After four matches, only one team in division one of the Braintree Table Tennis League have won all four of them – and it’s not a name one would expect.

The unanticipated unblemished record belongs to Liberal B. Boosted this season by the signing of Alistair Hill from Netts, the normally middle-ranked side have overcome all challenges so far and added Black Notley B to their list of conquests last week.

Hill has lost only once in 12 sets – to former men’s singles champion Brandon Crouchman – and took his three singles again in the 6-4 win. Notley’s new signing 15-year-old Omar Wasi, had two wins on his debut.

With two 7-3 wins and two by 6-4, Liberal have not done enough to top the table, which is headed by champions Netts A, who recovered from their two-man defeat the previous week to take all 10 against Notley A, where they were only twice stretched to four games.

Liberal B are also behind Rayne A, who have only played three matches but won them all, the first by 7-3 and the next two by 10-0, the latest against a two-person Liberal C. They won all but one in straight games.

The most significant name on the scorecard was that of Mark Mulley, one of the Chelmsford League’s leading players with wins over Paul Davison and Lee McHugh this season.

Liberal A put their first win on the board, 7-3 over Sudbury Nomads. Crouchman won his three singles again while Zach Harrington outscored Scott Dowsett for the first time, winning two to his teammate’s one.

Rayne C beat their own B team 9-1 and if this suggests that the club may have overrated or underrated some of their players, they are not alone. Curiously, it is the fifth time in the top two divisions that that has happened this season, involving three different clubs. Oliver Hicks and Steve Pennell were unbeaten.

Netts B’s progress at the top of division two stumbled a bit when they were held to a draw by a strong team performance from Notley C, who had lost their first three matches.

Joe Meleschko was unbeaten for Netts but Gordon Fairchild (2), Richard Upson (2) and Dave Parker (1) rallied on behalf of Notley.

Netts B’s lead was cut to one point by Notley D, the only team in the division to have won all four matches. They bucked the counterintuitive alphabetical trend by beating their own E team 6-4.

Unlike Rayne E, who lost to their F team 6-4. Alex Morgan, Adam Pitt and Scott Whiteside all won twice, each losing to a different player.

Sudbury Wanderers fell to their first defeat, 6-4 to Rayne D, despite three wins for Ian Shrubsole.

Richard Upson and Lawrence Grantham were unbeaten as Notley F beat Netts C 7-3.

Rayne G are the new leaders in division three after Netts D suffered their first defeat of the season. It was Great Yeldham who got the better of Netts D, Lorraine Burgess taking her tally to nine out of nine in the 7-3 win.

Rayne G beat Notley I by the same score with Tim Schafer unbeaten while Notley G moved level with Netts D after a 7-3 win over Sudbury Strollers.

There were two milestones in Notley H’s 8-2 win over Netts E – Notley’s first win and Netts’ first points.  Mike Smith was unbeaten.

New club Finchingfield introduced two more new players in their 6-4 win over Rayne H and have now used 10 in four matches. Stewart Grant was unbeaten for the second match running while Horatio Bradford took two on his debut.