By Ron Fosker

LIBERAL A have become the first team for seven years to do the double in the Braintree Table Tennis League.

They added the team knockout cup to the league title when they beat Netts C 5-2.

Netts had men’s singles champion Paul Davison in their ranks, but he was unable to swing the match their way.

The evening started well for the Earls Colne-based team when Davison and Alistair Hill overcame the newly-crowned league men’s doubles champions Brandon Crouchman and Simon Webber in four games.

But Scott Dowsett levelled the scores with a three-game win over James Mullane and then Crouchman gave his team a major boost with a win over Davison 11-6, 11-7, 15-13.

Netts were level again after a good win for Hill over Webber in four games but they needed a win for Davison and Mullane in the next doubles to keep themselves in the hunt.

Webber and Dowsett were in no mood to let them and beat them comfortably 11-7, 11-7, 11-8.

A win for Crouchman over Mullane followed and then a win for Webber over Hill clinched the trophy.

Hill put up a considerable fight but succumbed 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7.

The restricted cup pitted Netts E against Rayne E.

Netts E have survived this season with two players and occasional reserves playing up.

With three doubles in the cup, it effectively meant that Fred Evans and Joe Meleschko had to win two singles each plus their doubles.

They started well enough when Meleschko beat Kelly Yuenyongpknan 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 and Evans followed up with a good win over Dean Andrews in four games.

They then added the doubles with a victory over Yuenyongpknan and Richard Whiteside, in which they had to come from behind to win 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6.

But then Meleschko ran out of steam against Andrews, losing 11-2 in the fifth game, and although Tony Smith gave them some hope by taking a game off Yuenyongpknan, the score soon became 4-2 and Whiteside rounded off victory for Rayne with an 11-6, 5-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7 win over Evans.