The race for the Division 3 title in the Burnham & District Table Tennis League has intensified, with the top two teams, St Lawrence and Blackwater D, set to battle it out in the final match of the season.
St Lawrence, the divisional favorites, have surprisingly faltered in recent weeks, allowing Blackwater D to creep back into contention. Despite the three Blackwater teams constantly taking points off each other, Blackwater D has found their form at the right time, securing four consecutive victories to put themselves in pole position for the title.
This week, St Lawrence traveled to Blackwater E, needing at least six points to clinch the championship. However, even with their strongest lineup, they failed to secure the necessary points, leaving the title race wide open. Blackwater E’s Peter Davenport was in unstoppable form, claiming a hat-trick of wins, supported by the rarely seen Jason Bush, who managed to secure two points.
Now, Blackwater D needs to secure at least nine points in their final match against bottom-placed Woodham E to confound the bookies and experts and claim the most unexpected of titles.
In Division 1, the big story was Mapledene A’s 6-4 victory over champions Woodham A, breaking the latter’s perfect record. Mapledene’s Liam Squirrell produced a stunning hat-trick, while teammate Daniel Young also secured two wins. Cold Norton C defeated their A team 6-4, despite Duncan Taylor’s hat-trick for the A side. Fambridge closed out their season with a comfortable 9-1 win over Maldon A, with John Poysden and Keith Adams grabbing hat-tricks.
In Division 2, champions Woodham C finished their unbeaten campaign with a 7-3 victory over Woodham D. Adi Kamma and Chris Hancox both secured hat-tricks for Woodham C, while Trevor Collin and Gus Heath impressed for the D team. Mapledene C secured third place with a 6-4 win over Stow Maries B, thanks to a hat-trick from Lin Roff.
With the season drawing to a close, the table tennis action in the Burnham & District league continues to captivate fans and experts alike.
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