Interclub 2022

Last Thursday's A Grade Final produced the closest ever finish as the title wasn't decided until the very last point of the doubles.

At 10.45pm, after four hours of action, Wazza's Boyz number two Rory Osborne cracked home a winner to give him and his partner Nathan Watson a 9-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 win over Shitvers' Alex Kennedy and Billy Hebberd.

This gave Wazza's Boyz the win by 7-5. The scoreline doesn't go anywhere to describe the overall contest, which had more twists and turns than a Hitchcock thriller.

At one stage, Shitvers led by 5-1, before the comeback started. Nathan won his three singles and again had a riveting match against Alex. Nathan took it in four but such was the skill level of these two players, it was only one point here and there that made the difference.

Rory beat Billy in four sets in a very open match with both players straight into attacking mode. Warren Haszard won the sixth point for his side when he beat John Diamanti 6-11, 16-14, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8. This match could have gone either way but in the fifth set Warren started to find his range with his backhand to get a very close win. Alex won two singles for his side, while Billy beat Warren in four sets and John beat Rory also in four sets.

The points were Wazza's Boyz 438, Shitvers 437!!

Mavericks finished in third when they beat Ken plus 2 by 24 games to 21 after matches were drawn 6 all. Jason Kennedy won two singles and kicked things off with a win over Ken Thompsett by 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-8. Zac Cowdrey and Josh Smith won a single each with their team winning the doubles 2-1. Michael Kamson. filling in for Matthias Kronert, won his three singles but as in their last match, was taken to five by Zac. Ken won two singles just getting home against Zac and Josh i more five setters.

The B Grade Section 1 final was more clear cut, with Malcolm's Team beating PDP 9-3. Marion Wood, as she has done all season, played consistently to record three wins, including a four set win over Peter Cowdrey. Malcolm Honour gained two wins and just lost out to Peter by 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10. Sophia Dillon rounded things off with a five set win over her dad, Peter, in the last single of the night. David Smith got on the board for PDP, complementing Peter's two wins.

What If won Section 2 the B Grade with a 9-3 win over Gerry's Team. Regular Ray Zinsli won his three singles from the number two position. David Foley filled in for Peter Welsh and also won his three singles, showing good technique to keep the ball tight.

Fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey was good value in the doubles. Ray Herd and Marcus Osborne joined Gerry van Kuyk on one win.

In a B Grade crossover match, Kylie's Crooks beat Steve's Team 25 games to 23 after matches were drawn 6 all. Kylie Hurren won her three singles, giving her 22 wins from 24 matches in the B Grade. Dennis Burkhart won two singles and was very close to getting a third, losing 11-9 in the fifth to Steve Rowsell. Young Tommy Phipps got some vital sets in his matches. Peter Wells and Barbara Burkhart backed Steve up, with a win each and doubles success.

This season, as in past seasons, has shown that table tennis is a game for everyone as players in the competition were aged from 12 to 80.

Write up to come :)

Last Thursday saw the last of the A Grade round robin matches while the B Grade saw the first round of the play-offs,

Ken plus Two finished the A Grade round-robin in first, following a count back win  over Mavericks by 26 games to 25  after matches were drawn 6  all.

Michael Kamson, filled in for Matthias Kronert, and won his three singles, but had to work really hard to beat Zac Cowdrey and Josh Sim, both in five sets. In his match against Josh, there were quality rallies throughout, with Michael saving match points with some positive shots to finally win it by 5-11, 13-11, 8-11, 14-12, 13-11. Ken Thompsett beat Zac and combined with Michael to win the last doubles, again in five sets. Drew Materoa, an under-15 junior, won a doubles with Michael.  Drew is improving all the time  and pushed his three opponents very hard in the singles. Josh and Jason Kennedy won two singles each for their side and paired for a doubles win.

Wazza's Boys beat Shitvers 7-5. Nathan Watson  and Rory Osborne won two singles each. Rory came back from two sets down to beat fill-in player Chris Hood by 8-11, 14-16, 11-3, 11-9, 11-9. Warren Haszard beat John Diamanti to give his team seven points.

Warren was  unbeaten in his doubles matches. Alex Kennedy won his three singles, including a four set win over  Rory which featured forehand to forehand rallies. Alex served well in his matches and virtually didn't miss an opportunity  to open up early.

In Section 1 of the B Grade, Malcolm's Team beat Kylie's Crooks by 23 games to 21 after matches were drawn 6 all. Malcolm Honour won two matches for his side and played a great match with the Marlborough Closed champion, Kylie Hurren, just losing by 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-7. Marion Wood again gave a consistent performance  to win two singles.  Marlborough's top two juniors, Sophia Dillon and Tilly Watts, played the last singles match, with Sophia winning it by 9-11, 11-6,11-6, 11-13, 14-12 to win the sixth point for her side.

Kylie was unbeaten in singles for her team with Dennis Burkhart winning a single and two doubles.

In Section 2, What If beat Steve's Team by 10-2. The scoreline doesn't really reflect the closeness of some of the matches. Peter Welsh and Ray Zinsli won three singles each and fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey, one. Bjorn has helped the competition run smoothly as he has filled in on many occasions. Steve Rowsell won a single while Barbara Burkhart  played aggressively to beat Bjorn by 11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10.

In the cross over match, PDP from Section 1 just edged out Gerry's  Pirates by 25 games to 22, with each team winning 6 matches. Peter Cowdrey showed some good technique with his attacking shots  to get three wins for his side. David Smith won a  single and two doubles. Gerry van Kuyk won two singles but had to stop a comeback from David, to win it in five sets. The hard hitting Marcus Osborne did well to win two singles from the number three position while junior Oliver Phipps also got on the board.

Points

A Grade Round Robin Final.

Ken plus Two (Matthias) 45, Wazza's Boyz (Nathan) 39, Mavericks (Zac) 38, Shitvers (Alex) 34.

