The penultimate round of 2025 Isle of Man Table Tennis Association Welton Play Fun88-sponsored league fixtures took place at the NSC Secondary Hall last week.

Arbory A (3), Travellers A (7)

Travellers A continued their relentless title pursuit with a 7-3 victory over Arbory A.

While the scoreline suggested a degree of resistance, victory was built on the back of two huge performances from the imperious Liam Chan and Scott Lewis, securing all three of their singles points each.

This result puts Travellers A four points ahead of Ramsey A heading into the final round. For Arbory, Amit Lanin and Mike Tamarov only managed one point each from their singles, but Lanin went to five games in all three of his matches and played some amazing table tennis.

He narrowly lost to Chan then stretched Lewis, only to fade 6-11 in the last end. He did manage to defeat Malcolm Cummings in five in superb style.

Travellers B (5), Travellers C (5)

The Travellers derby proved to be the most dramatic fixture of the evening in Division One, ending in a tense 5-5 draw that perfectly encapsulated the high stakes of the mid-table battle.

John Shooter was in formidable form for the B, securing a brilliant maximum three singles points which kept his side afloat in the race for a top-half finish.

But the supporting cast struggled, with Malc Lewis adding one point and Luke Begley going pointless. Lewis’ match against Keeran Chan was the closest, with Chan just nabbing the win.

For the C team, the points were spread more evenly, with Charlie Callow matching Chan’s two points and demonstrating great consistency in the high-pressure environment. David Buck contributed one point.

The B forced the draw with an emphatic four-end win in the doubles.

Strathallan (10), Tower B (0)

Strathallan moved into fourth with this whopping 10-0 whitewash against bottom-placed Tower B, but it was not all plain sailing.

Julian Briercliffe, Andy Patterson and Wayne Taylor each secured a maximum three singles points by demonstrating a level of focus and execution - but with some very tight games in places.

Tower B were without anchor player Lee Alexander so Keith Whiteway stepped up from the C team. His team-mates Simon Radcliffe and Steve Curtis battled hard against tough opposition and both pushed Briercliffe all the way to a fifth end, with Radcliffe in particular going close, losing narrowly.

All other matches looked more straightforward. The result condemned Tower B to relegation and confirmed Strahallan’s place in the top-flight next season post-Xmas.

Arbory B (6), Tower A (4)

Arbory B claimed a vital 6-4 win against seventh-placed Tower A, significantly boosting their own chances of finishing in the crucial top-six and simultaneously dealing a blow to their opponents.

Arbory was boosted by a re-appearance of the unbeaten Sam Bailey who three points with nonchalant ease. Dan Levine and Sonja Shaw added one each to ensure the overall win.

For Tower A, David Parsons and Mike Bayley were the primary contributors, each securing two singles wins. Bayley did particularly well to take down the improving Levine and Shaw, while team-mate Ken Mitchell found the going tough, failing to register a singles point.

The doubles was trouble-free for Bailey and Levine, winning in straight ends against the hapless Mitchell and Bayley.

Peel A (4), Desmond's Douglas A (6)

Desmond’s pulled off a narrow but crucial 6-4 away victory against Peel A, with Maggie Mulhern stepping in for an absent Ken Hegarty.

The win was a true team effort, with Russ Kent and Neil Ronan each claiming two pivotal singles points and Brandon Montgomery adding one.

Kent has had some battling performances this season but surely none came as close as his epic with Stu Perry, with the away player just pulling it off.

Perry was also pushed to a fifth by Montgomery but got his own back by winning 11-9 in the decider. The decisive point for Desmond's came in the doubles, which they secured narrowly.

This was a setback for Peel despite strong showings from Jon Taylor-Burt and Stu Perry who both managed two wins.

Arbory D (6), Ramsey B (4)

Mike Levine and Pedro Cardoso were the key players for the hosts, each securing two singles points, while a returning Jo Steriopulos added one.

Cardoso found the going tough though, taking five ends each to close out Choi and Howard.

Adrian Slater starred for Ramsey B, delivering a faultless maximum three points - his victory over Cardoso was particularly impressive. Twiki Choi added one point with a three-set win over Steriopulos.

The result leaves Ramsey B comfortably in second spot.

Travellers D (9), Ballakermeen (1)

Travellers D delivered an almost perfect 9-1 performance against the youngsters from Ballakermeen, a result that surely cements their spot in the new Division Two.

The team was in tremendous form, spearheaded by flawless maximums from Adrian Tinkler and Grant Patterson, each securing three singles points. Maurice Campbell added two, ensuring total domination.

The sole resistance for Ballakermeen came from the ever-improving Aditya Varshney who bravely secured one point by overhauling Campbell. Team-mates Jesse Zhang and Kaishi Huang found the going tough.

This defeat leaves Ballakermeen likely facing a starting place in the new Division Three after Christmas.

Desmond’s Douglas B (1), Tower C (9)

Tower C secured an overwhelming 9-1 victory over Desmond’s B, guaranteeing their place in the new Division Two structure.

Tower C, led by Keith Whiteway (3/3) and Sam Sen (3/3), proved completely dominant, with Mark Webster-Smith adding two more.

For Desmond’s, a lone point was salvaged by Richard Hill, who fought hard for his single victory over Webster-Smith. The collective efforts of young Seth Hornby-Wheeler and Doug Hornby resulted in no further points for the hosts.

Ramsey C (7), Ramsey D (3)

The internal club fixture between Ramsey C and D went the way of the C with a decisive 7-3 scoreline.

The victory was defined by a magnificent maximum performance from Keith Herrington including a four-set knee-knocker against Leigh Kennaugh. He was strongly supported by Darren Shaw and Geoff Burchill who each added two singles.

Kennaugh fought well for the visitors to secure two points, including a tense five-setter with Shaw in which he just squeezed through 12-10 in the final end.

Travellers E (10), Travellers F (0)

Travellers E finished with a devastating 10-0 whitewash of Travellers F, ensuring they’re in the top half of the division which bodes well for the spring league split.

Wasim Khan, Henry Weaver and Rhys Bufton were all exceptional, each securing three singles points

The F team - Max Doyle, Sydnie Weaver and Christine Wu – couldn't stem the flow of points, confirming the severe struggle at the foot of the current Division Two table.

- Practice nights will resume January 9.