Popps Hounded 8-1 in ruff encounter

At the earlier fixture, Old Town Hounds beat us 5-4, after your correspondent squandered what looked like a winning lead which would have clinched it our way. However, we had the experienced Derek playing that night, so our match tonight will be a challenge, unless of course Popps ‘B’ manages to play out of its socks. We always like to welcome our country cousins to the sophisticated HT centre where they are often bemused by things like electricity and running water. Will they be initially dazzled by the bright lights of the centre, after playing to old lanterns up in the old Chapel at New Town? We would find out soon. Popps Team: Terry Wassall, Joan Bottomley & Robin Thomas. (Tom still struggling with health issues—we hope he can return to playing).

OTH fielded the veteran Don Coneron, his powerfully-built son, Neil and the ever fragrant Rose Tipton, still wearing the brilliant white top, revealed at a critical stage to distract Popps younger male players. Rose attempted to get to grips with the new-fangled scoring machine and had to be helped by our techno-savvy Joan with her advanced IT background. Joan touched a few buttons, and Hey Presto, the gleaming machine leapt into action, lights flashing like the Hong Kong waterfront after dark. Rose put her abacus back into her handbag, a rough contraption made of pig skin and wattle.

Neil needed to get away early, so matches were played out of order. Your correspondent kicked off against Neil, the beauty being that few notes could be taken with a bat in one’s hand. Neil won 8-11, 8-11 and 6-11, with a much more consistent and steady game and he was unhindered by the occasional flashing forehand from Robin. Terry then took on Don and in G1, Terry had to try to find his form, distended with curry and champagne, after a heavy fortnight of celebrating his 65th birthday. Terry won some good smashes, but Don played safely to win 11-7. Terry retaliated with a vengeance in G2 as Don lost his touch. Terry, like Mubarek, was in charge and won 11-1. Don missed the table in G3; Terry missed a smash, but was marching on relentlessly to win 11-2. Don raised his game in G4 as Terry started to fall apart. At 10-10, Don could have extended the set, but Terry wrapped it up with a useful couple of shots. However, this was as good as it gets as Hounds reeled of a series of wins.

Set 3 saw Joan against Rose, whilst your correspondent’s eyes strayed to a tall female playing on another table. They returned to the matter in hand as Rose’s steady game, mainly back hand pushes, took her to 11-3. In G2, rallies became longer as Joan diligently returned shots, but could not win the eventual point. 11-6. Rose’s serve still looks a bit like a conjurer’s trick as the ball mysteriously appears from somewhere, although I don’t suppose it influenced the result. She moved ahead smoothly but Joan concentrated on returns to level at 9-9! High hopes were premature as Rose settled matters at 14-12, but Joan continues to improve and tries to work out successful strategies.

Terry then embarked on what turned out to be a 5-game set against the younger Coneron. Neil moved into an early lead as Terry failed to deal with his forehand attacks. Terry tried tossing up the ball, but to no avail as Neil achieved a useful fluke. Terry’s final failed smash led to 11-9 to Neil. In G2, Terry was still trying to get his game together, but stayed in touch. Neil messed up his serve, missing the ball completely, his Specs Saver moment, and Terry finished off with a spectacular smash. 12-10 to Terry. Neil then won a marathon in G3, eventually clinching it at 18-16. Both smashed well, both fought hard and there were a couple of flukes. Terry took G4 with some trademark smashes at 11-7, setting us up for a final shoot-out. Terry is not a man to opt for safety and he produced a mix of winning smashes and spectacular failures, but not enough success to threaten Neil, who established a lead and kept it, to win at 11-7.

Neil stayed on the table to facilitate his early departure. Why did he want to get away, after all what could be more fun than witnessing the humiliation of the Popps’B’ table tennis team? Did he have a job as a security man at a rough pub in Old Town? Was he required to hunt the fells for a lost sheep or had he been given an Asbo with a curfew? We could see no tell tale electronic tag on his ankle, so we will never know. Neil moved into a lead at 6-2, but Joan retaliated with some steady returns and got within one point at 9-8. But Neil held it together to clinch at 11-8. A similar pattern emerged in G2, although Joan was engaging in longer rallies, only to lose the final point. Neil won this at 11-8. By this time Don was having his own Specs Saver moment as he struggled to reads the letters on the electronic display. Next time, we will line up one of those cuddly Labradors to help him. Joan produced a dogged display in G3 and with some excellent forehands, won at 11-8. However, Neil was not to be denied in G4 and moved smoothly to 11-4, before departing into the cold night on some nefarious adventure, no doubt.