The semi-finals are this week

A Grade

Wazza's Boyz beat 7 Mavericks 5

(Nathan Watson 3,  Rory Osborne 3, 1 double)

(Zac Cowdrey 1, Josh Sim 1, Jason Kennedy 1, 2 doubles)

Rory had an outstanding performance. He started off with a five set win over Zac and showed great timing with his attacking shots,

Ken plus 2 beat  7 Shitvers 5

(Matthias Kronert 3, Ken Thompsett 2, Drew Materoa 1, 1 doubles)

(Alex Kennedy 2, Billy Hebberd 1, 2 doubles)

Ken plus 2 took the last batch of singles 3-0. Ken beat Billy in four sets. Matthias came from two sets down to beat Alex Kennedy. Drew Materoa overcame a strong come back from John Diamanti to get home in five.

B Grade

Malcolm's Team 8   Gerry's Pirates 4

(Malcolm Honour 3, Marion Wood 2, 3 doubles)

(Gerry van Kuyk 2, Ray Herd (fill-in) 1, Marcus Osborne 1)

Marion came close to three wins. She just lost out to Gerry 12-10 in the  fifth set. Sophia Dillon won both doubles.

PDP 6 (25) beat Kylie's Crooks 6 (22)

(Peter Cowdrey 2, David Smith 2, 2 doubles)

(Kylie Hurren 3, Dennis Burkhart 1, Harry Speakman (fill-in) 1, 1 double).

The last four matches all went to five sets. David beat Dennis, Kylie came from 2-1 down to beat Peter  and under-13 junior Harry Speakman did likewise against Peter Dillon.

What If 6 (20) beat Steve'sTeam 6 (19)

(Peter Welsh 2, Ray Zinsli 3, 1 double)

(Steve Rowsell 2, Peter Wells 1, Bjorn Cowdrey (fill-in) 1, 2 doubles)

Peter and Ray won the last double 3-0 to get the win.

B Grade points

PDP (Peter Cowdrey) 43, Malcolm 41, Kylie's Crooks 35, Gerry's Pirates 27, What If (Peter Welsh) 27, Steve 22.

The first three teams go into Section 1  with teams 4-6 go into Section 2

There were five close matches in the latest round of  Thursday's interclub matches.

In the A Grade, Wazza's Boyz beat Ken plus 2 by 7-5. Nathan Watson  was in great touch, winning his three singles without dropping a set. In a tight third set against Ken Thompsett, he played a tremendous cross court forehand after Ken had flicked the serve.

Rory Osborne won two singles, including a 6-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 over Ken. Late In the fifth set, Rory just went for his shots to win a very close match. Warren Haszard combined  with Nathan  for their fourth consecutive doubles win.

Matthias Kronert won two singles for his side with Ken and Drew Materoa also winning singles matches.

Shitvers were down 5-6 and 19 games to 21 against Mavericks before Alex Kennedy and Billy Hebberd beat Zac Cowdrey and Jason Kennedy 12-10,12-10, 11-3 in the last match to get the win. Earlier Alex had won his three singles and as he has done all season, was hitting winners through sheer technique and timing. Billy Hebberd played three enthralling singles  and was awarded with a four set win over Jason. He just lost out to Zac in five sets. John Diamanti won a vital five set doubles match with Alex.

Josh Sim joined Zac on two wins. Week in, week out; Josh gives everything in his matches and covers a lot of the court as well. Jason also got on the board for his team.

In the B Grade, PDP beat What if by 7-5. Peter Cowdrey playing at number one won two singles and showed good topspin technique. David Smith worked hard and was rewarded with two wins, including a five set victory over Ray Zinsli. Peter Dillon won a single and two doubles. Peter Welsh was unbeaten in singles for his side, giving him 11 wins from 12 starts in the B Grade. Ray won a single and a doubles with Peter.

Steve's Team beat Gerry's Team 23 games to 22 after matches were drawn 6 all. Steve Rowsell won his three singles and combined with Ray Herd for a four set win in the last match. Ray  filled in for Peter Wells and won a single and both doubles.

Barbara Burkhart won a doubles with Ray to get a crucial point for their side. Gerry van Kuyk and young  junior Oliver Phipps won  two singles each with Marcus Osborne winning one.

Malcolm Honour led the way as his side beat Kylie's Crooks by 7-5. He had to work hard to get the better of Kylie Hurren by 11-9 in the fifth set. Marion Wood again was consistent at number two, picking up two wins and taking Kylie to a deciding set. Marion joined with fellow left-hander Sophia Dillon for a win  in the doubles. Kylie gained two wins for her team with Dennis Burkhart and fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey also getting on the board.

Top performers in the B Grade are Peter Welsh, Malcolm Honour and Kylie Hurren, all with 11 wins from 12 matches.

Points

A Grade

Ken plus 2 (Matthias) 30

Mavericks (Zac) 27

Shitvers (Alex) 24

Wazza's Boyz (Nathan) 23

B Grade

PDP (Peter Cowdrey) 36

Malcolm 32

Kylie's Crooks 29

Gerry's Pirates 23

What If (Peter Welsh) 20

Steve 16

The third round of matches last week saw the leading teams win.

In the A Grade, Ken plus 2 beat Mavericks 7-5. Matthias Kronert won his three singles matches including a four set win against  Josh Sim. This was a tremendous match with Matthias firing off forehand and backhand topspins with Josh getting returns from all over the court.

Fill-in player Nathan Cross was involved in some long matches. He just managed to beat  Jason Kennedy 11-9 in the fifth after Jason had come back from two sets down, before losing to Josh , also in five sets.

Rob Honour was another fill-in player and although this was Rob's only second competition match this season, he took Zac Cowdrey to five sets and won a doubles with Matthias.

