Rhys lightning again as Callum spins in
IN the First Division both Champions Crosby A and Southport A got their season up and running with very good wins over Argyle A and Waddington B respectively.
Crosby had to do it without number one Jack Dempsey, but the usual lineup along with new signing Gavin Lloyd, saw the champs home 8-2.
A strong Southport team even without Bernard Frank, came well out on top by the same scoreline.
Crosby C again found the going tough against their D team, in a 3-7 loss, whilst it was business as usual for Crosby B, who completed an emphatic 9-1 win at Holy Trinity A.
Rhys Davies headlined again, in only conceding 16pts in his two singles, one better in fact than in his doubles win with his dad Mark. Impressive form.
Another father and son (Darren and Josh Taylor) combination took the eye in the Princes St. A verses C derby but this time they were on opposite sides and being captains to boot, gave the match a wonderful opener.
Seniority won the day this time with dad Darren clinching it 13-11 in the fifth for the A team. Josh then put that behind him to help his team to a hard fought draw.
Argyle was the venue for our feature match from Division Two, where their C team entertained Holy Trinity B.
A much changed visiting side got off to a great start with acting captain Brian Crolley getting the better of home captain Jules Dutch in four games, 9-11,11-9, 5-11, 5-11.
Callum Richardson then tied things up winning a captivating encounter against Jannette Hutchings.
Callum’s top spin attack doing the trick in the first, 11-4, Janette’s solid defence reversing the trend in the second 6-11.
Again the third and fourth games panned out much the same but very much closer, 11-9, 11-13, taking us into a fifth, which Callum took 11-6.
Naresh Tagore then restored Argyle’s advantage winning a superb contest in four games against Gordon Parmenter, where the second game itself was an epic edged 17-15 by the home player.
Argyle’s young Patrick Devlin held all the aces, in a three straight win over Ron Makin, before Callum justified his number one position completing a very good win over his opposite number Brian, which made the score
4-1 Argyle. Jules with a three straight win over Gordon then made the match at least safe at 5-1, leaving it to Patrick and Janette to either secure or delay victory.
A close first saw Patrick just pinch it 11-9, however back came Janette to take the next two both 7-11.
Some superb defensive play from both players, particularly from Patrick who kept to his game plan throughout, which gave him a notable win 12-10,11-9, and of course an important win for his side.
Naresh versus Ron was up next to complete the singles, and it was Ron who looked the more determined taking the first two 7-11,10-12.
But as the third progressed Naresh began to take control, and was back in it with a comfortable 5-11 win.
It then looked like a fog had descended on Ron’s game at the start of the fourth, as Naresh swept into a 7-0 lead.
Ron mustered up a few points and then with a few more, he couldn’t, could he?
At 8-8 Ron appeared to be back at his best, and made sure of a deserved win, 9-11, just fabulous play.
An entertaining night was brought to a close with the doubles being shared, giving a final score of 7-3 Argyle C.
Argyle D matched their C team’s result away to Waterloo B, who continuing the family theme, had two father and son pairs making up their team, but messrs Jago and Mooney found the visitors just too strong.
Waterloo A’s match at Southport B was postponed, as was the Princes St’s mini derby between their E and D teams, both due to unavailable premises.
Finally, Crosby E lost out to Argyle E.
In the Third Division, Argyle F also with a father and son duo Mo and Kasra Mohammadi, continued their promising start with a maximum win over Crosby G.
Para’s on the other hand, suffered another disappointing result against a buoyant Crosby H, but wasn’t that surprising, considering they were without Mark Wilson from the start, and lost his replacement John Thompson in the early stages of the match.
Argyle H’s visit to North Meols turned out to be a cracker, going down to the last match, Liam Ward giving the visitors an ever so close 4-6 win. Southport D and Argyle G fought
out an entertaining draw, Southport’s young Matt Bishop and Argyle’s Lewis Hible being the standout performers.
Southport C’s 4-6 win at Argyle J, gave them a good start to the season, although it was Argyle’s Connor Peake who caught the eye with a terrific double, leaving the match to be decided by the visitors winning both doubles.
For more go to: www.tabletennis365.com/southport