Interclub 2024

Last Thursday saw the last matches of the second round played. The 5-Ers have taken out the A Grade while the B Grade was an absolute cliff hanger with Gerry's Team making up the 6 point deficit on Raluba, but just dipping out on a countback of games over the entire second round.

A Grade

The 5-ers 8   RPM 4

 Mikey Kamson, Billy Hebberd and David Stephens have been in good form for the whole of the second round.  Mikey has led the team from the front in all ten matches. Billy  is a very reliable number two. David has been a revelation at number three and always goes well, especially against the opposition number one and two. Each player won two singles in this contest, with Billy being undefeated in doubles.For RPM, Matt Millar won his three singles, with his match against Mikey full of quality with Matt finding some great angles.

Earlier he had combined with Peter Cowdrey for a 19-17 fifth set win in the doubles.The hard-working Rob Honour just missed out in a five setter against Billy.

Underdogs 10 KJP 2

Nathan Cross has been in great touch recently and this continued when he won his three singles without dropping a set. To go with his tricky serves and tight over the table play, Nathan was also quick to set up attacking opportunities with his fast, spinny forehand loops.

Graeme Jackson gave another consistent display and just about made it three from three, just losing  13-11, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11, 13-11 to his regular doubles player Ken Thompsett. Even when the match was tight, Ken had the confidence to open up with his forehand.

Chris Vincent won two singles and the newcomer has impressed this season with his ability to win points quickly with some textbook forehands. In his third match, he lost a five setter against Ken.

Warren Haszard filled in for Josh Sim and anecdotal evidence was received that he played one of the blocks of the season, against Graeme.

Smash N Grab 9 Push Loop Lob 3

Jacqui Wood led the way with three singles wins and helped her team-mates Zac Cowdrey and Malcolm Honour to a clean sweep in the doubles. Around 8.30pm ,Jacqui played Ollie Phipps in what turned out to be one of the matches of the season. Ollie took the first two sets and was repelling everything that Jacqui threw at him. Ollie had  match points in the third, which Jacqui saved with some well placed shots and then went on to take the fourth set. Ollie had a great run of points and led towards the end of the deciding set. Jacqui varied her attack to earn a match point. Ollie saved this with a backhand chop from near the barricades. After several breathtaking rallies, Jacqui won it by 13-15, 11-13, 13-11, 11-4, 15-13. The applause that these two skillful players got from the spectators and players on the other tables was richly deserved. Zac Cowdrey was in good touch as well , picking up two wins, including a four set win over the well performed Jason Kennedy. Malcolm Honour won a single and took Jason to five sets.

Ollie came back well to beat Zac by 11-13, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5 to win two matches for his side.

B Grade

Gerry's Team 10 Marion's Team 2

Supreya Prasertsakda was in great touch for her side, winning her three singles against a team who were without Marion Wood. Supreya had a great match against fellow Perry Shield player Kylie Hurren, winning it 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-4.

Gerry van Kuyk gained two wins while young junior Fletcher Phipps also gained two wins. Kylie won the two points for her side.

Terrific Turtles 7 Raluba 5

What a match this was. Tommy Phipps had  a great night  winning his three singles. This included a 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 win over the very consistent Ray Zinsli. Dennis Burkhart again gave a solid performance while Yufei Wei won a single and showed confidence playing his shots. Ray won his two remaining singles with Lucy Thom also getting on the board. Barbara Burkhart again showed her prowess as a doubles player, winning both in five sets.

John's Team 9 Wazz Up 3

John Diamanti has hit top form in the last few weeks , and he came away with three singles wins and two doubles wins.Peter Dillon won two singles and just missed out on a third win, losing to fill-in player David Smith  by 9-11, 7-11, 18-16, 11-5, 11-8.

Under-11 player Cora Wilson won a single and played a big part in the doubles wins.

A big thank you to all of the fill-in players who played when required, some with very little notice.

Points

A Grade

The 5-ers (Mikey) 83, The Underdogs (Graeme) 75, Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 68, RPM (Matt ) 60, Push Loop Lob (Jason) 53, KJP (Ken) 51

B Grade

Raluba (Ray) 75 (250 games for, 189 games against=plus 61) Gerry 75 (229 games for, 203 games against=plus 26), John 71, Marion 62, Terrific Turtles (Tommy) 62, Wazz Up (Warren) 45

After the penultimate round of matches last Thursday, the titles in both Grades are almost decided.

A Grade

The 5-ers 8 Smash N Grab 4

Mikey Kamson again led the way for his side, with five wins from five. His last singles match against Jacqui Wood was a tactical affair , with some tight play over the table. Jacqui took the first set by opening up on the forehand. Mikey took a very close second set before increasing the topspin to win the match in four sets. Billy Hebberd backed him up with two wins including a come from behind win over Zac Cowdrey by 10-12, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7. David Stephens won his two doubles and as usual, gave it everything in his singles matches with his unorthodox style causing problems for his opponents. Jacqui won her two remaining singles with Zac and Malcolm Honour winning one each.

The Underdogs 9 Push Loop Lob 3

Nathan Cross continued his good form with three singles wins, including an 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6 win over Ollie Phipps. Nathan also played a big part in the clean sweep of the doubles. Chris Vincent was back in the side and finished with two singles wins. He nearly made it three wins but opposition number 1 Jason Kennedy came from two sets down to win their match by 8-11,9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 14-12. Graeme Jackson beat fill-in player Hannah Smit. Jason ended with two wins while Ollie beat the hard working Graeme by 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-5. Hannah displayed some confident hitting in her match with Chris.

KJP 7  RPM 5

Josh Sim moved up to number one in the absence of Ken Thompsett, and came away with two singles wins. He combined with fill-in player Chris Hood in the doubles for  a win over Matt Millar  and Peter Cowdrey by 11-5, 13-15, 12-14, 11-9, 11-9. At a crucial stage of the match,Josh managed to return a full blooded drive from Matt from near the back wall to keep his team in the point. Chris also won two singles including a four set win over Peter. The third set was unusual with Chris getting the first three points with nets and Peter hitting out to win the next eight points. Peter Welsh won a single and was involved in a great match with Rob Honour. Rob took it by 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 14-12, 12-10 with some good opening up play on the backhand in the last three sets.

Matt was untroubled in his singles matches.

B Grade

Raluba 6 (22 games)  Gerry 6 (21 games)

What a contest this was. It went down to the last doubles, with Ray Zinsli and Lucy Thom beating Luke Moratti and David Smith in straight sets to get the win. Ray was outstanding in singles, not losing a set in his three matches. Lucy won a single while Barbara Burkhart won a doubles. Luke and David filled in for Gerry and Supreya and ended the night with two singles wins each.Under-13 player Fletcher Phipps also got on the board.

Marion 6 (20 games)  John (19 games)

Another cliff-hanger with Marion Wood  and Kylie Hurren beating John Diamanti and Peter Dillon in the last doubles to win the contest on the count back. Earlier, Marion and Kylie had won two singles each. Deana Diamanti won a doubles with Marion and performed very well against Cora Wilson , with Cora taking it by 11-7, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10. John was in great touch in the singles, imposing his style on his opponents. Peter joined Cora on one singles win.