Shitvers (stet) beat Wazza's Boyz 7-5. Interestingly every player  won a single. Alex Kennedy led the way with three wins. He hardly missed a forehand all night and some of his off the bounce forehands hit the back wall like a tracer bullet.Billy Hebberd started things off with a win over Warren Haszard. John Diamanti played to his strengths as he beat Rory Osborne 11-6, 4-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8. In his next match, Rory beat Billy in five sets.Rory was 2-1 down in sets  but kept on attacking to  get the win.  Warren was two sets up against John, before John levelled at 2 all.  Warren then produced some steady play to get home in the fifth. Nathan Watson won two singles and a doubles for Wazza's Boyz.

In the B Grade, PDP have now hit the lead following an 11-1 win over Steve's team. Peter Cowdrey won his three singles, all in the fourth set. David Smith also had a good night, beating unbeaten in singles. He did well   to stop a determined comeback from David Foley, who was filling in for Steve Rowsell. Peter Dillon showed good concentration to beat Peter Wells in five sets and followed that up with a five set win over Barbara Burkhart. In the latter match, both players scored 58 points.

Malcolm's Team beat What If 24 games to 21 after matches were drawn 6 all. At one stage it was 5-3 to What If before Marion Wood beat Ray Zinsli in five sets to make it 5-4.  It was then 6-4 as Malcolm Honour then lost to the outstanding  Peter Welsh .

Sophia Dillon beat fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey  in four sets before Malcolm and Marion won the last doubles . Peter Welsh won his singles, all in straight sets. Bjorn picked up two wins in the doubles.

In another close finish, Kylie's Crooks came away with the loot as they beat Gerry's Pirates 25 games to 23 after matches were drawn 6 all. Kylie Hurren and Dennis Burkhart beat Gerry van Kuyk and Oliver Phipps in five sets in the last match of the night.

Earlier Kylie had won her three singles but took five sets to overcome the tricky play of Gerry. Earlier Gerry had beaten Dennis, also in five sets. Oliver and Marcus Osborne also got on the board for their side.

Points

A Grade

Ken plus 2 (Matthias) 25

Mavericks (Zac) 21

Shitvers (Alex) 17

Wazza's Boyz (Nathan) 15

B Grade

PDP (Peter Cowdrey) 28

Kylie's Crooks 24

Malcolm 24

Gerry's Pirates 17

What If (Peter Welsh) 15

Steve 9

The second round of matches were played last Thursday.

In the A Grade, Matthias Kronert and Ken Thompsett won two matches each as their side beat Alex  Kennedy's team by 8-4. Rob Honour filled in at number 3 and in the last singles match of the night beat John Diamanti 6-11, 9-11, 13-11, 14-12, 11-9.

It was good to see Rob back playing as he was unavailable for the first half of the season. Alex again was in good touch, winning his three matches without the loss of a set. He applies the topspin quickly and  is very rarely out of position.

Billy Hebberd also got on the board for Alex's side.

Mavericks beat Wazza's Boys by 7-5. As in last week's match , the three Maverick's players all won two singles , with Josh Sim back in the side joining Zac Cowdrey and Jason Kennedy. Nathan Watson won his three singles comfortably but had  some tremendous rallies against Josh . One in particular , saw Nathan having to play sidespin smashes to try and get Josh out of position as the ball just kept coming back from all areas of the court. Nathan won his doubles matches with Rory Osborne and Warren Haszard.Interestingly, each of those matches had the same amount of points-88.

In the B Grade, Malcolm's team  beat Steve's team 9-3. Malcolm Honour was in great touch , making good decisions as to when to use his anti-spin rubber. Marion Wood joined him with three wins, but had a very close win against Steve Rowsell by 11-8, 5-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-3. Sophia Dillon  showed great patience and tenacity to come from two sets down to beat Peter Wells. Sophia had a big lead in the fifth set, before Peter mounted a comeback and just lost out to a forehand winner from Sophia. In another entertaining match, Barbara Burkhart beat Sophia in five sets.

Kylie Hurren led the way as Kylie's Cooks beat What If by 8-4.  Kylie's trademark backhand drive was in good working order for the whole night. Dennis Burkhart played well to get two wins and lost out in a five setter to Peter Welsh in his  third singles.

Tilly Watts won a single and two doubles. Peter Welsh won two matches for What If with Ray Zinsli also getting on the board, but only after a close five set win over Tilly.

Peter Cowdrey's team beat Gerry's team 9-3. It looked convincing but the score at one stage was 5-3 , with Peter's team winning the last three singles, all in the fifth set. David Smith led the way with three wins with Peter getting two . Peter Dillon beat Harry Speakman 11-7, 9-11,11-9, 4-11,11-9 in the last singles. Harry is an under-13 player and plays with such enthusiasm and puts into practice what he learns at coaching. Promising junior, Oliver Phipps won two singles ,including a five set win over Peter Cowdrey. Gerry van Kuyk got the third point for his side.

Points

A Grade

Matthias 17

Mavericks (Zac) 16

Wazza's Boys (Nathan) 10

Alex 9

B Grade

Kylie's Cooks 17

Malcolm 17

Peter Cowdrey 16

Gerry 11

What If (Peter Welsh ) 9

Steve 8

The second round of the competition started last Thursday with 4 teams in the A Grade and 6 in The B Grade.

Matthias Krönert led the way as his side beat Nathan Watson's team 7-5. Matthias won three singles including a 9-11, 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8 over Nathan. Ken Thompsett won two singles and a doubles with Drew Materoa. Ken is one of the hardest hitters in local table tennis but also can play controlled defence. Drew, who attended the South island Junior Training Camp  last week, beat Warren Haszard in the last single of the night displaying some good looping technique.

Nathan won two singles for his side while Rory Osborne had to work hard to get his win , by 11-8, 5-11, 13-15, 11-5, 11-8 , over Drew. Warren won a doubles with Nathan.

