SEVENOAKS TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE
DIVISION 2 – 14.03.10
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SUTTON-AT-HONE
Darenth B led the Division 2 table at the beginning of the final meeting and needed six points to be absolutely certain of taking the title. If Darenth B slipped up against Leigh C then Teen & 20 B were in with a chance. Interestingly Leigh C actually needed to do well themselves as they were only four points clear of Bromley Common A and old rivals Sutton-At-Hone who were tied on 19 points. The match between Leigh C and Darenth B therefore had more significance than might be thought at first glance. Plumstead Radical could not avoid relegation but their matches could affect the promotion race as they had both the top two teams to play. Sadly Plumstead could not raise any of their registered players so efforts were made to find non scoring substitutes. Paul Crocker and Neville Forsythe gallantly came along on Plumstead's behalf so everyone got their expected quota of sets. It meant that both the top teams received five points but Darenth B still needed points on the board.
The match between Leigh C (Stuart Massey/Jon Everest) and Darenth B (Micky Bullock/Ron Blyth) was an absolute cracker. Every set went the distance and two were decided only by the narrowest of margins in the fifth game. Massey began well against Bullock taking the first 11-8. Bullock responded, taking a 2-1 lead and might have wrapped things up in the fourth but Massey didn't buckle, holding on to take it 13-11. Bullock came up with some excellent serves to create an early lead in the fifth which he held to win 11-7. Blyth followed suit against Everest though he had to come back from 1-2 down to snatch the fourth 15-13 and survive one of Everest's bombardments to finally win 14-12. The pressure was off Darenth but the remainder of the match was to the same high standard. Leigh looked comfortable for the first two games in the doubles but the Darenth men staged a recovery when well down in the third and then ran away with the next to level at 2 all. The fifth was predictably tight and some of the angles achieved almost defied belief. Leigh, however, got back into their stride and snatched it 12-10. It was the beginning of their revival and they won both the reverse singles for a 3-2 victory. It was one of the best matches of the season without a doubt.
The debate about who was going down with Plumstead continued when Sutton-At-Hone (Dave Bonner/Adrian Foster) took on Bromley Common A (Neil Warren/Dave Walkley). Bonner got Sutton-At-Hone off to a good start winning a very tight set with Warren 12-10 in the fourth. Walkley replied with a win over Foster so the doubles, as is so often the case with this match format, looked likely to be the keystone. This resulted in a comfortable win for Sutton-at-Hone and put them 2-1 ahead. The set between Bonner and Walkley was always going to be a fast paced affair and didn't disappoint. Bonner just loves pace and appeared to have the edge at 2-1 up but Walkley fought back tenaciously keeping control of the tempo of the game to grab it 13-11 and then worked just as hard to take the fifth 11-7. Warren looked a bit ring rusty and Foster is a tough man to beat at any time so a comfortable 2-0 lead to Warren was a bit of surprise. Foster never gives in though and he took the third 11-9. Warren settled in for the long haul but some fine rallies got him home 11-9 in the fourth. There was still little to choose between the two teams, the result being 3-2 to Bromley Common – but would this one point advantage be enough?
Before Round 10 Darenth B thus had the title but Leigh C could still overtake Teen & 20 B if the latter's performance fell away. However, they did still need to take a single point to survive in the Division and there was all to play for in the final round.
The Teen & 20 B (Sam Smith/Steve Day) and Bromley Common A(Walkley/Warren) match produced some excellent fare. Teen & 20 went 2-0 up with Smith defeating Walkley in straight games while Day earned a narrow victory over Warren in four. Bromley Common got a desperately needed point by winning the doubles. Everyone was keeping an ear cocked for what was going on between Sutton-At-Hone and Leigh C and the tic-tac man was kept busy. Smith defeated Warren in an interesting four game battle which could well have gone Warren's way as 15-13, 11-13, 12-10, 11-5 suggests. Day and Walkley scrapped for the final set with Day triumphant in five as Walkley's energies drained away.
In the meantime Sutton-At-Hone (Bonner/Foster) were putting up a tremendous fight against Leigh C (Everest/Massey). Everest's pace suited Bonner's style just fine and Everest had to go some to beat him in four. Foster got off to a flyer against Massey but Massey made the adjustments and began to land some strong attacking shots to level at two all. It was anybody's to win in the fifth and it went to Foster at 11-9. The doubles was a marathon which Leigh took at 11-6 in the fifth and go 2-1 up. The reverse singles were no less keenly contested as Bonner and Foster fought desperately for survival but to no avail as Leigh won both sets in the fifth.
At the conclusion of the competition only four points separated the top three teams. Darenth B took the title with 34 points while Teen & 20 B finished in the runners up spot two points behind them. Leigh C came in third on 30. That 3-2 victory Bromley Common A achieved over Sutton-At-Hone proved to be crucial as they finished just that one point ahead.
The standard in this Division continues to rise year on year and once again it has been an excellent competition with both promotion and relegation issues in doubt until the very last. There was much to admire in many of the sets played and if this is anything to go by, next season is going to be just as tough.