season result and beat Lee Taylor in four.Both Rougham players were particularly severe on high balls with classic forehand shots. All three away players were too strong for Brian Hartington.The evening concluded with a very tight doubles match in which Hall/Stapleton overcame Cocksedge/Lee 11-7 in the fifth giving a final match score of 7-3.

17th November 2007

Walsham Le Willows v Bury Commandoes

Played on 14/11/07 @ Summer Road. Bury Commandoes having set the pace so far this season went into the match full of confidence but with respect for their opponents and it was played in a competitive spirit and good camaraderie. The more experienced Bury pair took the honours with Andrew Cross showing some steely defence when needed against Oliver Jackson and George Kizis revealing impressive flashes of a much improved backhand. The Walsham players can take heart from their performance and once they gain more confidence can look forward to closer scorelines.

10th November 2007

Match Report - Thurston Arrows v Rougham Lions

05/11/2007, played at New Green Community Centre.
Thurston Arrows beat Rougham Lions 5-0.
Though a disappointing night for Lions they fought hard all the way.Peter Wilcock looking to win against Katie Meadows won the first two sets but Meadows fought back to take the next three.William Woods also succumbed 3-2 to the same player and took a set off Rob Meadows who otherwise proved too strong for both.The Meadows completed victory in the doubles.

10th November 2007

Match Report - Thurston Vulcans v British Sugar

05/11/2007, played at New Green Community Centre.
Thurston Vulcans lost to British Sugar 0-10.
Sugar showed their strength in depth against Vulcans.Janet Scoulding opened for Sugar beating Gordon Meadows in four and controlling the game all the way.Terry Scott then won 3-1 over Andy Janes in a tense game dominated by neither player.Phil Sinclair beat Ian Freeman 3-1 in a clash of the pimples.Vulcans fought on trying to save a whitewash to no avail two games going to five sets, Meadows losing to Scott 11-9 in the fifth and Janes/Freeman losing 4-11 to Scott/Sinclair in the fifth set of the doubles.

8th November 2007

Thurston Victors v WEHG Defenders

Played on 29/10/07 new to Division 2 WEHG Defenders visited seasoned campaigners Thurston Victors. The first two games went to the home side with Craig Shand beating James Cutler 3-0 and Gerald Harwood accounting for Nick Raworth 3-1. In the 3rd game Kevin Pryke, Defenders gave Ian Moffat a scare taking the 2nd and 4th games 11-13 before succumbing 11-5 in the fifth. From thereon the superior experience of the Thurston trio who have been playing in this division for some years proved too much for Defenders who only managed two more sets all evening.Match score 10-0.

19th October 2007

Rougham Ratts v Walsham Le Willows

Played on 18/10/07. The young Walsham players put up a good fight but found their considerably more senior opponents too experienced on the night. Graham Self`s heavy chopped serves and looping forehands accounted for George Shaw and Oliver Jackson in straight games but Paul Hurst struggled to beat Jackson only edging through with desperate defence 12-10 in the fifth after being behind. Shaw also took a set off Hurst.Big hitting in the doubles secured the first set for Walsham but they could not sustain this and lost the match 5-0.

8th October 2007

Rougham Ratts v Bury Commandoes

Played on 04/10/07. In form George Kizis and Steven Ensinger, Bury Commandoes were too strong for Graham Self and Paul Hurst although Self managed to gain some self respect in defeating Ensinger 3-1. Kizis despite rarely reaching full potential was untroubled throughout.

28th October 2007

Match Report - Bury Cavaliers v Thurston Arrows

25/09/2007, played at King Edward VI School Lower Hall.
Bury Cavaliers lost to Thurston Arrows 1-4.
The Barrs home backs on to the Meadows and despite each family playing in their respective back gardens they had never before played each other competitively. On the night the Meadows came out on top with Rob playing after a 7/8 year break guiding his side home and helping Clare to win the doubles.Oscar Gibbon and Jamie Barr on their league debuts fought well particularly in the doubles while Oscar notched the only win for his side against Clare.