Mavericks beat Alex Kennedy's team by 7-5, with Zac Cowdrey, Nathan Cross and Jason Kennedy all winning two singles. Zac hit some great topspin winners in his matches while Jason played his normal thoughtful game, showing good placement  coupled with some powerful hits. Nathan filled in for Josh Sim and impressed with his forehand topspins. Alex won three singles for his side, without dropping a set. Alex's game  was working well and  he hit some great winners through sheer technique and timing.

Alex combined with John Diamanti for a 4-11, 11-4, 11-6, 3-11, 12-10 win over Zac and Jason and finished the night off with a doubles win with Billy Hebberd.

In The B Grade, Malcolm's team beat PC's team 24 games to 23 after matches were drawn 6 all. Nine of the matches went past the third set. Malcolm Honour won three singles for his side. Marion Wood gave good support with two wins.

Sophia Dillon won a doubles with Marion. Peter Cowdrey gained two wins for his side with David Smith and Peter Dillon winning one each. In the last single  of the night Peter beat Sophia 11-6,5-11, 10-12. 11-7, 11-8, reversing their result of the first round.

The contest between What If and Gerry's team  went down to the last match . With the match score at 6-5 and 20 all , Gerry van Kuyk and Oliver Phipps beat Peter Welsh and Ray Zinsli 6-11, 14-12, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 to get the win.

Earlier, Gerry had won two singles with Oliver and Marcus Osborne winning one each. Marcus was also unbeaten in doubles. Peter Welsh won his three singles without dropping a set. Ray won two singles, his second being an 11-9, 6-11,  5-11, 11-5, 11-8 win over Oliver.

Ray showed some great blocking technique against Oliver's topspins.

Kylie's Cooks beat Steve's Team 7-5. Kylie Hurren and Dennis Burkhart accounted for the seven points for their side, winning three singles each and combining for a five set doubles win over Steve Rowsell and Peter Wells.

Steve and  Peter win a single each. Peter had to use all his experience to just beat Tilly  Watts by 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7. Barbara Burkhart won a single and two doubles.

Points

A Grade

Mavericks (Zac) 8

Matthias 8

Nathan 5

Alex 5

B Grade

Gerry 8

Kylie's Cooks 8

Malcolm 7

PC (Peter Cowdrey) 6

What If (Peter Welsh) 5

Steve 5

It is a busy few weeks coming up for local table tennis enthusiasts. There is the Marlborough A Team (6 men, 6 women) playing against Nelson in Nelson on 6 August for the Perry Shield. On 7 August, Marlborough  hosts  Nelson when the B Teams play for the Couper Shield. The Senior Events of the Marlborough Closed will be played on 20 August.

The A Grade Tarrant Cup competition  started on 5 May and the destination of the Cup wasn't known until 9.45pm last Thursday when the final  ball of the first round was hit.

If Only We Knew are the champions following a nail-biting 7-5 victory over The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Going into the last doubles, IOWK were 6-5  and 22 games to 21 up and needed the win to avoid a tie with The Purple Potatoes.

At 10-9 in the deciding set following a tense pushing rally, Ken Thompsett hit a forehand loop which was unreturned to give his side the win by 6-11, 10-12, 11-2, 11-7, 11-9 and the title. Earlier Ken had won two singles and Warren Haszard, one.

Neil Stanford also won a single and played a big part in his team's clean sweep of the doubles, which were all  won in the fifth set. Jason Kennedy was unbeaten in singles and displayed some great service placement. He also showed an ability to hit winners into the bodies of his opponents. Newcomer Ross Goodall picked up two singles wins.

The Purple Potatoes beat We'll Get the Next One by 8-4 to finish one point behind. Nathan Watson won two singles as did Drew Materoa.   Nathan's match against Alex Kennedy was another quality affair with Alex taking it  by 11-8, 4-11,12-10, 5-11, 11-7.

In the latter stages of  a tight fifth set, Alex hit a brilliant cross-court winner and managed to keep  Nathan  away from the table, to win a close match. These two players have been serving up some great entertainment  ever since  Nathan came into the province in 2017.

It was another remarkable performance from Drew, who still has another year in the Under-15 ranks. He finished the first round with 10 singles wins from 24 and 10 doubles wins from 16 starts. Fill-in player David Smith picked up a singles win and two doubles.

Peter Cowdrey  won a single to complement Alex's three wins.

Barbara Burkhart played a big part in Matt's Mob's 9-3 win over The Honourable Wood Watts. Barbara had a great match with promising junior, Tilly Watts. Barbara took the first two sets 11-5,11-6 and had a match point in the third, before Tilly took that set by 13-11 and the next set 12-10. Barbara gained an early lead in the fifth and won the match with a cross-court forehand. Matt Millar was again in great touch and didn't lose a set in his singles matches. John Diamanti won two singles with another consistent performance.

Fill-In player Nathan Cross accounted for two of his side's points with Malcolm Honour also gaining a win.

The Doggies beat Zac's Team by 24 games to 20 after matches were drawn 6 all. Josh Sim won two singles and had a good match with Zac Cowdrey . After many topspin rallies, Zac got home by 10-12, 11-8,12-10,3-11, 11-8. Peter Welsh also won two singles and both of his doubles. Oliver Phipps won a single and took sets from Zac and Marion Wood. In the last single of the night, Peter Wells  beat Oliver.  There were some consistent topspins from Oliver while Peter hardly missed a ball, hitting into the corners and even managed a couple of chop smashes. Marion also got on the board for her side.

Rory Osborne was outstanding in his side's 8-4 win over Forest Gump , who were without Nikki Jacobson. Rory lost the first two sets against Billy Hebberd before putting more spin on his forehand drives to win by 9-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6. Gerry van Kuyk found some great angles to win two singles. Dennis Burkhart started things off with a four set win over fill-in player Steve Rowsell. Billy won his two remaining singles for his team, while Ray Zinsli won a single and a double.

