It was a memorable week in their short table tennis careers for brothers Sam and Joe Plummer of Windsor Merlins in Division Three of the Clacton & District League, both juniors staying unbeaten in their team’s two matches of the week.

The Merlins’ opening match saw them run out 6-4 winners against the experienced Windsor Magpies’ side, with the young Plummers showing little respect to Magpies’ captain and grandad, John Plummer, on their way to their first hat-tricks of the week.

The closest encounter of the contest was Joe Plummer’s 11-6 in the decider win against Dave Sweetland. But grandad John got a slight measure of revenge in the doubles, he and Sweetland defeating the two youngsters 3-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5).

The team followed this with a 6-4 victory against Nomads Ocelots. Both Plummer brothers again took trebles, both hat-tricks including wins over the more-than-useful Arthur Wells-Garrett, albeit that Sam needed a fifth set to clinch victory.

The only minor blot on the pair’s copy book was another loss in a doubles, Wells-Garrett and John Magill narrowly taking it 3-2 (8-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7). Magill, Wells-Garrett and Hazel Blanche each won a singles for the losers.

The Ocelots had better fortune in their second match and, facing a below-strength Brotherhood F, ran out 7-3 winners. Wells-Garrett took three, Magill two and Blanche one, with Wells-Garrett and Magill notching up another doubles win.

David Hunt, making a rare League appearance for Brotherhood, nearly chalked up a win, Magill winning their individual encounter 3-2 (11-2, 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8). Elliana Burridge with two and Andrey Pavlov with one were the Brotherhood points-scorers.

Divisional leaders Walton E were 7-3 winners against a Windsor Robins side forced to field a guest. But Windsor’s Neil Chegwidden showed he’s a force to be reckoned with, staying unbeaten and inflicting a rare defeat on Rivhu Khan.

It was also a good week for Windsor Penguins who moved to within a point of the top with two 7-3 victories.

Three for Peter Aumord, two for Kayley Rodriguez and one for Janet Cowie, plus a 3-2 (7-11, 13-11, 13-15, 11-5, 11-4) doubles win for Aumord and Rodriguez against Stuart Wilkinson and Dave Wright, saw them overcome Nomads Leopards.

In two other matches which finished 11-4 in the fifth, Aumord defeated Wilkinson and Cowie beat the Leopards’ new signing, James Horsler. Wilkinson won two for the Leopards, including a fine 11-9 in the fifth victory over Rodriguez, and Dave Wright one.

And trebles for both Aumord and Rodriguez saw the Penguins to victory in their second match, this against bottom side Nomads Lynx. Adrian Sexton, with a 3-2 (11-3, 9-11, 3-11, 11-9, 11-5) win over Pam Blakeley, Dominic Joannou and Norman Jacobs were the Lynx points-winners.

In Division One Nomads Panthers were 10-0 winners against lowly Walton D, Greg Green, Sam Hume and John Hatley unbeaten, although Hatley had a hard struggle before coming through 3-2 (11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8) against Mark Ratcliffe.

Brotherhood A chalked up their first doubles success of the season in seven attempts in their 9-1 win over Walton C. Kevin Gowlett and Alan Burgess both took trebles whilst Luke Burridge was denied his own hat-trick by Walton’s John Marshall who played well to take their individual encounter 3-2 (11-4, 7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11).

Windsor Hawks, with a reserve, will feel pleased to have taken a share of the spoils against Nomads Lions, the Hawks’ second drawn match in as many weeks. Adam Cuthbert took his three for the Lions whilst, for the Hawks, there were two each for Andy Vincent and John Barton, who also shared a doubles win.

With a fraction more luck, the Hawks may feel they could have snatched the win, Vincent going down 11-6 in the fifth to Cuthbert while reserve Andy Cawley lost by the same score to Jason Lloyd.

The meeting of the third and fourth-placed sides ended in a narrow 6-4 victory for Windsor Eagles over Walton B. Paul Hume took a treble and Mel Rampton two, his pair including a notable 3-2 (9-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6) win over Kevin James. Hume and Rampton also combined to take a vital doubles in five against James and Colin Dearman, 12-14, 12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 11-5. Dearman won two for Walton, and Derek Willis and James one each.

For the record, Dearman, James and Willis are one of only two teams in the League to have played the same three players in every match in the first half of the League season, the other team being Graham Bunce, Jackie Bunce and Debra Found of Division Two side Windsor Kestrels.

However, things are not looking good for the Kestrels and the differing fortunes of two Windsor teams was illustrated as the Buzzards moved towards the promotion places whilst the Kestrels dropped nearer the relegation zone following the Buzzards’ 9-1 victory.

Pete Bloomfield and John Harvey remained unbeaten for the Buzzards although Bloomfield needed a fifth set to defeat Jackie Bunce 3-2 (9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4). Andy Cawley’s two for the Buzzards included an 11-4 in the decider win over Debra Found but he lost in three-straight to Graham Bunce who took the Kestrels’ consolation point in the final match of the evening.

in-form Russell Hillier, with his fifth maximum of the season, led Brotherhood C home 6-4 against Brotherhood E. Barry Allen won two and shared a doubles success with Hillier whilst, for the ‘E’ team, Kevin Pryor won two, and Duncan Dunne and Rodney Betts one each.

Brotherhood D remained unbeaten for a fourth successive week with an impressive 6-4 success against Nomads Jaguars, despite three for Daryl Lott of the Jaguars.

Lott was pushed hard by both Paul Metcalf and Mark Beckham, edging past Metcalf 11-8 in the fifth and Beckham 11-5 in the fifth. But two each for Metcalf and Beckham, one from reserve Ben Bryden and a Beckham/Bryden doubles win saw Brotherhood home.

Every player picked up at least one point in a hard-fought encounter which saw Windsor Harriers edge past Nomads Bobcats 7-3 in a contest where only one match was settled in three-straight and four went close in five. Fortunately for the Harriers, they won three of those four matches, the closest being the doubles where Jenny Higgins and Ferdy Rodriguez won 3-2 (4-11, 9-11, 11-2, 12-10, 11-9) against Kevin Hume and Andy Teemal. And although Higgins went on to beat Teemal in her singles, Teemal defeated Rodriguez, his only loss of the evening.

Teemal, Hume and Allen Denyer all picked up a point for the Bobcats but, as the first half of the League season comes to a conclusion, they still find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table.

RESULTS

Division 1
Walton B 4 Windsor Eagles 6
Walton D 0 Nomads Panthers 10
Windsor Hawks 5 Nomads Lions 5
Brotherhood A 9 Walton C 1

Division 2
Windsor Kestrels 1 Windsor Buzzards 9
Nomads Bobcats 3 Windsor Harriers 7
Brotherhood C 6 Brotherhood E 4
Nomads Jaguars 4 Brotherhood D 6

Division 3
Windsor Robins 3 Walton E 7
Windsor Magpies 4 Windsor Merlins 6
Nomads Lynx 3 Windsor Penguins 7
Nomads Ocelots 4 Windsor Merlins 6
Brotherhood F 3 Nomads Ocelots 7
Windsor Penguins 7 Nomads Leopards 3