Bob Pettit's weekly reports

This page collates the weekly reports which Bob Pettit has been submitting to the Cambridge Evening News. Bob welcomes any information which you would like to submit.

Send your contributions to b.pettit7@btinternet.com.

3 Oct 2011

Matches started last week with division one champions St Neots I gaining a narrow 6-4 victory on their visit to St Ives I. Simon Pryke with three wins kept St Ives in the match whilst Shaun Murray and Alex Facey with two each just edged St Neots home. In another close encounter St Georges I drew 5-5 with NCI I thanks in the main to a maximum from Tony West with Dave Tiplady and Robert Swift winning two each for NCI. Junior Gracjan Sen made an impressive debut for Haverhill winning all his singles as they swept aside Soham I 8-2. Impington I also recorded an 8-2 victory against Soham II with Mirek Pazdziors maximum although Christian Mohan and brother Patrick each recorded a win for Soham. Cambridge I who were spared relegation last term, got of to a flying start with a 9-1 drubbing of newly promoted Over I with Li Wei and Andy Merritt both recording maximums. The other promoted team, Impington II also went down by 8-2 at St Ives II although they were unlucky to lose both the opening games deuce in the fifth game.

In division two Impington III had Martyn Livermore making a comeback to the league after twelve years and his three wins backed up by three from Jeff Catlin and a brace from Helen Arnold ensured they comprehensively beat St Georges II 9-1. New team to the league St Neots II also got of to a good start by beating St Ives III 8-2 with three wins each for Richard Belamy and Mick Pond. Priory defeated Haverhill II 7-3 although there were useful debuts for brothers and juniors Alex and Sam Horscroft for Haverhill. Cambridge II made short work of Over II with Peters Zivtins winning three whilst Terry Edwards beat Ju Young and ray Allen beat Marc Meunier for Over's points. In the inter club match between NCI II and NCI III the second team easily came out on top 9-1 with martin Cadman and Kelvin Mitchell both winning three.

Cambridge IV, with new signings Mark Lillyman and Derek Fuller, comprehensively beat Over IV 8-2 with Fuller and Mike Fricker both recording maximums in division three. Jonathan Audus and Ian Boggie both won three singles as Soham III had an impressive start when defeating St Georges III 8-2. Owen Davies won his customary three singles as did Ian Francis to enable Over III to beat Cambridge III 7-3.

Division four saw Impington V defeat Bassingbourn 8-2 with Mike Friday winning three and Val Parkes recording Bassingbourn's points. It was a good week for the Impington teams in this division as Impington VI also beat St Ives V 7-3 and Impington VII overcame a young St Ives VI 6-4. Cambridge V and St Georges V with Juan Matilla Roddrigues the man of the match with a maximum for Cambridge.

Results

DIV 1
Cambridge I 9 over I 1
Haverhill I 8 Soham I 2
Soham II 2 Impington I 8
St Ives II 8 Impington II 2
St Georges I 5 NCI I 5
St Neots 6 St Ives I 4

DIV 2
Cambridge II 8 Over II 2
Impington III 9 St Georges II 1
NCI II 9 NCI III 1
Priory 7 Haverhill II 3
St Neots II 8 St Ives III 2

DIV 3
Cambridge III 3 Over III 7
Cambridge IV 8 Over IV 2
Soham III 8 St Georges III 2

DIV 4
Bassingbourn 2 Impington V 8
Cambridge V 5 St Georges V 5
Impington VI 7 St Ives V 3
St Ives VI 4 Impington VII 6

10 Oct 2011

Haverhill I are setting the pace at the top of division one as a result of their 9-1 victory against Over I. Gracjan Sen continues to impress in his first season in the division and with Tony Reardon also winning three and Rob Cushen two it was an easy night for Haverhill. St Georges I, currently without either of the Gray brothers due to injuries, went down 7-3 at Impington I with the match of the night being a five set encounter which saw Mirek Pazdzior of Impington beat Steve Annison on his way to a maximum. Tim Avis arrival at Soham I has strengthened their team and his three wins along with three for Martin Freeland ensured they beat St Ives II 7-3 for their first win of the season. Soham II also came away from St Ives I with a useful 5-5 draw with Liam and Christian Mohan both winning two singles. Champions St Neots I had newcomer Adrian Golumbina and Shaun Murray with three wins each to thank as they won 8-2 at Impington II.

In division two an early season top of the table clash saw Cambridge II draw 5-5 with Impington III. Jim Carswell on his return to the second division after injury, which saw his appearances limited last season, won two single for Cambridge. Impingtons Jeff Catlin however remained unbeaten on the night and Hugo Brown, filling in from the fourth team gave him good support by beating Marc Meunier in the fifth and Peters Zivtins deuce in the fourth. Newcomers St Neots II continued with their good start to the season with an 8-2 victory over NCI III thanks to three wins by Innes Christison and two each from Richard Bellamy and Ollie Loia. With no players winning all three matches in a very close match St Georges II and RCG Stapleford shared the spoils at 5-5. Rob Wallis gained a maximum for Priory, including a hard hitting five set victory over Alan Fitzgerald, but could not prevent St Ives winning the match 6-4.

CIBA had mixed fortunes as they lost 7-3 to Over III with Owen Davies and Ian Francis both winning three but they then recorded a comprehensive 9-1 success against Sawston in division three. In another close encounter Kin Choi Chan recorded as maximum for Cambridge IV as they held their club mates, Cambridge III to a 5-5 draw. Fred Laband and Aldo Galea both won two singles each for the third team.

In division four Impington V and Impington VI both recorded 8-2 victories at the expense of Cambridge V and Impington VII respectively to remain at the top of the league. Duncan Taylors maximum with two wins each by John Bray and Mike Friday ensured the fifth team just kept their noses in from whilst Gautum K R and Mike Johnson both recorded three wins for the sixth team. The match between the Impington six and seven also saw a family battle between father Tim Leek who beat son Howard and brother David who also beat his brother Howard.

In another inter club match despite Clare Macrae winning three St Georges IV went down 6-4 to St Georges V thanks mainly to two wins each by Derek Barnes and Jaun Matilla-Roddriguez.