Fill-in players played a virtual role throughout the first round, ensuring full teams,  with Bjorn Cowdrey and David Smith filling in five times and Nathan Cross, four times

Final points:

IOWK (Ken) 70

TPP (Nathan) 69

Matt's Mob 67

Forest Gump (Billy) 62

THWW (Jacqui) 60

Zac 54

Rory's Hurricanes 53

The Doggies (Josh) 51

THTBaTU (Jason) 51

WGTNO (Alex) 48

Leading Singles players were

Alex Kennedy 24 wins/ 24 starts

Nathan Watson 26/27

Matt Millar 22/24

Jacqui Wood 19/21

Zac Cowdrey 21/24

Josh Sim 20/24

Ken Thompsett 20/27

Jason Kennedy 15/21

Rory Osborne 19/27

Billy Hebberd 18/27

John Diamanti 18/27

Warren Haszard 18/27

Nikki Jacobson 10/18

Ross Goodall 12/24

Peter Welsh 13/27.

The competition splits into A and B Grades on 28 July. There is still table tennis on for the three preceding Thursdays.

The finishing line is in sight, with the penultimate round of matches last Thursday setting up an intriguing last round  for the A Grade Tarrant Cup Trophy.

In a top of the table clash, If Only  We Knew beat Forest  Gump 8-4. For the past seven weeks, Ken Thompsett and  Warren Haszard have been winning at least two singles per night. In this match, they both came away with three singles wins, to give Ken 18 wins from 24 and Warren 17/24. Ken started off with a close five set win over Nikki Jacobson. Nikki was two sets down before getting back into the match with some great blocking. Ken hit some strong forehands in the deciding set, to just get home.

Warren has hit top form recently and impressed in his win over the well performed Billy Hebberd with some controlled blocking and angled shots . Fill-in player Steve Rowsell won a single and a doubles.

Billy and Ray Zinsli won a single each  for their side, with Nikki being undefeated in doubles.

The Purple Potatoes are back in contention with an 8-4 win over The Doggies. Sophia Dillon, playing her first match for several weeks, played a vital role winning doubles with Nathan Watson and Drew Materoa, both in the fifth set. Nathan had earlier won his three singles in impressive style.  Drew continued to show rapid improvement as he picked up two singles wins and two doubles wins. He displays  calmness on the table and has a wide array of shots. Josh Sim won two singles for his side, giving him 18/21 for the season. His only losses have come against three of the top four men in the province. Peter Welsh and Oliver Phipps also got on the scoresheet.

The Honourable Wood Watts beat Rory's Hurricanes 9-3 with four of the points coming in the fifth set of matches. Regulars Malcolm Honour and Tilly Watts were joined by fill-in player Chris Hood. Malcolm won two singles including an 11-9, 14-16, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9  win over Gerry van Kuyk. There was a great fifth set played with both players really opening up with their forehand drives. Tilly won two doubles and in her last match beat David Smith 4-11, 8-11, 12-10,11-8, 12-10. This was another good match with plenty of attacking shots.

Earlier in the week, Tilly was part of the Marlborough Girls' College team with Sophia Dillon and Caitlin Exton that won the Girls' Section of the Tasman Secondary Schools in Nelson. Rory Osborne picked up two wins for his side and Gerry, one.

Matt's Mob beat The Good The Bad and The Ugly by 7-5. John Diamanti led the way with three singles wins, including a 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7 win over Jason Kennedy. John is another player who is in a rich vein of form, with 16 wins from 24. His service game and attack was working really well. Kylie Hurren filed in for Matt Millar  and won a single and a double. She was pretty close to two wins, just losing out to Ross Goodall by 11-8, 11-6, 9-11,6-11, 15-13. Fill-in player Marcus Osborne won a single and was unbeaten in doubles.

Jason joined Ross on two wins and they combined to win the last double over Kylie and John.

Zac's Team beat We'll Get The Next One by 23 games to 19 after matches were drawn 6 all.Nathan Cross  was playing in place of Zac Cowdrey  and won two singles. Marion Wood won a single and a doubles with Peter Wells. Peter also won a single and was really close to a second win. just being edged out by Peter Cowdrey by 7-11,9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10. Alex Kennedy didn't drop a game in his singles wins with Peter Cowdrey winning two singles, both in the fifth set. These two players then combined for a doubles win.

Points

IOWK (Ken) 62

TPP (Nathan) 60

Forest Gump (Billy) 58

THWW (Jacqui) 57

Matt's Mob 57

Zac 48

TGTBaTU (Jason) 46

Rory's Hurricanes 44

WGTNO (Alex) 44

The Doggies (Josh) 44

Forest Gump have hit the lead in the competition following the seventh round of matches played last Thursday

They beat The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, who were without number 1 player Jason Kennedy, by 8-4. Billy Hebberd  won his three singles, setting up the play nicely for some backhand winners. Nikki Jacobson also won three singles, with some very controlled pushing and  topspin shots. Ray Zinsli won a single and combined with Nikki for a doubles win. Fill-in player Nathan Cross  won a single and two doubles for his side. Ross Goodall also got on the board with a close five set win over Ray.

If Only We Knew are  only one point behind following a 7-5 win over We'll get the Next One. Ken Thompsett won two singles as did Warren Haszard. These players have been very consistent this season with Ken winning 15 from 21 and Warren 14 from 21. Neil Stanford won a single and a double and has contributed vital wins throughout the season. Alex Kennedy was unbeaten in singles for his side, to maintain his 100% record. Peter Cowdrey won a single while Linda van Kuyk combined with Alex for a 7-11, 11-7, 11-7,11-13, 11-9 win over Ken and Neil.

