Star Paving Services North Norfolk Table Tennis League

The league has been shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Beta's Ivan Hewitt.

Ivan joined the League three years ago and originally played for Alpha before transferring to Beta, whom he played for up to this current season until he became ill at the end of last year.

Alpha captain Mary Sawyer paid tribute to Ivan, saying: 'Ivan was a loyal supporter of the team and was a gentle gentleman of the sport.'

Press officer and Ivan's Beta team-mate Philip Stone added: 'Ivan was always willing to play for the team and took both his wins and his losses in his stride.'

The league's sympathy goes to Ivan's wife and family.

Two of the quarter-finals in the Handicap Doubles Cup took place, both at Hunworth.

Poachers Barry Evans, Alan Rutledge and Andy Woods hosted Barracudas Mike Toye, Jonathan Dempsey and Rex Parfitt with the handicaps giving the visitors starts between four and 11.

The opening game saw Toye and Parfitt (+4) defeat Evans and Woods 21-17, 20-21, 21-15. The Poachers never really got going after that, although one more battle did go to a deciding set as Barracudas raced to a 6-0 win.

It was also one-way traffic as the visiting Echoes line-up of Naomi Myhill, Charlie Usher and Francesca Bennett took on Outlaws Steve Patterson, Colin Humphries and Jamie Craig.

This time the handicaps gave the Echoes starts of between 12 and 15, and they won 5-0, with one game going the distance — Usher and Bennett's (+14) 21-20, 20-21, 21-10 defeat of Humphries and Craig.

In the second division Gresham's School met Crosscourts. Lining up for Gresham's were Roy Lau, Ray Sin and Henry Yeung who battled Clive Smith, Alf Green and Anne Armitage.

Good top spin from Lau helped him recover from a set down to defeat Smith in a four-set opener, before Green and Armitage were too consistent for Sin and Yeung respectively.

Smith played steadily to defeat Sin in straight and put Crosscourts 3-1 up before Lau won a tight five-setter against Armitage.

Green's consistency against Yeung put Crosscourts 4-2 ahead, but the school rattled off the next three games as Sin won in five against Armitage. Yeung made a 10-12, 7-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-4 recovery against Smith and Lau completed his maximum in four against Green.

The Crosscourters took the doubles 12-10, 11-8, 16-18, 11-9 to draw the match. Of the 15 matches Gresham's have played in the division, they have had five wins, five draws and five losses.

The league is on the look-out for a new web officer and handbook editor/producer for next season plus an assistant fixture secretary.

All enquiries should be directed to chairman Chris Pooley on 01692 651000 (days)/ 650738 (nights).

The league thanked Paul Powell for a great job done over the last several years.

Results. Handicap Doubles Cup quarter-finals: Poachers 0, Barracudas 6; Outlaws 0, Echoes 5.

Second Division: Gresham's School 5, Echoes 5.

Handicap Doubles Cup semi-final draw: Alpha/Delta v Echoes; Backhanders/ Cobras v Barracudas.