Runner-up spot going to the wire

TABLE TENNIS:

THE battle for the runner-up position in the Oldham Table Tennis League first division is very tight.

Werneth A currently lie second after an 8-2 win over Hollinwood B, Darryl Meredith winning all three for Werneth with Adam Rowbotham replying with two for Hollinwood.

Third-placed BAE A beat bottom club Werneth C 9-1 to move within 17 points of Werneth with two games in hand. There were maximums for BAE’s Tony Bates and Tom Lang.

Honeywell A team beat their B team 9-1 with trebles for Dave Buckley and Simon Hardwick.

Champions Glodwick prevailed 8-2 over Hollinwood A with trebles for Khamal Hussain and Mark Ramsbottom.

At the other end of the table, relegation-threatened BAE B fought hard against Saddleworth A and only just went down 6–4. Duncan Hadfield was undefeated for Saddleworth while Mick Hill won two for BAE.

Werneth B beat Grotton A 6-4 despite Shaun Ellis being unbeaten for Grotton.

Division 2 champions Coldhurst A finished their season with a 6-4 defeat of Hyde YMCA B. Paul Howarth clinched his 62nd individual win of the season while winning three for Coldhurst.

Hyde B also went down 6-4 to Pennine. Steve Hilton again starred for Hyde in winning three but Pennine’s Glen Chadwick and John Robertson won two each to seal the win.

Pennine also beat Werneth D by a 6-4 scoreline. Mike Pellowe won three in defeat for Werneth with Glen Chadwick and Steve Mather winning two each for Pennine.

Hollinwood D dealt a blow to Honeywell C’s promotion hopes by defeating them 7-3. There were two wins each for Hollinwood’s Joe Redikin, Matty Evans and John Flowers while Brian Higgins won two for Honeywell.

Unison A beat Hollinwood F 8-2 with three wins each for Liaqat Ali and Mike Brierley. John Foster supplied Hollinwood’s only singles win.

There was a hard-fought draw in the game between Hollinwood E and Droylsden. Matty Evans won three for Hollinwood and Tim Greenald won two for Droylsden who sealed the draw by winning the doubles in five sets.

Hollinwood C moved eight points clear in second place by beating Honeywell D 8–2, Matty Evans winning three.

With one game left in the league, the Division 3 title chase is going right down to the wire with Deaf Club A two points clear at the top by beating Owls A 8-2. Ian Cockcroft starred for the Deaf Club in winning his three.

Main challengers Unison C beat their B team by a 7-3 scoreline to keep up the pressure. Andrew Tarpey won three for the C team while Ian Connell won two for the B team.

St Saviours A team proved too strong for Unison D and whitewashed them 10-0 with three victories each for Brian Huskinson, Alex Reilly and Mark Dalton.

Uppermill B went down 7-3 to Coldhurst C. Coldhurst’s Gary Keylock was undefeated on the night and Stuart Hanson won two for Uppermill.

Honeywell E produced a good performance to beat Coldhurst D 9-1, with three wins each for Brian Hall, Alan Wynn and Pete Ganley.

The title chase is even closer in Division 4 with just one point separating the top two sides with one game left.

Deaf Club B are top and won 7-3 against Our Lady’s B with Mike Briggs winning three for the Deaf Club. Youngster James Chappel won two for Our Lady’s.

Nearest challengers Werneth E had a tough match against third-placed Honeywell F but managed a 7-3 win thanks mainly to a Phil Coombes treble.

Werneth F beat the G team 7-3 despite Fred Pickles winning three for the losers.

Ron Tench celebrated becoming a great grandad with two wins for Deaf Club C in a 6-4 win over Owls B. Paul Woodward won three for Owls.

St Saviour’s B won 8-2 away to Our Lady’s C team. Jacob Reilly won three for the visitors while Paige Allman won two for Our Lady’s.

The Our Lady’s A team drew 5-5 with Counthill. Peter Chappell was unbeaten for Our Lady’s while Adam Newton and Tom Farrell won games for Counthill.

Coldhurst E beat Glodwick Academy 9-1. Frank Corlett and Jordan Greaves both winning three for Coldhurst and Chris Smith winning the Academy’s point.