Neil’s concentration of games meant that your correspondent had been sitting in the cold without a game for what seemed like a couple of hours and had to burst into life against the energetic Rose. She won the first game 11-6 and allowed Robin back into the set to win G2 11-7. She then reeled off 11-4 and 11-7 as he won the odd point with a mad flash at the ball, but generally hit the floor or the net.

Joan then won her first game against Don. She started with steady play as they traded point for point, but she edged ahead to win 11-8. Don missed some early shots, but stayed close and a Joan miss helped him to move ahead to win 11-6. Joan fought like a terrier against the hounds as the game lurched one way and another. Eventually, Don reached 15-13 to win. He won G4 11-9, to take the set, muttering to Joan as he left the table: “You have made a happy man very old”.

Terry lost the first game against Rose at 11-9, but made a better start in G2 with some very effective smashes. Rose placed a number of shots out of Terry’s reach, but he was able to pull away to win 11-6. In G3, Terry was not holding his game together and had his Specs Saver moment when he missed the ball completely. Rose established a useful lead as Terry attempted a mini-recovery. However, a Terry miss let her win at 11-6. However, Terry was not ready to lie down and won G4 at 11-9, finished with a flashing back hand smash. But he was disappointing in G5, as Rose controlled the game with her trademark back hand push. Terry over-hit and the smashes didn’t work as she won the game at 11-4.

The final set between Don and Robin passed swiftly, like an out of control meteorite scudding through the heavens, as Robin, desirous of having his supper to appease his severe hunger pains, hit anything that moved, even winning one game with a succession of hard hit shots. But Don was steady throughout and used his serve intelligently to prevent or immobilise attacks. The result was not recorded as your correspondent collected the money, tidied up the paperwork and escaped into the crisp night air. Don won 3 at around 11-6 and Robin won one at around 11-7. Check out the official report when it comes out.

So, if anything Popps have gone down hill since their last encounter with the Hounds up on the icy slopes of the Pennines. Terry has been unable to practice to recover his bus depot excellence of the past and Robin does not have the defensive game to compete. Nor does he have a consistent attacking game.

Joan alone (sounds like a film title) continues to improve. Hounds had Neil to strengthen their side, while Don & Rose seem to be continually improving. As ever, the match was played with good humour and at the end, the Hounds barked their goodbyes, called in at the nearest lamp post then surged in a wild yapping pack back to their kennels in the hills, for a big steaming plate of PAL. It certainly seems to work for Don.

Old Town Hoods A: George Wood, B: James Rickard, C: Dave Warburton 
Popps ‘A’  X: Terry Allington, Y: Peter McMullen, Z: Derek Greenwood

A bus to the top of the world (well, Calderdale, actually), proved to be an expectation too far, to visit our friends (& foes) at Old Town. A bus to Hebden Bridge & a taxi from there to Old Town, shared with a chatty & crusty, former table-tennis playing local warmed our feet, our cockles & our expectations, on a night much colder than on our last visit no more than two weeks ago. Lights ablaze within its cavernous frame, enough to swallow everyone in its massively hewn embrace, the Methodist Church made us welcome, as always, courtesy this time of the threateningly labelled Old Town Hoods, a team comprising the phenomenally unthreatening Young James, Young George & the marginally older Dave. Intimated as we were by yet another astonishing notice on the board in the playing room, we knuckled down to an intensive & friendly warm-up preceded a match much closer in terms of shot potential than is reflected in the score. Ebb to them & flow to us, left a sea of fluid skills poured into a huge jug of endeavour & what might have been….if only! The notice, incidentally, briefed anybody who cared to read it, on the attractions of a 5-day coaching course at Keighley Table Tennis Centre in June run by an apparently talented Chinese player, a member of the Austrian National Team, no less! So this is what they get up at Old Town – a substantial improvement in their game might be expected. Struggling as some of us do to sustain an intensive 3–hour league match, it somehow seemed to be unnecessary to include the word intensive for a 5 day event – more of a put-down or put-off really!