RESULTS

DIV 1
Over I 1 Haverhill I 9
Impington I 7 St Georges I 3
Impington II 2 St Neots I 8
Soham I 7 St Ives II 3
St Ives I 5 Soham II 5

DIV 2
Cambridge II 5 Impington III 5
Haverhill II 2 Over II 8
NCI III 2 St Neots II 8
St Ives III 6 Priory 4
St Georges II 5 RCG Stapleford 5

DIV 3
Over III 7 CIBA 3
Cambridge IV 5 Cambridge III 5
St Georges III 1 Over IV 9
CIBA 9 Sawston 1

DIV 4
Impington V 8 Cambridge V 2
Impington VII 2 Impington VI 8
St Georges V 6 St Georges IV 4

17 Oct 2011

Champions St Neots I joined Haverhill I at the top of division one as a result of their 10-0 demolition of Soham II. Haverhill remain unbeaten following their third consecutive win of the season 7-3 against NCI. David Tiplady of NCI beat the improving Gracjan Sen and Maria Boulton but lost out to Tony Reardon who was unbeaten on the night. St Georges Steve Trevanion continued his current strong form by coming back from 2 games down to beat St Ives Mark Fisher in the fifth game and then went on to beat Alan Smith again in five games. He finally lost in the fifth in a very close game with Simon Pryke as St Ives ran out winners 8-2. In a very close game Impington I just won 6-4 on their visit to Cambridge I with a maximum from Impingtons Mirek Pazdzior proving the difference between the teams. Jan Hryca had a good win over Soham II's Tim Avis in five games and also beat Andreas Elia but Soham finally won the match 7-3.

In division two Impington II are setting the early pace following their 9-1 victory over Haverhill II with maximums from Martyn Livermore and Helen Arnold and two from Colin Adams. Mick Runswick and Rob Pownall both won three each as St Georges II narrowly overcame NCI II 6-4. Stapleford fought out a 5-5 draw with Cambridge II with Nigel Bates winning three singles and Jim Carswell and Peters Zivtins two each for Cambridge. Matt Allen had a good night with three wins as Over III got the better of St Ives III 7-3.

Cambridge IV and Over III are currently neck and neck at the top of division three with Cambridge beating CIBA 8-2 and Over succeeding 7-3 at St Ives IV. Derek Fuller won three for Cambridge and unbeaten Owen Davies three for Over. Impington IV got their season off to a good start with a 5-5 draw at Soham III thanks to a maximum from the experienced Hugo Brown and a useful first win by his son Ben whilst Ian Boggie and Jon Audus won two each for Soham. Clare Macrae playing up from division four put in an impressive performance by winning three single and the doubles with Peter Hutchison to ensure St Georges III came away with a 5-5 draw at Cambridge III.

The most bizarre event of the week came in the match between NCI IV and Bassingbourn in division four when Leon Coleman making a comeback and debut for Bassingbourn was apparently berated and criticized by his captain Rob Trigg during the match for apparently foul serving. NCI went on to win the match 7-3. It was tough baptism for newcomers Jonathan Phillips and Sylvia Rehakova of St Georges IV as they entertained top of the division Impington V who went on to win the match 8-2 with three wins each for John Bray and Mike Friday. St George's points came from Phillips who had a very creditable win 11-8 win in the fifth game against Jonathan Woods and Clare Macrae also beat Woods. Peter Xie and Carl Woolf both recorded maximums as Cambridge V beat NCI IV 7-3 and Val Parkes three wins were the difference between the sides as Bassingbourn overcame St Ives V 6-4.

RESULTS:

DIV 1
St Georges I 2 St Ives I 8
Cambridge I 4 Impington I 6
Haverhill I 7 NCI I 3
Impington II 3 Soham I 7
St Ives II 10 Over I 0
Soham II 0 St Neots 10

DIV 2
NCI II 4 St Georges II 6
Stapleford 5 Cambridge II 5
Impington III 9 Haverhill II 1
Over III 7 St Ives III 3

DIV 3
Cambridge III 5 St Georges III 5
CIBA 2 Cambridge IV 8
Soham III 5 Impington IV 5
St Ives IV 3 Over III 7

DIV 4
St Georges IV 2 Impington V 8
Bassingbourn 6 St Ives V 4
Cambridge V 7 NCI IV 3
St Ives VI 2 St Georges V 8
NCI IV 7 Bassingbourn 3

24 Oct 2011

The ever consistent Mirek Pazdzior came up trumps again for Impington I with a maximum against previously top of the table Haverhill I in division one, although he was taken to five games by Maria Boulton. Two other five-game matches went Haverhill's way with Dave Rowell losing out to Tony Reardon and Reno Phyo losing to Boulton after being two games up. However Rowell won his two other sets and Phyo one and the doubles to give Impington victory by 7-3 to leapfrog Haverhill and go second in the table. Mick Harper and David Tiplady recorded maximums for NCI I in an 8-2 victory over St Ives II. In an even encounter Soham II were held to a 5-5 draw by Impington II with Jan Hyrca winning three for the visitors and Patrick and Kieran Mohan two each for Soham. A maximum from Simon Pryke proved to be the difference as St Ives I overcame Cambridge I 7-3 with Lei Wei winning two for the visitors. Tim Avis and Martin Freeland were both on form winning three singles each in an 8-2 success against Over I.

In division two Martyn Livermore continued his comeback to the sport with a maximum for Impington III who beat St Ives III 6-4. St Ives Greg Zieba, who was playing up from St Ives IV, and Brian Freer both had a good victory over Jeff Catlin with Zieba also accounting for Colin Adams. Cambridge II just edged home 6-4 against NCI II with two wins each for Peters Zivtins and Marc Meunier and a very useful win by junior Max Schweining over the unorthodox Martin Cadman. Priory beat NCI III 9-1 with maximums from Rob Wallis and Ray Thorpe whilst Alan Spackman, in his first match of the season, beat Martyn Hagon to prevent the whitewash. Another junior, Samuel Horscroft played really well to beat both Dan Bates and Chris Badger which along with a maximum from Andrew Driver enabled Haverhill II to draw 5-5 with Stapleford. St Neots II and Over II also drew 5-5 in a very even match with no player managing to remain unbeaten on the night.

