The Braintree Table Tennis League season opened this week with 33 teams, three more than last year and the most for 23 years.
The league’s two newest clubs, Finchingfield and Great Yeldham (known as Yeldham Whitlocks this season) account for two of the additional teams while the long-established Netts club have added one more team to their roster.
And the new clubs could well be challenging for the division three title alongside Sudbury, who added a third team, Strollers, only last year.
Finchingfield have added two important signings, Dave Punt, out injured last season but a regular division two player with Rayne before that, and Peter Clark, out of action for the last two seasons but runner-up in the division three singles in 2022.
They join John Barrett, beaten only three times last season, and Ray Bradford in what could be a winning combination.
They will have competition from Yeldham B, who have also brought in two class players, Steve Willis, a division two regular with Rayne in recent seasons, and the former Sible Hedingham player Roy Hooper, out for a few years but a division one player until the club’s demise in 2017.
Strollers have Peter Abbott, who spent much of last season in division two but won 10 out of 12 in the third division, George Berry, seven out of nine, and Geoff Barrett, 27 out of 45, together with some promised new signings.
Because of the expansion of the league to 11 teams per division, Yeldham’s A team find themselves unexpectedly promoted to division two after finishing second last season, as do Black Notley G, who finished third – in the latter’s case a chance for Graham Chinnery to show that he really belongs in the higher sphere.
Last year’s division two champions Netts B have been promoted but there has been no relegation, leaving the way clear for last season’s other title contenders, Rayne D and Sudbury Wanderers, to have a stab at the title.
Richard Whiteside’s decision to drop down to join his son Scott in the E team means that Rayne D will have less strength in depth whereas Wanderers have signed Colchester League player Colin Moss and look very much the team to beat.
By contrast little has changed at the top of division one where champions Rayne A rely again in Maria Boulton, Adam Buxton and Paul Lucas.
Runners-up Netts A again have Paul Davison, James Hicks and Andy Holmes but they could be strengthened by the addition of leading Colchester League player Gary Young (80 per cent last season), who is expected to make occasional appearances, and possibly 2022 men’s singles champion Michael Andrews.
The return of both – Young’s Braintree League appearances are some way in the past – could shake up the title race more than a little.
