Table tennis: Double celebration for runaway champs

7:45am Saturday 26th April 2008

THE first four finals that have been contested in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League produced three sets of decisive winners, two of the matches ending in 5-0 scorelines.

Writtle - the runaway Champions of Division Two - made it a double cause for celebration as they beat surprise Finalists OCs (Nat Ravlic, John Watts and Mick Hayes), 5-0 in a thrilling Two-Down Cup Final.

Gary Ward, Paul Cuming and Kevin Worthington were rarely extended as three of the games were decided 3-0.

Defender John Watts fared best of the OCs players pushing Gary Ward, before succumbing 8-11, 11-5, 10-12, 6-11.

Danbury were comfortable 5-1 winners over Hatfield Peverel in the Four-Down Knock-out Final. Neil Want and Glen Laing won their opening singles and although Chris Buer gave Hatfield Peverel a glimpse of hope by beating Tim Pulham 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2, it wasn't enough.

Glen Laing and Neil Want restored Danbury's lead by beating Peter Mynard and Keith Cullen 5-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7 in the middle doubles and Neil Want sealed the Danbury victory by getting the better of the talented Chris Buer 9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-4.

ECC, represented by David Cole, Steve Kerns and Lucy Wang, became the Open Cup Champions for the seventh year in succession, beating Chelmsford A 5-0 in the Final.

Steve Kerns was their only player to come under real pressure and he was down in both the first and fourth games against Neil Gooday before scraping home 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10. Chelmsford Junior Champion Bradley Hudgell pushed David Cole hard in their clash, but, after an evenly matched first game he fell away to lose 10-12, 7-11, 3-11.

Lucy Wang also made League history by becoming the first lady to win this title after the event had been changed from the Men's Knock-out Cup.

Bradley Hudgell did taste success in the Junior Cup Final and teamed with Hannah Pitt and Stevie Pell, Chelmsford A were 5-3 winners against Chelmsford N.

Hudgell was pushed hard by both Haydn Upson and Adam Pitt whilst other key victories included a 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 12-10 success for Stevie Pell against Haydn Upson and a convincing 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 win for Hannah Pitt against her brother Sam Pitt.

The Mixed Cup Final promises to be a closely fought match and will be between ECC and Chelmsford B. Both sides were untroubled in their semi-finals, with ECC beating Chelmsford A 5-0.

ECC were represented by their Open Cup winning team and David Cole, Steve Kerns and Lucy Wang raced through their five games 3-0. Chelmsford B, represented by Bradley Hudgell, Adrian Pitt and Julie Vansertima were also 5-0 winners, defeating club-mates Chelmsford C.

Bradley and Adrian scored their fifth win of the evening, the tightest of the night, in the middle doubles. They just edged out Waseem Qureshi and Alastair Piper 11-2, 3-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10.

Billericay's Mark Mulley, ranked 80 in England at Under-18 Boys level, scored a sensational victory in the Group stages of this weekend's Essex Four Star Junior Open at Harlow, which must be a contender for the "Win of the Season".

In the Under-18 Boys Elites Singles, he toppled the mighty Matt Ware (Dorset), the number-one seed and England number-six Under 18 Boy, who had reached the last eight of the men's singles at the recent English Senior Championships.

Mulley hit top form and looked to be heading for a 3-1 win, leading 9-4 in the fourth game - only to see the tenacious Ware recover and take the game 13-11.

Many players would have crumbled under the pressure knwong that their golden chance of victory had disappeared, but Mulley held his nerve superbly and went onto take the fifth game 11-7.

Times Choice