Terrific Turtles 7 Wazz Up 5

A great team effort from  Tommy Phipps , Dennis Burkhart  and Yufei Wei. Tommy and Dennis both won two singles with  Tommy beating Marcus Osborne in five sets and losing to Warren while Dennis beat Warren in five sets and lost to Marcus. Yufei played a big part, picking up two doubles wins. Warren and Marcus contributed four of their team's points with fill-in player Roxanne Phipps beating Yufei by 13-15, 11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9.

Points

A Grade

The 5-ers (Mikey) 74, The Underdogs (Graeme) 64. Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 58. RPM (Matt) 56,  Push Loop Lob (Jason) 50, RPM (Ken) 49

B Grade

Raluba  (Ray) 70, Gerry 64, John 61, Marion 60, Terrific Turtles (Tommy) 54, Wazz Up (Warren) 42

Last Thursday night had it all, as the six inter-club matches produced countback wins, close wins and unexpected singles wins.

A Grade

KJP 6 (23 games, 432 points) beat 5'ers 6 (23 games 410 points)

The calculators had to come out, as Ken Thompsett  and Josh Sim beat Mikey Kamson and Billy Hebberd in straight sets to make an even scorecard , hence the points count back.

Peter Welsh stood out for KJP in singles, beating Billy in the first match and then beat David Stephens 8-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8 in his third match. In another twist, Ken beat Billy and lost in five sets to David , while Josh beat David and lost to Billy in four sets.

Things returned to normal somewhat as Mikey again won his three singles.

Lob, Loop, Smash 5 RPM 7

Another fantastic contest. Matt Millar again won his three singles for his side and helped his team-mates Rob Honour and Peter Cowdrey to a clean sweep in the doubles. Rob and Peter beat Ollie Phipps and  Harry Speakman by the score of 11-13, 13-11, 8-11, 13-11, 13-11.

If that scoreline sounds unbelievable, 13-11 had the audacity to turn up twice in Matt and Rob's five set win over Ollie and Jason Kennedy. Rob beat Harry in five to go with Matt's wins. Jason won two matches for his side as did Ollie, who had to work hard to get a five set win over Rob. Harry rounded the singles off with a four set win over Peter.

Underdogs 9 Smash N Grab 3

Graeme Jackson and Nathan Cross welcomed back Chris Vincent into the team and Chris started things off with a 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 14-12 win over Zac Cowdrey. These two players have played long matches against each other this season and this one was no exception.

Chris ended the night with two wins, as did Graeme and Nathan.  In his last match, Graeme played consistently against Jacqui Wood, with Jacqui being watchful against the anti-spin rubber to get home in four sets and finish the night with three wins.

B Grade

Raluba 6 (26 games) beat John's Team 6 (24 games)

Another brilliant contest, with all six players  getting a singles win. The first two matches were straight set wins, but eight of the next ten matches went past the third set. Ray Zinsli won  two singles for his side with Lucy Thom beating Peter Dillon and Barbara Burkhart beating Cora Wilson. Barbara also showed good form to capture two doubles wins. John Diamanti won his three singles matches, but was  pushed all the way by Ray in a five set thriller. Cora gained bragging rights over her mother, with a 6-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11 win.

Peter beat Barbara in the first match of the night.

Marion's Team 8 Wazz Up 4

Kylie Hurren had a great night, winning all five matches. Fellow Perry Shield player Marion Wood also won her three singles. Fill-in player Peter Wells won a doubles with Kylie. Warren Haszard, Marcus Osborne  and Janice Thompsett won a single each for their side, with Warren and Janice adding a doubles win.

Gerry's Team 7 Tommy's Crew 5

Another great performance from Supreya Prasertsakda, who won all five of her matches. She had to work hard against Tommy Phipps, one of Marlborough's top juniors, before winning by 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11. Gerry van Kuyk won a single, while fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey just got the decision over Yufei Wei in a close five setter. Tommy won his remaining two singles while Denis Burkhart added  two wins also.

Points

A Grade

5-ers (Mikey) 65, Underdogs (Graeme) 54, Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 54, RPM (Matt) 51, Lob, Loop, Smash (Jason) 47, KJP (Ken) 41

B Grade

Raluba (Ray) 63, Gerry 58, John 55, Marion 53, Tommy 46, Wazz up (Warren) 37

There was some good table tennis played last Thursday, with players looking to get into form for the rep matches coming up.

A Grade

RPM 7 Smash N Grab 5

Matt Millar, back from injury, led the way with three singles wins and helped his team-mates Rob Honour and Peter Cowdrey to doubles wins. Rob won two singles and in his last singles, just got home 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 against Zac Cowdrey. Earlier, Zac had taken a set from Matt. Peter Cowdrey played well to take sets from Zac and Malcolm Honour. Jacqui Wood won two matches for her side with Zac and Malcolm also getting on the board,

KJP 7 Push Loop Lob 5

Josh Sim had a brilliant night, being undefeated in both singles and doubles. Josh is another player coming back from injury and he looked to be back to his best with some consistent forehands and backhands. Ken Thompsett won a single and had a great match against Harry Speakman, with Harry taking it 6-11, 12-10, 11-6, 3-11, 12-10. Fill-in player Hannah Smit won a single and a double. Harry won his remaining two singles while Ollie Phipps also gained two wins. These two juniors have really improved this season and are a tough match for anyone. Fill-in player Esteban won a double with Ollie. Gracias por jugar durante la temporada, Esteban.

The 5-Ers 8 (5 by default) Underdogs 4

Due to sudden unavailability of a player, regulars Graeme Jackson and Nathan Cross played out the five matches on the table, winning two singles each. To make a full match, they called upon players from other teams to fill the gap.

Mikey Kamson was again untouchable for The 5-Ers , being unbeaten in singles and picking up a doubles win with Billy Hebberd.

B Grade

Raluba 9 Warren 3

Ray Zinsli was undefeated for his side as they increased their lead in the Grade. Lucy Thom continued her rapid improvement, picking up two wins including a win over the well performed Warren  Haszard. Barbara Burkhart was again outstanding in doubles.

Marcus Osborne won two singles for  Warren's Team.

Gerry 8 John 4

What a great contest, with all six players winning a single. Supreya Prasertsakda won her three singles  and helped Gerry van Kuyk and Fletcher Phipps to a clean sweep in the doubles. Gerry beat Cora Wilson while Fletcher Phipps beat John Diamanti in five sets.

Peter Dillon  picked up two wins for John's side with John beating Gerry and Cora beating Fletcher in five sets.

Tommy's Crew 4 Marion 8

After helping out the A Grade for the past few weeks, Kylie Hurren was back with team-mates Marion Wood and Deanna Diamanti.Kylie had three comfortable singles wins, while Marion gained two wins and just lost out to opposition number one, Tommy Phipps by 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9. Deana Diamanti won both doubles. For Tommy's Crew Dennis Burkhart and Yufei Wei got on the board in singles.

Points

A Grade

The5-Ers (Mikey) 59,Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 51,Underdogs (Graeme) 44, RPM (Matt) 43, Push, Loop, Lob (Jason) 42, KJP (Ken) 34

B Grade

Raluba (Ray) 56, Gerry 50, John 49, Marion 44, Tommy's Crew 41, Warren 33

Results from 8 August were:

A Grade

Smash N Grab 9 KJP 3

Singles wins to Jacqui Wood 3, Zac Cowdrey 2, Malcolm Honour 2. Fantastic match between Zac and Kylie Hurren with Zac taking it 11-6, 9-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8. Malcolm started things off with a 5 set win over Peter Welsh.