4th October 2007

Rougham Stags v WEHG Volunteers

Making his debut for Stags and returning to the game after a break before which he played for Felsham, penholder Mark Cocksedge accounted for Colin Davies in four sets and took Ray Stapleton to five before losing in the fifth 10-12. Neither he nor his team mates Calum Macintyre and Simon Green were able to trouble Julian Hall who will be surely more at home in Division 1. Match result 1-9.

25th September 2007

Bury Vikings v Thurston Vulcans

The opening night of the new season at Bury Club saw reigning Div. 1 champions Bury Vikings take on newly promoted Thurston Vulcans. With Dominic Melero unavailable Vikings called on Suffolk Under 13 Champion George Kizis to test his skills in Div.1.

A close encounter ensued with David Unwin winning all three singles and John Waters two, only Gordon Meadows,Vulcans testing Unwin taking the first set 12-14 and then defeating Waters 1-3. Kizis fought well all evening taking 2 sets from Stuart Duncombe and 1 from Meadows before losing to Andy Janes in three.

Unwin and Waters secured victory in the doubles to give a match score of 6-4 to the home side. 

Match Report - West End Home Guard Volunteers v Stowmarket Jaguars

24/09/2007, played at West End Home Guard Club.
West End Home Guard Volunteers beat Stowmarket Jaguars 10-0.
Julian Hall, WEHG made a welcome return to the local table tennis league after many years absence and proved he had lost little in the way of technique in losing only one set in the singles before combining with Colin Davies to take the doubles. The more senior Davies and Ray Stapleton also secured maximums with the latter having his usual close game with Andrew Mainprice before edging home 11-9 in the fifth.Andy Bennett making his debut for Stowmarket took a set off each WEHG player.

30th July 2007

County Award

Special congratulations go to Lynn Green who received The Dennis Barrett Memorial Trophy at The Suffolk Table Tennis Association AGM on 18th June 2007 for services to table tennis both for her past involvement as Chairman and Secretary of Thurston TTC and of course for the sterling work she does as our League Secretary.

Well deserved Lynn and our best wishes.

25th May 2007

Young Player of the Season 2006/7

Many congratulations to George Kizis of Bury Commandoes who was awarded The Nigel Jepson Memorial Trophy for the Young Player of the Season at the League`s AGM last monday.George received the trophy from Judy Jepson and was the unanimous choice of the committee. He became the Suffolk Under 13 Champion earlier in the year.

13th April 2007

Bury Free Press and Saffron Shield Tournaments

The Bury St. Edmunds & District Table Tennis League held its annual Bury Free Press Handicap competition over three evenings at King Edward VI School. As ever, the younger and lower-ranked players were keen to take on their Division 1 counterparts on a more even footing and the handicapping system helped to produce some very close results all through the competition. The highlight of the early rounds was the clash of Division 1 champions Bury Vikings (Aaron Self & David Unwin) against clubmates and juniors George Kizis and Steven Ensinger of Bury Commandoes. After the first three singles Commandoes held a 6-3 match lead and with their 17-5 starting lead they looked firm favourites to clinch the additional two legs they needed for victory. However, a strong 21-17, 22-20, 23-21 victory by Self tied the scores going into the deciding doubles. In this the Vikings took the first two legs 21-19, 21=19 to complete the turnaround and clinch an 8-6 match victory. Similar 8-6 wins were achieved by Thurston Spitfires, Bury Romans and Gazeley over West End Home Guard B, West End Home Guard A and Stowmarket Jaguars respectively. Division 2 Thurston Victors (the youthful Craig Shand and slightly older
Gerald Harwood) used their mid-range handicaps to good effect and reached the semi-final stage by beating RATTS 9-6, Lawshall 9-6 and clubmates Thurston Spitfires 10-5, all in relatively untroubled fashion. Their 2 Player Division compatriots, Thurston Jets (Lynn Green and Peter Duncombe),had higher handicaps and also benefitted from a bye in the first round. They also reached the semi-final with wins over Thurston Vulcans 12-3 and British Sugar 8-5. In the penultimate round they found themselves up against Bury Vikings who were conceding starts of 7-17 and 5-17. Despite this the Vikings led 6-3 and then 7-5 going into the deciding doubles which they started at 6-17. This produced the most thrilling conclusion of the whole tournament with the Jets winning the first two legs 21-16, 21-19 to square the match.In the deciding leg the Vikings again pulled back to 19-20 with some consistently powerful play and looked favourites to clinch the match.However, at that stage a fortunate clipping of the top of the net led to a high Vikings' return which Green smashed away gleefully to put the Jets into the final with an 8-7 victory. There they faced the Victors who had overwhelmed their higher-ranked Division 2 opponents Bury Romans 9-3 in their semi-final. With a minimal rest period between semi-final and final the Jets were unable to maintain their momentum with reduced 13-10 and 15-10 starts. Harwood and Shand each won both of their singles 2-1 to complete an 8-4 match victory and the Bury Free Press Trophy for Thurston Victors.

