By Ron Fosker

After a disappointing time in the league, Netts D finished the season with a flourish as they landed the Braintree Table Tennis League handicap cup.

Promoted from division three last year, Netts finished at the foot of the division two table, but they put that behind them when they denied Rayne E a cup double.

Rayne had already won the restricted cup, but they were no match for Netts’ juniors, who gave their opponents little chance of pulling back their handicaps.

Kierlan Richards, off a +5 handicap, had a close battle with Nick Hasler in the opening set of the evening but just prevailed at 21-19 in the third game.

His second set, against Kelly Yuenyongpknan, was more straightforward and needed no help from the handicap system.

Max Plumridge also had a comfortable win over Yuenyongpknan.

Joe Belsom never gave Dean Andrews a chance of pulling back his +12 handicap and then clinched the trophy with a win over Hasler, like Richards at 21-19 in the third.

In the league Netts D needed only one point from their final match to escape from the bottom rung.

They must have rated their chances when they promoted Fred Evans from the E team to face Rayne E.

With a 69 per cent win record for his own team, Evans was above two of his three opponents, but on the night his form deserted him as Andrews, Richard Whiteside and Yuenyongpknan all got the better of him.

Richards came closest to grabbing the vital point when he took the first two games off Whiteside and stretched him all the way in the next three, but Whiteside held on to win 7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8.

Richards and Belsom also stretched Andrews and Whiteside to five games in the doubles.

But it was not to be.

Felsted RBL C rounded off their runaway success in division three with another 10-0 win, their 11thof the season, this time over Rayne J.

Rayne H, already assured of second place, were held to a draw by Black Notley E but Notley F’s 10-0 win over their own G team meant that they leapfrogged the E team into third place.

The match was a personal triumphed for Vince Jeffrey. In his first season in competitive table tennis, he has had few successes up to now, but came into his own in this match to win all three singles.

The positions are the foot of the table were decided in the final match.

Netts F and Notley H faced each other equal on points and despite three sets from Mike Smith, it was Netts who emerged victorious by 7-3.