Ken Thompsett won two matches for his side and lost to Jacqui in a hard hitting four setter.

Push Loop Lob 9 The 5-Ers 3

Young Juniors Ollie Phipps and Harry Speakman joined Jason Kennedy on two singles wins. Mikey Kamson had to work hard for his three wins, especially his 11-9, 14-16, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9 win over Ollie.

The Underdogs 7 Matt's Team 5

Nathan Cross was undefeated in singles, winning his last match against Rob Honour 9-11, 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-7. There was great support from the tenacious Graeme Jackson with two wins. Fill-in player Warren Haszard won the 6th point for his side.

Rob won his two other matches while Peter Cowdrey was unbeaten in doubles.

B Grade

John's Team 6 (23) Tommy's Crew 6 (22)

This was the only match in B Grade that wasn't affected by illness or injury. Peter Dillon kicked things off with a five set win over Tommy Phipps. John Diamanti joined Peter on two wins, while Cora Wilson won her last singles match.

Tremendous performance from Dennis Burkhart, who ended the night unbeaten in singles and didn't go to five sets in any of them. Yufei Wei was unbeaten in doubles.

Warren's Team  6 (26)    Gerry' Team 6 (18)

Due to injury, Gerry's Team fielded two players and they won six matches. Fletcher Phipps won his three singles, including a close 10-12, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 13-11 win over Bjorn Cowdrey. Ali Pottinger worked hard  for a five set win over Peter Wells.

Bjorn finished the night with a win over Ali.

Raluba 10 Marion's Team 2

Due to illness on the day, Marion's Team had two players. Marion Wood won the two points for her side with wins over Lucy Thom and Barbara Burkhart. She nearly made it three wins, losing out to Ray Zinsli in five sets.

Points

A Grade:

The 5-Ers (Mikey) 50, Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 46, The Underdogs (Graeme) 40, Push, Loop, Lob (Jason) 37, Matt 35, KJP (Ken) 26

B Grade

Raluba (Ray) 46, John 45, Gerry 41, Tommy 37, Marion 35, Warren 30

The latest round of matches last Thursday saw The 5-Ers retain their lead in the A Grade while John's Team came from third to now lead the B Grade competition.

A Grade

The 5-ers 7 Matt's Team 5

Mikey Kamson again had an outstanding performance for his side, winning his three singles and helping his team-mates David Stephens and Esteban Martinez to doubles wins. Mikey's attacking game was on song and his pushing was effective too.

David Stephens beat Peter Cowdrey in four sets and lost to Rob Honour while Esteban beat Rob and lost to Peter. Fill-in player Chris Hood had two wins for Matt's Team with Rob and Peter combining for a doubles win. Interestingly the 6 players originated from four different continents.

Smash N Grab 8 Push, Loop, Lob 4

Jacqui Wood continued her impressive form with three singles wins. Her 12-10,11-6, 15-13  win against Jason Kennedy  was her toughest match with Jason showing good placement  forcing Jacqui to produce some attacking winners.Zac Cowdrey had a good night as well picking up two singles wins and being undefeated in doubles. Malcolm Honour came back from two sets down to beat fill-in player Warren Haszard. Harry Speakman had a good night for his side, with the Under-15 player showing good tactics to beat both Zac and Malcolm in five sets. Jason won a single and combined with Warren for a doubles win.

The Underdogs 6 (22) KJP 6 (21)

The result of the overall contest was in doubt right to the last point as Graeme Jackson and Nathan Cross beat Ken Thompsett and Josh Sim 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 13-11 to win their 6th match and get the bonus point. Earlier, Nathan  was back to his best in singles, keeping things tight before unleashing some rapier-like topspin forehands to win three matches. Graeme won two singles. Hannah Smit, who played well for Marlborough in the Perry Shield a few years back, filled in and showed some good attacking instincts.

Ken gained two wins for his side with Josh and Peter Welsh winning one each. Peter was also undefeated in doubles.

B Grade

John's Team 10  Wazman 2

Peter Dillon shone for John's Team winning his three singles without dropping a set and was also undefeated in doubles. John Diamanti also gained three singles, including a 19-17, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 11-3 win over Marcus Osborne. Under-11 player Cora Wilson played well for two wins, including a five set win over Janice Thompsett. Marcus and Janice accounted for the points for their side, who were playing without Warren Haszard.

Tommy's Crew 7 Raluba 5

The  winners were 5-3 down, before Tommy Phipps, Dennis Burkhart and Yufei Wei won their respective matches to get the team home. Tommy's win was a five setter against the well-performed Ray Zinsli. Tommy ended with three wins, Dennis two and Yufei , one.

Ray won his two remaining singles while Lucy Thom was also a singles winner. Barbara Burkhart showed her prowess as a doubles player, winning both of them.

Gerry's Team 9 Marion's Team 3

Gerry van Kuyk and Supreya Prasertsakda led the way for their side  with 6 wins between them. Their hardest matches came against Fletcher Phipps, who was filling in for Kylie Hurren. Clem Hall got on the scoresheet as well, beating Deanna Diamanti in four sets and winning a double. Fletcher won a single as did Marion  Wood, who also contributed a double with Deanna.

Points

A Grade:

Tbe 5-ers (Mikey) 47, Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 36, The Underdogs (Graeme) 32. Matt 30, Push,Loop, Lob (Jason) 27, KJP (Ken) 23

B Grade

John 38, Gerry 35,  Ray 35, Marion 33, Tommy 31, Warren 23

The fourth round was played last week.

A Grade

RPM beat KJP 7-5

Matt Millar carried on as usual following last week's break, winning his three singles matches without dropping a set. His doubles match with Rob Honour against Ken Thompsett and Josh Sim was a five set thriller with Matt hitting a backhand winner at 8-3 down in the fourth set to claw their way back in the contest before eventually winning by 9-11, 11-7, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8. Rob won a single while Peter Cowdrey played a big part in his team's clean sweep of the doubles. Ken won two singles for his side, but was taken to take  five sets by Rob before winning it 12-10 in the fifth. Josh also won two singles and it was great to see him back after his ankle injury. Fill-in player Esteban Martinez won his last singles match.

The Underdogs 8 Push Loop Lob 4

A good team effort from Nathan Cross, Chris Vincent and fill-in player Chris Hood saw them take the singles 6-3 and the doubles 2-1. Nathan lost to Ollie Phipps in his first match but then played some superb table tennis in his next four matches.In his last match, he beat the well-performed Jason Kennedy with some great angled forehands. Chris Vincent's power game was working well while Chris Hood beat Ollie in five sets in a tactical match. Jason won his two remaining singles  with some well hit down the line forehands.

The enthusiastic Harry Speakman won a doubles with Ollie.

The 5-ers 10  Smash n Grab 2

The regular line up of Mikey Kamson, Billy Hebberd and  David Stephens were up against Malcolm Honour and fill-in players Kylie Hurren and Supreya Prasertsakda. David was involved in two tight setters. Firstly he lost to Kylie Hurren by 11-8, 4-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9 before beating Supreya 11-9 in the fifth.

