Toys Clip Ospreys Wings To Stretch Lead At The Top

DTH Redlands Fluffy Toys gave Sparken Hill Ospreys a bit of a mauling as they continued their perfect start to the season. Sarah Short, Steve Walker and Farrell Anthony all remained unbeaten on the night and never really looked like losing against an Osprey’s side who had enjoyed being top of the table after the first week of the season. Matt Fowkes, Kalpesh Bhatt and Bill Ainsworth all battled bravely but never troubled the Toys side apart from in the doubles game were Bhatt and Ainsworth took Walker and Short all the way before losing 11-5 in the deciding game. With their nearest rivals having a blank week this week the Toys have now stretched their lead at the top of the table to three points.
Elsewhere in Division One Sparken Hill Starlings did their annual relegation battle a power of good as they beat DTH Redlands X-Youth 7-3. The X-Youth making their first ever appearance in the top division are giving a good account of themselves and on another night, may have turned defeat into victory as three of the four games that went to a deciding set they lost. For the Starlings both Andy Lee and Helmuth Osborne enjoyed hat tricks but Ivan Guilliatt had a miserable night losing to all three X-Youth players in Matt Turner, Jeff Reay and Keiran Tutter. Lee and Osborne carried their good individual form into the doubles game and duly beat Reay and Tutter in 5 sets.
Probably the most improved team over the last few seasons are DTH Redlands Monsters and yet again they showed that improvement with a hard fought 6-4 win over Sparken Hill Buzzards. The Riauba brothers all contributed to the win with Martynas beating Steve Lyon and Kartik Lakhani, Valentinas beating Lakhani and Terry Emmerson and Orestas adding a single win also beating Lakhani. Martynas and Orestas then teamed up to beat Emmerson and Lyon in straight sets to take the doubles.
After a draw and a defeat Worksop Miners Welfare notched up their first win of the season with a 6-4 win over Stanley Street ‘A’ who themselves are seeking their first win of the season having lost all three of their opening league fixtures. Things started brightly for Stanley Street as Dave Hodgkin won the first game of the night beating Dave Marsh in straight sets with Jack Kirkland beating Phil Walton to put his side 2-0 up and looking like they could go on to win the match. Welfare hit back with Mark Stanfield beating Peter Eyre and levelled the match at 2-2 when Walton defeated Hodgkin but the Stanley Street side got their noses in front again when Eyre beat Marsh but again were pegged back when Stanfield beat Kirkland in tense game that went to a deciding set. Next up was the doubles which is a pivotal stage of any match and so it proved to be as Welfare got their noses in front for the first time in the match when Stanfield and Marsh won the doubles to take a 4-3 lead into the last three singles games of the match. Walton beat Eyre to put his side 5-3 ahead and when Stanfield beat Hodgkin in straight sets the victory and all three points were secured. Kirkland went on to beat Marsh in the last game of the night and as good a win as it was it couldn’t affect the result as Worksop Miners Welfare ran out winners 6-4.
Division Two Results: Worksop Welfare Harriers 6 DTH Redlands Rookies 4, Sparken Hill Blue Jays 3 Manton Sports 7, Manton Tigers 4 Sparken Hill Vultures 6, Stanley Street ‘B’ 4 Worksop Welfare Snipers 6.
Division Three Results: The Real Deal 3 Worksop Owls 7, Worksop Welfare Harriers ‘B’ 7 DTH Redlands Red Devils 3, DTH Redlands Demolition Men 4 Sparken Hill Falcons 6, The Real Deal 1 DTH Redlands Red Devils 9.