By Ron Fosker

 

Reigning champion Paul Davison will be hoping to rack up his sixth title in eight years at the Braintree Table Tennis League individual tournament this weekend.

Davison starts as number one seed for the men’s singles, but his main rivals will be team-mate Kevin Gowlett, who is seeded at two, plus former champions Peter Hayden and Steve Kerns, who are equal third seed.

Should one of the top four seeds slip up, the most likely to take advantage will be 20-year-old Scott Dowsett, a semi-finalist in the Chelmsford championships last week, who beat Davison in a league match earlier in the season.

Davison and Gowlett ought to hang on to the men’s doubles title they have won five times in the last six years, missing out only when Davison did not enter in 2013, when Gowlett won it with Patrick Gilbert.

Dowsett and Simon Webber are seeded to face them in the final.

Gowlett is top seed in the veterans’ singles although it is an event he has yet to win after three years in the age group.

Hayden and Kerns will be out to prevent him doing so this time.

The junior boys’ singles has an interesting potential clash between Matthew Laws, 15, who has been putting in some good performances in division three, and ten-year-old William Bettley, recently crowned Essex schools under-11 champion.

The finals of the event will be held at Black Notley Community Association around 6pm on Sunday.