After the half-term break and Fun Doubles competition, teams were keen to re-engage in serious combat in the seventh round of fixtures in the Welton Play Fun88 table tennis league last week.

DIVISION ONE

Travellers A 6, Arbory B 4

The clash of the week, and arguably the season so far, took place as previously undefeated Scott Lewis (Travellers A) and Sam Bailey (Arbory B) finally met on the same table.

The tie itself was a close-run thing, ending 6-4 to Travellers A, but the narrative was dominated by two pivotal matches: the 'clash of the titans' singles match and an epic doubles contest.

Lewis, known for his attacking hard bat and short pimples setup, came out strong, attempting to dominate Bailey who employs a tricky long-pimpled backhand complemented by an attacking forehand reverse rubber.

The stylistic clash was enthralling, with Lewis’s pace challenging Bailey’s control and variation. In a fierce battle, the latter prevailed with an 11-8 win in the deciding fourth end, securing the point 11-8, 12-14, 11-5, 11-8.

The match was played with high intensity and the table tennis community will no doubt be anticipating the rematch with high expectations.

Despite this setback, Lewis delivered two crucial singles points, dispatching Malcolm Lambert (11-3, 11-4, 11-3) and Mike Levine (12-10, 11-6, 11-8) in straight sets to secure his side's narrow victory.

Malcolm Cummings also shone for the home side, winning two three-set encounters against Lambert and a four-set win against Levine (15-13, 10-12, 11-3, 11-1).

The doubles proved pivotal, with Arbory’s Bailey partnering with Lambert against Lewis and Cummings. The Arbory pair produced a stunning performance to take the match 11-7, 4-11, 13-15, 11-5, 12-10).

Of particular note was Lambert’s performance playing up from Arbory B. His elevated display under pressure proved vital in securing the epic doubles win, ultimately earning them a respectable four points in the match.

Ramsey A 10, Strathallan 0

Ramsey A delivered a stark reminder of their title ambitions, achieving a devastating 10-0 whitewash against Strathallan who on paper must have fancied their chances of picking up at least some points.

Adam Teare, Darren Smethurst and Chris Holmes were flawless, sweeping all singles and the doubles. Teare was in commanding form, easing through all three of his singles matches, conceding only one end against Andy Patterson.

The most dramatic moment of the tie came in the singles match between Smethurst and Strathallan’s Neil Quane. In an excruciatingly close, high-stakes encounter, Smethurst snatched victory (11-5, 12-14, 13-11, 19-17).

The final set scoreline perfectly illustrates the fine margins in Division One, with Smethurst just managing to snatch the victory.

Arbory A 7, Travellers B 3

Arbory A secured a comfortable 7-3 victory over Travellers B, although the latter’s John Shooter was the individual star.

He was unbeatable on the night, claiming all three of his singles points against Mike Tamarov (11-5, 11-9, 11-6), John Magnall (11-7, 11-6, 11-3) and Amit Lanin (11-6, 11-2, 11-6).

But the strength in depth of Arbory A - with Tamarov, Magnall and Lanin all securing two wins apiece over Luke Begley and Wasim Khan - proved too much for the visitors. Arbory A also clinched the doubles point (11-4, 11-6, 12-10) to cement their win.

Tower B 5, Desmond's Douglas A 5

This fixture resulted in a closely-fought 5-5 draw, with the spoils shared equally across the board.

Tower B's Lee Alexander (two wins, including a five-setter against Russell Kent) and Simon Radcliffe (two wins) contributed four of the singles points. Steve Curtis added the fifth, defeating Richard Hill (11-4, 11-6, 11-3).

For Desmond's, Kent secured two wins with Neil Ronan adding another two. The doubles was a classic five-set affair with a topsy-turvy scoreline (11-2, 2-11, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11) before Ronan and Kent edged it against Radcliffe/Alexander to force the draw.

Travellers C 3, Peel A 7

Peel A travelled to Travellers C and returned with a solid 7-3 victory.

Peel’s strength was evident in the collective performance of Stuart Perry and Ken Hegarty who claimed five of the six available singles points between them. Paul Mathieson-Nelson was the lone player to take a point from the duo, defeating Perry in four (11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8).

For Travellers, Charlie Callow was top scorer with two singles wins, including a battling five-set comeback over Jon Taylor Burt (11-9, 9-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-3).

Ramsey B 10, Ramsey C 0

Ramsey B proved to the stronger in the club derby, handing Ramsey C a decisive 10-0 defeat.

The trio of Geoff Ball, Twiki Choi and Adrian Slater were all dominant, each claiming maximum points.

Ball and Slater achieved comfortable straight-sets victories in all their singles. Choi faced the sternest test, going five sets against a determined Keith Herrington before completing the comeback 13-11, 11-4 in the final two, and delivering the whitewash.

Arbory C 10, Desmond’s Douglas B 0

Arbory C delivered the most statistically dominant performance of the week, sweeping past Desmond’s B 10-0.

Dave Bufton, Kevin Drewry and Rob Wright were utterly ruthless, ensuring that the losing side failed to take a single game across the entire nine singles matches.

Bufton was clinical in all his, setting the standard for the team with tight control and consistent power. The doubles pair of Drewry/Wright sealed the deal in straight sets (11-6, 11-7, 11-5).

Arbory D 8, Travellers D 2

This was a strong victory by Arbory D over a very good Travellers D.

While most of the points went to the hosts, Maurice Campbell was the standout performer for Travellers D, single-handedly claiming both their points with wins over Liav Lanin (11-6, 11-7, 11-8) and Bob Borland in a tough four-setter (11-7, 2-11, 12-10, 11-5).

Arbory’s Malcolm Lambert played a key role, securing three singles points and partnering with Bob Borland to take the doubles (11-6, 11-3, 12-10), securing the overall win.

Tower C 7, Travellers F 3

Tower C secured a 7-3 victory against Travellers F despite forfeiting three points through a missing player.

Those who did take feature for Tower C were in fine form. Keith Whiteway and Sam Sen were flawless in their three matches, collectively accounting for six points, with Whiteway being particularly dominant in his opener against Max Doyle (11-3, 13-11, 11-3).

The doubles went to Tower C (11-2, 9-11, 11-2, 11-4) to round off the victory.

Ballakermeen 4, Travellers E 6

In the closest fixture of Division Two, Travellers E edged out Ballakermeen 6-4. Travellers’ Rhys Bufton and Wasim Khan were the difference, securing four crucial singles points between them.

For Ballakermeen, Kai Shi Huang had a great comeback victory against Henry Weaver (9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7) and contributed well despite a tight doubles loss.

Aditya Varshney was also impressive, winning both of his five-setters against Henry Weaver and Rhys Bufton to claim two points, but it wasn't enough to swing the match.

KEN MITCHELL