The Purple Potatoes beat the Honourable Wood Watts 9-3. They had an experienced fill-in player at number 3, with regular player Sophia Dillon being unavailable. Nathan Watson was in good touch , showing his repertoire with flicks , crashing drives and controlled play away from the table. Young junior Drew Materoa was again impressive, winning two two singles including an 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 win over the tricky play of Malcolm Honour. Jacqui Wood won two singles for  her side  with some good placement to all parts of the table.

Jacqui combined with Malcolm for a four set doubles win over Nathan and Drew.

Matt's Mob beat The Doggies 7-5. Matt Millar led the way with 5 wins. Matt can play every shot in the book (and some that aren't) and has the happy knack of bringing out the best in his team-mates. John Diamanti won two singles, to give him 13 wins from 21 , for the season, Barbara Burkhart won a crucial double with Matt.  Josh Sim won two singles for his side. Peter Welsh and Oliver Phipps won one each and combined for a doubles win. Oliver's win came against Barbara in a close five setter.

Rory's Hurricanes stormed home against Zac's team in the last two matches to win 7-5. Dennis Burkhart beat Peter Wells and then Rory Osborne and Gerry van Kuyk beat Zac Cowdrey and Marion Wood in five sets to get the win.Earlier Rory and Gerry won two each for their side. Rory had a great third match against Zac just losing out by 7-11,12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 with both players playing some great forehands. Zac won three for his side, with Marion also getting on the board. Peter combined with Zac for a doubles win.

Points

Forest Gump (Billy) 54

IOWK (Ken) 53

The Purple Potatoes (Nathan) 51

Matt's Mob 49

THWW (Jacqui) 47

TGTB&TU  (Jason) 41

Zac 41

Rory's Hurricanes 41

The Doggies (Josh) 40

WGTNO (Alex) 38

Seven fill-in players took part in the sixth round of the competition last Thursday, which meant that there were ten full teams.

If Only We Knew beat The Honourable Wood Watts 7-5

Ken Thompsett and Warren Haszard won two singles each and Neil Stanford, one. Jacqui Wood was unbeaten in singles while fill-in player David Foley got on the board and partnered Jacqui for a 14-12, 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 15-13 win over Ken and Warren.

Zac's Team beat the Purple Potatoes 20 games to 19 after matches were drawn 6 all.

Their side won the singles 5-4 with Zac Cowdrey and Marion Wood winning two each and Peter Wells, one. He beat fill-in player Esteban Martinez in four sets.  Nathan Watson won his five matches including four set doubles wins with Esteban and Drew Materoa.

Matt's Mob beat Forest Gump 8-4

Matt Millar won his three singles comfortably while John Diamanti continued his good form with two wins. Barbara Burkhart was very effective in the doubles with her side taking them 3-0. Billy Hebberd gained two wins for his side . Fill-in player Steve Rowsell played his first match of the season and won a single and took John to four sets. Ray Zinsli is a very effective number three and he won a single to give him eight wins from  eighteen starts.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly beat Rory's Hurricanes 7-5

Ross Goodall was joined by fill-in players Kylie Hurren and David Smith. Ross won his two singles as did Kylie. David had two vital wins in the  doubles. Rory Osborne won three singles for his side but was taken to five sets by both Ross and Kylie.

Dennis Burkhart and fill-in player Marcus Osborne won a single each.

The Doogies beat We'll Get the Next One 23 games to 20 after matches were drawn 6 all.

Josh Sim and Peter Welsh won two each while Oliver Phipps beat fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey 11-4, 4-11, 8-11, 15-13, 12-10 in the last single of the night. Alex Kennedy didn't lose a set in his matches. Peter Cowdrey also got on the board. Bjorn won a doubles with Alex and continued to play a big part in the competition as he has filled in five nights out of six.

Points

IOWK (Ken) 45

Forest Gump (Billy) 45

THWW (Jacqui) 44

Matt's Mob 41

Purple Potatoes (Nathan) 41

TGTBaTU (Jason) 37

Zac 36

The Doggies (Josh) 35

Rory's Hurricanes 33

WGTNO (Alex) 33

Forest Gump are the outright leaders following last Thursday's matches,

They beat the Doggies 8-4. The regular number one,  Billy Hebberd, won two singles as did fill-in player Ping Muanwong. Ray Zinsli has played a vital role at number 3 this season and  this match was no different as he won a single and was part of his side's 3-0 doubles success. Josh Sim won three singles for his side and remains  unbeaten in singles in interclub this season. He played especially well against Ping, blocking many of Ping's flat hits. Peter Welsh also got on the board for The Doggies.

The Honourable Wood Watts beat Zac's Team 22 games to 21 after matches were drawn 6 all. Jacqui Wood was in good touch , hitting winners with both forehand and backhand shots. Malcolm Honour was again consistent at number two, picking up two singles wins.

Bjorn Cowdrey played steadily in the doubles with Jacqui and they came away with a 9-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8, 12-10 win over Zac Cowdrey and Peter Wells. Zac won two singles for his side, with Marion Wood and Peter winning one each. Peter's four set win over Bjorn  featured many rallies with Peter showing great concentration.

Fill-in players, David Smith and Chris Hood, joined  Purple Potatoes number 1 Nathan Watson for a 9-3 win over Matt's Mob. Nathan's match against Matt was one of the matches of the season so far. Nathan won it by 11-7, 11--4, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9   dominating the first two sets with some angled drives. Matt then played closer to the table, executing some great winners himself. The fifth set went point for point, with Nathan just getting home. John Diamanti also got on the scoresheet for Matt's Mob.