Over III continue to set the pace at the top of division three with their latest win 8-2 success coming against Sawston. Owen Davies won three for Over and was well supported by Ian Francis and Ed Merola who won two each whilst Victor Recansky recorded Sawston's victories. Cambridge IV, with a maximum from Derek Fuller, remain in second place following their 7-3 win against St Ives IV whilst St Georges III moved level on points with CIBA as a result of an 8-2 win over them.

In division four Impington V have opened up a useful points gap at the top following a 10-0 win over the young St Ives VI team who, with more experience, will no doubt continue to improve and become a force in the future. Impington VI remain in second place following their 9-1 success against Bassingbourn with maximums from youngsters Amy Catlin and Howard Leek ably supported by captain Mike Johnston. St Ives V hosted Cambridge V with the visitors emerging victorious thanks mainly to a maximum from Peter Xie.

DIV 1
St Ives I 7 Cambridge I 3
Impington I 7 Haverhill I 3
Soham II 5 Impington II 5
NCI I 8 St Ives II 2
Over I 2 Soham I 8
St Neots I 10 St Georges I 0

DIV 2
Priory 9 NCI III 1
Cambridge II 6 NCI II 4
St Ives III 4 Impington III 6
St Neots II 5 Over II 5
Haverhill II 5 Stapleford 5

DIV 3
St Georges III 8 CIBA 2
Cambridge IV 7 St Ives IV 3
Over III 8 Sawston 2

DIV 4
Impington VI 9 Bassingbourn 1
St Ives V 4 Cambridge V 6
Impington V 10 St Ives VI 0

31 Oct 2011

Last week saw a break in league matches which gave way to the first round of the Handicap Cup with several close matches being played. Martin Heyes and John Audus both won two matches and Neil Abraham one as Soham III edged out Cambridge IV 5-4 although Mike Fricker did his best to swing the match Cambridge's way with three wins. With very little difference in the handicaps Jonathan Woods recorded a maximum as fourth division Impington V put in a good performance in beating third division St Georges III 6-2 with and he was ably supported by two wins from Duncan Taylor and one from John Bray. Peter Hutchison and Margaret Chambers both responded for St Georges with a victory each. In an all first division clash St Georges I visited St Neots I and recorded a fine 5-3 victory as Andrew Maguire beat Alex Facey and Adrian Golumbina whilst Steve Trevanian also beat Shaun Murray and Golumbina and they were well supported by Janet Nicholls, who was playing up from division four, as she recorded an important victory over Alex Facey. In another match with little between the handicaps of two second division teams, St Georges II overcame NCI III 5-2 with two wins each from Mick Runswick and Rob Pownall which provided the base for the win. Impington VI fell at the first hurdle as they lost 5-2 at home to Cambridge V who were well served by Carl Woolf with three wins and two from Peter Xie and the two teams clash again in division four next week. St Ives IV proved too strong for Impington IV with maximums from Paul Pilson and Greg Zieba whilst Hugo Brown and Anna Bridge recorded wins against Brian Asplin. Rod Smith beat both Colin Gannon and Martin Hagon for Impington VII and although they lost to Priory 5-2 there were some very close games and spirited performances from Elliot Smith and Geoff Hudson but in the end the experience of Rob Wallis and Hagon with two wins each ensured Priory ended victorious.

RESULTS

HANDICAP CUP Round 1
St Neots I 3 St Georges I 5
Soham III 5 Cambridge IV 4
Impington V 6 St Georges III 2
St Georges II 5 NCI III 2
St Ives IV 7 Impington IV 2
Impington VI 2 Cambridge V 5
Impington VII 2 Priory 5
Impington II 9 St Ives VI 0 w/o

7 Nov 2011

Steve Fisher of St Ives II ended Mirek Pazdzior's one hundred percent record in division one although this did not prevent second placed Impington I from recording a 6-4 win. Fisher defended, blocked and counter-hit very well to record the win but was unable to complete a maximum on the night as he lost to Reno Phyo 12-10 in the fifth. Richard Wells also recorded two wins for St Ives including a very close match 12-10 in the fifth against Dave Rowell. Top of the table St Neots travelled to Cambridge I and came away with another big win by 9-1 with Cambridge's only success coming from Lei Wei who beat Daniel fielding. Impington II gained their first win of the season in the division by beating fellow promoted team Over I 6-4 with a maximum from Jan Hyrca proving the difference between the two sides.

In division two Impington III came out on top in their top of the table clash with St Neots II 6-4. Martyn Livermore kept his one hundred per cent record but had to recover from match point in the fourth game to beat Marek Mastalerzyk in five. Helen Arnold also played very well for Impington and beat both Masterlerzyk and Richard Bellamy in five games. There were three other very close matches in the division which all finished 6-4. NCI II lost 4-6 to St Georges II for whom Mick Runswick recorded a maximum and Tony Whiting two for the home side. Stapleford with a maximum from Nigel Bates and two from Danny Bates saw them edge home 6-4 against St Ives III with Alan Fitzgerald recording two wins for the visitors. Finally NCI II came back from 4-0 down before making the score more respectable in losing 4-6 to Haverhill II for whom Alex and Sam Horscroft and Rhys Davies all won two singles. Matt and Ray Allen both won three singles each as Over II beat Priory 9-1 although the score does not reflect the closeness of some of the games with several going to deuce and Priory were unlucky that they only managed one point when Rob Wallis beat Terry Edwards.

Division three however saw some one sided affairs with Impington IV, playing only their second match of the season, beating Cambridge III 10-0. Cambridge IV visited Sawston and thrashed them 10-0 whilst St Ives IV also whitewashed St Georges III 10-0. The closest game in the division resulted in Soham III winning 6-4 on their visit to Over IV in a close match that resulted in no player being unbeaten on the night.

In division four Martin Klopstock recorded three wins for Cambridge V but could not prevent Impington VI recording a 6-4 win thanks to two wins each by Gautum K R and Mike Johnston and one from Amy Catlin. Jaun Matilla Rodriguez also gained a maximum for St Georges V in their 8-2 win at Impington VII whose wins came from Tim Leek and another maximum from Gill Fitzgerald ensured St Ives V overcame St Georges IV 7-3.