1: AvX – George v Terry: 9-11/2-11/6-11 AWAY WIN A tight & challenging start for Terry with George matching him throughout the 1st game. An easier 2nd game for Terry as George having revealed his hand in the 1st found no way to react to Terry’s formidable weaponry. Continuing to avoid George’s forehand in the 3rd, the game see’s & saw’d but Terry pushed home an easy winner.

2: BvY – James v Peter: 7-11/3-11/9-11 AWAY WIN Steady & smooth 1st game from Peter with James contributing some decent shots. Peter took the 2nd game more easily with as James faded against Peter’s forehand & in the 3rd, status quo until 8-8 when Peter pushed on to a comfortable victory.

3: CvZ – Dave v Derek: 7-11/7-11/7-11 AWAY WIN Derek started steadily against Dave but was already missing crucial easy shots & until 7-7 it was difficult to find a winner with Dave returning well. In the 2nd game Derek moved ahead but then allowed Dave back into it towards the end followed by a similarly frustrating game in the 3rd. 4: BvX – James v Terry:

4-11/7-11/4-11 AWAY WIN Good, secure & solid game for Terry with James unable to keep up. 2nd game saw James making errors against the metronome that is Terry. The 3rd game saw James open well to 4-1 but in totally relentless form, giving no quarter, Terry left with much to do, did!

5: AvZ – George v Derek: 10-12/11-13/8-11 AWAY WIN Tight 1st game for Derek but hung on in there with more of the same on the 2nd, despite throwing points away with ease. 3rd game equally close with Derek just moving ahead from 8-8.

6: CvY Dave v Peter: 9-11/1-11/9-11 AWAY WIN Steady 1st game from Peter followed by devastating 2nd with Dave going bog-eyed trying to keep his eye on Peter’s shots. The 3rd saw Dave come back but left Peter to indulge in a comfortable win.

7: BvZ – James v Derek: 9-11/9-11/11-8/11-7/10-8 HOME WIN Two good games for Derek but then fatigue strode in to his game leaving James with a relentless but possible task of pushing through games 3, 4 & 5 to what ended as a comfortable win.

8: CvX Dave v Terry: 5-11/2-11/1-11 AWAY WIN Easy prospect for Terry, potentially with Dave’s confidence low, his resistance in attempting to meet Terry at his own game, petering out disastrously in the 2nd & disappearing without trace in the 3rd.

9: AvY – George v Peter: 11-7/5-11/2-11/4-11 AWAY WIN Good strong 1st game from George, with peter sluggish & in need of focus. However, in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th games, Peter simply focused & went from strength to strength & completed a very easy win.

Well done, team & thank you to Old Town for another entertaining, refreshmented evening & extra gratitude to Dave for his gallant, appreciated & not assumed generosity in driving our ‘A’ team back to the bright lights & hedonism that is Halifax. 14 wins out of 14 – let’s keep it going!

POPPS ‘B’ : A Terry Wassall, B: Joan Bottomley, C: Robin Thomas
POPPS ‘A’ : X: Terry Allington, Y: Peter McMullen,  Z: Derek Greenwood

A gathering of friends – or is it? This twice-yearly ‘conference’ of strategy, method & guile has come round again, drawing a coterie of support & en-couragement from an attractive bevy of male & female ‘fans’ or interested parties. The cat & mouse of selection completed in advance was thrown into chaos with a late withdrawal through an unexpected issue of ill-health. A key player in the armoury of the ‘A’ team firepower, JT, forwarded a cryptic & sickly message to management, suggesting the onset of a virulent strain of something almost deadly which had lain him low & made it impossible for him to move comfortably in pursuit of little white balls whilst also dealing with little green men in his tummy. Was it a bug, was it merely a life-challenging strain of something green & mobile, or, was it a sinister under-hand, under-duvet attempt by a desperate opponent to swill our winning run down the pan? Having suggested to JT to lie low (and still), keeping an eye open for unusual events, strangers in his midst (including little green men, of course) & to consider future strategies to combat this vile threat, Agent McMullen, newly returned from naval duty in the furthest empire, postponed his weekly ejection from The Bull & agreed to polish his pimply bits for some action at Club Lane. Enhanced by the rotundly fit & feisty academic from Leeds, TW, our opponents strutted confidently into the arena, with their disarmingly confident smiles & demeanour: Sporty Joan, looking lean & mean & Agent Robin, recently released from birthing duties across the globe & reluctantly press-ganged into demon-strating his unique & specialist skills (?), made up a threatening challenge for the ‘A’ team. Let battle (or ping-pong) commence.