B Grade

Raluba 9 Gerry's Team 3

Ray Zinsli was in supreme touch for his side with three good wins. Lucy Thom  had a win over Gerry van Kuyk by 6.11, 11-8, 4-11, 12-10, 17-15  in her first match before winning her two remaining singles, Barbra Burkhart won a single and just lost out to grandson Fletcher Phipps in a five set thriller. Another brilliant match was Fletcher and Clem Hall's win in the doubles over Lucy and Barbara by 5-11, 12-10,12-10, 3-11, 14-12. Gerry also got on the board for his side.

Marion's Team 7 John 5

A great performance from Marion Wood, playing at number 1, who won her three singles matches comfortably. Chilean Nicolas Aurtenechea was playing his first match and he came away with two singles wins and two doubles wins. Deanna Diamanti won a vital double with Nicolas against Cora Wilson and Peter Dillon by 11-7,11-6,5-11, 7-11, 11-8. John Diamanti won two singles for his side with Cora and Peter also getting singles wins.

Wazmen 7 Tommy's Crew 5

Warren Haszard led the way with three good  wins. Fill-in player David Smith had a long night , winning a single and taking Tommy Phipps and Dennis Burkhart to five sets. Janice Thompsett won a single and showed once again what a good doubles player she is, winning both doubles. Tommy and Dennis accounted for the five points for their side.

Points

A Grade

The 5-ers (Mikey) 39, Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 27, Underdogs (Graeme) 25. RPM (Matt) 25. Push Loop Lob (Jason) 23, KJP (Ken) 17

B Grade

Raluba (Ray) 30, Marion 30, John 27, Gerry 25, Tommy's Crew 23, Wazmen (Warren) 21

Five matches took place last Thursday , with the A Grade match between The 5-Ers and Ken's team being postponed  due to illness and injury.

A Grade

Smash N Grab beat Underdogs 9-3. Jacqui Wood led the way for her side, being unbeaten in singles and doubles. She had a fascinating clash with Graeme Jackson first up. Graeme showed good tactics to force the match to a decider before Jacqui hit consistent forehands to win the match by 11-5, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5. Malcolm Honour, who has been a revelation at number 3,  played solidly to win a four set match over fill-in player Warren Haszard. He then went on to win his two remaining singles against Graeme and the well performed Chris Vincent. Zac Cowdrey also got on the board. Graeme and Chris accounted for the points for their side.

Push, Loop, Lob beat RPM 23 games to 21 after matches were drawn 6 all. Jason Kennedy won two singles for his side with some impressive forehand hits. He also dominated both of his doubles matches. He nearly made  it three wins, just being edged out by fill-in player Chris Hood,in a five setter. Harry Speakman was impressive, winning a single and a double, taking Chris to five sets and playing a great match against Rob Honour, just going down 14-12, 11-13, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6. Kylie Hurren played a big part , coming from two sets down to beat the tenacious Peter Wells in five sets. Peter was filling in for Peter Cowdrey and showed in his doubles win with Rob why  he was one of the top doubles players over many years, with some consistent returns.

B Grade

Raluba edged out John's team 26 games to 20 after matches were drawn 6 all, Ray Zinsli and Lucy Thom, playing at 1 and 2  for their side, won two singles each and they each gave John Diamanti a hard match with John taking both encounters in the fifth set.

Barbara Burkhart won a single and combined with Lucy for a doubles win.John finished the night when he combined with Cora Wilson for a 10-12, 5-11, 11-9. 12-10, 11-9 wn over Ray and Cora. This gave him five wins from five.Peter Dillon also got on the board.

Tommy's Crew beat Gerry's Team 7-5.

Peter Welsh filled in for Tommy Phipps and won two singles. His third match against Supreya was a close five setter, with Supreya taking it 4-11, 11-2, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8. Dennis Burkhart also went well, winning two singles and both doubles.

Yufei Wei picked up a singles and a doubles win and he nearly made it two wins, being edged out by fill-in player Ali Pottinger by 12-10, 5-11. 11-13, 11-6, 12-10. Supreya won three singles for her side and combined with Clem Hall for a doubles win.

Marion's Team beat Hot Stuff 7-5

Marion Wood, playing at number 1, didn't drop a set in her three singles wins. Fill-in player Luke Moratti was also undefeated in singles and combined with Marion for a doubles win. Luke has been a fill-in player for several teams this season and always puts on a consistent display. For Hot Stuff, Marcus Osborne, Sophia Dillon and Janice Thompsett all got on the board, with Janice also being undefeated in doubles.

Points

 A Grade

Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 25, Push, Loop, Lob (Jason) 19, The 5-ers (Mikey) 18, RPM (Matt) 17,Underdogs (Graeme) 16, Ken 9

Note: The 5-ers and Ken's Teams have played one match less

B Grade

Marion 22, Gerry 22, John 22, Raluba (Ray) 20, Tommy 18, Warren 13

There were some unpredictable results in last week's matches with only 2 of the 12 teams  over both Grades having consecutive wins.

A Grade

5'ers beat Under Dogs 8-4

Mikey Kamson led the way with three wins but he had to work hard to beat Nathan Cross  by 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 in  his first match. This evoked memories of their five set match in the semi-final of the Half-Way Tournament, played two weeks ago.

As in that match, there were many quality rallies. David Stephens is the regular number 3 and put on a  great performance. He beat the stylish Chris Vincent in five sets, cleverly changing the pace on the ball. David played a big part in his side's clean sweep of the doubles.

Chris Hood filled in for Billy Hebberd and managed to get a win against Graeme Jackson, at the third time of asking. Nathan won his two remaining singles while Graeme and Chris Vincent recorded a singles win each.

RPM beat Smash N Grab 24 games to 21 afer matches were drawn 6 all.

Kylie Hurren filled in at number 3 for RPM and had a great night. She beat Zac Cowdrey 7-11, 2-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 in her first match and went on to win both of her doubles matches. She also played a good match against Jacqui Wood, coming from two sets down to lose a five setter. Matt Millar won two singles for his side and was involved in one of the matches of the season, against Jacqui. He took the first set 11-7, before Jacqui won the next three sets by 11-9, 11-8, 13-11. Most of the rallies were spectacular and it is a testament to the skill and fitness of these players that the pace was unrelenting for four sets. Rob Honour beat his father Malcolm and won a double with Kylie. Zac beat Rob and Malcolm beat Kylie to go with Jacqui's three wins

Push, Loop, Lob beat KJP 7-5

Jason Kennedy continued his great form with three singles wins. As usual his matches against Josh Sim and Ken Thompsett were classic five setters. Ken had a match point in the fifth and hit a pretty good crosscourt forehand, before Jason countered off the bounce before getting home 6-11, 12-10, 11-9. 9-11,13-11. Harry Speakman backed him up with singles wins over Josh and Peter Welsh. Harry was also undefeated in doubles. Ken won his two remaining singles for his side. Josh also got on the board as did Peter, who beat fill-in player Rory Osborne, who was on Varsity  holidays.

