It was a good week in the Clacton League for Alex Baldock, captain of Division Three side Nomads Bobcats.

The much-improved Baldock kept his cool to remain unbeaten in the Bobcats’ 8-2 victory over Holland Hurricanes, a treble which included hard-fought wins over Ian Gwillim, 11-7 in the fifth, and Pam Cousins, 11-3 in the fifth. It was his third maximum of the season.

Sam Watling and Jack Riddleston each won two for the Bobcats, Watling having a narrow 11-7 in the fifth win over John Smith-Daye. Gwillim took the two points for the Hurricanes.

And Baldock followed this up with an impressive performance as a reserve for Nomads Jaguars in Division Two against Windsor Kestrels, enjoying excellent victories over Debra Found and Jackie Bunce, which, together with a Chris Petrou hat-trick, gave the Jaguars a 6-4 win.

Back in Division Three, there were handsome victories for the top two teams.

Long-time pace-setters, Brotherhood F, had a comfortable 10-0 win over Holland Vulcans. Tom Bryden, Lucy Carvell and Joe Sherwin were the successful trio. The win maintains their 10-point cushion over nearest rivals, Brotherhood H.

The ‘H’ team, in their turn, are seven points clear of third-placed Nomads Bobcats, this week beating Nomads Ocelots 10-0, Savindu De Silva, Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard unbeaten.  

The ever-reliable fourth-placed Walton D defeated Holland Mosquitos 9-1, Adrian Sexton and Maggie Earle taking three each, and Deborah Pallett two. Brian Abram picked up the Mosquitos’ point.

In the closest match of the week, Nomads Leopards and Windsor Falcons shared the spoils. Kelvin Olano maintained his 100% record, but it was a close-run thing, defeating Dominic Joannou 11-8 in the decider. Nikki Hayes and Nigel Rolph added a point apiece for the Falcons whilst, for the Leopards, Joannou and Anne Bonny each took a couple, the pair edging past Olano and Hayes 11-7 in the fifth to take the doubles and secure the draw.

In Division One, reigning champions and favourites, Nomads Panthers, end the first half-season with a healthy lead at the top following their 10-0 win against bottom team Lawford. James Denyer, Greg Green and John Hatley all won their three, captain Hatley’s 11-6 in the fifth victory over Glen Laing the closest match of the encounter.

Windsor Eagles defeated Walton C 8-2, but the scoreline belies the fact that all five matches which went the distance went to the Eagles.

John Pattrick and Phil Smith both stayed unbeaten, Pattrick defeating John Marshall 11-7 in the fifth and Graham Buxton 11-6 in the fifth, whilst Phil Smith had a nail-biting 13-11 in the fifth win over Buxton. The pair also took the doubles, 11-7 in the fifth against Buxton and Marshall. Windsor skipper John Hobson gained a point with an 11-7 in the decider victory over Marshall, whilst there was a point each for Walton’s Buxton and Clive Allenby.

In Division Two, leaders Windsor Buzzards inflicted a 10-0 defeat on bottom team Windsor Magpies. Scott Campbell, Ray Chillingworth and Pete Bloomfield all took trebles, although Bloomfield was severely tested by Dave Sweetland before coming through 12-10 in the fifth.

So the Buzzards end the first half-season with a 13-point lead over second-placed Brotherhood C, who were unable to close the gap after losing 6-4 to third-placed Brotherhood D.

Five of the matches went all the way, the ‘D’ team winning four of them. Mark Salter’s maximum for the winners included an 11-9 in the fifth win over Mark Boyland, whilst Paul Alden beat the same player 11-8 in the fifth and then overcame Paul Metcalf 11-6 in the fifth. Salter and Alden combined to win the doubles 11-9 in the decider. Mark Beckham was the ‘D’ team’s most successful player, winning twice, including an 11-9 in the fifth victory over Alden to deny Alden his hat-trick.

Three teams currently share fourth place, all on 55 points.

Nomads Jaguars, 6-4 winners against Windsor Kestrels, are level with Brotherhood E, also 6-4 winners against Windsor Penguins, despite a hat-trick for Penguins’ skipper, Neil Chegwidden. Fred Gallone and Kevin Pryor each won two for the Brotherhood side, with Duncan Dunne pipping Paul Stanton, 11-8 in the decider.

Nomads Tigers are the third team sharing fourth spot, Zein Shafat leading the way this week with a hat-trick in his side’s 7-3 success against Windsor Harriers, a hat-trick which included a tight 13-11 in the fifth victory over Barry Allen. Bob Jillins won two and reserve Matt Sage one, Shafat and Jillins sharing an 11-8 in the fifth doubles win in the only other match which went the distance. Allen was the Harriers’ best player, winning two.

* Next week sees the start of the group matches of the Handicap Cup. Winning teams must send the result sheet to Tony Oswick within 24 hours of the match being played. Players should note that Holland Lancasters and Holland Mosquitos have withdrawn from the competition, and any matches they were due to play have been awarded as walk-over wins to their opponents. 

RESULTS
Division 1
Windsor Eagles 8 Walton C 2
Lawford 0 Nomads Panthers 10
Division 2
Windsor Kestrels 4 Nomads Jaguars 6
Windsor Penguins 4 Brotherhood E 6
Windsor Buzzards 10 Windsor Magpies 0
Nomads Tigers 7 Windsor Harriers 3
Brotherhood C 4 Brotherhood D 6
Division 3
Nomads Leopards 5 Windsor Falcons 5
Walton D 9 Holland Mosquitos 1
Brotherhood F 10 Holland Vulcans 0
Brotherhood H 10 Nomads Ocelots 0
Holland Hurricanes 2 Nomads Bobcats 8