DIVISION 2 – 9.3.08.
DARENTH B TAKE DIVISION 2 TITLE IN CLIFF HANGER FINAL MEETING
The Division 2 table presented a very interesting situation in that any of the top four teams could earn promotion whilst the fourth placed team, Teen & 20 B, weren't safe from relegation! As such the outcome of all three matches in Round 9 would have a bearing on one or other issue which isn't necessarily the case at the last meeting of the season. Sutton-At-Hone had by far the toughest assignment with the third placed team to play and then the current leaders. Calculators were definitely going to be needed.
Darenth B (Ron Blyth/Micky Bullock) led the table by one point ahead of Sutton-At-Hone and had, in theory, an easier task in playing relegation candidates Coney Hill A who were still having availability problems and brought in Stuart Inglis to partner Dennis Wood. Blyth got off to a shaky start against the wily Wood and went 0-2 down before staging a recovery to win 11-9 in the fifth. Inglis, playing up from Division 3, was not likely to have experienced playing at the pace at which Bullock operates and wasn't given the chance to get going. Darenth won the doubles in four games and then came problems. Whether Inglis' style didn't suit Blyth or Bullock had sharpened him up beforehand is open to conjecture but he pulled off a most unexpected win to get Coney Hill on the scoreboard. Bullock took a while to sort out what to do against Wood, who is a most awkward customer to deal with, but eventually found the answers late in the first game, pinched it 17-15 and then worked his way home in the next two. A dropped point but, in the meantime, Sutton-At-Hone were taking on third placed Bromley Common A.
Adrian Foster and Dave Bonner were on duty for Sutton-At-Hone while Bromley Common A had their regular duo of Dave Walkley and Neil Warren on parade. Walkley was looking sharp and nipped the first game against Foster but Foster thinks things through, changed tack and won the next three. Warren then entered the fray and things began to go awry for Sutton-At-Hone. First he spun Bonner off in four and then set up the chances for Walkley for a five game win in the doubles. He followed up by winning an excellent battle of wits with Foster, inflicting on him only his second defeat of the season. This gave Bromley Common a winning 3-1 lead. Bonner won a rat-a-tat-tat set with Walkley to keep to keep the score line to 2-3.
Darenth C (Stuart Price/Alfred Ainsworth) could avoid relegation but needed a 5-0 against Teen & 20 B (Sam Smith/Alan Gorman) who weren't entirely safe themselves so this match was doubly important, whoever won it was likely to stay up. The opening set was a classic attacker versus defender and while Smith likes to attack and will scramble defend, Price basically defends and tries to punish any loose returns he gets. Price often takes a game to figure a player out and so it proved with Smith nabbing the first 11-9 but then being worn down in the second as Price got the measure of his loop. The pattern was repeated in the third and fourth before Smith got a flyer in the fifth, playing some delightful shots to win 11-5. The second set was no less fascinating, Gorman getting away from Ainsworth well for a 2-0 lead. Ainsworth sneaked the third and stood at set point down in the fourth before saving it. He then fired some big salvoes to get a lead in the fifth and held firm to take it 11-6. Teen & 20 are a better-established pair than Darenth and they won the doubles comfortably enough. The hoped for repeat of their County Ratings match between Smith and Ainsworth didn't happen, neither of the two lads played up to full potential. Smith dropped the first but regrouped quickly enough to take the set in four although Ainsworth came close to forcing a deciding game. This gave Teen & 20 a winning lead. Initially Gorman looked comfortable handling Price's defence in the closing set, taking the first game, but once Price gets his range he is a most difficult player to dislodge and he took the set in four to keep the score line to 2-3.
At the halfway stage while the relegation issue was sorted with Darenth C and Coney Hill A going down, the title was still up for grabs. Three teams were still in contention. Darenth B were now three points ahead of Sutton-At-Hone with Bromley Common one point further behind. Sutton-At-Hone were due to play Darenth B who wanted two points to claim the title while Bromley Common A needed a maximum against Teen & 20 B, a tall order given the ability of Smith.
Understandably the atmosphere was tense in the title-deciding match between Sutton-At-Hone (Bonner/Foster) and Darenth B (Blyth/Bullock) although the match itself was conducted in the most sporting fashion. The opening set was fascinating. Bonner was buzzing about as usual while Blyth wasn't looking at his most sprightly. Four games were shared with Blyth finding his touch on his loop to come back from 1-2 down. He managed to get his nose in front in the fifth game, Bonner trying desperately to stay with him, but it wasn't to be and a relieved Blyth scrambled over the line 11-8. Bullock had due respect for Foster's defence but was really pumped up for a straight games win which ensured Darenth were champions. All the remaining sets went to five with Darenth snatching the doubles 12-10 in the decider as a bit of insurance. Bonner and Foster though still had something to fight for as the runners-up spot remained at stake. An excellent set between Bonner and Bullock saw Bonner coming out of top after hauling back a 1-2 deficit. Foster led Blyth 2-1, dropped the fourth but forced Blyth into errors to win the fifth 11-7. Two points might not be enough if Bromley Common A (Walkley/Warren) got into their stride against Teen & 20 B where Steve Day replaced Gorman alongside Smith.
This match didn't develop into the battle one might have expected. Walkley found Smith too hot to handle and went down in straight games. Warren redressed the balance by defeating Day likewise in straight games but Bromley Common's hopes of securing second place effectively evaporated with the loss of the doubles. It was a battle of wits between Smith and Warren and a close run thing as 12-14, 11-9, 11-7, 13-11 to Smith suggests. In the closing set Day was firing on all cylinders and Walkley couldn't hold him on this occasion. A 1-4 loss was a big disappointment for Bromley Common but joy for Teen & 20 B.
Darenth C (Ainsworth/Price) were determined to salvage something from their match with Coney Hill A (Wood/Inglis). who were no less motivated themselves. Ainsworth blew Wood away in the first game of the opening set but got bogged down in the next two. Ainsworth then grabbed the fourth and hit some big topspins to take the fifth 11-6. Price had his work cut out to hold Inglis who was going well and led 2-1. Price got control of the game in the third, keeping a better length and ran out a comfortable winner 11-5 in the decider. Price and Ainsworth work quite well as a doubles team, any goofed replies from Price's heavy chop being smartly despatched by Ainsworth and so it proved here. This made it 3-0 to Darenth and it became four when Ainsworth defeated Inglis although he dropped a game in doing so. Wood got the better of Price on this occasion so Coney Hill A didn't end their season with a blank sheet.
Division 2 has provided excellent matches throughout the season as the final table shows. Darenth B are the champions with Sutton-At-Hone, who had such high hopes of a speedy return to Division 1, finishing in second place four points behind and only two points ahead of Bromley Common A.
Foster was top of the averages on 81.3% with just three losses against his name whilst Smith was in second place on 80% having lost only four and not having missed a match all season.