Sudbury Wanderers was the intriguing name under which the new Sudbury team opted to hide their identity in the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Giving teams names rather than letters of the alphabet is not unknown in other leagues but with one or two exceptions – Netts Phoenix, league winners in 2013, springs to mind – Braintree has stuck to the tried and tested.

The team could have been known as Nomads B and, like their first team in division two, they have got off to a good start in their first two division three matches.

In their latest match, Peter Abbott and new signing Louise Hartshorn took all before them in the 7-3 win over Black Notley G, who finished third last season.

The team, though, has 10 players registered and Abbott, the club secretary, has conceded that some line-ups will be stronger than others.

The only other result in division three featured a draw between Netts D and Notley I. Notley’s Matt Stephenson picked up his three singles for the first time in his career.

Nomads meanwhile followed up their initial 10-0 win in division two with an 8-2 victory over relegated Notley C.

They included their two recruits from the Colchester League, Jack Cansdale and George Berry, who proved they are well up to the task by registering wins over both Dave Parker and Notley’s new signing Rev Matthews. Neil Freeman beat both of them but just missed out at 11-8 in the fifth game against Karl Baldwin.

Liberal C, last season’s runners-up, showed they are still up for the fight with a 9-1 win over Rayne D. Dave Hardy and Garry Fryatt were unbeaten.

It was good to see Richard Jennings, fit again after his heart operation, back in action for Rayne C, where he won twice in the 7-3 defeat by Notley D.

The main man in form was Notley’s Bruce Wickham. He made something of a mockery of his average of 19 per cent last season by beating Paul Wellington and taking both Jennings and Dave Punt to deuce in the fifth.

Division three singles champion Szczepan Ziobro has quickly adjusted to life in division two and won his three singles in Netts C’s draw with Notley E.

In division one, champions Netts A continued their slow start to the season. After a draw in the first week against Rayne A, they just crept home 6-4 against Notley A, requiring, again, a full house from Paul Davison to stave off defeat.

Rayne A, meanwhile, relied on Paul Lucas’s three wins for their 6-4 win over Notley B.