Focus back on table tennis league after cup weeks

The match of the week was the first division tussle between Sharks' Keith Register, Steve Hudson (playing up for the injured Peter Betts) and Phil Baker and Delta's Andy Beane, John Vaughan and Jack Morton.

Beane saved six match points in the opener as he won eight successive points from 4-10 down in the fifth to defeat Register.

Having shared the first two sets with Vaughan, it was then Hudson's turn to make a comeback from 4-10 in the third — but Vaughan took the set 12-10 before winning in four.

Baker was suffering a shoulder pull but still took the first two sets from Morton. However, the Delta fought back to force a deciding fifth — a couple of fine counter-hits from Baker were the difference as he took the win 11-9.

Beane was too consistent for Hudson before Register and Morton found themselves locked at 9-9 in each set — Morton winning 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 to move Delta 4-1 ahead — and that became 5-1 as Vaughan held on against the topspin of Baker to win 11-3, 4-11, 11-4, 12-14, 11-8.

Superb attacking play from Hudson saw him edge out Morton 12-10 in the fourth, before Baker went two sets up against Beane.

The Delta fought back to level and then led the decider 5-1, but Baker produced some more big topspins to win 11-9.

Register could not out-hit Vaughan, but teamed up with Baker for a doubles win — however it was Delta who won 6-4.

It was derby day at North Walsham Sports Centre as Cobras played Alpha in the first division and Echoes took on Beta in the second.

Delta Tom Baldock-Yaxley had beaten all of the Alpha trio of Dennis Elliott, Mary Sawyer and Dave Johns in his cup game last week and found himself playing against the same team for the second week running, playing up alongside brother James and Adam Brown for the Cobras.

Tom took a brace this time, beating Johns 11-8, 11-3, 11-4 and Sawyer in four but losing to Elliott 9-11, 11-7, 13-15, 5-11. James also took a brace including a win in five over Johns, but lost a two-set lead to Elliott as the Alpha found his rhythm.

Brown also took two with a 14-16, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 win against Johns and another five-set victory over Sawyer.

The Baldock-Yaxley brothers won the doubles against the Alpha males in four to close out a very good 7-3 win as Walsham's first team in terms of the alphabet continue to struggle.

Meanwhile the Beta team of Chris Johnson, Philip Stone and newly-transferred David Beane started life in Division Two against Echoes Edna Stone, Paul Price and Phil Mole with an 8-2 win.

Mole took a brace but lost to Philip Stone in five and the Echoes were very unlucky not to pick up more points with Edna Stone and Price going the distance with Johnson and Beane respectively.

At Gresham's School Roy Lau, Ian Darricott and Ray Sin took on the Seals trio of Ray Amo, Matt Hudson and Chris Marshall, with Darricott taking a maximum but having to come from two sets down against Hudson.

Lau took a brace but lost to Marshall in five and overall the 5-5 draw was a fair result.

Cromer Tennis Club saw Crosscourters Whil De Neve, Clive Smith and Anne Armitage host Barracuda's Mike Toye, Derek Philpott and Rex Parfitt in a marathon match with half of the games going the distance plus Armitage defeating Parfitt 18-16 in the fourth after being 6-10 down in that set.

Of those five-setters, Smith took the only one for the hosts against Toye, but the doubles and three from Philpott helped Barracudas to a 7-3 win. (De Neve taking Crosscourts other point against Parfitt.)

Goblins' Derek Sidaway and Rosie and Peter Ward hosted Poachers' Barry Evans, Alan Rutledge and Andy Woods.

Sidaway recovered from a poor start to defeat Rutledge in four while Peter Ward came back from two sets down to win against Woods en route to a maximum, but the night belonged to Poachers who won 6-4.

Players of the week: Jack Morton, Dennis Elliott, Philip Stone, Roy Lau, Whil De Neve and Derek Sidaway.

Results

First Division: Sharks 4, Delta 6; Cobras 7, Alpha 3.

Division Two: Echoes 2, Beta 8; Goblins 4, Poachers 6; Gresham's School 5, Seals 5; Crosscourts 3, Barracudas 7.