1: AvX – Terry W.v Peter: 8-11/12-14/9-11 AWAY WIN. Confident flashing start from Peter with Terry W. struggling to find his length (!); the 2nd game saw Terry W. begin to find the edges but Peter buckled his swash & comfortably ploughed his way to a win: Elegance restored in the 3rd game, as Peter toyed with Terry W. (as in a cat playing with a toy mouse), before casually stroking his way to a confident win.

2: BvY – Joan v Terry A.: 2-11/7-11/2-11 AWAY WIN. Despite Joan aiming her steely eye at Terry A. from the start, refusing to give quarter to Terry’s relentless defence, the points eluded Joan entirely in the 1st game: great patience by Joan in the 2nd game saw a closer contest as she established more focus; sadly, the 3rd game returned to a one-sided sprint from Terry, concluding a disappointing start from Joan.

3: CvZ – Robin v Derek: 4-11/8-11/11-8/9-11 AWAY WIN. Brisk 1st game from Derek with Robin tense & not performing (!); a slick 2nd game from Derek followed by a shockingly casual 3rd giving Robin a tiny window of light as he powered into the 4th to a 4-1 lead, as Derek continued his rather casual approach; dragging the game back to 8-8, Derek finally finished it off.

4: BvX – Joan v Peter: 5-11/11-9/8-11/4-11 AWAY WIN. Steady performance from Joan, still slightly over-hitting her forehands & allowing Peter to comfortably complete the 1st game; in the 2nd game, Joan focused so tightly on each shot that Peter was lulled into losing sight of the ball; Peter pulled back his concentration in the 3rd & pushed calmly through the 4th to a comfortable win.

5: AvZ – Terry W. v Derek: 7-11/3-11/6-11 AWAY WIN. Steady 1st game by Derek whilst still warming himself up, followed by a strong & unremitting 2nd game & a gentle but convincing 3rd.

6: CvY – Robin v Terry A.: 4-11/2-11/2-11 AWAY WIN. Crushing & demoralising 1st game from Terry followed by more of the same in the 2nd. Robin attempted to play a more\creative game in the 3rd but Terry simply squashed the plasticine flat!

7: BvZ – Joan v Derek: 6-11/11-8/5-11/10-12 AWAY WIN. Good sound start from Derek but Joan competed well & she motored on to a convincing win in the 2nd; the 3rd game saw Derek get a grip but the onset of tiredness in the 4th allowed Joan to challenge & lose out only at the death.

 8: CvX – Robin v Peter: 10-12/9-11/9-11 AWAY WIN. Tight 1st game with Peter tiring & Robin concentrating beyond his usual standard. The 2nd game slipped Peter’s way, just & after a close contest the 3rd game also slipped into Peter’s lap.

9: AvY – Terry W. v Terry A.: 12-10/11-5/11-6 AWAY WIN. Tight three games from Terry A. but with sound challenging shots from Terry W., particularly in the 1st game. Steady progress from Terry A., however, simply put too heavy a load on Terry W.’s backhand.

An important & convincing win for the ‘A’ team & a disappointing defeat for the ‘B’ team, albeit with some notable improvements & close shaves in various games. With conspiracies & dramatic thoughts put to one side, we can be grateful that this rather gentle & painless stroll further enhanced ‘A’ team’s position & kindly encouraged the ‘B’ team’s future.

Thank you all for a good evening together!

The A team suffered its only defeat so far in the handicap doubles against Tradesman 2 in our division. Mark Knapton who plays in the second division  inspired the youngsters to great eforts, and we found their 18 points start too much to pull back.

