The longest unbeaten run in the Braintree Table Tennis League has come to an end.

Sudbury Nomads’ Ken Lewis last lost in the league – to Patrick Gilbert – in April 2019 but that run hit the buffers after three and a half years when he came up against Sean Clift. And there was nothing close about it. 

Lewis, men’s singles semi-finalist earlier this year, is only in division two because Sudbury do not have a team in division one – although that looks about to change – but he failed to take a game, Clift winning 11-9, 11-5, 11-9.

It was the highlight of the evening for Clift, but he did not go home unbeaten. Jack Cansdale lost to Adam Clift, but beat his brother.

The result was a 6-4 win for Nomads over Black Notley D, which keeps them comfortably top of division two.

It may have been the most spectacular but Clift’s win was not the only surprise result in the division.

Mel Cooch, for instance, scored an excellent win over Peter Pond, who had ended Karl Baldwin’s unbeaten run the previous week, in Notley F’s 9-1 defeat by their own E team.

And Peter Rickwood can be particularly pleased with his win over Dave Marsh in the Rayne D v C clash, especially after losing the first game 11-2. His victory at 2-11, 11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 12-10 helped his team to an unexpected draw.

Szczepan Ziobro was taken to five games in all three sets but managed to win them all in Netts C’s 6-4 defeat by Notley C.

In division one, champions Netts A at last slipped into gear. With men’s singles champion Michael Andrews back after injury for his first game of the season they had no mercy on Rayne B. Paul Davison and James Hicks joined Andrews in chalking up a 10-0 win.

Rayne A’s 7-3 win over Liberal B – three wins for Steve Pennell – meant they slipped a bit further behind while Liberal A came as close as they have done this season to a win when they stretched Notley A to 6-4, despite fielding two reserves. Takunda Nerutanga was unbeaten for Notley.

The big match in division three pitted the two unbeaten teams against each other and it was Rayne E who just shaded it by 6-4 against Sudbury Wanderers.

Oliver Hicks was unbeaten as usual for Rayne E – he has won all but one of his 18 sets in straight games – while Ian Shrubsole picked up two for the losers.

Dave Whiting was unbeaten in Rayne F’s draw with Netts D while Jack Dearsley won his three singles in Netts E’s 7-3 win over Rayne G.