B Grade

Gerry's Team beat John's Team 7-5

This was a very close contest, especially in the doubles. Gerry van Kuyk and Supreya Prasertsakda, playing at 1 and 2 respectively, won two each for their side. Clem Hall, in his first season of table tennis, won two doubles and took Cora Wilson to five sets.

John Diamanti was in good touch, with three wins. Fill-in player Ali Pottinger joined Cora on one win.

Tommy's Crew beat Marion's Team 7-5

Dennis Burkhart was the standout for his side winning his three singles, including an 11-9, 11-9. 7-11, 8-11, 12-10 win over the consistent Marion Wood. Regular player Yufei Wei won a single and both  doubles while fill-in player Luke Moratti also got on the board.

Marion won her two remaining singles while  fill-in player David Smith did likewise, with one of his wins being by 18-16 in the fifth over Luke.

Raluba beat Hotstuff 8-4

This was a great team performance from Ray Zinsli, Lucy Thom and Barbara Burkhart . Ray won two singles and just missed out in a five setter to Warren Haszard. Lucy also won two singles, including a 13-11, 3-11, 14-12, 7-11, 11-6 win over the well-performed Marcus Osborne, Barbara was as ever reliable at number 3, winning a single and both doubles. Warren was undefeated for his team , with Marcus adding the fourth point.

Points 

A Grade

5'ers (Mikey) 18, Smash N Grab (Jacqui) 15, Under Dogs (Graeme) 13, Push ,Loop, Lob (Jason) 12, RPM (Matt) 11, KJP (Ken) 9

B Grade

Gerry 17, John 16, Marion 14. Raluba 13, Tommy's Crew 10, Hotstuff (Warren) 8

A new competition started last Thursday with twelve teams battling it out in the A and B Grades.

Each of the three matches in the A Grade ended 8-4.

Graeme's team beat RPM . Graeme Jackson and his team-mates Nathan Cross and Chris Vincent won two singles each. The three players have different styles with Graeme playing a solid defensive game interspersed with attacks, Nathan relying on heavy chop and loop while Chris has an  explosive forehand. Matt Millar carried on where he left off from the first round, recording three wins, although he was taken to four sets by Chris. Rob Honour was right in the mix in two of his matches, just  losing  out to Graeme and Chris in five setters.

Mikey Kamson led The 5-ers in their win over Push Loop Lop. Like Matt, Mikey has continued his top form from the first round. Billy Hebberd was in good touch as well, winning two singles. In the first match of the night he had to overcome a big comeback from the ever improving Harry Speakman to get home in the fifth set. Billy came from two sets down  against the in-form Jason Kennedy , before losing in a close fifth set. David Stephens won both of his doubles matches and played a tremendous match against Harry, just losing out by 8-11, 12-10,13-11, 10-12, 11-9. Jason contributed half of his team's points with Ollie Phipps also getting on the board.

Smash N Grab beat KJP.  KJP led 4-2 at one stage before Josh Sim unfortunately crashed into the barricades at a crucial late stage in the fifth set in his match with Jacqui Wood and was unable to continue in that match or play his two remaining matches.

Jacqui won her two remaining matches but was taken to five sets against the heavy loop play of Ken Thompsett. Zac Cowdrey and Malcolm Honour won a single each. For KJP , Ken won two singles, with Josh beating Malcolm in the first match of the night.

Peter Welsh picked up a doubles win with Josh .

In the B Grade, John's Team beat Tommy's team 10-2 .Under-11 player Cora Wilson won her five matches. Her five set singles matches against Tommy Phipps and Fletcher Phipps were very entertaining with Cora coming from two sets to one down to win.

All three juniors just went for their shots, even when the matches got very tight. John Diamanti also won his five matches , but was pushed all the way by Tommy. Peter Dillon won a single and two doubles.

Gerry's Team beat Waz Up Again by 8-4 with three of their points coming in the fifth set. Gerry van Kuyk, playing at number 1, won his three singles as did Supreya Prasertsakda. In the last single of the night, Clem Hall came from two sets down to beat Janice Thompsett.

Warren Haszrad won a single  for his side and pushed Gerry and  Supreya to five sets. Marcus Osborne also got on the board while Janice was unbeaten in doubles.

Marion's Team beat Ralubar 8-4 Kylie Hurren got things started with a close five set win over Ray Zinsli ,winning it with a cross court backhand. She went on to win her remaining matches. Marion Wood was at her tenacious best, picking up two singles wins, Fill-in player Ali Pottinger beat Barbara Burkhart in a long five set tale. Ray won two matches for his side, while Lucy Thom beat Ali in the first match of the night.

Paddle Kings won the A Grade Tarrant Cup last Thursday while PMB took the B Grade Trophy.

Paddle Kings beat The Vets 8-4. This was a play-off for the trophy as these two teams finished 1 and 2 respectively after a round robin competition.

Mikey Kamson was all business as he won his three singles. His toughest match was against Graeme Jackson, who played well with his anti-spin rubber before Mikey prevailed by 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6.

This gave Mikey 20 wins from 21 starts. Jason Kennedy also won his three singles and has been a model of consistency this season. He was down two sets to one against Graeme, but as he has done on several occasions this season, managed to come home in the fifth set. Rob Honour, like the other two players, has played every match this season and attacked well in his matches . He won a vital doubles point with Jason. Fill-in players Chris Vincent and Chris Hood joined Graeme on one win.

Bom Bastic beat Light Switch 8-4 to claim third place. Matt Millar was the class act winning all of his singles and doubles. The spectators were treated to a great match when Matt took on Josh Sim. Matt took it in four sets, but had to concentrate as Josh was smashing confidently. In one particular rally, Josh finished it off with a sidespin forehand. Ollie Phipps has been in top form the last few weeks and started things off with a 12-10, 11-9,6-11,4-11, 11-7 win over Josh. Billy Hebberd just missed out in two five setters but won both of his doubles matches. Zac Cowdrey won two singles for his side with Josh and Nathan Cross winning one each.

In the B Grade, PMB beat Globetrotters 8-4. This was the last round of the eight team competition. Peter Cowdrey and Marion Wood won two singles while Barbara Burkhart won a single and contributed to her team's clean sweep of the doubles.

David Stephens has been the outstanding player in the B Grade this season and he showed why as he won his singles without dropping a set. Supreya Prasertsakda also got on the board.

Waz Up beat Harry's Team 7-5. Unusually all six players were successful in singles, with differing styles of play on view. Warren Haszard won two  singles   including a win over  the well-performed Harry Speakman . Gerry van Kuyk beat fill-in player Fletcher Phipps while Marcus Osborne beat Ray Zinsli in the first match. Harry won his remaining two matches, while Ray beat both Warren and Gerry. Fletcher beat Marcus 2-11,3-11, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10 in the last single of the night.

Waz Up took the doubles 3-0.

Malcolm's Team beat Welsh Warriors 9-3. Under-15 junior  Tommy Phipps led the way with three singles wins, including a win over the opposition number 1, Peter Welsh. Malcolm Honour won two singles, losing his last match in four sets to Peter.

Janice Thompsett played a big part too, winning a four setter over Deana Diamanti and both doubles. Dennis Burkhart also got on the board for Welsh Warriors.

