With relegation from division one looking a real danger, Liberal A have been given a boost in the Braintree Table Tennis League by the return of former men’s singles champion Brandon Crouchman.

The team’s five title wins from 2016 to 2020 have looked a world away this season but regular appearances by Crouchman would give them a chance to start climbing the table.

He was unbeaten against Rayne B but the fact that those were his team’s only successes illustrates the work that still needs to be done.

Peter Hance, Keith Martin and Ryan Pitt all won twice for Rayne.

At the top of the table, the two Netts teams kept pace with each other.  The A and B teams both won 7-3 to maintain the top two positions, two points apart.

The A team beat Liberal B, with all seven wins coming from the bats of Paul Davison and Alistair Hill.

Hill was also in action two days later for the B team and again won his three singles against Black Notley A.

In division two, Sudbury Nomads continue to lead the way after a 9-1 win over Netts C.

Ken Lewis and Richard Kemp both made it six wins out of six, while Jack Cansdale suffered only his second defeat of the season at the hands of Szczepan Ziobro.

Rayne C included Dean Andrews for his first match of the season against a two-man Notley F and he obliged by winning both his singles.

Lawrence Grantham avoided the whitewash with a good win over Richard Whiteside.

In division three, Notley G had a comfortable 9-1 win over Netts D, although Michael Goodchild can be pleased with a win against Matt Brooks, while Rayne E had a win by the same score against their own G team, where Tim Gowers can be equally pleased with his success against Alex Morgan.