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

Popps hit by Northowam Blizzard: Northowram 9, Popps Nil

Continuing in the grip of the wintry weather which afflicted the whole of the UK, the ‘B’ team made the trip to the friendly outpost of Northowram, where a bunch of helpful people were erecting the tables for the fixture, as the room is used during the day by a motley collection of homeless children, remand prisoners and abandoned dogs. Our team was weakened by the late withdrawal of Terry Wassall caused by weather and work issues, and your correspondent was roped in, having planned to go to a poetry event. The Popps Team was Tom Sunderland, Joan Bottomley & Robin Thomas, who played his matches early in order to get away and as a result, kept no notes of the encounter. This report is therefore, mercifully brief. The Northowram Team consisted of Jim Drawber, Robert Gee, and a mysterious individual whose name was not recorded on our notes. We will call this person ‘C’ and if he knows who he is, please post a correction on this website.

Robin met Jim in Set 1, and Jim roared away with his steady back spin chop to win 11-1, 11-2, and amazingly 12-10, when Robin started, but too late, to deal with Jim’s defensive game. Robert then played Joan and was too strong, winning 11-7, 11-4 and 11-6. Tom enjoyed a 5 game set against ‘C’, winning the first 2 to 7 & 4, but the effort could not be sustained and ‘C’ won the next 3 games to 8, 5 & 9.

Robin then met Robert, part of the massive Gee family. Almost everyone in this isolated community is called Gee; you meet them everywhere, in Tesco, in the Doctor’s Surgery and propping up the bars in most pubs. So they have plenty of players to call upon. Robert’s patient, steady game took him to a clear 11-8, 11-9 & 11-4 victory, as Robin tried a range of unsuccessful strategies to make any impact.

Tom couldn’t make much of an impression on Jim, and was beaten 11-7, 11-6 and 11-9.

‘C’ continued the whitewash process by defeating Joan 11-2, 11-4 and 11-5, and Robert continued the trend by beating Tom 11-6, 11-9, and 11-7. Robin provided some brief resistance by having 5 games against ‘C’. Result 3-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6 and 11-3, the wide range of scores demonstrating possible problems of concentration in what could have been a winnable set. In the final set, Jim beat Tom 11-3, 11-2 and 11-6 and Northowram G came away with a 9-0 victory.

Joan continues to improve, but could not find a way through and Tom had some good rallies and winners, but perhaps suffered from stamina limitations, while your correspondent perhaps needs to start all over again.

We thanked Northowram for their hospitality and battled our way home through the bitter night, avoiding skidding off the road, knowing that we had to improve to make any impression on opponents of this calibre.

Robin Thomas

Terry Allington and  Chie won all three of their sets and Peter won two. A convincing win for the A team

Tradesmen 2 –  A: Matthew Knapton B: Sam Drake C: Kristian Fearnley
POPPs A – X: Terry Allington  Y: Chie Hick  Z: Peter McMullen

After an exciting season of daring do & a welcome absence of daring don’t, Popps ‘A’ have moved inexorably onwards throughout the season, shadowed threateningly by the eager power & enthusiasm of Tradesmen 2. This match, long awaited & eagerly anticipated by our hand-picked team, presented both teams, one point apart at the top of the league, with the opportunity to stride for instant glory & a sound foundation for the rest of the season. In the event, on an icy & inhospitable night, the arena for this gladiatorial contest was eerily silent & empty, with not a sound other than the wheezing of an asthmatic heating system. Our team, arriving early, not afeared by the battle ahead, awaited the arrival of their young opponents. With a junior chatter & a surprisingly cool & laid back approach from the youngsters, the match got under way.

1: A v X – Matthew v Terry: 5-11/2-11/6-11: AWAY WIN 0-1. Cruise control for Terry, chopping his way through the forest of Matthew’s not inconsiderable armoury. Ultimately, Terry slipped his way through Matthew’s myriad thrusting attacks, leaving him frustrated & wounded in what had immediately become a lions’ den.

2: B v Y – Sam v Chie: 7-11/10-12/11-6/9-11: AWAY WIN 0-2. Steady, imposing 1st game for Chie, penetrating Sam’s defences & enjoying some good forehand smashes. In the 2nd game, Sam began to assert his glorious smashes, punched from his low centre of gravity, losing a close game before upping his game again in the 3rd to power past Chie to a good win. The 4th game proved easier for Chie as Sam had a surprising intrusion of inconsistency with mild accompanying annoyance & banging of bat.