RESULTS

DIV 1
St Ives II 4 Impington I 6
Cambridge I 1 St Neots I 9
Impington II 6 Over I 4

DIV 2
NCI III 4 St Georges II 6
Over II 9 priory 1
NCI II 4 Haverhill II 6
Impington III 6 St Neots II 4
Stapleford 6 St Ives III 4

DIV 3
Impington IV 10 Cambridge III 0
Sawston 0 Cambridge IV 10
Over IV 4 Soham III 6
St Ives IV 10 St Georges III 0

DIV 4
Cambridge V 4 Impington VI 6
Impington VII 2 St Georges V 8
St Georges IV 3 St Ives V 7

14 Nov 2011

Champions St Neots I have opened up an eleven point lead at the top of division one following their 9-1 demolition of Haverhill I. Shaun Murray and Daniel Fielding recording maximums for the home side whilst Gracjan Sen recorded Haverhill's solitary point by beating Chris Pickard in five games. Three wins each for Simon Pryke and Mark Fisher ensured that St Ives I got the better of St Ives II in their local derby and ran out 8-2 winners. Impington I beat Soham I 7-3 to stay in second place with Mirek Pazdzior, although not looking at his best, winning his three games comfortably. Reno Phyo also won two singles for Impington against Tony Everitt and, after recovering from two games down, Clive Woollard 12-10 in the fifth whilst Martin Freeland was Soham's best player on the night with two wins. Despite a maximum from Andy Merritt, Cambridge I went down 6-4 at Soham II with Patrick and Christian Mohan both recording good wins against Li Wei as they recorded two wins each. Impington II gained some useful points as they defeated a depleted St Georges I 8-2 with Jan Hryca again winning three and Tony Comiskey and Bob Pettit two each. Steve Trevanion and Andrew Maguire recorded St George's victories.

In division two Impington III remain top following their 7-3 win at Priory thanks to maximums from Martyn Livermore and Jeff Catlin whilst Ray Thorpe and Rob Wallis gained some consolation for the losers with wins over Colin Adams and hard fought if unexpected win in the doubles against Livermore and Catlin. Surprise packages in this division are Over II whose 8-2 success against NCI III ensured they stay in second place. Over's Matt Allen recorded three wins and was well supported by Ray Allen and Danny Slater with two wins each whilst Tony Whiting won NCIs points by beating both Ray Allen and Slater. Promotion hopefuls St Neots II, despite Jim Dodd's maximum, were held to a 5-5 draw by Stapleford thanks to a good all-round performance from Nigel Bates with two wins and one each from Dan Bates and Chris Badger. St Ives III got the better of NCI II and ran out 7-3 winner's thanks mainly to Alan Fitzgerald's maximum and two wins by Joe Thorogood.

In the top of the table clash in division three Cambridge IV were held to a 5-5 draw by Over III to remain in top spot. Derek Fuller won two sets for Cambridge but Owen Davies, who remains unbeaten this season, recorded another maximum to ensure they remain in contention only seven points behind with a game in hand. Nick Gatherer recorded two wins against Jon Audus and Ian Boggie for Cambridge III but that was as good as it got as visitors Soham III ran out easy b-2 winners with Neil Abraham being man of the match with a maximum. Impington IV in their first home match of the season defeated CIBA 6-4. Hugo Brown won three singles and Anna Bridge two for Impington whilst Cliff Mackay won two for Ciba including 11-9 in the deciding game against Bridge. St Georges III with both Peter Hutchison and Howard Middleton on form beat struggling Sawston 9-1.

Impington currently dominate division four with the fifth team top and the sixth team second five points behind. A maximum from Mike Friday with admirable support from John Bray and Jonathan Woods with two each saw Impington V eat St Georges V 8-2 whilst a maximum from man of the match Howard Leek was the backbone as Impington VI beat St Georges IV 7-3. The experienced St Ives V team of Barbara Pace, Martin Fisher and Gill Fitzgerald were much too strong for the youngsters of St Ives VI and ran out 9-1 winners although there was a good win by Ben Peach against Fitzgerald. Val Parkes won her customary three singles for Bassingbourn as they beat Impington VII whose points came from Rod smith and Tim Leek with two wins each.

RESULTS

DIV 1
Impington I 7 Soham I 3
Soham II 6 Cambridge I 4
St Georges I 2 Impington II 8
St Neots I 9 Haverhill I 1
St Ives I 8 St Ives II 2

DIV 2
Priory 3 Impington III 7
St Ives III 7 NCI II 3
Over II 8 NCI III 2
St Neots II 5 Stapleford 5

DIV 3
Cambridge III 2 Soham III 8
Cambridge IV 5 Over III 5
St Georges III 9 Sawston 1
Impington IV 6 CIBA 4

DIV 4
Impington VI 7 St Georges IV 3
Impington V 8 St Georges V 2
Bassingbourn 6 Impington VII 4
St Ives V 9 St Ives VI 1

20 Nov 2011

Martyn Livermore's maximum proved to be the difference between the two sides as Impington III overcame Over II in the second division top of the table clash. Colin Adams and Helen Arnold chipped in with one win each for Impington whilst Ray Allen with two wins and one each by Matt Allen and Terry Edwards secured Over's points. Innes Christison of St Neots II was to hot for NCI II and helped his team to a narrow 6-4 win with a double from Ollie Loia and one win by Richard Bellamy providing support. NCI III with a win each for Howard Morley, Jon Thackray and Tony Whiting were unable to make any impression on Cambridge II's Jim Carswell as he recorded a maximum and went down 7-3. St Georges II with two wins each by Dave Oates, Rob Pownall and Mick Runswick, accounted for Haverhill II 7-3 although Rhys Davies played very well and gained a maximum for the visitors.

There were some one-sided encounters in division one as Haverhill I beat Soham II 9-1 with Soham's only success coming in the doubles as Christian and Kieran Mohan beat Gracjan Sen and Maria Boulton. Over I lost 10-0 at home to second placed Impington I and St Neots I thumped St Ives II 9-1 although Steve Fisher recorded a very good win over Shaun Murray in five games. The only close match was between Impington II, who lost 7-3 at home, to NCI I with maximums from both David Tiplady and Steve Harper. On another night the result could have finished much closer as with the score at 3-4, Tony Comiskey lost in five games to Tiplady, Jeff Catlin also in five to Harper and the two combined for the doubles which also went to five games against Harper and Paul Wood.