On the 29th December the Mystery Doubles was held at the Halifax Table Tennis Centre. Popps were represented by Derek and Terry A. Terry partnered Andrew Woodhead, a student now based in London. He is the son of Robert Woodhead a well known Halifax league player. Andrew is a cracking player and together with the tight defence of Terry, they managed to reach the final. 

The final against Simon Pugh a top first division player and Derek Harwood of the second division was very tense. Andrew and Terry lost in five games, but it had been a great experience. Andrew’s speed of movement and fantastic hitting was a joy to watch.

It had been a very successful evening and thanks must goe to all the people who work so hard behind the scenes.

A: Rose Tipton, B: Derek Wiiliamson, C: Colin Anker
X: Terry Allington, Y: John Taylor,  Z: Derek Greenwood

Another well-anticipated meander to the heights of Old Town beckoned, with a drizzly yet warm winter’s evening cushioning our body thermometer against the previous extremes of life ‘on top of the world’. Our vault across the entrance wall, our usual aptitude test on a arrival, contrived by a locked gate for which the key has obviously long rusted away, preceded our penetration of the chapel’s inner sanctum in pursuit of the unmistakable sound of table tennis balls, brayed rhythmically in preparation for the contest ahead. Taking a break from the excitement of local pig racing events to indulge in subtle & less porky activities, Rose, Colin & Derek W. made us welcome with their anticipated friendliness & the prospect of break-time snacks & hot drinks. After friendly responses regarding our now well-known & received website, our hosts ushered us to the starting line, ensuring that we made note of a new & important addition to the room, a closed wooden cupboard for all the spare balls. Previous matches had stretched the games on a regular basis due to spare balls being stored in open boxes inside larger cardboard boxes in one corner of the room, in a position which, invariably, became the target of every forehand smash from across the table. Hours spent trying to identify the ‘playing ball’ from all the other spares in the boxes had taxed our recognition skills to the limit, this activity having never been an integral part of our TT training! – at last, the problem was resolved and so the match began.

1:AvX – Rose v Terry: 3-11/4-11/7-11 AWAY WIN: A good even start in the 1st game with strong & searching forehands from Rose: Terry, however, was playing his all-consuming game, followed by more of the same in the 2nd: a mild revival by Rose in the 3rd could not prevent an easy win for Terry.

2:BvY – Derek W. v John: 6-11/6-11/3-11 AWAY WIN: An aggressive start from John saw Derek W. over-hitting forehand smashes: more precision from Derek W. in the 2nd but a similar result & a 3rd which saw John imposing an aggressive style to sweep forward to a 3-0 win.

3:CvZ – Colin v Derek: 9-11/6-11/3-11 AWAY WIN: A steady but convincing 1st game from Derek despite letting it slip away a little towards the end, followed by a more positive 2nd game & a devastatingly aggressive 3rd game which left Colin with nowhere to go at 0-3.

4:BvX – Derek W. v Terry: 12-14/4-11/3-11 AWAY WIN: Strangely tight 1st game with strong early punches from Derek W. but Terry hung on in there to the death: an easy 2nd game for Terry with Derek W. seeming flustered & off balance was followed by an overwhelming 3rd from Terry in which Derek W. seemed to lose the plot.

5:AvZ -Rose v Derek: 11-7/11-5/11-6 HOME WIN: Poor match for Derek, losing control as Rose outplayed him comprehensively from beginning to end with venomous smashes & short delicate lobs, taking her to a very convincing 3-0 victory.

6:CvY – Colin v John: 3-11/11-7/5-11/4-11 AWAY WIN: Easy stroll for John in 1st game with Colin looking for his range. In the 2nd game, Colin pushed ahead as John fluffed shots, largely off his fingers, enabling Colin to hold on for 1-1. John recovered his composure to move ahead to 2-1 & pushed on confidently through the 4th to a relatively easy win.

7:BvZ – Derek W. v Derek: 4-11/4-11/8-11 AWAY WIN: Easy confident match for Derek, with Derek W. losing focus as Derek became more accurate & punishing, powering to an easy 3-0 victory.

8:CvX – Colin v Terry: 3-11/1-11/4-11 AWAY WIN: A walk in the hills for Terry, with Colin looking dazed at 0-1, confused at 0-2 & experiencing nightmares whilst still awake (just!) at 0-3!

