TABLE TENNIS: The Star Paving Services North Norfolk League has been hit by the withdrawal of Dolphins from the first division.

The team, one of four from the Trunch-based Seaflames club, has been struggling to keep going and has relied heavily on players playing up from the lower teams.

But with Sharks now also struggling to find personnel due to player illness, the decision has been made to withdraw Dolphins – with their remaining couple of players (the Steve's Hudson and Nichols) transferring to Sharks.

As a consequence the five games Dolphins have played in the League become null and void with all the points gained by the teams who played Dolphins removed.

That makes a slight difference to the standings in the division – Specials had the greatest margin of victory and so lose the most points – with Delta now taking the lead by a single point.

This week in the first division Sharks Keith Register, Peter Betts and Steve Hudson visited Cobras with the hosts represented by Adam Brown and James and Tom Baldock-Yaxley (Tom playing up).

The brothers opened with two straight sets victories – James comfortable against Register and Tom playing well to defeat Hudson – before becoming involved in some marathon encounters including a doubles win from two sets down against Register and Betts.

Tom, who also beat Register in straight, lost to Betts from two sets up, but James gained revenge in five and his maximum included a tight 15-13 in the fifth win against Hudson. Brown also beat Hudson in five, lost to Betts in four and beat Register in straight as Cobras won the match 8-2.

In the second division, Backhanders Teucer Wilson, Rod Goffin and Whil De Neve hosted Goblins John Miller, Derek Sidaway and Peter Ward.

Miller's forehand was very good against Wilson's chop in the opener but the Backhander found a way to win in five.

Goffin beat Miller in four. Backhanders took the match 9-1 including a 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 13-11 win for Wilson over Ward.

Ward, who took the only point for Goblins in three over De Neve, had match-points in the fourth and won three more points overall than Wilson despite losing. There cannot be many matches where the loser has an average of over 10 points per set!

Elsewhere in the second division, Poachers Barry Evans, Andy Woods and Jon Cheyette won 9-1 away to Barracudas.

Evans' serves saw him through 10-12, 11-6, 14-12, 12-10 in a tight contest against Mike Toye – the Barracudas attack helping him later take a single for the hosts in four against Woods.

Crosscourts Clive Smith, John Welsh and Anne Armitage each took a single, but maximums from Rou Lau – who beat Welsh in five – and Ian Darricott saw Gresham's School to a 7-3 win.

Seals Ray Amo, Matt Hudson and Chris Marshall beat a two-player Echoes team 10-0 with Marshall and Hudson winning a tight doubles over Edna Stone and Bev Baldock-Yaxley in four and Stone leading Marshall by two sets to one before going down in five.

Players of the week are James Baldock-Yaxley, Whil De Neve, John Cheyette, Roy Lau, Bev Baldock-Yaxley and Edna Stone.