Over II with maximums from the Owen Davies and Ian Francis continue to challenge for promotion with a comfortable 8-2 success against St Georges III. Two wins from Cliff Mackay and one from John McManus gained CIBA some useful points but Soham III's Ian Boggie was unbeaten as they triumphed 7-3.

Impington V continue to set the pace in division four with their latest success coming at the expense of clubmates, Impington VII 9-1. The seventh teams only success coming from Tim Leek and Rod Smith who put their singles form behind them to defeat Jonathan Woods and Duncan Taylor in the doubles. Impington VI remain in second place following their 7-3 win at St Ives VI whilst maximums from Martin Klopstok and Peter Xie were the foundation of Cambridge V beating Bassingbourn comfortably 9-1.

RESULTS

Div 1
Haverhill I 9 Soham II 1
Over I 0 Impington I 10
Impington II 3 NCI I 7
St Ives II 1 St Neots I 9

Div 2
NCI II 4 St Neots II 6
Impington III 6 Over II 4
NCI III 3 Cambridge II 7
St Georges II 7 Haverhill II 3

Div 3
CIBA 3 Soham III 7
Over III 8 St Georges III 2

Div 4
Cambridge V 9 Bassingbourn 1
Impington VII 1 Impington V 9
St Ives VI 3 Impington VI 7

28 Nov 2011

There were some close matches in the second round of the Handicap Cup with one of the closest being between St Georges I and Priory with the game seesawing one way then the other. Second division Priory got off to a flyer with Colin Gannon beating Janet Nicholls and Martin Hagon overcoming Steve Trevanion. Andrew Maguire pulled one back by beating Rob Wallis and Trevanion then beat Gannon to square the match. Wallis then beat Nicholls and Maguire beat Hagon to again tie the match at 3-3. Wallis then found some form to triumph against Trevanion to bring Priory close to the winning line but again Maguire drew the match level with a win over Gannon. The result then rested on the last match between Nicholls and Hagon. Hagon struggled to come to terms with the pimples on Nicholls bat and lost the first and then found himself 29-21 down in the second before rallying and recovered to 29 all. He then attacked the next two points which he narrowly missed so Nicholls triumphed to the relief of the entire St Georges team as they went through 5-4.

Doubles from Peter Xie and Carl Woolf along with one win from Martin Klopstock enabled Cambridge V to progress 5-3 at the expense of Soham III. Third division CIBA entertained Soham II but found Christian Mohan with a maximum and Patrick Mohan with two wins too hot to handle as they went down 5-2. Despite two wins from Yao Shi in his first match of the season for Sawston, two wins each for Helen Arnold and Colin Adams along with one from Jeff Catlin ensured that the holders Impington III went through 5-3.

Although the final score between St Georges V and Impington II was 6-3 to Impington the visitors had moved into a winning 5-1 position after six games. Jaun Matilla-Roddrigues recorded their victory over Jan Hyrca who had only returned from Italy at 6.00 pm on the night. St Ives IV easily overcame Impington V 5-0 in the other completed match.

HANDICAP RESULTS
CIBA 2 Soham II 5
Cambridge V 5 Soham III 2
St Georges V 3 Impington II 6
Impington III 5 Sawston 3
St Georges I 5 Priory 4
Impington V 0 St Ives IV 5
St Neots II 9 Cambridge III 0 w/o

The Draw for the Quarter Finals is:

Impington II v St Ives IV
St Georges II or St Georges IV v Cambridge V
St Georges I v St Neots II
Soham II v Impington III

5 Dec 2011

Impington I remain in second place in division one despite losing their first match of the season to NCI I 6-4. Mick Harper proved to be the main difference between the two teams with three wins for NCI whilst team mate David Tiplady also won two losing only to Dave Rowell after a topsy turvy encounter 13 -11 in the fifth. Two other close games saw Mirek Pazdzior lose to Tiplady 11-9 in the fifth and Pazdzior and Rowell lose their first doubles of the season to Harper and Tiplady. St Georges I with a maximum from Tony West picked up some useful points following a 5-5 draw with Haverhill I with Tony Reardon and Maria Boulton winning two each for the visitors. Christian Mohan's maximum along with two from brother Patrick were the difference for Soham II as they beat St Ives II 6-4.

In division two Impington III with three wins each for Martyn Livermore and Helen Arnold remain at the top following an 8-2 success against NCI III. Cambridge II have quietly moved into second place after beating Haverhill II 8-2 with Peters Zivtins and Ju Young on form with maximums. Over III have faded after a bright start and came unstuck against Stapleford losing 7-3 with three wins for Nigel Bates and two by Chris Badger forming the foundation for the winners. St Ives III were too strong for St Georges II easing to an 8-2 win thanks to a maximum from Alan Fitzgerald and two wins each by Joe Thorogood and Brian Freer.

Cambridge IV remain top of division three although their 8-2 win against St Georges III does not reflect how closely fought many of the games were, with St Georges unfortunate to lose three very tight five leg encounters. Impington IV, with games in hand following several postponements, beat bottom team Sawston 9-1 to move up the league with Hugo Brown and Paul Grammer both winning three singles. St Ives IV are another team with games in hand and with Paul Pilson and Greg Zieba both recording maximums they gained a good win over Soham III 8-2. Cliff Mackay's three wins ensured that CIBA came away with a 5-5 draw from Over IV who had Maurice Circus and Ed Merola battling hard with two wins each.

In division four the ladies team of Barbara Pace with a maximum and two each from Pippa Keane and Gill Fitzgerald were too strong for St Georges V running out 7-3 winners. Despite an on form Clare Macrae gaining three wins for St Georges IV it was not enough to stop them going down 6-4 at Bassingbourn who had Peter Gale, Robbie Macintyre and Val Parkes all winning two singles each. Cambridge V beat Impington VII 8-2 although Impington's Rod Smith put up a good fight in winning two singles and only losing 15-13 in the fifth game to Peter Xie.