No Hit Sherlock beat Baldy and the Brunettes 7-5. Fill-in player Luke Moratti won his five matches. Luke has filled in many times this season and always puts in a good performance.  David Smith, another fill-in player, won a single and a double as did reguler number three, Peter Dillon.. John Diamanti won two singles and a doubles with Lucy Thom. Lucy  also  played well  in the singles, with one of her two wins coming against Peter by 11-9, 12-10, 16-18.11-7.

Final Points

PMB (Peter Cowdrey) 59, WazUp (Warren) 56, No Hit Sherlock (Kylie) 52, Malcolm 51, Globetrotters (David) 46, Welsh Warriors (Peter Welsh) 37, Harry 32, Baldy and the Brunettes (John) 31

The penultimate matches of the first round saw teams jostle for position in both the A and B Grades.

A Grade

Paddle Kings 8 Light Switch 4

Paddle Kings finished top in the round-robin but the matches were closer than the score suggests, with 4 wins coming in the fifth set, Mikey Kamson was in unstoppable form, with his opponents just averaging over 4 points per game.

Jason Kennedy continued his impressive form with two wins , including a five set win over Nathan Cross. In his last match, he just lost out to Josh Sim by 4-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 13-11. Rob Honour's attacking game was working well as he had five set wins over Josh and Zac Cowdrey. He had a close third match, losing to Nathan in five sets. Zac was undefeated in doubles for his side.

Bom Bastic 9 Vets 3

The winners just failed by one point to get into second place. Ollie Phipps got the team off to a good start with a five set win over fill-in player Chris Hood. Ollie  then came from behind to beat Graeme Jackson by 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9.  He played some confident attacking shots in the last stages of the fifth set. His last match was close, just losing out to fill-in player Chris Vincent in another five setter. Billy Hebberd beat Chris Hood and won a double with Matt Millar. Matt, as usual, was a class act  with five wins.

For Vets, Graeme won a single with the two Chris's winning their doubles match.

On 13 June, Paddle Kings will play Vets for first and second place with the third/ fourth playoff between Bom Bastic and Light Switch.

Points: Paddle Kings (Mikey) 51, Vets (Jacqui) 40, Bom Bastic (Matt) 39, Light Switch (Nathan) 26

B Grade

PMB 9 Baldy and the Brunettes 3

Peter Cowdrey led the way with five wins, including a 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 15-13 over John Diamanti. Tenacious left-hander Marion Wood also had a good night with two singles wins  . Barbara Burkhart had  a great match against  young junior Cora Wilson, winning it by 11-3.5-11,7-11,13-11, 11-8. John Diamanti won his two remaining singles while Lucy Thom beat Barbara in four sets.

Waz-Up 7 No Hit Sherlock 5

The regular line-up of Warren Haszard, Gerry van Kuyk and Marcus Osborne  all won two singles each with Gerry and Marcus combining for a  doubles win.  Regular fill-in player Luke Moratti  again played consistently with two  good wins and he took Warren to four sets in his third match . Another fill-in player David Smith beat Warren  in four sets and won both his doubles matches.

Malcolm 7 Harry 5

There were some intriguing matches between the top two players of each team, as all four players ended up with two singles wins each. Malcolm Honour beat Ray Zinsli and lost to junior Harry Speakman by 5-11, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9. Tommy Phipps, an under-15 player,  beat Harry in four sets and lost to Ray Zinsli by 7-11,11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5. Janice Thompsett  had a good night for Malcolm's team also, picking up a singles win and two doubles wins.

Globetrotters 9 Welsh Warriors 3

David Stephens again impressed for his side with five wins. He had to work hard in his last match, beating Peter Welsh by 8-11, 11-7,6-11, 11-8, 11-5. Supreya Prasertsakda again put in a solid performance with two singles wins and two doubles wins, Yufei Wei, in his first season of table tennis, came away with a singles win and two doubles wins. Peter won his remaining two singles with Dennis Burkhart also getting on the board.

Points:

PDM (Peter Cowdrey) 50, Waz-Up (Warren) 48, No Hit Sherlock (Kylie) 44, Globetrotters (David) 42, Malcolm 41, Welsh Warriors 34, Harry 27, Baldy and the Brunettes (John) 26

After five 6 all draws on 23 May, last Thursday's matches saw wide winning margins.

A Grade

Bom Bastic 9  Lightswitch 3

Matt Millar was, as usual, untouchable in singles and helped his team mates Billy Hebberd and  Ollie Phipps to doubles wins. Billy picked up two singles wins, while Ollie beat the well-performed Nathan Cross 7-11, 11-4, 14-12, 11-8 in the second batch of singles.

He nearly made it two wins, just dipping out to fill-in player Malcolm Honour by 11-9,11-2,9-11, 5-11, 11-9.Nathan and Zac Cowdrey accounted for the other points for their side.

Paddle Kings 9 The Vets 3

Mikey Kamson carried on his impressive form , being unbeaten in singles and doubles. He had to work hard for his singles wins as all of his wins came in the fourth set. Jason Kennedy was reliable as ever at number 2, winning two singles and hitting forehands with confidence. Rob Honour won a single and just missed out against Ken Thompsett by 11-7, 5-11,5-11, 11-9,11-8. Graeme Jackson used his anti-spin rubber well to get two wins for his side. Young junior Harry Speakman filled in for the Vets and went pretty well, hitting some crashing winners. He took  Mikey to four sets, played a five set thriller against Rob and just lost out in the doubles with Ken

B Grade

Malcolm 7   PMB 5

A brilliant performance by Tommy Phipps saw his team home. Firstly he beat Peter Cowdrey in four sets and then went on to beat Barbara Burkhart by 14-12 in the fifth set and lastly he beat the consistent Marion Wood, also in the last set.

Sophia Dillon filled in for Malcolm Honour and came away with two wins including a 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-14, 11-9 win over Peter. Another fill-in player, Fletcher Phipps, played  a big part in the win as well, winning a single in five sets and combining with his brother for a doubles win. Marion won two singles for her side, with Peter being undefeated in doubles.

Globetrotters 10 Harry 2

Chris Vincent filled in for Globetrotters and impressed with his chopping play. Chris played with the pen-hold grip as did his team mates David Stephens and Yufei Wei. David finished with the same record as Chris, being five wins in total. Yufei beat newcomer Ali Pottinger in four sets. Ray Zinsli won a single for his team while Peter Wells, filling in for Harry Speakman, also got on the board.

Warren 9 Baldy and the Brunettes 3

Marcus Osborne, playing at number 3, had a great night winning three singles. Firstly he beat John Diamanti by 10-12, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10 and then beat Lucy Thom 11-9 in the fifth set. Gerry van Kuyk won two singles and two doubles and took John to five sets.

Warren Haszard also won two singles for his side. John was involved in all three points for his side, with two singles wins and a doubles win with Lucy.

No Hit Sherlock 8 Welsh Warriors 4

Kylie Hurren and Esteban Martinez beat Peter Welsh and Dennis Burkhart 11-5, 6-11, 11-6,5-11, 13-11 in the last doubles of the night. Earlier , they had won two singles each for their side. The ever reliable Peter Dillon contributed a singles win and two doubles wins.

Peter Welsh was in good touch for his side winning three singles without dropping a set. Dennis also got on the board. This was Esteban's last match before leaving the province. Gracias por jugar Esteban.

