Joggers Win Keeps Them In The Running For Title

DTH Redlands Joggers kept themselves in the reckoning for the Division Two title with a narrow 6-4 victory over bottom side Manton Sports who can count themselves a little unfortunate not to snatch a draw. The Joggers had a Lea Dickinson hat trick to thank for eventually getting them over the line as her teammates Lewis Comley and Matthew Mudd found the going a little difficult against the more experienced Manton Sports trio. Captain John Lowde led the fight for Sports managing to beat both Comley and Mudd with the game against Mudd ending up being a 5 set grueller before Lowde finally managed to beat his much younger opponent. Both Phil Fisher and Keith Smith managed solo wins to leave Sports 5-4 down going into the all important doubles rubber. Dickinson for the Joggers and Lowde for Sports both surprisingly sat out the doubles leaving Smith and Fisher to do battle with Comley and Mudd to decide the outcome of the match. As the match had been close throughout the expectation was of a close final match but the less experienced Comley and Mudd raised their games to comfortably take the doubles 3-0 to finally secure the win for the Joggers and with it all 3 points which sees them move up to joint 2nd in the table.
Elsewhere in Division Two mid table sides Ryton Park Eagles and Global Marble 'B' met and with Marble only rolling up with 2 players the prospect of getting anything from the fixture looked bleak as before a ball had been hit Marble were already 3-0 down. Their chances were further hit when Rob Vaughan and Steve Elkin both lost to Alex Olliffe in 5 set thrillers leaving them a mountain to climb to get something from the match but they were not daunted by the task ahead as both Elkin and Vaughan hit back to beat both John Hallgarth and Keith Swift to leave themselves 5-4 down and still in with a chance of snatching a draw which at one stage looked nigh on impossible. Up next was the doubles set with the Eagles opting for experience and selecting Hallgarth and Swift to try and outwit Elkin and Vaughan but the decision backfired as Elkin and Vaughan comfortably won the doubles in straight sets to snatch an unlikely draw.
In Division Three Ryton Park Falcons put up a terrific fight against On-Line Elks and came very close to snatching a draw out of the jaws of defeat. The Falcons are one of those young sides who turn up week in week out and despite having to endure some heavy defeats on occasions always play with a fabulous attitude and a smile on their faces. For the Falcons Nathan Langley managed to secure wins against Reece Blower and Glen Gillgrass and when his teammates brother Regan and Jordan Potter also defeated Blower it looked as if they could snatch a draw but with the Elks Jayden Budworth on top form winning all her three games along with two from Gillgrass and the doubles it all meant that the Elks ran out 6-4 winners.
Stanley Street's unbeaten league start to the season continued with a 9-1 win over Ryton Park Cougars with hat tricks for Orestas Riauba and Andy Kirkland and a double from Martynas Riauba with Martynas teaming up with brother Valentinas to take the doubles. The only success for the Cougars came when Ivan Stalworthy beat Martynas Riauba. The result means that Stanley Street 'C' have won 8, drawn 2 and lost none of their league games so far this season which puts them in second place in the table 4 points behind and a game in hand on the leaders DTH Redlands Tarr Babies who also had a convincing win this week.
The Tarr Babies win came against Stanley Street Rascals who themselves had run into some form having won two and drawn one of their last three league games. On this occasion the Rascals team of Liam Stead, Thomas Gladwin and Ellis Spacey were no match for the league leaders as all three Tarr Babies Anthony Coupe, Josh Nelson and Keiran Tutter all returned impressive maximums to put the result beyond any doubt. Jack Tarr and Tutter then teamed up in the doubles to add a bit more misery to the Rascals night winning the doubles against Gladwin and Spacey to register a 10-0 whitewash.