RESULTS

DIV 1
Impington I 4 NCI I 6
St Georges I 5 Haverhill I 5
Cambridge I 8 Impington II 2
St Ives I 10 Over I 0
Soham II 6 St Ives II 4

DIV 2
Impington III 8 NCI III 2
Haverhill II 2 Cambridge II 8
Over II 3 Stapleford 7
St Ives III 8 St Georges III 2

DIV 3
St Georges III 2 Cambridge IV 8
Impington IV 9 Sawston 1
Soham III 2 St Ives IV 4
Over IV 5 CIBA 5

DIV 4
Cambridge V 8 Impington VII 2
Bassingbourn 6 St Georges IV 4
St Ives V 7 St Georges V 3

11 Dec 2011

St Georges I gained some much needed points when they entertained St Ives II in division one, running out 7-3 winners. Steve Annison's return to the side with a maximum and another three wins by Steve Trevanion, along with the two combining to win the doubles, made sure it was a good night for St Georges. In the local derby Impington II shared the spoils with their first team in a match that saw several of the games finish 12-10. Mirek Pazdzior finished the night with a maximum for the first team although Jan Hryca fought back from two games down to draw level at 2-2 before finally losing out in the fifth. Hryca and Tony Comiskey both finished up with two wins for the seconds and combined to maintain their unbeaten doubles record to secure the draw. Dave Rowell was probably the least fortunate player for the first team as he lost out twice to both Hryca and Comiskey 12-10 in the fifth game. Lie Wei managed two wins for Cambridge I on their visit to Haverhill I with only an on form Maria Boulton able to defeat him but Cambridge paid the price for only having two players and lost the match 7-3.

In division two NCI III recorded their first win of the season in beating fellow strugglers Haverhill II 7-3. Tony Whiting recorded a rare maximum for NCI and was well supported by Howard Morley with two wins whilst Andrew Driver won two singles for Haverhill. In a very evenly contested match Cambridge II gained a 5-5 draw with St Ives III thanks to two wins each by Jim Carswell and Peters Zivtins which were cancelled out by two wins each for Alan Fitzgerald and Joe Thorogood. A strong looking St Neots II moved up to third place when they whitewashed St Georges II 10-0 although with several sets going to five games the match was closer than the score line may suggest. Nick Rains' two wins against Terry Edwards and Ray Allen were as good as it got for NCI II as they crashed 8-2 at home to Over II with Matt Allen in good form for the visitors with three wins.

Greg Zieba and Paul Pilson both recorded maximums for St Ives IV as they comfortably beat Over IV 8-2 and with games in hand they could challenge for promotion in division three. Ian Boggie's three wins ensured Soham III were not embarrassed by bottom team Sawston as they recorded a 7-3 victory although Sawstons John Norris recorded two good wins over Jon Audus and Neil Abram. Cambridge III came away with a 6-4 win on their travels to CIBA thanks to a good all round performance from Jon Chapman, Nick Gatherer and Aldo Galea who all won two singles.

Impington V beat St Ives V 7-3 to remain top of division four with three wins by John Bray and two by Mike Friday forming the backbone of the victory whilst Barbara pace responded with two wins for St Ives. In a hard fought encounter St Georges IV just edged out Cambridge V 6-4. The match of the evening being between St Georges Sylvia Rehakova and Cambridge's Andrew Segar with the latter fighting back from 2-1 down to level at 2-2. In the fifth game both players worked and Segar again fought back from 10-6 down to level at 10-10 before Rehakova just managed to edge ahead 14-12 although the determination and effort by both players should be commended above the result. Clare Macrae won her three games and Janet Nicholls also gained a useful victory with the two of them also combining in the doubles to squeeze St Georges home.

RESULTS

DIV 1
St Georges I 7 St Ives II 3
Haverhill I 7 Cambridge I 3
Impington II 5 Impington I 5

DIV 2
NCI III 7 Haverhill II 3
Cambridge II 5 St Ives III 5
St Georges II 0 St Neots II 10
NCI II 2 Over II 8

DIV 3
CIBA 4 Cambridge III 6
St Ives IV 8 Over IV 2
Sawston 3 Soham III 7

DIV 4
Impington V 7 St Ives V 3
St Georges IV 6 Cambridge V 4

18 Dec 2011

In division one the top of the table clash between champions St Neots and NCI I ended all square at 5-5. Chris Pickard was unbeaten for St Neots and was well supported by Daniel Fielding with two wins whilst Robert Swift won two singles for NCI and David Tiplady and Stuart Palmer one each. Second placed Impington I had a comprehensive 9-1 victory over St Ives I who were without Simon Pryke whilst Impington II picked up useful points in a 7-3 success at Haverhill I. Jan Hryca won three and Toney Comiskey two for Impington II who took full advantage of Haverhill being without Tony Reardon and Maria Boulton. St Georges I also picked up useful points in a 6-4 success against Soham I with an inspired Andrew Maguire beating Tony Everitt and Clive Woollard whist in-form Steve Trevanion gained a maximum. Clare Macrae was also recalled to the first division by St Georges and despite the jump from division four she gave a good account of herself.

A strong Impington III with maximums from Jeff Catlin and Martyn Livermore extended their lead at the top of division two with a comprehensive 9-1 victory over NCI II. Helen Arnold also played well for two wins but lost out to the hard hitting Kelvin Mitchell in her other match. St Ives III also registered a big 9-1 success over Haverhill II who were short of a player with Andrew Drivers win against Joe Thorogood the only consolation for Haverhill. Ray Thorpe’s maximum proved to be in vain as Priory lost out to St Georges II 7-3 who had Mick Runswick, David Oates and Rob Pownall with two wins each to thank for their victory.

Cambridge IV gave a debut to Arsenije Katanic on their visit to Impington IV in division three and he appears to be much too strong for this league winning his three singles easily. The remaining six games were fought very hard and in the spirit of the third division but with Katanic in the team Cambridge ran out winners by 8-2. Soham III with two wins each from Neil Abram and Jon Audus held Over III to a 5-5 draw although Over’s Owen Davies remains unbeaten for the season with another maximum. In another tight game that finished 5-5 Over IVs Bill Knibbs and Ed Merola each won two games but these were cancelled out by two wins each for Sawstons John Norris and Victor Recansky.