3: C v Z – Kristian v Peter: 11-3/8-11/4-11/12-10/10-12: AWAY WIN 0-3. Easy start for Kristian with Peter struggling for accuracy. In the 2nd game, Peter achieved better focus & good success with his swerving serve, following with a forceful 3rd with little interruption from Kristian. A tight 4th game with Kristian re-stating his good start took the set to a challenging 5th game with Peter just edging it on the last point.

4: B v X – Sam v Terry: 7-11/9-11/11-7/6-11: AWAY WIN 0-4.Two steady games for Terry, containing the frustrated thumping of table & anything else to hand by Sam. The 3rd game saw a remarkable resurgence by Sam, literally rising in stature to out-fox the Wibsey Wizard. After an even start in the 4th, Sam peeled away in frustration at Terry’s predictable tactics, allowing Terry a smooth drive to the flag.

5: A v Z – Matthew v Peter: 11-7/11-8/3-11/5-11/11-9: HOME WIN 1-4. Steady start for both with 1st & 2nd games going marginally to Matthew. Peter rallied strongly in the 3rd& 4th, playing with flair & confidence only to hiccup into an unexpected decline in the 5th, with Matthew sensing his deserved moment of glory.

6: C v Y – Kristian v Chie: 11-8/13-15/9-11/9-11: AWAY WIN 1-5. Sound start from Kristian, floating balls confidently to the edges, but in the 2nd, Chie pushed earlier & harder forcing a tight result. 3rd & 4th games were very even to the last points, with Chie, finally, just shading it with a greater will to reach home.

7: B v Z – Sam v Peter: 2-11/5-11/11-9/5-11: AWAY WIN 1-6. Two easy, confident games for Peter, with Sam looking tired from his exertions. But in the 3rd game, Sam again roused his gladiatorial instinct, feasting hungrily as Peter inadvertently fed him slower bounces. Sensing danger, Peter regained his sharpness & composure & pushed to the line.

8: C v X – Kristian v Terry: 8-11/7-11/1-11: AWAY WIN 1-7. Steady stalking start, as usual, by Terry but in the 2nd & 3rd games, Kristian, sadly, refused to give up the pointless challenge of trying to beat Terry at his own game & comprehensively slid quietly into the black hole filled with Terry’s previous exhausted victims.

9: A v Y – Matthew v Chie: 11-9/8-11/12-10/3-11/9-11: AWAY WIN 1-8. Good solid 1st game from Matthew with Chie chasing shadows. The 2nd game went in the opposite direction with Chie achieving good focus but then just slipping out of the 4th on the last point against Matthew’s foot-stamping determination, pushing the set into a decisive 5th game, with Chie almost letting go too early but dragging herself across the line with some relief.

What a victory for Popps in this huge & gladiatorial contest, staged in an almost silent arena, a match made in heaven between the junior champions of the next decade, with their instinctive appetite for power, speed & frustrated histrionics against the apparent wisdom of the silver surfers & their feisty oriental ace in the hole. The subtle understatement of the Table Tennis Centre Arena seemed at odds with the final glory awaiting the champion of this massive match, played against a background of the excitable chatter of young & confident talent & the subdued restraint of focused & reflective maturity. At the end, it was akin to a band of weary hunter-gatherers, harnessing a need to win through by feeding the spirit & hoping the body will not reject the main course.

Well done, Chie, Terry & Peter, our greatest victory so far this season.

Popps A 7,  Northowram Juniors 2

In the opening set Peter Mcmullen found Ross Barnes attack just too strong for him, and went down in straight games.Peter then showed his fighting spirit against Barbara Gee, using a mixture of deep chop and an excellent back hand flick, to win a five game thriller.

Chie Hick uses her unorthodox style and bat twiddleing to confuse her opponents. she had a good win over Barbara Gee, but fell away to a confident Ross Barnes.

After a comfortable set against a Josh Gee, Terry Allington was made to fight hard, using his speed arround the table to claim all three sets.

This was another fine team effort.

POPPS ‘B’ WIN CLOSE ENCOUNTER

Readers of this column, all 3 of them, will have noticed that the genre has evolved from basic factual accounts in the early days, through sociological analysis, via sheer fabrication of facts to avant garde portrayal and surreal representation of a mundane event, a table tennis match. A recent posting by DG has raised the bar of creativity to a level which will be hard to match, so one must try harder.