Points

A Grade

Paddle Kings (Mikey) 42, The Vets (Jacqui) 37, Bom Bastic (Matt) 29, Light Switch (Nathan) 22

B Grade

PMB (Peter Cowdrey) 40, Warren 40, No Hit Sherlock (Kylie) 39, Malcolm 33, Globetrotters (David) 32, Welsh Warriors 31, Baldy and the Brunettes (John) 23, Harry 22

Last Thursday saw an unusual occurrence in inter-club.  Five of the six matches ended in a 6 all draw. The sixth match was 8-4 but it was four all at one stage, before the winning team won three five setters.

A Grade

The Vets 8 Light Switch 4

Jacqui Wood, who the day before was named in the New Zealand Women's Team for the Oceania Champs, led the way with three singles wins. Her last match against Nathan Cross was a classic five set affair, with Jacqui taking a two set lead before Nathan forced a decider.

Careful topspin play  saw Jacqui home in the fifth set. Graeme Jackson also had a good night, picking up two singles wins and a doubles win . He had to be at his tenacious best in the singles to get the better of Josh Sim  and Zac Cowdrey in five setters.

Fill-in player Chris Hood won a single and a double. Nathan won his two remaining singles while Josh beat Chris and combined with Zac for a doubles win.

Zac's shotmaking was one of the highlights of the night. At one stage,a ball was hit to his wide forehand and as the ball was dropping, he curved it around the net, down the line.

Bom Bastic 6 (25)      Paddle Kings 6 (22)

This was another great match, which was decided in the last doubles when Matt Millar and Billy Hebberd beat Mikey Kamson  and  Jason Kennedy by 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5.  Earlier Matt had won his three singles, but was put under pressure by Mikey, in  a four setter.

Mikey took the first, before Matt's consistency and retrieving game came to the fore. There were some great rallies as Mikey was top spinning well and hitting hard on the forehand. Billy won a single and took Mikey to five sets.  Ollie Phipps won a single against Rob Honour by 7-11, 13-11, 12-10, 8-11. 13-11. For Paddle Kings, Mikey and Jason won two singles each with Rob being undefeated in doubles.

B Grade

Globetrotters 6 (24)   Baldy and the Brunettes 6 (22)

David Stephens and Supreya Prasertsakda beat John Diamanti and Lucy Thom in five sets in the last doubles to get  a close countback win. Earlier David and Supreya had won two singles each for their side , with Yufei Wei winning a doubles with Supreya.

The last batch of singles was interesting with John beating David by 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10 and Cora Wilson beating Yufei by 8-11, 11-4. 6-11. 11-4. 12-10. Lucy also got on the board  for her side.

PMB 6 (22)   Harry's Team  6 (20)

Peter Cowdrey and Marion Wood won the  last doubles in four sets  over Harry Speakman and Ray Zinsli to get the win on the countback. A clean sweep of the doubles together  with  a singles win each to Peter, Marion and Barbara Burkhart accounted for PMB's points.

Harry was untouchable in the singles, and now has 9 wins from 9 for the season. For such a young player, he has a very reliable forehand attack. Ray Zinsli plays a different type of game, but is very effective. His three wins gives him 8 out of 9.

Warren 6 (21)   Pete's Warriors 6 (18)

Warren Haszard led the way in the singles with two wins. Marcus Osborne picked up a singles win as did newcomer Macy Matzig. Macy also won both of her doubles matches. Peter Welsh had to work hard for his three singles wins, as each opponent took a set from him.

Dennis Burkhart worked hard for his two wins, which included an 8-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-7 win over Marcus.

No Hit Sherlock 6 (24) Malcolm 6 (19)

Peter Dillon , playing at number three, stood out with two singles wins for NHS. Kylie Hurren picked up a win as did fill-in player Luke Moratti, who also won two doubles. Malcolm Honour was undefeated in singles for his side. Tommy Phipps beat Kylie in four sets  as one of his two wins. He lost to the different style of Peter, in his third match. Janiced Thompsett combined well with Malcolm for a doubles win.

Points

A Grade

The Vets (Jacqui) 34, Paddle Kings (Mikey) 32 , Bom Bastic (Matt) 19. Light Switch (Nathan) 19

B Grade

PMB (Peter Cowdrey) 35, Warren 30, No Hit Sherlock (Kylie) 30, Pete's Warriors (Peter Welsh) 27, Malcolm 25, Globetrotters (David) 21, Harry 20, Baldy and the Brunettes (John) 20

There were great individual performances in the third round of inter-club last Thursday.

A Grade

Paddle Kings 9 Light Switch 3

Mikey Kamson won his three singles to make it 9 wins from 9 starts this season. Jason Kennedy, playing at number 2, also won his three singles to give him 7 wins from 9.

The cheerful Rob Honour played a big part in the doubles wins. Rob plays an optimistic attacking game and it can't be that far away that the close five set losses he has had this season, will turn into wins.

Fill-in player Kylie Hurren joined regular Josh Sim and Zac Cowdrey on one win.

The Vets 7 BOM Bastic 5

Jacqui Wood, Ken Thompsett and Graeme Jackson all won two singles for The Vets. Graeme and Ken, who provided some doubles success for Marlborough at the Marlborough Open recently, won the first doubles.

Matt Millar's three singles wins gave him 6 from 6 this season. He also guided Billy Hebberd and Ollie Phipps to five set wins in the doubles.

B Grade

Warren 7 David 5

This match was decided in the last doubles with Warren Haszard and Gerry van Kuyk beating David Stephens and Supreya Prasertsakda 11-5,11-6,9-11, 11-13, 11-9.

Earlier Warren recorded two wins with Gerry and Marcus Osborne, one each.

David was again in outstanding singles form, but had to work hard to beat Gerry in four sets. Supreya nearly joined him on three wins, just losing out to Warren by 13-11 in the fifth set.

Yufei Wei, a first time player, is improving with every outing.

Malcolm 6 (24 games)   Baldy and the Brunettes 6 (23 games)

A tremendous display by Malcolm Honour in the  singles saw his side just get the win by one game, after matches were drawn 6  all. Tommy Phipps won his last match against Lucy Thom in four sets  and combined with Janice Thompsett for a five set win in the doubles.

John Diamanti won two matches for  his side as did under-11 player Cora Wilson , who came from behind in both matches, to get  two five set wins. Lucy also got on the board.

PMB 9  Kylie's Team 3

Marion Wood had a brilliant night for PMB. Firstly, her opponents couldn't get to grips with her backspin shots in the singles and she followed that up with two singles wins. Peter Cowdrey had a good night, with two wins and just missed out to Luke Moratti in a five set thriller in his last match. Barbara Burkhart helped her team to a clean sweep of the doubles, Kylie's team were without regulars Kylie Hurren and Esteban Martinez. Luke won two from three while  regular Peter Dillon also got on the board.

Welsh Warriors 7 Harry 5

Peter Welsh in his first match of the season, came away with two wins with Dennis Burkhart and Peter Wells  winning a single each. Peter,  who plays with anti-spin rubber, also gave opposition number 1 Harry Speakman a hard match, just going down in four sets,

Harry finished the night unbeaten in singles, with Ray Zinsli backing him up with two wins.