In division four the top of the table clash between Impington V and Impington VI saw the fifth team triumph 6-4 with a maximum from John Bray. Mike Johnston recorded two good wins for the sixth team over Duncan Taylor and Mike Friday and was well supported by Amy Catlin who also beat Friday and the pair teamed up to take the doubles. Following this defeat Impington VI then lost only their second match of the season to St Georges V 6-4. Johnston again won two singles and Catlin beat Derek Barnes but neither could cope with Juan Matilla-Roddriguez who recorded a maximum for St Georges. Impington VII could not overcome the handicap of having only two players and lost 6-4 to NCI V although father and son Tim with two wins and David Leek with one as well as combining to win the doubles put up a good fight. Rod Smiths maximum and the doubles with son Elliot just left Impington VII short against St Georges IV as they went down again 6-4. St Ives V with maximums from Barbara Pace, Martin Fisher and Gill Fitzgerald were far too good for NCI IV as they ran out 10-0 winners.

RESULTS

DIV 1
St Georges I 6 Soham I 4
St Ives I 1 Impington I 9
Haverhill I 3 Impington II 7
St Neots I 5 NCI I 5

DIV 2
Priory 3 St Georges II 7
St Ives III 9 Haverhill II 1
Impington III 9 NCI II 1

DIV 3
Impington IV 2 Cambridge IV 8
Soham III 5 Over III 5
Over IV 5 Sawston 5

DIV 4
Impington VI 4 Impington V 6
St Georges V 6 Impington VI 4
St Ives V 10 NCI IV 0
Impington VII 4 NCI IV 6
St Georges IV 6 Impington VII 4

9 Jan 2012

With the resumption of league matches this week following the Christmas break Champions St Neots are well placed to retain their title with a fifteen point lead at the top of division one. At the bottom of the division there are a cluster of teams, some with a game in hand, who are fighting to avoid joining relegation favorites Over in the drop to division two. In division two Impington III are currently setting the pace but St Neots II, Cambridge II and Over II all have a game in hand and could close the gap on the leaders making it a four way battle for the two promotion places.

Cambridge IV have a healthy lead in division three but with games in hand Over III and St Ives IV could also close the gap and make a title challenge. Division four sees Impington V in a strong position with Impington VI in second place although with a good second half of the season St Ives V, Cambridge V and St Georges V could all challenge for promotion.

In respect of player averages of those who have played sufficient matches to qualify, Simon Pryke of St Ives leads the first division with 96% as a result of 23 victories from 24 singles games and he is followed by Impington's Mirek Pazdzior on 90%. Impington's Martin Livermore making a return to the sport after several seasons out leads the way in division two with a 100% record of 24 victories from 24 games with veteran Nigel Bates of Stapleford still able to compete at this level with 85%. Owen Davies from Over is another player on 100% with 21 victories from 21 games in division 3 with Cambridge's Derek Fuller on 90% with a creditable 19 victories from 21.Division four sees Peter Xie from Cambridge at the top with 93% owing to 14 wins from 15 closely followed by Impington's John Bray on 90% and Guatam KR on 87%.

16 Jan 2012

In the Cambridge and District League matches resumed after the Christmas break with champions St Neots beating second placed Impington I 7-3 in division one. Daniel fielding was unbeaten for St Neots whilst Mirek Pazdzior won two for Impington. Soham I and Cambridge I finished 5-5 with doubles for Soham's Martin Freeland and Tim Avis being cancelled out by two wins each for Cambridge's Arsenige Katanic and Li Wei. Martin Gray made his first appearance of the season for St Georges and gained a maximum along with Steve Trevanion as they beat Over I 9-1 to move away from the relegation zone. St Ives II beat Haverhill (who only had two players) 6-4 whilst Simon Pryke with three wins was the difference between the teams as St Ives I defeated Impington II 6-4.

In division two Ju Young's three wins enable Cambridge II to beat Priory 6-4 whilst second placed St Neots II consolidated their position with an 8-2 win at Haverhill II. NCI II gained a useful 7-3 victory over Stapleford although none of the NCI players could cope with Stapleford's Nigel Bates who recorded a maximum. Over II remain in third place following a 7-3 victory at St Georges II with Owen Davies, playing up from division three, recording three wins.

Cambridge IV have a comfortable lead at the top of division three following their 9-1 demolition of Soham III. Owen Davies won another three games for his own team but could not prevent a 6-4 defeat by Over IV. Paul Pilson remains undefeated this season and another maximum ensured St Ives IV drew 5-5 with CIBA whilst Impington IV with games in hand moved closer to the promotion spots following their 8-2 success over St Georges III. Impington wins came from Paul Grammer with a maximum and two each from Ben Brown and Anna Bridge.

In division four Val Parkes with three wins guided Bassingbourn to a 7-3 success at St Georges V whilst Tim Leek's two victories were not enough as Impington VII lost 8-2 to St Ives V.

RESULTS

DIV 1
Soham I 5 Cambridge I 5
St Ives II 6 Haverhill I 4
Impington I 3 St Neots I 7
Impington II 4 St Ives I 6
Over I 1 St Georges I 9

DIV 2
Haverhill II 2 St Neots II 8
NCI II 7 Stapleford 3
NCI III 3 St Ives III 7
St Georges II 3 Over II 7

DIV 3
St Georges III 2 Impington IV 8
Sawston 5 Cambridge III 5
St Ives IV 5 CIBA 5
Cambridge IV 9 Soham III 1
Over III 4 Over IV 6

DIV 4
St Georges V 3 Bassingbourn 7
Impington VII 2 St Ives V 8

23 Jan 2012

Daniel Fielding continued his good form and made the difference as division one leaders, St Neots I recorded a narrow 6-4 win on their trip to St Ives I. Colin Luscombe gave good support to Fielding with two wins with Simon Pryke winning two for St Ives. Second placed Impington I consolidated their position with a comprehensive 10-0 victory over struggling Soham II and Cambridge I beat Over I 8-2 with maximums from Li Wei and Arsenije Katanic. In another close game NCI I were held to a 5-5 draw by St Georges I with David Tiplady winning three singles and Tony Whiting (playing up) chipped in with a useful win. Steve Trevanion and Andrew Maguire both won two for St Georges and were supported by Rob Pownall who was also playing up and gained a win over Paul Wood. Martyn Livermore took a little while to adjust to the pace in this league after several years not playing but he did record wins over Reaun Williams and Richard Wells to back up the maximum from Jan Hryca as Impington II beat St Ives II 6-4.