First match losers in the Bury Free Press competition received a second chance by being entered into the Saffrons Shield consolation trophy which was run under the same format. This opportunity was gratefully seized upon by James Cutler and Trevor O'Sullivan of West End Home Guard B who reached the final by beating Walsham-le Willows 13-2, Rougham Lions 9-6 and Stowmarket Jaguars 10-5. In the other half of the draw Bury Commandoes had a first round bye but then marched to 11-4 victories over both Bury Conquerors and Thurston Vulcans. The final produced one of the best matches in both competitions with the even handicaps producing either 11-10 or 12-10 starts. Kizis and Ensinger initially gained the upper hand for Commandoes by taking the first three singles 2-1 to produce a 6-3 match lead. O'Sullivan then produced his performance of the tournament to win the final singles 3-0 and tie the match 6-6 going into the doubles. The Commandoes took the first leg 21-18 and followed up by winning the nail-biting second 22-20 to win the
trophy 8-6.

10th February 2007

Bury St. Edmunds & District Closed Championships

The Bury St. Edmunds & District Table Tennis League individual tournament was held at King Edward V1 Upper School on 04/02/07 and attracted a healthy entry.

The Handicap competition was designed to give the less experienced players a chance to take on the more experienced on at least an equal footing with matches starting at up to 17-5 playing up to 21 points. This did not deter the veteran Ian Brown (Stowmarket) whose steady method enabled him to overcome several high starting deficits on his way to a semi-final meeting against 12 year old George Kizis (Bury) who had himself beaten last year's Mens Singles champion Aaron Self (Bury). Despite a 5-17 deficit Brown took the first leg 21-19 but Kizis levelled by winning the next 21-9. However Brown then dug in even further and reached the final by taking the decider 21-17.The same pattern repeated itself in the other half of the draw where the experienced Colin Baxter (Thurston) three times overcame large starting deficits on his way to a semi-final meeting with 15 year old Will Vale (Bury) who had used a mixture of youthful exuberance and attacking style to good effect. Starting at 17-10 Vale continued to go for his shots and reached the final 21-14, 21-18. In the final Vale had a similar 17-9 start against Brown and using the same game plan he kept his nerve to take the title in relatively untroubled fashion with a 21-16, 21-16 victory.

The Junior Singles preliminary round comprised of 3 groups which produced the expected winners of Aaron Self, Lok Wong (Bury) and Will Vale who then played off for the title in the final group. Both Self and Wong proved too strong for the younger Vale. In the decider Self made the most of his greater experience in coming back from an early reverse to beat Wong and retain his title by 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7.

The Ladies Singles also comprised of a final group of Carol Clarke (Stowmarket), Lynn Green (Thurston) and a junior, Katie Meadows (Thurston) whose turn to win will come in future years. In the decider Clarke took the title for the first time by defeating Green 11-4, 11-6, 11-5.