After 2 visits to the isolated republic of Old Town, the ‘B’ team was at home to the Robins. We expected to see Jo Sweeny who has been recently released from house arrest by the military junta which rules Old Town. How will she respond to her new found freedom? Will she act as a focal point for rebellion? Will she be re-arrested? We can also see the Robins team as a kind of coalition of different views which has come together for the sake of the collective good. Will they break ranks under the pressure of competition? If they become rebellious, will we need to hide the fire extinguisher? Is there a danger of any of the Popps team being kidnapped and being taken back to Old Town? Would anyone be prepared to pay a huge ransom? Probably not.

In reality, none of these things happened and Terry Wassall returned to the Popps team from his fever-ridden bed, to join rising star Joan and fading icon Robin.

Old Town Robins fielded: Jo Sweeney, Colin Anker & new boy, Paul Penny.

Set 1 saw Terry making a triumphant return from his sick bed, despite an occasional cough, against Colin. Colin tried to play safe and steady while Terry had not lost his native flamboyance. It was fairly even at first, but Terry was beginning to catch Colin out with his forehand smash, and despite a mini-catch up, Terry won G2 11-8. At this point Colin removed his sweater to reveal a bright red shirt, but it didn’t frighten Terry, although he did send a smash into the nearby industrial estate. At one point Terry tried to tempt Colin by tossing the ball up and Colin fell for it a couple of times by smashing into the far distance. 11-5 to Terry. Terry got carried away a little in G3 & missed some attacks. Both missed the table, but Terry finished off with a fluke and smash. 11-9 to Terry and first blood to Popps.

Joan came up against Jo in Set 2. Neither serve would have pleased the TT police, so we can let them pass and Jo’s overall game, especially her improved forehand smash proved too much for Joan. First game went 11-7 to Jo. Joan tried to find a strategy to deal with Jo’s game and at 7-7 she was clearly still in the game. But Jo delivered a couple of useful forehand smashes to win 11-8. Joan was participating in some good rallies with her stylish forehand working well, but Jo’s was working even better and she sailed to 11-4 to win the set.

Robin then met Paul, who, like a number of older players, is returning to the game after a long gap. He is still not quite there and allowed your correspondent to register a rare win, 11-7, 11-8 and 11-4. Paul’s softish returns were quite hard to attack and Robin had to break the habits of a lifetime by patiently returning the ball and waiting for Paul to make mistakes or to fluff Robin’s occasionally tricky spin serve.

Joan then promised a degree of glory against Colin and her forehand worked well in G1. It was level all the way until 9-9 and Joan delivered 2 smashes on time to take her to 11-9. But she started badly in G2, missing the end of the table to allow Colin to leap to 4-0. She fought back to 4-4 and it moved to 8-8. But Colin kept it steady while Joan’s forehand went off the boil as he went to 11-8. Colin’s forehand started to work in G3 and he moved steadily ahead to win 11-5. This affected Joan’s confidence a little and Colin was able to wrap up the set at 11-4 with some useful returns.

Paul started off against Terry in Set 5 with a couple of disastrous serves, but his soft returns slightly inhibited Terry’s trademark smash. But he held it together, got his smash working and teased Paul with a couple of short services. 11-5 to Terry. He rushed into an early lead in G2 and he seemed to have thrown off he worst of his virus, although playing table tennis with a drip attached would slow down most people. We also had an attractive blonde BUPA nurse ready to sooth his fevered brow at climatic moments, which you wouldn’t get on the NHS. Paul tried to get back on terms, but a mad smash, possibly in frustration, did not help. Terry cruised to 11-5 and scooted ahead to 5-0 in G3. Paul fought back well and both made mistakes, Terry over-hit and Paul executed a bizarre serve, but Terry was able to smash his way to an 11-5 win and the set.

Robin then lost a 5 setter against Jo which he should have won. She won G1 12-10 after Robin missed a serve. Robin recovered to win G2 11-8 after a gritty last point. He excelled in G3 and won 11-2, when everything worked well, but he was not able to clinch in G4, allowing Jo to win 12-10 after a closely fought game. With everything still to play for, the last game was always close, but Robin allowed Jo to come back after a deficit at 10-8, to win 12-10. Jo’s forehand has become a useful weapon, even executed from a back hand position and that was crucial in the end. At this point the overall score as 3-3 for the match, so everything still to play for.