If Only We Knew beat Rory's Hurricanes 7-5. Ken Thompsett won his five  matches, including an 11-8, 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9 win over Rory Osborne. This was another tight match, with both players looking for openings in the deciding set. Warren Haszard was again his usual consistent self at number two, with two wins. Neil Stanford won a double with Ken in five sets. Rory won his remaining two singles, with Gerry van Kuyk and Dennis Burkhart winning one each. These two players then combined for a doubles win.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly beat We'll Get the Next One 7-5. Jason Kennedy and Ross Goodall won two each and Peter Dillon one. Peter was also undefeated in doubles. Alex Kennedy played some great topspin shots in his matches and showed his versatility with some good defence. Peter Cowdrey won the fourth point for his side.

Points

Forest Gump ( Billy) 41

THWW (Jacqui) 39

IOWK (Ken) 37

TPP (Nathan) 35

Matt's Mob 32

TGTBaTU (Jason) 29

Zac 29

The Doggies (Josh) 28

Rory's Hurricanes 28

WGTNO (Alex) 27

There were five pulsating matches played last Thursday, with the results of  three of them being in doubt until the last match.

Forest Gump beat The Purple Potatoes 7-5 with their three players, Billy Hebberd , Nikki Jacobson and Ray Zinsli winning two singles each. All players had great matches against young under-15 junior, Drew Materoa.

Billy beat Drew 13-11, 13-11, 6-11, 9-11, 11-3. For a player only in his second season, Drew shows remarkable calmness and can adapt his game when facing different styles. Nikki, a former New Zealand Junior Rep, beat Drew  in five sets in a very close match.

Nathan Watson won his three singles for his side, but was taken to four sets by Billy, who showed great control with his backhand shots. Nathan paired with his team-mates Drew and Sophia Dillon for two doubles wins.

The Honourable Wood Watts  beat The Good The Bad and The Ugly by 391 points to 375 after matches and games were drawn 6 all, 22 all. Jacqui Wood won her three singles and was given a hard match by Jason Kennedy, winning it in four but not before Jason had put the pressure on with some good serving. Malcolm Honour won two singles, including an 11-4, 10-12, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8 win over Ross Goodall. Tilly Watts gained the sixth  point when she beat Peter Dillon in four sets. Jason won his remaining two singles with Ross picking  up a win with their side winning the doubles 3-0.

Every point counts. This was demonstrated when The Doggies beat Rory's Hurricanes 372 points to 371 (yes really) after matches and games were drawn  6 all 21 all. It was an extraordinary finish as Josh Sim and Peter Welsh beat Rory Osborne and Gerry van Kuyk in four sets with enough points to spare,  to get the win. Earlier, Josh haad won his three singles, including a 7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 win over Rory Osborne. These two players always put on a good show and this was no exception, with Josh fighting hard to get back in the match following some determined play from Rory. Peter Welsh backed him up with two wins. Rory won his other two singles with Gerry winning one, as did Dennis Burkhart, who was also undefeated in doubles.

If Only We Knew just pipped Zac's team by 23 matches to 21 after games were drawn 6 all. Ken Thompsett and Warren Haszard won two singles each with Neil Stanford beating Peter Wells 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-5.

Zac Cowdrey was again in great touch, winning his five matches. He had to play well to beat Warren in five close sets, as Warren's blocking game was working well. Marion Wood picked up a singles win and combined with Zac for a win in the last doubles.

We'll Get the Next One beat Matt's Mob 8-4. Alex Kennedy won his three singles but had to increase the spin and speed of his shots to beat Matt Millar. The father/son combination of Peter Cowdrey and Bjorn Cowdrey won a single each and played a big part in their team's 3-0 doubles success. Matt and John Diamanti  shared the singles points for their side.

Points

THWW (Jacqui) 32

Forest Gump (Billy ) 32

Matt's Mob 29

IOWK (Ken) 29

The Purple Potatoes (Nathan) 25

The Doggies (Josh) 24

Rory's Hurricanes 23

Zac's Team 23

WGTNO (Alex) 22

TGTBATU (Jason) 21

Two teams are now joint top of the table following last Thursday's matches.

John Diamanti, continuing his good form from last week's Marlborough Open, won his three singles as Matt's Mob beat Rory's Hurricanes by 8-4. He had a great match against Rory Osborne, winning it by 11-6, 3-11, 5-11, 15-13, 11-8. When the match got tight, he stuck to his tried and true game plan to come away with the win. Matt Millar won his three singles comfortably, showing  immaculate ball control when returning Rory's angled smashes. Fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey, battled hard all night and was rewarded with a doubles win with Matt.

Gerry van Kuyk and Dennis Burkhart won their doubles match and joined Rory on a singles win each.

The Honorable Wood Watts beat The Doggies 8-4 with five of those points coming by default due to late sickness of one of the players. Jacqui Wood won her two singles, including an 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 win over fill-in player Nathan Cross.

This was Nathan's first match of the season but he impressed with his short play and explosive left-handed loops. Jacqui combated that well and set up the play for her own winning shots.Malcolm Honour won  a single, while for The Doggies,Peter Welsh picked up a win to go with Nathan's two victories. These two players then combined to beat Jacqui and  Malcolm by 8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 16-14.

Forest Gump are now in third place, following a 9-3 win over Well Get the Next One. Billy Hebberd, Nikki Jacobson and Ray Zinsli all won two singles with Billy and Nikki  beating Alex Kennedy and Peter Cowdrey by 11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7 in the last match of the night.

Alex won his three singles and had a good match with Nikki, winning it 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6 but not before Nikki had  shown great technique to find the angles with some well executed drives.

If Only We Knew beat The Purple Potatoes by 8-4. Chris Hood filled in , taking the combined ages of the team to 187, compared to 53 for the Potatoes. Ken Thompsett and  Warren Haszard won two singles, as did Chris,

Nathan Watson didn't look like dropping a set in his matches and showed his full repertoire , with  any ball on his side of the table being dealt with  by winning flicks or booming drives. Drew Materoa won a double with Nathan and played a very patient game against Chris, just losing out in five sets.

