Dolphins were able to deal with our ‘B’ team with relative ease, but against our ‘A’ team, they would be up against a different level of foe. Whereas the ‘B’ Team was devoured by the hungry Dolphins as they ploughed through the waves, our ‘A’ team would be harder to be chewed up by the Dolphins.

In the event, our strong ‘A’ team was able to defeat Dolphins by 7 sets to 2. Popps ‘A’ had new signing John Davenport on display for the first time. John normally plays in the Huddersfield league as a colleague of John Taylor’s. He comes with a good reputation and he is using his appearances with us to keep in touch before the next winter league in Huddersfield. Incidentally, John has had the all-clear from the medics and is making a gentle return to playing TT. We wish him well.

John Davenport duly won his 3 matches. He conceded one game to Alan Cowburn, but eventually won 11-7, 11-9, 9-11 and 11-3. He tamed the usually difficult Ken Scott 11-7, 11-8 and 11-3 and clearly was able to deal with Ken’s legendary top spin. John then beat Denise Scott 11-9, 11-6 with the last game going to 14-12 as Denise tried to stay in the set.

John Korner had mixed fortunes. He lost G1 10-12 to the steady Denise, won the next 2 11-8 and 11-6, but allowed her to come back 7-11. In the final game, he prevailed at 11-9. He struggled against the tall figure of Alan Cowburn, going down 4-11, 10-12, and 3-11. He showed great determination in winning a five game set against the wily Ken, 11-6, 4-11, 9-11, 11-5 and 11-4, when Ken may just have started to run out of steam.

Trevor Kershaw won 2 out of 3. He met a fresh Ken who won 9-11, 8-11, 11-3 and 11-13, a pattern which shows how players have to learn to read their opponent’s game as a match progresses. He lost one game to Denise, but won overall 3-1, the score being 11-9,7-11,11-4 and 11-5. In a close, but 3 game set against Alan, Trevor won 13-11, 11-8 and 12-10.

So overall, a good win for Popps ‘A’, with John Davenport making a useful impact on his first appearance with our team. How refreshing to see this bunch of sportsman playing an active part in sport rather than drinking numerous pints of lager, scoffing boxes of high fat pizza and watching World Cup football in pubs crowded with ale-swilling, beer-bellied, face-painted louts wearing Leeds United shirts.