In set 7, Joan knew she had a chance against the improving Paul, who won a fluke to take the lead in G1. Joan fought back to 6-6, won a couple of forehands and sent one off the table, but after a long rally, clinched the game at 12-10. Colin managed an outrageous fluke in G2, but Joan was playing with more flair to build up a good lead, finishing off with more forehands, to win 11-6. Paul was ahead at 6-4 in G3, threatening to spoil Joan’s victory party. He played well to stay in the lead and won 11-4. Both made mistakes in G4, but Joan was moving ahead. She won after a long rally at 7-4 and stayed ahead at 11-4 to win the set. A good win for Joan. She is known to be a competent tennis player and although the games are different, she is showing the sense of tactics which her tennis experience will have given her. As a younger player, she is rumoured to have been out on dates with Borg, McEnroe, John Lloyd and Buster Mottram (Fred Perry?) but this cannot be confirmed.

Robin then met Colin, knowing that a win would clinch the match. Robin played a steady game with a wobble in G3. The overall score was 11-9, 13-11 (10-12) and 11-9. His back hand smash worked well in dealing with Colin’s serve. Colin’s smash worked well, but overall, Robin managed to hold his concentration well after his early lapse against Jo.

The match was won by the time Terry met Jo, but honour was at stake. Initially, Terry was not prepared for Jo’s effective forehand and fed her a few tit-bits for her to deal with, but he was also able to smash a few. He also tried the little grubby service to good effect and Jo gave him a point via a cocked up serve. 11-5 to Terry. G2 was much more competitive, both using their forehands effectively. Terry tried the short serve and at 9-9 it was capable of going either way. Terry missed what looked like a googly serve from Jo, but prevailed at 12-10. In G3 Terry displayed a mix of good attacks and over-ambitious flashes of the bat but was moving ahead with a useful percentage of forehands, to win 11-8.

So Popps won the fixture 6-3 in the end, but it could have gone either way and as usual, the match was played in a good spirit. In the past, this column has made cheap jibes about the Old Town teams as if they lived in a magical kingdom of elves and dragons high on the wild hills above Hebden Bridge. I have to say this is completely untrue. The Old Town team were escorted to the door and were then seen to enter a pumpkin coach pulled by 6 mice which roared into the sky above Club Lane amidst a shower of meteorites. So there you are. Just normal table tennis players going home after a match. Not much more to report really, no major weddings planned for the Table Tennis community, but it is rumoured that Terry is lending the Irish government a few bob to bail them out of their current difficulties. Finally, we have no engagements to announce, although we understand that Terry Allington is available if anyone is interested. In this event, Popps Table Tennis team will not be producing any celebration mugs.

Popps Battered by Rampant Senior Cits, 9-0

This was a home match for SC. They normally play at home on a Tuesday, but had asked us to move it to the Monday. The situation is that the Senior Citizens have been invited to a rave on Tuesday and did not want to miss out on an opportunity for free booze, loose women and heavy metal music. Having made that rude jibe, it is worth remembering that SC finished many points above us last year and that they are an experienced and wily side, quite mobile and street-wise. Popps team was Tom Sunderland, Joan Bottomley and Robin Thomas, and missing the mercurial Terry Wassall still struggling to throw off dengue fever or something like that. Senior Citizens had Alwyn Kershaw (not the Popps Summer league Alwyn Kershaw), Harry Witherspoon (not the blues singer-pub owner) & Roy Oldroyd. They first half hour before the game started rubbing their limbs down with various odious smelling liniments and strapping on a range of bandages, supports and breathing apparatus. They then proceeded to hammer us.

The match unfolded something like this.

Set 1 with Tom V Alwyn. Tom achieved some useful forehands, but Alwyn was more consistent, creeping ahead by solidly getting it back, to win 11-5. In G2, Tom won a couple of flukes and a couple of smashes, but the same pattern emerged. He had one of his specs saver moments and missed the ball completely to go down 11-6. Tom started well in G3 and went to 5-1 after Alwyn messed up a serve, but then Tom missed 2 smashes, Alwyn got level and eased ahead again to win 11-7.

In Set 2, Joan met Harry, as we all sang the famous Catherine Howe number ‘Harry’. Not a lot of people know this, but Catherine Howe was born in Halifax and was a neighbour of Joan’s. Harry was sporting a strange support effort on his dodgy ankle, but it didn’t seem to slow him down. Joan shows improvement every week with a stylish forehand and improving accuracy. They were level at 6-6, but Harry’s consistency took him ahead to 11-6, finishing off with a speedy backhand flick. Similar pattern in G2, level at 6-6 but this time Joan moved ahead with a good forehand which continued to work to take her to a win at 11-8. She took this confidence into G3, starting well, but Harry fought back. Joan was missing as many smashes as she achieved, but even a fluke couldn’t stop Harry reaching 11-8, admonishing himself ‘Bloody Hell!’ as he missed a shot. In G3, Harry introduced a spin serve to good effect, and even though Joan’s improving forehand continued to shine, Harry edged ahead to win 11-6 and the set.

