Division 1 Roundup - Week 8
A Week of Firsts!
The League season has hit the opening week of the second cycle of seven matches, and in some ways, it has been a week of firsts. After just five draws in the initial seven weeks, then like busses, there were three at once, this week. There was also the first score exceeding 8-2, as a 9-1 win was recorded. There were also five matches in a week, as one fixture was brought forward a week, and although based on five matches instead of the usual four, there were three maximums (three singles wins and a doubles win by a player), to go equal first with Week 2. Finally, the one team without a doubles win so far in the season, notched up their first doubles victory.
In the headline match of the week, it was the top two playing each other, as Milton Keynes Sasaki took on Milton Keynes Phoenix, with Sasaki three points ahead after the first cycle, and both teams on a run of four wins in a row. In Week 1, Sasaki had won 6-4, for the only defeat of the Phoenix campaign, and whilst Phoenix did improve on that, the match ended up as a 5-5 draw, to maintain a three point margin to Sasaki. The individual honours once again went to Michael Wilkins, who stays top of the Division 1 Averages, as he won all three singles, although he was pushed to five games by Alan Bolding, but he beat Mervyn Phillips and Ivor Howard in straight games. Minesh Pitamber picked up two singles wins for Sasaki, to complete their scoring, just losing out to Alan in five. William Kit Liang was unable to grab a win, although he twice went close in five and also lost deuce in the fourth to Mervyn. The vital doubles was even closer, as Alan and Ivor just edged out Michael and William at 11-9 in the decider. Alan certainly got his moneys worth on the night, as he ended up going to five legs in all four of his encounters!
Pride of place perhaps has to go to equal sixth-placed Milton Keynes Sharks, this week, as they became the first team to record a 9-1 win in the Division, thrashing bottom team, Mursley Hawks. Despite the scoreline, there were some very close sets and legs, with fourteen legs going to deuce, and a further six finishing 11-9, but despite fierce resistance from Hawks, it was Sharks who generally had the stronger bite at the end! Rupert Greyling and Derick Rodrigues won all their singles, whilst Sarah Hudson won two singles, plus Rupert and Sarah combined to win an enthralling doubles in five games against David Bartlett and Ian Spanswick, pulling away in the decider after four games all of 11-9 or deuce. Rupert thus completed a maximum on the night. Sarah had a more up and down match, generally starting slowly, but hitting top gear later in each set. The one exception was against Martin Johnson, who edged legs 1 and 2, only for Sarah to storm back in legs 3 and 4, however this time the decider stayed neck and neck, with Martin slightly fortunate to just nick the fifth leg at 13-11, to deny Sharks the 10-0. The win for Sharks has pushed them up to fifth spot, whilst Hawks remain rooted to the bottom, and some way adrift of a non-relegation place.
Fellow equal sixth-placed Leighton Buzzard Spitfires were brought back down to earth after their first Division 1 win last week, as they were beaten 8-2 by fourth-placed Chackmore Hasbeens. The Spitfires cause was not helped by missing a third regular player, and whilst reserve Edward Lock found the going difficult, he did well to push Sam Willett to a deciding leg in his final singles. For Hasbeens, Bub Burman went the night went the night relatively untroubled, to record a maximum, whilst it was two singles wins each for Sam and Andy Whitehead, with Bub and Andy teaming up for their customary doubles win, against Barry Hammond and Graham Silversides, whilst Barry and Graham did each win one singles, to score the two points for Spitfires, with Barry going the closest to improving on this, going down in a fifth leg to Andy. As a result, Hasbeens stay fourth, but have effectively edged closer to third spot, whilst Spitfires drop back to seventh place.
The final scheduled match of the week saw a 5-5 draw between third-placed Leighton Buzzard Avengers and fifth-placed Milton Keynes Pumas. There was never much in it, with neither side able to hold on to a lead in the match, and no-one was able to win all of their singles. Mateusz Browarnik went the closest, as he won his first two singles against Adam Snowdon and Andy Smith, each in four legs, but he just lost out at 13-11 in the decider against Julie Snowdon, although Adam and Andy had got a sort of revenge in the doubles, as they beat Mateusz and Dave Broome in four legs, also finally breaking the Pumas duck in doubles, with a first doubles win of the season for the team. For Avengers, Steve Jordan took two singles win, whilst Dave Broome won their remaining point, and for Pumas, there were two singles wins each for Andy and Julie, with Adam just unable to add to his share in the doubles victory, as he lost out 11-9 in the decider against Steve. Avengers stay third, but Pumas drop to sixth spot, as Sharks have overtaken them.
The extra match of the week was one brought forward a week, with second and third facing each other, as MK Phoenix visited LB Avengers, with both thus playing two matches in two nights. Both teams had drawn 5-5 the previous night, and that's what resulted again, thus repeating the 5-5 draw when the teams last met in Week 2. Individual star of the show was Fabrice Spelta, who scored a maximum, and took his winning run in singles to ten in a row, and also has moved up to second in the Individual Averages, although he was pushed close in five games by Ivor Howard. It also took until 12-10 in the decider before he and Dave Broome edged out Mervyn Phillips and Gerald Ridgway in the doubles. The final point for Avengers came when Mateusz Browarnik just got past Gerald at 11-9 in the fifth. For Phoenix, now unbeaten in eight matches, there were two singles wins each for Mervyn and Ivor, both in five games for Ivor, plus one for Gerald. As such there was no real change in positions, although Phoenix do go top of the table for now, but they have played one more match than Sasaki.
Next week will only see three matches, with the Avengers/Phoenix match having already happened, and they are Hawks versus Hasbeens, Sasaki hosting Sharks and Pumas visiting Spitfires.
Player of the Week : Fabrice Spelta.