Piper Calls The Tune In Rookies Win Over Cougars

DTH Redlands Rookies Derek Piper put in a real Captains performance in their Division Three match against Ryton Park Cougars winning all his three games in what beforehand looked like being a very  close game. The Cougars and the Rookies who were both relegated last season are both fancied to be in the mix for the promotion places and make a quick return to Division Two with the Rookies perhaps favourites for the title. Piper who had straight sets wins over Ivan Stallworthy, Dave Lee and Connor Bettley was well supported by Chris Cutts who was making a welcome return to the league and beat both Lee and Bettley but lost out to Stallworthy. Bob Atkins added a solo win over Bettley with the Rookies adding the doubles to run out 7-3 winners.
Elsewhere in Division Three DTH Redlands Tarr Babies caught up on their postponed match but to do so had to play two matches on consecutive nights. Their first match was a close affair which ended in a 5-5 draw with On-Lin Elks who had Jonno Blood to thank for their share of the spoils as he remained unbeaten on the night with team mates Glen Gillgrass and Jerry Collins adding single wins over Tarr Babies debutant Bob McGee. The Tarr Babies Adam Pinches and Jack Tarr both won two each and then added the doubles against Blood and Gillgrass to earn a share of the spoils.
The Tarr Babies next match was against club colleagues the Liver Birds who were playing their  first ever match in the league but they didn't let that hold them back as they recorded a fabulous 7-3 win to get them off to the perfect start. For the Liver Birds both Paul Jordan and Adam Kijak had impressive wins over Tarr, Pinches and another debutant Roman Rosser. Elliott Jordan completed the scoring for the Liver Birds with a win over Rosser but lost out in the doubles with Kijak to Tarr and Pinches.
Ryton Park Cougars bounced back from their defeat to the Rookies with a 10-0 whitewash over Stanley Street 'E' and jumped to the top f the division by doing so. There were hat tricks all round for Dave Lee, Dave Rix and Ivan Stallworthy with Lee and Connor Bettley adding the doubles to compound Street 'E's misery.
Division Two had the performance of the season so far as DTH Redlands X-Youth came back from being 4-1 behind against Worksop Miners Welfare 'B' to win 6-4. Wins for Welfare's Adam Hamilton, Ben Swain and Jim Westwood had put them 3-0 up and heading towards what looked like a comfortable victory but they hadn't taken into account X-Youth's resilience. Mark Bloomer started the fight back with a very good straight sets win over Adam Hamilton winning all three games on deuce but then Westwood defeated Jeff Reay to give his Welfare team a 4-1 lead but astonishingly that was the last set they managed to win! The much improved Ewan Pickersgill continued the fight back with a 5 set win over Swain and when Bloomer and Reay won the doubles over Hamilton and Westwood it left the X-Youth outfit only 4-3 down. Bloomer then beat Westwood to make the match all square and then up stepped Pickersgill and Hamilton who went toe to toe with some incredible attacking table tennis in a 5 set thriller with Pickersgill coming out victorious 15-13 in the deciding set.
This left the X-Youth 5-4 in front with Reay and Swain left to play the last match of the night to decide the outcome of the match and despite Reay losing both his earlier matches he finally found his form to beat Swain in straight sets to complete a fabulous comeback and to give the X-Youth a 6-4 victory.
Three teams currently head Division Two with maximum points and all enjoyed wins again this week with varying levels of difficulty. DTH Redlands Monsters dispatched two man Manton Sports with ease as they hammered them 10-0 with maximums for all three Riauba brothers and they currently top the table on set difference. Club Colleagues the Joggers also had a win over a Manton team but it was a lot closer than the Monsters win as they just edged past the Tigers who had an in form Dave Bowns in their side who beat all three Joggers players in Kyle McIntosh, Matthew Mudd and Lewis Comley. Chris Mokes also managed to beat the Joggers Comley but it wasn't enough to stop the Joggers running out 6-4 winners.
Stanley Street 'B' continued their good start with another 7-3 win, this time over Stanley Street Cypriots. Jack Kirkland was again Mr Maximum as he won all his three games with Andy Kirkland adding two wins and Glyn Williams chipping in with a solo effort with the Kirkland's teaming up to take the doubles. The scorers for the Cypriots were George Makrakis with two and Mitchell Radford with one.
Division One Results:  Ryton Park Adders 4 Manton Misfits 6 (5-5 after rule 7f), Worksop Miners Welfare 'A' 1 DTH Redlands Roosters 9, Stanley Street 'A' 2 DTH Redlands Fluffy Toys 8, Ryton Park Eagles 2 Manton Nomads 8