Major shock as the champions withdraw before season starts

TABLE tennis gets under way this week, and among the questions again that were going to be asked was ‘would Crosby A’s domination continue?’

Well the simple answer to that would be ‘no’, as the champions surprisingly withdrew from the competition with just days to go before the battle commenced.

With that shock news still filtering through there was also the usual movement within the clubs which due to causing even more confusion I will leave until we get under way.

One thing is certain though, well that should be two, the league welcomes in two new clubs, Rainford Synergy and Carlton Tennis Club who will take their places in the third division, and by some coincidence they will meet in the first round of matches.

With two new teams added to the third

division, the usual two-up-two-down promotion-relegation procedure had to be amended, so one of the two Princes St teams relegated from the first division stayed put, as did Argyle E in the second division.

One further change is Princes St have had to drop a team from their second tier contingent, meant their F team remains in the third, while their promotion winning protagonists take their rightful place in the second division as their E team.

So, will last season’s runners up Crosby B be taking over their illustrious A teams mantle in the top tier, or could Princes St A or a resurgent Argyle side give them a run for their money?

In the second division, look no further than a full-strength Holy Trinity B or the relegated Princes St C for the teams to beat, not ruling out either of the ever improving Waterloo outfits.

Looking into the possibilities in the 3rd Division, well, there won’t be any runaway leaders like last seasons Argyle H, in fact their existence in the league was also ended by an Argyle reshuffle.

Maybe one of the newcomers will become the surprise package.

With that shock of Crosby A’s withdrawal still reverberating, predicting anything before a ball is served is virtually impossible, but fingers crossed for another captivating season throughout.

Finally, governing body Table Tennis England have, over the closed season, been negotiating with a new website provider to replace Tabletennis365, and with the final decision being left to individual leagues of who to use, we at Southport have decided to go with TTE’s new system.

They can be accessed at southport. ttleagues.com (no www.).

Obviously the new system will not be as immediately comprehensive as the old, so a little patience from everyone will ensure its success.

Here’s to a great season then, good luck to everyone concerned, especially to those new players who are beginning a new venture or those returning to a past one…

Lewis Hible, Argyle F’s number one, only lost once in the 3rd Division last year, he could do even better this season

Rhys Davies – after last season’s stunning success at the Town Championships, could he better it by helping his Crosby B side to the title?

Kosta Sinitsa, an integral component in the Paraplegics team, who given the chance will be there or thereabouts in the promotion battle Janette Hutchings, just part of a very strong 2nd division Holy Trinity B squad, if the opportunity for her arises along with a few others, then the ‘top tier’ beckons

Sam Davies, earned promotion to the 2nd Division at the first attempt with Princes St E. If his play continues to improve as much as his enthusiasm, then watch out