Player in two games at once

Star Paving Services North Norfolk Table Tennis League

THERE was a busy night for Delta's Tom Baldock-Yaxley at North Walsham Sports Centre as he played up for Cobras in the first division against Sidewinders at the same time as representing his own team against Crosscourts in the second division.

In his first division match Tom joined older brother James and Alex Spragg as they hosted Sidewinders Paul Warner, John Batchford and Martin Lawes. James picked up a single with an 11-5 11-7 11-8 win over Lawes. The Sidewinder was pushed hard by Tom before coming through 17-15 11-9 11-9 and completed his brace with a win in four against Spragg.

Batchford was two sets up, before winning in five against Spragg and took a maximum as he beat both of the brothers in four sets. Warner dropped just the one set to James and the elder brother combined with Spragg as their terrific doubles form continued with a five-set win, but Sidewinders started the defence of their league title with an 8-2 win.

Meanwhile, Tom took a maximum for Delta on the adjoining table with straight sets wins over the Peter's Tristan and Taylor and a four-set victory over Anne Armitage. Edna Stone's tenacity helped her to a hard-fought maximum as she saved match-points to win the battle of the left-handers against Taylor 15-13 in the fifth, defeated Tristan 17-15 11-7 11-9 and won a classic scrap with Armitage 14-12 11-8 8-11 14-16 11-7. The doubles went to Crosscourts in four over Stone and Stan Baldock but a maximum from John Vaughan saw Delta to a 9-1 match win.

Back in the first division the Outlaws made their bow against the Specials line-up of the Johns Miller and Short and Ray Howe. Short won a five-setter against Colin Humphreys, but that was the only point that went the visitors' way as maximums for John Hancock (jnr) and Haken Bennell and an 11-9 11-3 18-20 11-6 doubles win for the hosts saw Outlaws to a 9-1 win. The same Specials team also hosted Dolphins' Scott Wallace, Keith Register and Nigel Hayward-Surry (the latter duo playing up from Sharks) in a

nail-biting clash. Wallace completed his maximum with a 23-21 11-6 5-11 8-11 11-7 win over Miller which put Dolphins 5-2 ahead, but Short then recovered from two down against Register, Howe won in five after being two sets up on Hayward-Surry and the hosts took the doubles to end the night as a draw.

In the second division Seals' Ray Amo, Mike Toye and Nigel Pegg defeated Aces 7-3. Toye ended Dolden's hopes of a maximum with a topsy-turvy 7-11 12-10 10-12 11-1 12-10 win, while Smith took a single over Pegg in four. The Gimingham Goblins' Peter Ward, league debutant Carl Hamilton and Simeon Care hosted Beta's Simon Halliday, Matt Robinson and Philip Stone. Stone took a maximum including a 14-12 11-5 11-9 win over Ward. The Goblins took a brace but a four set doubles win for Robinson and Stone over Hamilton and Care concluded an 8-2 win for the Betas.

The Goblins were also in Knock-out Singles Cup action with Rosie Ward replacing Care in their line-up as they hosted Backhanders Chris Marshall, another debutant Whil De Neve and Rod Goffin. Again Ward took a brace but fell in four to Goffin and Backhanders won 7-2 as a night of attacking play saw all nine matches and the coffee break completed in a mere 100 minutes.

Finally Barracudas' Peter Betts, Rod Hill and Derek Philpott hosted Pirates' Stan Munn, David Thompson and John Hancock (snr). Thompson led Hill 5-0 and 10-6 in their deciding fifth set but Hill saved a total of five match-points before winning 13-11. The spin of Munn earned a brace and Hancock took a single against Hill but the golden form of Betts continued as his maximum helped Barracudas to a potentially significant 7-3 match win.

Players Of The Week: Tom Baldock-Yaxley, Edna Stone, Haken Bennell, Rod Hill, Scott Wallace, Carl Hamilton and While De Neve.