9:AvY – Rose v John: 4-11/9-11/11-6/11-4/11-9 HOME WIN: Easy 1st game followed by steady 2nd put John in the driving seat. However, Rose’s admirable tenacity saw her knuckle down to dealing successfully with John’s tricky serve, his encroaching tiredness & her increasing confidence in her own ability. In the end, this was a very convincing & confidence-boosting victory for Rose.

As usual, a relaxing & friendly evening observing the customs & rituals of the good folk of Old Town as they ‘streaked out’ from the usual serious business of pig racing: question is, do our friends race the pigs or do the pigs race each other? – the mysteries of these rituals may be explained to us on a future visit – or perhaps they are subject to an embargo, a secrecy clause or anything, in fact, which might preserve the dark & magical qualities of this intriguing corner of Calderdale. Thanks for a splendid evening, Old Town!

We are now reaching the stage where we are having our return matches, so the results are more predictable. Ramsbridge beat us 9-0 last time, although there were some close games. Joan has gone down with some strange virus, so we have parachuted in Alwyn Kershaw, who played with some distinction for our Summer League last year, so we may register an improved performance, the rest of the team being Terry Wassall who may demonstrate some flashes of brilliance, and Robin Thomas, fresh from 3 weeks in Hong Kong, stuffed to the gills with exotic food with a partly pickled brain after too many lagers in Wanchai.

Ramsbridge have around 5 competent players to pick from and three very smart shirts, complete with Ramsbridge logo, between them. Tonight’s team was: Rod Veal, Steve Hanson & Joe Broadbent.

Robin took a long time to get into his first match V Rod, who rattled off 11-3 and 11-4. However, Robin managed a mini-fight back in G3 by winning 12-10. But it was short lived and Rod wound up G4 at 11-4. Rod was more consistent and Robin could not sustain his concentration after his unexpected winning game.

Then Steve beat Terry 11-2, 11-7 and 11-7, via a mixture of cunning serves and general accuracy. Terry won one or two hits, but his extended viral condition has left its mark on his ravaged body. Joe Broadbent, with a height and age advantage, then took on Alwyn and we observed a significant improvement in the standard of playing, with long rallies, careful placement of the ball and some weird from-under-the-table spin serves from Joe. Joe won 11-7, 13-11 and 11-9. Alwyn tried various strategies, including tossing the ball up to tempt Joe into unwise smashes, but it only worked to a point. He could have won the last 2 games, but Joe was just too steady.

Steve then returned to the table to surprisingly lose the first game to Robin at 10-12, but sanity returned as he reeled off 11-1, 11-5 and 11-4. Alwyn improved his performance against Rod, by taking the first game 11-8, using a range of techniques, good returns, tossing it up and largely staying on his feet. But Rod kept his head in G2, surviving a close battle to win 12-10. At this point I noticed how professional Ramsbridge looked on this cold night, with their smart shirts, shorts and clean socks. In contrast, Popps kept their tracksuit bottoms on and displayed a motley collection of tops, including Alwyn’s massive blue T Shirt which billowed round him like a hyperactive sail. Rod then prevailed in the remaining games 11-8 and 12-10. Overall, it was a set which Alwyn could have won; all he needed was a bit of stardust.

Joe’s serve confused Terry in the next set where he eased to 11-5, 11-7 and 11-1, with Terry fading badly in the 3rd game. Alwyn tried to attack more against Steve, as he felt his defence was not really working. It was to no avail as Steve won 11-4 in G1, then 11-8 and 11-4. Joe against Robin was a bit of a formality, with Joe winning 11-4, 11-8 and 11-8. Joe’s serve was effective and his returns were steady. Robin executed some useful returns, but to no avail.

Finally, Terry restored some pride by winning a 5 game set against Rod, 12-10,8-11,9-11,11-5 and 5-11, as he gradually introduced some accuracy into his smash regime.

So again we lost to Ramsbridge, but this time we won one set. Alwyn had sets he could have won, Terry did win one and Robin took 2 games. We just have to hang in there and team manager, Tom ‘Kenny Dalglish’ Sunderland is hoping to arrange a team practice, so some improvement may be possible as we enter 2011.