The top half of the Restricted Singles draw produced several close matches before Gordon Meadows (Thurston) eventually reached the final by defeating Ray Stapleton (West End Home Guard) 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5. In the bottom half Mark Cracknell (Thurston) used his combination bat to good effect and booked a final appearance against his club-mate when beating Martin Chamberlain (Stowmarket) 11-4, 11-4, 11-3. The final proved to be an evenly matched and tense affair early on but after Cracknell was made to struggle to win the first two legs 13-11, 12-10 he took control in the third and won through by 11-5.

The semi-finals of the Division 2 Singles both featured Bury v Thurston players. In the first Gordon Meadows beat Justin Pettitt (Bury) 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 but in the second Paul Seabrook (Bury) evened up the club score when beating Ian Freeman 11-7, 11-6, 11-5. Meadows maintained the edge throughout the final to win 11-7, 11-5, 12-10.

In the 2 Player Division Singles the juniors Will Vale and James Swanson (Bury) were not unduly stretched inreaching the final where Vale added another title by winning 11-8, 11-6, 12-10.

The Mixed Doubles was also played on a group basis and in the deciding match Thurston's Colin Baxter and Lynn Green triumphed over the Stowmarket pairing of Jon Batchford and Carol Clarke 14-12, 11-5, 12-10.

Clive Grimwood and Dennis Morgan (Lawshall) had few problems in winningthrough the top half of the Mens Doubles but the Bury pairing of DominicMelero and Aaron Self had to work harder before beating David Aldous and Jon Batchford (Stowmarket) 2-11, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10 in their semi-final. In the final Grimwood and Morgan caused an upset by defending doggedly and took the title for the first time 11-8, 11-4, 11-13, 11-9.

The later stages of the Mens and Veterans (over 40's) Singles events saw Colin Baxter heavily involved by playing both Ian Brown and David Unwin (Bury) twice and achieving one victory and one reversal against each. In the veterans Singles semi-final he upset the defending champion and number1 seed Brown 11-8, 11-5, 11-5 and followed this up with a very closely fought Mens Singles quarter-final win 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10 over number 2 seed Unwin to set up another meeting with Brown. However Baxter's exertions then began to catch up on him and Brown gained revenge and a final place 11-8, 11-1, 11-8. In the other half of the Mens Singles Dominic Melero rescued himself from a losing position in the quarter-final when taking the last five points to beat Lok Wong 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10 and set up a semi-final meeting against defending champion Aaron Self. This proved to be a close match between two attacking players and produced a bit of an upset with Melero eventually winning 11-9, 11-5, 18-16.The Men's final produced three very competitive legs which followed a similar pattern with Melero's attack enabling him to build early leads.However Brown stuck to his game plan and his steady defending enabled him to claw his way back on each occasion and take the title 11-9, 13-11, 12-10.

Meanwhile David Unwin reached the Veteran's final by beating Phil Sinclair(British Sugar) 11-5, 12-10, 11-9 to set up another meeting with Baxter who was unable to summon the energy to repeat his previous performance. This time Unwin's all-out attacking style paid dividends and he won home 11-5,11-6, 11-9.

26th September 2006

Fixtures Lists Online

The fixture lists for the new season are now available to view online.  The list can be filtered by week number or team name by clicking in the display table so it is possible to print your team's fixture list directly from the website.

Also available online are the home team's venue details together with an interactive online map.  The map can be resized and the view can be zoomed in or scrolled around to see neighbouring areas.

We hope you like the new functionality and find it useful - as always feedback is appreciated.

September 2006

News Section Added

Our new website has gone live just in time for the new season.  Following the untimely and tragic death of Nigel Jepson, this site is designed to build on his excellent work in designing and maintaining the website over previous years. We will be working hard to keep the site up to date throughout the coming season and would welcome any feedback on how we can improve things.