PARK District X were up against the might of Springfield A in Division One and sustained a heavy 27-6 defeat, despite a good display from young Liam Critchard.

The opening match saw two unbeaten players, John Ryan (4) and Jeff Rigby (9), go head to head. Rigby proved far too strong and steamrollered Ryan in straight sets five, four and two.

Ryan did, however, secure Park’s only win on the night when defeating Andy Pipe (6), also in straight sets.

Park District A fared better than their clubmates in a comfortable 30-6 win over YMCA.

Brian Hansford (2) and Ken Brake (3) both won the first sets in each of their matches, Brake also taking a set in his other two matches, but both slipped to 3-1 defeats to Ray Cody and Mike Doyle respectively.

Andy Webb and Hansford also went a set up in the closing doubles before losing to the same 3-1 scoreline.

Budmouth B’s 27-8 victory over Preston B saw Miranda Edwardes (2) and Terry Whitworth (1) win the doubles as a consolation but in the singles the Budmouth boys showed great nerve and resilience playing some very shrewd table tennis to win all nine matches and keep the pressure on Budmouth A, Park District A and Springfield A.

Colliton X and Red Triangle’s match was a closely-fought affair with the two teams running neck and neck in reaching 19-19 before the doubles. Despite losing the first set in that doubles, Red Triangle overcame Colliton 3-1 to record a 22-20 victory.

In Division Two, Budmouth C fielded their third division team and yet the young team played a strong and mature match growing in confidence and skill throughout.

Sam Melhuish (7) was their strongest player using an excellent service game that he backed up with an impressive attacking forehand drive to dominate and beat two of the Shipton players, Trevor Deadman-Spall (5) and Tom Baldry (6).

Whilst the girls had more inconsistent patches they also showed that they could use a strong attacking game to dominate the play at times. This led to some very entertaining matches with Deadman-Spall’s defensive style recovering balls from all corners of the room.

Baldry also maintained an impressive blocking game, quickly turning to a driving attack as soon as the opportunity arose and Dan Dorren (9) managed to force the errors through looping defensive play and a solid driving backhand.

The final score of 23-13 in Shipton’s favour did not reflect the quality of many of the games.

Second-placed Shipton Gorge B won seven of the 10 matches in their 23-11 win over Preston A. Brian Cammell (9) was on top form with support from Graham Albertella (6) and Derek Wheeler (5).

Thierry Roy (6) continued his improvement and picked up a couple of wins with Eddie Chapman securing their other success on the night.

All Saints A picked up a 28-15 success over Wyke A where half the matches went to five sets of which they sneaked three.

Richard Wood (8) was involved in three of those five-setters losing the opener to Roger Walden (6) and then beating both Ian South (3) and Tony Dobbs (4). Young Jess Moggeridge impressed again with a maximum and partnering Richard Lane (8) to the doubles.

Wey Valley dropped a solitary leg in their 30-1 win over Park District Y in Division Three. William Roper secured that leg in an otherwise perfect evening for the young school side of Ethan Bingham, Joe Bingham and Lewis Sumpton.

Budmouth E scored a fourth victory with a good 27-13 win over Wyke B. The improvement in all the girls was evident and Sophie Storey (9) was in fine form ably supported by Holly Calton (8) and Ashleigh Browne (7) and improved shot selection was clear to see as the girls gain more league experience.

Critchard turned out for his usual Budmouth D team to help them gain a comprehensive 30-8 win over Preston D.

Critchard, George Ackerley and Ted Paul achieved their first 30-point maximum of the season despite the evergreen and wily Stan Smith (4) taking legs off each of the boys and who then teamed up with Dave Clegg to take the first two legs of the doubles 11-3.

The youngsters fought back well, however, to take the last three legs.