Division 1 Roundup - Weeks 3 and 4

Tight at the Top ?

A week and a bit away for me, hence the briefer and belated Week 3 Report, combined with Week 4, but things remain fairly close in Division 1, with just six points separating the top six teams, after four weeks.

After the first two weeks, the joint leaders were Milton Keynes Sasaki and Chackmore Hasbeens, but Week 3 saw both suffer a first defeat, whilst Milton Keynes Pumas took over the lead, although both Sasaki and Hasbeens returned to winning ways in Week 4 (including Hasbeens beating Pumas), so regaining the top two spots, albeit Pumas retained a share of second place.  Leighton Buzzard Avengers remain the only undefeated team and are just a point back from joint second, with Milton Keynes Phoenix a further point behind, whilst Milton Keynes Sharks are just two points behind Phoenix.  The bottom two are the two teams promoted from Division 2, Leighton Buzzard Spitfires and Mursley Hawks, with the pair just a few points adrift, and with neither having yet achieved a win.

Week 3 saw a couple of surprise results, as the two leading teams lost.  Sasaki went down 4-6 to Avengers, in part due to being a player short, as both Michael Wilkins and William Kit Liang each won twice, but lost once (Michael to Fabrice Spelta and William to Mateusz Browarnik), with Avengers crucially taking a close doubles, to do enough to grab the win.  Fellow leaders after Week 2, Hasbeens, lost out 3-7 to an inspired Sharks team, as Derick Rodrigues lead the way with three wins, backed up by two for Rupert Greyling and one for Sarah Hudson, with Rupert/Sarah also inflicting a rare doubles defeat on Bub Burman/Andy Whitehead to complete the win, with the main resistance coming from Bub with two wins, but it was Sharks' night - as they edged all the close sets.  Spitfires collected their second 5-5 draw of the season as they played Phoenix, despite a treble for Phoenix by Mervyn Phillips, as Andy King won two, and Graham Silversides and Filip Simek each won one, with Andy/Graham also taking a very tight doubles against Ivor Howard/Gerald Ridgway.  The biggest win of the season so far went to Pumas, who came away from Hawks with an 8-2 win, to go top after Week 3.  Adam and Julie Snowdon each won all their singles, although just lost out in the doubles to Mick O'Mahony/Martin Johnson, whilst Andy Smith won twice, just losing out in singles to Mick.

Week 4 saw Sasaki regain the Division 1 lead, as they beat Spitfires 7-3, primarily thanks to a Minesh Pitamber maximum, including the doubles with William Kit Liang.  William also won two singles and Cannon Wong won one, to complete their scoring, whilst for Spitfires, Andy King, Filip Simek and Graham Silversides each won once.  Hasbeens also returned to winning ways, defeating Pumas 6-4 in a very close match, to knock them off top spot and join them in equal second.  Four of the first six sets went to either 11-9 or deuce in the fifth, on a night where no-one won all their singles, but the narrow doubles win for Bub Burman/Andy Whitehead over Adam Snowdon & Julie Snowdon helped Hasbeens to a 6-2 lead at one point, with Pumas battling back to win the final two sets.  Two singles wins here to Adam and Andy Smith for Pumas, countered by two to Bub and Andy Whitehead, plus one to Sam Willet, for Hasbeens.  Avengers go fourth as they drew 5-5 with Sharks, who stay sixth.  A treble here for Sarah Hudson, aided by two wins for Rupert Greyling provided the points for Sharks, whilst Fabrice Spelta grabbed two singles, aided by a win apiece for Dave Broome and Steve Jordan, and a Fabrice/Dave doubles completing the scoring.  Finally, Phoenix move to fifth spot with their first win of the season, 7-3 against Hawks, as Mervyn Phillips made it two trebles in succession and Alan Bolding also scored a treble.  Main resistance came from David Bartlett and Mick O'Mahony, who each won one singles, and also combined to take the doubles against Alan/Gerald Ridgway in four games, from one leg down.

Player of the Week (Week 3) : Derick Rodrigues.
Player of the Week (Week 4) : Mervyn Phillips.

Week 5 pits top versus bottom as Sasaki take on Hawks, whilst equal second placed Hasbeens play Phoenix.  Pumas, the other equal second placed team, visit Sharks, and finally it's seventh versus fourth as Avengers face Spitfires.