In division two leaders Impington III beat St Georges II 8-2 with three wins each for Martyn Livermore and Helen Arnold. Arnold twice came from 2-1 down in games to beat David Oates 11-8 in the fifth and in the game of the night she overcame Rob Pownall 18-16 in the fifth. Joe Thorogood put in a vintage performance in winning three singles for St Ives III against second placed St Neots II and he was well supported by Alan Fitzgerald with two wins. In another top of the table clash Cambridge II displaced Over II in third place by virtue of winning their match 7-3. Marc Meunier with a maximum and two wins by Peters Zivtins providing the backbone for their win although Owen Davies had good wins for Over against Zivtins and Ju Young. Two wins each for Andrew Driver, Rhys Davies and Samuel Horscroft enabled Haverhill II to overcome Priory 7-3 whilst a maximum from Syd Dunster and two from Tony Whiting saw NCI III beat NCI II 6-4 in their local derby.

Cambridge IV continue to dominate in division three with a 10-0 whitewash of Over IV but club mates Cambridge III were beaten 6-4 by Over III with unbeaten Owen Davies again the man of the match. Maximums from Cliff Mackay and Martin Touhey enabled CIBA to emerge victorious by 8-2 against near neighbours Sawston and Soham III had an easy 9-1 win against St Georges III with the saints only success coming from Howard Middleton who defeated Jon Audus.

In division four Impington VI suffered from being a player short as they went down 6-4 against NCI IV although Howard Leek tried to minimize the shortage with three good wins. Leaders Impington V easily accounted fro Bassingbourn 9-1 with maximums from John Bray and Mike Friday and Cambridge V, with a game in hand, moved up to fourth place by beating St Georges V 9-1 with three wins each from Peter Xie and Martin Klopstock. Impington VI, with a full team this time and a maximum from Gautum K R, fared a little better against St Ives V and came away with a 5-5 draw.

RESULTS

DIV 1
Over I 2 Cambridge I 8
Impington I 10 Soham II 0
Impington II 6 St Ives II 4
St Ives I 4 St Neots II 6
NCI I 5 St Georges I 5

DIV 2
Haverhill II 7 Priory 3
NCI III 6 NCI II 4
St Ives III 5 St Neots II 5
St Georges II 2 Impington III 8
Cambridge II 7 Over II 3

DIV 3
Over III 6 Cambridge III 4
Cambridge IV 10 Over IV 0
St Georges III 1 Soham III 9
Sawston 2 CIBA 8

DIV 4
NCI IV 6 Impington VI 4
Impington V 9 Bassingbourn 1
St Ives V 5 Impington VI 5
St Georges V 1 Cambridge V 9

30 Jan 2012

Newcomer Arsenije Katanic is certainly making an impact for Cambridge I who are gradually moving to safety in division one. He and Lie Wei recorded two wins each to cancel out the two wins by David Tiplady and Robert Swift in their 5-5 draw with NCI I. Steve Fisher was the difference between the teams with a maximum for St Ives II in their 6-4 win over Soham I for whom Tim Avis and martin Freeland responded with two wins each. Christian Mohan recorded two wins as Soham II held St Ives I to a 5-5 draw but he could not overcome Simon Pryke who won three for the visitors. St Neots I defeated Impington II 7-3 to remain in pole position whilst Impington I beat St Georges I 7-3 to remain in second spot.

In division two leaders Impington III recorded a good 8-2 win over third placed Cambridge II with maximums from Martyn Livermore and Jeff Catlin although Catlin had to recover from two games down against Marc Meunier before triumphing 11-7 in the fifth. Second placed St Neots two had an easy 8-2 success against NCI III with the visitor's only wins coming from Howard Morley against Ollie Loia and Morley again with Tony Whiting in the doubles. Haverhill II had a useful 6-4 win at Over II with a maximum from Andrew Driver and two wins from the improving junior Samuel Horscroft. Two wins each for Rob Wallis and Ray Thorpe enabled Priory to draw with St Ives III but neither of them could trouble Alan Fitzgerald who recorded a maximum for the visitors.

Cliff Mackay was in impressive form for CIBA with his maximum including inflicting a first defeat of the season on Owen Davies of Over III and overall 6-4 win. Cambridge IV beat club mates Cambridge III 7-3 with maximums from Mark Lillyman and Derek Fuller to remain top whilst St Ives IV continue to move up the league following their 9-1 demolition of Sawston. Despite a maximum from Bill Knibbs Over IV paid the penalty of only having two players as they were held to a 5-5 draw by St Georges III.

In division four Impington V's unbeaten run came to an end in unusual circumstances as they lost 7-3 at Cambridge V. The problems started when Mike Friday had transport problems resulting in John Bray making a mad dash to fill in at the last minute. This resulted in him having to play consecutive matches which he lost but then managed to beat Peter Xie in straight games. Martin Klopstock won three for Cambridge with Xie winning two. The local derby between St Georges IV and St Georges V saw the fifth team triumph 6-4 with Juan Matilla Roddriguez beating Clare Macrae in four games to record an impressive maximum. In another derby Impington VI beat Impington VII 7-3 although Tim Leek and son David who is only 11 both beat Mike Johnston.

RESULTS

DIV 1
Impington I 7 St Georges I 3
Cambridge I 5 NCI I 5
St Neots I 7 Impington II 3
Soham II 5 St Ives I 5
Haverhill I 9 Over I 1
St Ives II 6 Soham I 4

DIV 2
Priory 5 St Ives III 5
Over II 4 Haverhill II 6
St Neots II 8 NCI III 2
Impington III 8 Cambridge II 2

DIV 3
CIBA 6 Over III 4
Cambridge III 3 Cambridge IV 7
Over IV 5 St Georges III 5
St Ives IV 9 Sawston 1

DIV 4
Cambridge V 7 Impington V 3
St Georges IV 4 St Georges V 6
Bassingbourn 6 NCI IV 4
Impington VI 7 Impington VII 3