Points:

A Grade: Paddle Kings (Mikey) 26, The Vets (Jacqui) 25, Light Switch (Nathan) 15, Matt 12

B Grade:PMB (Peter Cowdrey) 28, Kylie 23, Warren 23, Welsh Warriors (Peter Welsh) 21, Malcolm 19, Harry 14, David 14, Baldy and The Brunettes (John) 14

Leading players:

A Grade: M Kamson 9 wins/ 9 matches   M. Millar 6/6,  J. Wood 7/9, J Kennedy 7/9, G Jackson 6/9. K. Thompsett 5/9. J. Sim 4/9

B Grade: H. Speakman 6/6, M. Wood 8/9, M. Honour 8/9, D. Stephens 8/9, R. Zinsli 5/6, W.Haszard 6/9,  G. van Kuyk 6/9

The second round was played last Tuesday with some great performance in both Grades

A Grade

Vets 6 (29 games)   bt Paddle Kings 6 (25 games)

This was a great contest  lasting four hours.  Jacqui Wood had to work to get her  two singles wins, one of which was against Rob Honour in a five set topspin battle. Graeme Jackson knows his game like the back of his hand , and he also came away with two wins. 

He never gives up and always seems to have shot options. Ken Thompsett won a single and combined with Graeme for a doubles win.

Mikey Kamson was in top form with his attacking game and he had to be , as he was taken to five sets by Jacqui and Graeme. Mikey also won two doubles.

Jason Kennedy was two sets  down against Ken, but came through 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-7.

Light Switch 8 Matt's Team 4

The power was definitely on for the winners as Nathan Cross, Josh Sim and Zac Cowdrey all won two singles. Zac had some tough matches, being two sets down against both Billy Hebberd  and Ollie Phipps, before prevailing in five.

Matt Millar, playing in his first inter-club match this season, was in unstoppable form, with his opponents only reaching a maximum of 7 points in one set. Their fourth point came from a doubles win by Matt and Ollie.

B Grade

Malcolm's Team 8 David's Team 4

This was a tremendous contest, with the last three matches  all going to a fifth set.Malcolm Honour led the way with three wins. His last match against pen-holder David Stephens was a classic five setter, with Malcolm winning it by 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-7.

Tommy Phipps also had a good night, picking up two singles wins and being unbeaten in doubles. One of those wins came against the well performed Supreya Prasertsakda. Fill-in player Fletcher Phipps played a big part too, winning a single over Yufei Wei by 7-11,15-13, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8. David won his remaining two singles and a doubles with Yufei while Supreya also got on the board.

PMB 7 WGM 5

WGM took the singles 5-4, but a clean sweep of the doubles, led by Barbara Burkhart, saw PMB get the win. There were a lot of unpredictable results in the singles, Peter Cowdrey beat Warren Haszard and lost to Gerry van Kuyk while Marion Wood beat Gerry and  lost to Warren. Marcus Osborne won  a single for Warren's Team.

Peter Welsh's Team 9 Baldy and the Brunettes 3

The winning team had a combined age of 215. Chris Hood filled in for Peter Welsh. Dennis Burkhart picked up two singles wins and both doubles. Peter Wells won a single and was  also  undefeated in doubles. 

John Diamanti won two singles for his side, with Lucy Thom beating Peter. The match between Peter Wells and Cora Wilson featured the oldest and youngest players, playing inter-club,

Kylie's Team 11 (5 by default)   Harry's Team 1

Of the matches actually played on the table, Kylie Hurren and Luke Moratti win two from two and Peter Dillon, one. from two.  Fill-in player Macey Matzig won the point for her team.

Points

A Grade: Vets 17, Paddle Kings 16, Light Switch 12, Matt  7

B Grade:Kylie 20, PMB 18, WGM 15, P Welsh 13, Malcolm 12, David 9, Harry 9, John  8

The first round of matches in the A and B Grades were held last Thursday

A Grade

Jacqui's Team 9 - Light Switch 3

Jacqui Wood led the way with three singles wins. Nathan Cross and Zac Cowdrey put her under pressure in the first sets of their matches before Jacqui started looping consistently to get the wins.

Ken Thompsett gained two singles wins, including an 11-5,12-10,7-11,14-16,12-10 win over Josh Sim. It looked like Ken would take it in the fourth set, but as usual Josh fought back and saved a match point in the fourth set with a brilliant cross-court forehand.

The fifth set went point for point for a very close finish.

Graeme Jackson had a long night with two setters. Firstly he got home against Nathan before losing out to Josh 12-10 in the fifth. Interestingly, both players won 45 points.

In addition to Josh's win, their team's points came from a singles win to Nathan and a doubles win to Nathan and Zac.

Paddle Kings 9 - Matt Millar's Team 3

Mikey Kamson won five matches for his side. Due to the varying styles of his opponents, he had to adapt his own game accordingly. He hit some powerful forehands and in the doubles, played some great shots down the line.

Jason Kennedy also won his three singles, including two five setters. In his second match he beat top junior Ollie Phipps by 11-8,10-12,10-12,11-7,11-8. Ollie led in the fifth set before Jason attacked confidently to get the win.

Rob Honour won a double with Mikey and just lost out in a five setter to Billy Hebberd.

Chris Hood, filling in for Matt Millar, won a single with the team's third point coming from a doubles win to Billy and Ollie.

B Grade

Harry's Team 7 - Baldy and the Brunettes 5

Harry Speakman showed why he will be hard to beat in this grade as he won his three singles, including a four set win over the well performed John Diamanti. Harry, an under-15 junior, has a great range of shots for such a young player.

The consistent Ray Zinsli showed good ball control to also record three wins and didn't drop a set in the process.

Newcomer Clem Hall beat Under-11 player Cora Wilson by 8-11, 12-10,11-7,4-11,11-5 in the last single of the night.

For Baldy and the Brunettes, John and Lucy Thom won a single while Cora contributed to the team's clean sweep of the doubles.

Kylie's Team 7 - David's Team 5

Esteban Martinez won two singles for Kylie's Team, which included a 13-15, 11-7, 6-11, 11-2, 11-7 win over Supreya Prasertsakda. Supreya had earlier beaten the consistent Kylie Hurren in a five set match

Kylie and Peter Dillon won a single each with their side taking the doubles 3-0.

David Stephens is a very good player and he had three comfortable singles wins to complement Supreya's two wins.

The father and son combination of Yufei Wei and Shenglin Wei played in their first competitive match for David's  team.

Warren's Team 9 - Malcolm's Team 3

Gerry van Kuyk's backhand game was in good working order as he won three singles for his side. In his second match, he beat the well-performed Malcolm Honour by 6-11, 11-9,11-5,9-11, 11-8.

Warren Haszard backed him up with two wins, but had to work hard to beat Tommy Phipps in four sets.

Marcus Osborne was undefeated in doubles and picked up a singles win.

Malcolm won his two remaining matches while Tommy beat Marcus for the team's third point

PMB 9 - Welsh's Warriors  3

Peter Cowdrey and Marion Wood were undefeated for their side. Barbara Burkhart backed their efforts up with a singles and doubles win. Peter Welsh and Dennis Burkhart were unavailable for Welsh's Warriors. Fill-in players David Smith and Sophia Dillon won a single each with David combining with Peter Wells for a doubles win.