The fifth week of the Isle of Man Table Tennis Association’s Spring League delivered another round of high-octane action at the NSC secondary hall last Wednesday, February 4.

As the league season reaches its midpoint, the competitive intensity has ramped up, with several fixtures decided by gruelling five-set marathons and individual brilliance taking centre stage.

From dominant whitewash victories to nail-biting finishes, the evening's action showcased the depth of talent within the Manx table tennis community under the continued support of league sponsor Welton Play Fun88.

Arbory B (7), Strathallan (2)

Arbory B secured a convincing win led by Player of the Match Sam Bailey, who remained undefeated throughout the night.

Bailey concluded the evening with a clinical 11/7, 11/6, 11/6 victory over Wayne Taylor. Strathallan’s resistance was led by Andy Patterson and Taylor, who both secured individual points with wins over John Magnall and Khayee Vinas respectively.

Highlight of the match was John’s narrow escape against Taylor, where he eventually triumphed 12/10 in the fifth game in an agonisingly close match.

Travellers A (7), Ramsey A (2)

John Shooter earned Player of the Match as Travellers powered past Ramsey. Shooter showcased his resilience in a four-game battle against Darren Smethurst, winning 12/10, 7/11, 11/9, 11/5.

Ramsey found some joy through Chris Holmes, who overcame Malcolm Cummings in a tense five-game encounter that swung in Chris’ favour 11/6, 11/7, 4/11, 12/14, 6/11.

Travellers B (1), Arbory A (8)

Arbory A dominated this fixture, with Player of the Match Mike Tamarov and teammate Amit Lanin both securing maximum individual points.

The lone success for Travellers came from Malc Lewis, who fought back stoically to defeat Dan Levine in five games: 11/5, 9/11, 12/10, 6/11, 11/4.

David Buck nearly added a second for the home side but narrowly lost his match against Levine 7/11 in the deciding fifth game.

Intact A (7), Arbory C (2)

Dave Parsons was again the standout for Intact A, earning Player of the Match for his three decisive wins, including a straight-sets victory over Dave Bufton.

Bufton provided the main resistance for Arbory C, claiming two wins - in five over Ken Mitchell and in straight sets over Lee Alexander.

Mitchell contributed to the Intact A tally by overcoming a battling Kevin Drewry 11/7 in the fifth end.

Travellers C (6), Intact B (3)

Keeran Chan led Travellers C to victory, impressively remaining unbeaten without dropping a single game against Lee Alexander or Steve Curtis.

Lee fought valiantly throughout the evening, securing two wins for Intact, including a marathon 14/12, 13/11, 8/11, 5/11, 12/10 victory over a plucky Luke Begley.

Peel A (6), Desmonds Douglas A (3)

In a competitive fixture, Stu Perry claimed Player of the Match despite an early straight-sets loss to Neil Ronan.

Perry recovered to win his remaining matches against Brandon Montgomery and Russ Kent.

Russ also performed strongly with two excellent wins, including a five-set classic against Jon Taylor-Burt. Peel stayed ahead however, as Ken Hegarty did well to close out Brandon 11/9, 4/11, 11/8, 12/10.

Intact C (1), Ramsey B (8)

Ramsey B enjoyed a dominant evening, with Adrian Slater taking Player of the Match for his three victories. Geoff Ball also contributed three solid wins to the away team’s tally. Sam Sen manfully secured Intact’s solitary point, defeating Twiki Choi in four close games 11/9, 7/11, 11/4, 12/10.

Travellers D (0), Arbory D (9)

Arbory D executed a ruthless whitewash over Travellers D, with Sonja Shaw, Liav Lanin and Malcolm Lambert all remaining undefeated.

Adrian Tinkler came closest to a point for the home side, eventually falling 10/12 in the fifth game of his epic match against an inspired young Liav.

Travellers F (1), Ballakermeen (8)

Ballakermeen surged to a major victory, led by Player of the Match Jesse Zhang and an unbeaten Kaishi Huang.

Travellers F secured their only point later in the night when Sydnie Weaver overcame Aditya Varshney in a brilliant five-set comeback 6/11, 7/11, 11/7, 12/10, 11/7.

Travellers E (6), Ramsey C (3)

Rhys Bufton claimed Player of the Match for Travellers E, securing three individual victories. Ramsey C’s Darren Shaw managed two wins for the visitors, including a brilliant 13/11, 6/11, 11/8, 11/8 result against Wasim Khan.

Ramsey D (3), Desmonds Douglas B (6)

Desmonds Douglas B took the win behind a Player of the Match performance from Richard Hill.

Hill and Seth Hornby-Wheeler both secured maximum points.

The fixture provided the drama of the night as Hornby-Wheeler outlasted talented newcomer Xedrel Benosa in a staggering 17/15 fifth-game decider!

The league continues after half-term as teams across all divisions look to solidify their positions in the standings.

Please note that practice will take place this week between 7.30pm and 10pm on February 13, but will not take place on February 20 because of half-term.