Set 3 saw Robin against Roy. Robin actually won the second game 11-8 with a mixture of attack and attack, but Roy remained steady to win the other games 11-7, 11-6 and 11-5.

Set 4 produced one of 2 the contests of the night as Tom & Harry had a 5 setter. Harry’s backhand worked well in G1 as he cruised to 11-3 with Tom missing a back hand smash and netting a return. Tom started better in G2, played some good rallies, won the odd fluke and smashed the final point to win 11-7. Harry started to shout at himself in G3 ‘What on earth are you doing?’ and continued to mutter as Tom beat him 11-6. The crowd were getting excited now. Was this a change in our fortunes? Well, no because Harry proceeded to shoot ahead in G4 with a fluke serve and helped by some misses from Tom, Harry won 11-3. In the final game, with both players obviously capable of winning, it was Harry who kept things together. There were some exciting rallies but Harry was winning them with Tom losing the odd ball it what seems to be a blind spot or he could be taking his eye of the ball at crucial moments. Harry went clear early on in the game and wrapped it up at 11-78.

In Set 5, Alwyn stepped up to meet Robin with a predictable result: 11-8, 13-11 and 11-9. Robin attempted a number of trademark wild smashes and some worked, but Alwyn was steady and reliable, using a spin serve to good effect.

Set 6 saw Joan on the table with Roy well, perhaps I should re-phrase that. She led at first at 6-4; Roy recovered to lead 8-6, achieved some good hits and moved to 11-8. At this point your correspondent was temporarily distracted by a game on the adjoining table, clearly from not only a different league, but probably another planet. A young boy who didn’t look more than about 12 was knocking 12 bells of hell out of a man about 4 times his age and size. What chance have we got? But I digress. Joan stayed in this game till near the end with some good flicks and a fluke, but Roy won at 11-8. In G3, Joan continued to produce some attractive forehands with good follow-through. If she continues on this path, she may attract some kit sponsorship. Nike? Ann Summers? Oxfam? Who knows? However, Roy was raising his game with some spin returns and despite a couple of good forehands from Joan, Roy tidied up the set at 11-9.

In Set 7, Robin won one game against Harry when some of his wild hits stayed on the table, but it did not stop Harry cruising ahead to win the other 3 games 11-7, 11-4 and 11-5.

Tom had another 5 setter against Roy in Set 8. Roy won the first 2, 11-4 and 11-7 when Tom seemed tired, but he recovered in G3 to win 11-4 with some useful returns. This time Roy seemed to be losing a bit of concentration and Tom won G4 11-7 despite an outrageous fluke by Roy which saw the ball shaving the edge of the table. Both were tense in G5 and both made mistakes. Tom netted a return, had a good smash, and then Roy missed one. It reached 10-10 as all the eyes of the crowd were on these crucial points. A silence fell on the hall as the onlookers waited with hushed expectancy. Then Roy took the last 2 points to win the game at 12-10, and the set.

Finally in Set 9, Joan met Alwyn. He built up a safe lead at 9-3, Joan missed a couple of forehand smashes to allow Alwyn to win 11-4. Joan won a couple of flukes in G2, but Alwyn was Mr Consistency and won at 11-6. A similar pattern emerged in G3, with Joan winning some excellent points, but losing others. Alwyn kept it steady to win 11-4.

The match was, as usual, played with civilised good humour and old fashioned courtesy. We didn’t mind receiving a lesson in table tennis, and they didn’t mind dishing it out.

The Popps A team had their hardest game so far, in the league. Peter Mcmullen continues to impress, despite only just recovering from a serious leg injury. He  had fine wins over Martyn Holiday and John Wisilewsky, but fell away to the experienced Barbara Gee.  John Taylor struggled on the night, but played well against Martyn Holiday, only loosing in five games   Terry Allington saved his best form for the final set against Barbara Gee. After a titanic struggle he triumphed by 3 gamed to 1.

Result Popps A 5 Northowram.MGM. 4.  This was a great team effort and hopefully we can keep are unbeaten run going.