For the second successive year, Netts A have done the double in the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Having already sewn up the league title, they added the team knockout cup with a comprehensive victory over their own B team.

Maria Boulton scored an excellent 3-1 (11-2, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8) win over James Hicks but the A team, with Michael Andrews and Paul Davison inevitably to the fore, won the rest.

In the semi-finals, Netts A were even more commanding against Rayne B, where they won 5-0 without dropping a game while Netts B had a walkover against Black Notley A.

Also for the second year running, the Netts club managed a double success when their E team picked up the handicap cup with a 6-3 win over Notley G.

Jim Davy won twice for Notley but three wins for Charles Calisin, two for Jack Dearsley and one for Keith Traynor landed the cup on Netts E’s shelf.

Netts E reached the final with a more comfortable 8-1 win over Notley’s D team where Notley’s sole success came from a Bruce Wickham victory over Dearsley, but Jimmy Calisin and James Rissen remained unbeaten for Netts E.

Notley G’s route to the final was via Netts’ D team where they progressed with a 6-3 win with the help of a full house from Jamie Brooks.

The one surprise result in the three competitions was a victory for third division Rayne E over Netts C, a mid-table division two team, and winners of the handicap cup last season.

First they overcame their division three title rivals Sudbury Wanderers 7-2, with Adam Pitt, promoted from the F team, joining Oliver Hicks in winning both his singles, while Netts C came past Notley G where Matt Brooks’ win over Peter Lewis was the only blemish.

The inclusion in the Netts team of Mike Baldwin, a player with an 81 per cent average in division two, and the absence this time of Adam Pitt in the Rayne line-up, appeared to tip the final in Netts’ favour.

But Hicks again stepped up to the plate to win his two singles, including a straight-games defeat of Baldwin, as well as taking the two doubles he was involved in.

The crucial set was the first doubles in which Hicks faced Szczepan Ziobro, who won both his singles and his other doubles. He and Scott Whiteside beat Ziobro and Lewis 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6), leaving Alex Morgan to clinch the trophy with a victory over Lewis.