Ormeau clinched the Senior British League Premier Division title with a win at Urban TTC on Saturday, thanks in-part to results elsewhere in the league.

The trio of Xavier Dixon, Damien Provost and Oriol Monzo had done everything they needed to do to ensure they would head into the final round of fixtures at the top of the table. Their 6-1 victory against Urban TTC left them with seven wins from eight so far this year. Apart from an early scare as Connor Green beat Dixon in the opening match, they ran out comfortable victors.

The league had been heading to a winner-takes-all tie in two weeks, with Ormesby just within touching distance of the Belfast side. Throughout the season they had consistently put pressure on Ormeau, sitting in second throughout. Yet a league-defining performance from North Ayrshire saw the north-east squad fall to a third defeat, and too far behind Ormeau to regain their title.

Gervis Knox, Ormeau Team Manager, was also expecting the title to be decided in the final round.

After Sunday’s win he said: “We are absolutely delighted with the 6-1 result over Urban. We initially expected the season to be decided during the final weekend against Ormesby, but North Ayrshire spoiled their chances with a stunning 5-2 win.”

He added: “Everything seemed to align for us this season, and our new signings, Damien Provost and Xavier Dixon, have been exceptional acquisitions to the Ormeau team. They’ve seamlessly integrated with our existing players, Oriol, Matt, James, Zak, and Jonathan.

“We set out with the goal to win this division, and now that we’ve achieved it, we couldn’t be happier. This is a momentous accomplishment for our club, and we are immensely proud of our team’s hard work and dedication.”

Ormesby’s Andrew Wilkinson, Graeme Barella and Adam Webster travelled to Scotland knowing they had to win to have a chance of winning the championship again. Martin Johnson immediately showed them they were in for a tough afternoon, beating Wilkinson in four. Nathan Hogg lost out in three to Barella before the doubles. Johnson and Main combined to give the home-side the advantage, and from then on they didn’t give Ormesby a chance to get back into the game. Webster picking up the only other win in an afternoon that saw the title head to Northern Ireland.

In the bottom half of the league Brighton had a weekend to remember, securing back-to-back victories against Fusion and BATTS. Ihor Zavadskyi picked up two player of the match awards for his efforts. BATTS put up a good fight against the league newcomers. The back and forth fixture was delicately poised at 2-2 before Zavadskyi and Callum Evans beat Joshua Bennett and Ralph Pattison respectively. Adam Butland overcame Joseph Langham-Ferreira in the final match to end the tie 4-3. It means they will finish the season on 16 points, enough to top the bottom half mini-league.

The final round will take place on Saturday 20th May. Ormeau and Ormesby will face each other, and North Ayrshire will take on Urban. Fusion will host BATTS, with the winner moving off the bottom of the table.

Photo credit: Chris Rayner

Results

Urban TTC 1 Ormeau 6
Connor Green (URB) bt Xavier Dixon (ORM) 3-2 (12-10, 8-11, 7-11, 14-12, 11-7)
Damien Provost (ORM) bt James Hamblett 3-0 (9-11, 11-3, 11-5)
Damien Provost/Xavier Dixon (ORM) bt Connor Green/James Hamblett (URB) 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-4)
Oriol Monzo (ORM) bt Mateusz Mikosz (URB) 3-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5)
Damien Provost (ORM) bt Connor Green (URB) 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-6)
Xavier Dixon (ORM) bt Mateusz Mikosz (URB) 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-6)
Oriol Monzo (ORM) bt James Hamblett (URB) 3-1
(11-1, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8)

North Ayrshire 5 Ormesby 2
Martin Johnson (NATTC) bt Andrew Wilkinson (ORM) 3-1 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7)
Graeme Barella (ORM) bt Nathan Hogg (NATTC) 3-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-3)
Martin Johnson/Chris Main (NATTC) bt Graeme Barella/Adam Webster (ORM) 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7)
Chris Main (NATTC) by Adam Webster (ORM) 3-1 (10-12, 11-4, 11-5, 11-3)
Martin Johnson (NATTC) bt Graeme Barella (ORM) 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-0)
Chris Main (NATTC) bt Andrew Wilkinson (ORM) 3-2 (7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5)
Adam Webster (ORM) bt Nathan Hogg (NATTC) 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-8)

BATTS 3 Brighton TTC 4
Ihor Zavadskyi (BRI) bt Joshua Bennett (BAT) 3-0(11-8, 11-9, 11-6)
Adam Nutland (BAT) bt Callum Evans (BRI) 3-2 (11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 2-11, 12-10)
Joshua Bennett/Adam Nutland (BAT) bt Callum Evans/Joseph Langham-Ferreira (BRI) 3-2 (8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7)
Joseph Langham-Ferreira (BRI) bt Ralph Pattison (BAT) 3-1 (11-8, 11-7, 11-13, 11-2)
Callum Evans (BRI) bt Joshua Bennett (BAT) 3-0 (12-10, 13-11, 11- 5)
Ihor Zavadskyi (BRI) bt Ralph Pattison (BAT) 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 12-10)
Adam Nutland (BAT) bt Joseph Langham-Ferreira (BRI) 3-1 (11-6, 11-6, 15-17, 12-10)

Brighton TTC 5 Fusion 2
Callum Evans (BRI) bt Robert Pelc (FUS) 3-1
(11-4, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7)
Lorestas Trumpauskas (FUS) bt Joseph Langham-Ferreira (BRI) (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11)
Lorestas Trumpauskas/Joshua Bruce (FUS) bt
Callum Evans/Joseph Langham-Ferreira (BRI) 3-2 (11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10)
Ihor Zavadskyi (BRI) bt Joshua Bruce (FUS) 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7)
Callum Evans (BRI) bt Lorestas Trumpauskas (FUS) 3-1 (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5)
Ihor Zavadskyi (BRI) bt Robert Pelc (FUS) 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-2)
Joseph Langham-Ferreira (BRI) bt Joshua Bruce (FUS) 3-0 (11-8, 12-10, 11-6)