RAL have the edge in Division A

COMPETITION is hotting up at the top of both divisions in the Newbury Summer League.

In Division A, Nets & Edges (Mark Wheeler & Denise Weller) won a close match against Hop-son (Jonathan Hopson & Simon Sonsino) 108.

Sonsino beat Weller 3-1 and Wheeler won both matches in five sets, but Weller beat Hopson 3-1.

Scorpions B (Duncan Groves & Niall McGrane) edged out Thatcham Spartans (Dave Wise & Eric Panting) 10-8.

Groves beat Wise in five and Panting played well to beat McGrane 3-1, before going on to lose 3-2 to Groves 2-3.

Scorpions A (Lee Calcutt & Bill Stamatiou) beat Jeffernaults (Andy Jeffery & Fallon Thompson) 9-7.

Calcutt beat Jeffery 3-1 and Thompson edged out Stamatiou 3-2 before going on to see off Calcutt 3-1.

Although Stamatiou beat Jeffery 3-0, the match was far from a whitewash with the latter challenging strongly in the opening two games, losing out 10-12, 10-12, 4-11.

Woolton Hill Eagles (Ian Langley & Antony Baker) overpowered Thatcham Lions (Jeffrey Rogers and Philip Jones) 12-2.

Langley beat Rogers and Jones 3-1, while Antony Baker won both matches 3-0.

RAL (Matt Isherwood & Matthew Davies) saw off Me & Mini Me (Joshua Price & Ray Beeks) 12-1 with Beeks taking a game off Isherwood.

In Division B, Spitfires (John Panting & Christine Haines) beat a young, talented Summer Warblers team (Daanyal & Zakariya Begg) 9-6.

Daanyal took the first two games off Panting and narrowly lost the third 9-11.

Panting went on to win the next two games, winning the match 3-2.

Christine Haines beat Zakariya Begg 3-1 before losing out to Daanyal Begg 3-0 and Panting beat Zakariya Begg 3-0.

Tornadoes (Daniel & Reece O’Neill) beat Thatcham Dragons (Ian Whiting & Anne Robertson) 10-4.

Reece O’Neill outgunned Anne Robertson 3-0 before losing 3-1 to Ian Whiting, while Daniel O’Neill beat Whiting 3-1 and Robertson 3-0.

Gaps between teams at the top of both divisions have narrowed somewhat.

In Division A, RAL are in top spot with 39 points from four games and Nets & Edges are a point behind, having also played four games.

Hop-Son are in third with 29 points from three games, while Scorpions A remain in contention in fourth with 29 points from three games.

In Division B, Spitfires are out in front with 40 points from five games and Tornadoes are in second with 38 points from four games.

The Achaeans are unbeaten and are in third with 32 points from three games.