Home comforts in table tennis cup

It was handicap doubles cup week in the Torbay and South Devon Table Tennis League, although with just five cup games being played as matches had to be postponed due to venue difficulties.

In a strange quirk of results, all the matches were won by the home teams, as evidenced by Brixham Table Tennis Club, who fared well with two excellent wins over Torbay Academy teams.

The Brixham Sharks team of Clive Banham, Chris Harper and Izzy Brown were neck and neck with Torbay Academy 2 until the halfway stage, the Sharks then had two 4-0 wins and opened up a lead that the Academy could not fight back from, the Sharks winning 24-12.

Brixham Trawlers had a much closer match against Torbay Academy 1 with the result still in doubt entering the final set. The Trawlers team of Alan Maynard, Allen Pack and Ian Saxby eventually winning 19-15.

Torre Table Tennis Club also had a successful week with both the Vikings and Gladiators progressing to the next round. In another very close match, decided in the final set, the Vikings team of Steve Russell, Andrew Davies and Bill Keywood saw off the challenge of Dawlish Doubtfuls 20-16. It was a similar score for the Gladiators as Ann Morris, Lewis Lavery and Robert Excell beat NA Vultures.

Dawlish Renegades, going well in both cup competitions, had an excellent start against Torbay Academy 4 and were not likely to be caught as Pierre Doutreligne, Prabhu Kashap and Mitch Bellham just lost the one set to end up 23-13 winners.

In the one rearranged league match, Halwell B defeated NA Raptors 9-1 in a second division encounter. Halwell who started the season poorly have now moved up to third place, Mick Mercer and Mark Smith with maximums as they eased past the Raptors.