Zac Cowdrey led the way as his team beat The Good The Bad and The Ugly by 7-5. He won three singles, including a 7-11, 14-12, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 win over Jason Kennedy. This match followed the pattern of their matches last season, one minute the score is  nil all in the first and the next minute it is 9 all in the  fifth.  Marion Wood won two singles including a close win over Ross Goodall by 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6. Marion is a  tenacious player and  has a very effective serve. Peter Wells  was undefeated in doubles and  played a four set match against Peter Dillon, losing a close  four setter. For his side, Jason won  his remaining two singles with Ross also picking up a win. These two players combined to with the last double of the night.

Points

Matt's Mob 25

THWW (Jacqui) 25

Forest Gump (Billy) 24

IOWK (Ken) 22

The Purple Potatoes (Nathan) 20

Zac 17

The Doggies (Josh) 17

Rory's Hurricanes 17

TGTBTU (Jason) 15

WGTNO (Alex) 13

Three teams are now at the top of the table following last  Thursday's second round matches.

Nathan Watson led The Purple Potatoes to a 7-5 win over Rory's Hurricanes. His young team-mates Drew Materoa and Sophia Dillon played a big part in the doubles. Drew also excelled in the singles, with a notable win over the tricky play of Gerry van Kuyk.

Rory Osborne, still a junior himself, won two singles with Gerry and Dennis Burkhart one each.

Matt Millar was undefeated as Matt's Mob beat If Only We Knew 7-5. Matt has now won ten matches from ten starts and has the happy knack of inspiring his team-mates in the doubles, John Diamanti won  a single with Barbara Burkhart playing a big part in the clean sweep of the doubles. Barbara nearly got on the board in the singles, just losing out to newcomer Neil Stanford by 5-11, 11-1, 11-7, 2-11, 11-8. For IOWK, for the second week running, Ken Thompsett and Warren Haszard each won two singles.

The Honourable Wood Watts joined the two other winners at the top of the table with a 7-5 win over We'll Get The Next One. Not only did the match feature the two teams with the longest names, but also two of the top five players in the province.

The contest was won in the last match , with fill-in player Ray Herd partnering Jacqui Wood to an 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 5-11, 11-9 win over Alex Kennedy and Peter Cowdrey. Earlier Jacqui had won two singles with Ray and Tilly Watts one each.

Alex, playing his first  inter-club match of the season, won his three singles while for the second consecutive week, Peter picked up two wins.

Josh Sim continued his good form as The Doggies beat the Good, Bad and Ugly 7-5. Josh has now won  six singles from six matches. He had to work hard to beat Jason Kennedy in his last match by 11-4, 8-11, 13-11, 14-12.

Peter Welsh backed him up with two wins , with junior Oliver Phipps winning a single. Jason won his remaining two singles, with newcomer Ross Goodall gaining a  win. Peter Dillon was undefeated in doubles.

Forest Gump beat Zac's Team 8-4 with five of the matches going into the fifth set. Billy Hebberd won two singles and took Zac Cowdrey to five sets. Nikki Jacobson, playing at number two, matched Billy's results and also took Zac to a deciding set.  Ray Zinsli played a big part in the doubles and won his last singles match. Marion Wood beat Ray 11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 6-11, 15-13 to go with Zac's three wins.

Points

The Purple Potatoes (Nathan) 16

Matt's Mob 16

THWW (Jacqui) 16

Forest Gump (Billy) 14

Rory's Hurricanes 13

The Doggies (Josh) 13

IOWK (Ken) 13

WGTNO (Alex) 10

TGBU (Jason) 10

Zac 9

The first competition night was held last Thursday with all results being 7-5. Twenty-eight out of thirty players won at least one match.

Nathan Watson led his young The Purple Potatoes side to a win over The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. He was in imperious form in the singles and he guided Drew Materoa and Sophia Dillon to doubles wins. The juniors also picked up a singles win each.

Fill-in player Kylie Hurren won two singles and a double with Peter Dillon.  Kylie had a great match with Drew, winning it in five sets with some cross-court backhands. Jason Kennedy, at number 1, also won two singles.

Matt's Team beat Zac's Team. Matt Millar picked up three wins, but was  taken to four sets by the tenacious play of Marion Wood.  John Diamanti showed good placement in his matches, to gain two wins. Barbra Burkhart played  a great fifth set with Matt over Zac Cowdrey and Peter Wells. Zac won two singles for his side with Marion and Peter, one each. Peter had a long match with Barbara, just getting home by 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 3-11, 11-7.

The Honourable Wood Watts beat Forest Gump . Jacqui Wood impressed with her consistent topspin shots and was backed up by  Malcolm Honour, who used his anti-spin rubber effectively to record two wins, Tilly Watts played an intelligent  doubles match with Jacqui, hitting confidently and setting up the winning shots for her partner to win the match in five. Billy Hebberd gained two wins for his side and Ray Zinsli, one. Newcomer Nikki Jacobson also won a single. Nikki is making a comeback to the sport and showed some of the form which took her to number 6 in the Under-19 National Rankings.

Rory's Hurricanes had a win over Alex's Team. Rory Osborne won two singles and just lost  out to fill-in player, Chris Hood, in a match that could have gone either way. Gerry van Van Kuyk and Dennis Burkart won a single each. Their side won the doubles 3-0 with Gerry hitting some great angles with his backhand. Peter Cowdrey played some confident attacking shots to back Chris up with two wins.

Ken's Team beat Josh's Team. Ken Thompsett and Warren Haszard won two each with Warren having a great tussle with Peter Welsh, just winning it by 11-7, 8-11, 12-10,6-11, 11-8. Fill-in player Bjorn Cowdrey won two doubles and had  a close win over promising junior, Oliver Phipps , in the last single  of the night. Josh Sim overcame a second set loss against Ken, to win it in four. Josh never gives up and retrieves balls from all over the court.