Cold Norton B Cruise to Victory in Team Handicap Cup Opening Round
The opening round of the Burnham & District Table Tennis League’s Team Handicap Cup saw some thrilling matchups and unexpected results. The Handicap Cup employs the classic first-to-21 scoring system, with players receiving points-based handicaps to level the playing field.
Reigning Champions Dominate
Reigning champions Cold Norton B, masters of this format, continued their dominance with a comfortable 5-0 win over Blackwater C. Despite giving a significant 24-point head start to Blackwater’s Chris Rolison, Cold Norton’s Ian Wall still prevailed 21-16, 21-19 in a pair of lengthy encounters. The only real challenge for Cold Norton came from Blackwater’s Jacqui Treacy, who took the opening set against Dan Anderson before the wily veteran fought back to win the next two.
Surprise Upset
The biggest upset of the round saw Division 2’s Blackwater B demolish top-flight side Cold Norton A in straight sets. Noah Sage was the star for Blackwater, securing a singles victory over Neil Want and contributing to two decisive doubles triumphs.
Other Matches
Elsewhere, Woodham C advanced via walkover, while Woodham B had to work hard to overcome Cold Norton D. Terry Hyland’s impressive performances for the losing Cold Norton outfit were not enough to prevent Woodham’s Eamonn Hall from rallying back from a deficit to clinch the match.
Woodham’s four teams all progressed to the quarter-finals, including Woodham D who edged past a generously handicapped St Lawrence side. Peter Harverson excelled for Woodham, remaining unbeaten.
The closest contest of the round pitted Blackwater E against Maldon B. Blackwater raced into a 3-1 lead, but Maldon captain Steve Aspland and Kym Eames fought back to level the match, setting up a dramatic final doubles decider. Blackwater’s Kath Little and Deb Ginn prevailed 21-13 in the deciding leg to seal a narrow victory.
Outlook for the Quarter-Finals
With the quarter-final line-up set, reigning champions Cold Norton B remain the heavily backed favorites, though their opponents will be searching for any chinks in the armor.
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