Triumph for travellers in Torbay Table Tennis

It was Handicap Cup week in the South Devon and Torbay League and a good week for teams playing away, as seven of the nine winners won on their travels.

In the Handicap doubles the holders, Brixham Sharks, their team comprising Clive Banham, Joseph Edwards and Will Mulholland, had to work hard to beat the inexperienced NA Vultures and eventually came through with a 22-14 victory.

The Gulls from Brixham didn’t fare quite so well as they went down 19-5 to Torbay Academy 4’s team of Matt Laws, Ionel Ichim and Maria Dillon. In the closest match of the round, the Torre Vikings team of Steve Russell, Chris Garner and Bill Keywood, edged out Torbay Academy 3 19-17.

The draw pitched several of the Newton Abbot sides against each other with the NA Harriers defeating NA Merlins 21-11, NA Ravens beating NA Kestrels 20-16 and NA Falcons comfortably beating NA Condors 30-6.

There were just three matches in the singles handicap cup. NA Ravens made it a double with wins in both the doubles and singles cup. The Ravens’ Ollie Malin, Steve Hugh and Chris Baron got off to a poor start but ended well, running out 20-16 winners over Torbay Academy 6.

A strong performance from Dawlish Renegades, Pierre Doutreligne, Pete Chadwick and Stan Grim, saw off the challenge from Torbay Academy 7, 25-11.

It was very tight at Bishopsteignton between Taverners and Torbay Academy 3, with the Academy 3 team of Peter Moretta, John Fowler and Andy Harris hanging on to their lead in the final set to win 19-17.

There were three rearranged league matches that also took place. In the first division, NA Batmen kept up their 100% win record with a 7-3 victory over NA Owls, helped by maximums from both Dan Webster-Hall and George Haskell. The NA Batmen moving up to second place, eight points behind the leaders NA Buzzards.

Also climbing to second place in the third division were NA Kestrels following their 9-1 victory over NA Kites, Jackie Whitehorn and Andy Millman were unbeaten for the Kestrels.

Rob Ferguson was unbeaten for NA Ospreys in a fourth division encounter against Dawlish Delinquents. The Ospreys winning 8-2.