This was POPPs B’s last game before the Christmas break and, given the Tradesmen are second in the division just behind POPPs A, were not expecting anything other than a lesson in humility. And so it turned out. The Tradesmen’s trio of youngsters, Sam, Matthew and Alex, two of whom could barely see over the table, were full of confidence, bordering on arrogance, and energy. They were all very good indeed and not much to pick between them.  Sam and Alex play particularly well given their lack of height and will be even more formidable when they grow another 12 inches or so. POPPs B lined up with Joan, Tom and Terry W.

Needless to say, Tradesmen won 9 sets to nil. Sam didn’t drop a game. He was the most casual in his approach and rarely looked as if he needed to take his games very seriously, usually waiting to receive serve with his bat hanging loose below table height. He had one of these modern serves where the ball is thrown up to quite a height before service. If quite so many had not been served into the front edge of the table he no doubt would have won his games even more convincingly. I found it hard not to follow the travel of the ball all the way up and all the way down so was partly mesmerised by the time the serve actually happened and I had to try and return it.  All the POPPs team took him to 8 in most of the games with Tom losing 12-10, 11-9 and 13-11. This was the last set of the night.

Joan took Matthew to 13-11 in one game and took a game off Alex 11-9. Terry took a game off  Matthew 11-9. But that was about it. It looked as if all the Tradesmen’s players could have played a bit better than they did and perhaps they would have if they found it necessary. There was some evidence that they would not react too well to genuine pressure, not that the B team were capable of applying any on this occassion. There is no doubt all three of the youngsters could go far if they continue with the coaching they are receiving and that they will mature into formidle senior players. The only thing they would learn from playing the likes of us is how to lose comprehensively with some dignity and decorum!

Having beaten the Robins in a close match in November POPPS expected them to receive a handicap. Although POPPS had won 6 sets to 3 many of the games were very close and the overall points difference for the match not that great. In the event the Robins got a 54 point start which seemed pretty fair. So POPPs started the match feeling that although it would undoubtedly be close, we had a chance of pulling it off. However, what little confidence we had was to evaporate over the first 2 of the 9 scheduled games. Two of the Robins team were as before, Jo and Colin. Their number 3 on that occasion was replaced for the doubles by Paul. POPPs was made up by Tom, Joan and Terry W, the victors of the last encounter.

To win the match we needed to win each of the 9 games by an average of 6 point. Games in doubles are played to 42 so we needed to win each game on average 42 – 36 to stay on par and scrape a victory. The first game saw Tom and Joan face Paul and Colin to lose 31 – 42. Not a disaster but this added to the overall points deficit. Next Tom and Terry played Paul and Jo losing 33 – 42. Given that the idea was to get to 42 first this didn’t look too promising! Terry and Joan managed to win the next game against Colin and Jo 42 – 38 , too close to make up the needed points. One third of the way through the match and our disadvantage had increased from the original 54 handicap to 70. From now on we needed to win the remaining 6 games by an average of over 11 points. Dear reader, it was not to be!

Game 4 was Tom and Joan against Paul and Jo, the strongest pair, with POPPs losing disastrously 24 – 42.  This was followed by Tom and Terry against Paul and Colin losing 30 – 42 and Joan and Terry against Paul and Jo losing 36 – 42, a little more respectable but way short of the wins needed. Two thirds through the match and our deficit was now 106.

Things got worse! Tom and Joan lost to Colin and Jo 26 – 42. Tom and Terry beat Colin and Jo 42 – 32 and Joan and Terry lost to Paul and  Colin 17 – 42. POPPs lost the match by 135 points, 283 – 418.

It would not be fair to say the handicapper got it wrong as the 54 lead given to the Robins was probably about right going by the last league match. However, for the doubles match the Robins were easily the strongest team, and not just because Paul was the strongest player. Both Jo and Colin played better than the POPPS players most of the time and generally were better organised and mobile. For POPPs Joan was by far the most agile and mobile but Terry and Tom are not great movers! The only possible flaw in the Robins strategy was to win so easily even when it was obvious the match was in the bag. A forward thinking strategist would have been paying a bit more heed to the handicap they might get in the next round!

The match was played in good spirit  and we look forward to meeting the Robins again in the second half of the season