The Rayne club have captured two of the knockout cups in the Braintree Table Tennis League while a Netts team took home the handicap cup for the fourth year running.

With Adam Buxton out injured, Rayne A called on Mark Mulley for the first time this season and he, Paul Lucas and Maria Boulton made short work of Sudbury Nomads, dropping only one game in winning the final 5-0.

The hard work had been done in the semi-final, when they knocked out new league champions Netts A. Buxton was able to play in this one and his wins over Andy Holmes and James Hicks were crucial. Boulton beat Holmes and Lucas beat Hicks. The doubles set involving those four players also went Rayne’s way.

Paul Davison was unbeaten for Netts but his two singles and doubles with Holmes were not enough.

In the other semi-final Nomads beat Rayne B 5-1. Aron Jordan won both his singles.

Rayne’s F team took the restricted cup, making it the fourth win in seven years for a Rayne team in that competition.

Scott Whiteside, who was in the E team that won the cup in 2023, joined his father Richard and Steve Buer in overcoming Netts C 5-2 in the final. Buer was unbeaten.

In the semi-final Rayne F had beaten Black Notley F by the same score with Buer again unbeaten while Netts C had eliminated their own D team, with Charles Calisin unbeaten.

Calisin was in the Netts C team that won the handicap cup last season. This time it was his brother JJ, playing for Netts F, who got his hands on the trophy.

Notley B found the double-figure handicaps (up to 21) too much to deal with and succumbed 5-1. Calisin and James Howard were unbeaten while Alesha Ellis-Austin was responsible for Notley’s one win.

It was Netts’ third win in a row with a predominantly junior team, following Jack Dearsley and James Rissen last season and Dearsley and Charles Calisin the previous year.

In the semi-final Netts F denied division three champions Finchingfield A the chance of a league and cup double with another 5-1 win, with Calisin and Howard again unbeaten, while Notley B knocked out their own H team – but only after a tussle.

The win was secured by Luke Burridge’s win over Nigel Parmenter at 23-21 in the final game of the final set with the score standing at 4-4. Burridge won his other two singles as well.