South Devon and Torbay Table Tennis League: Buzzards fly high but stay at top will be short one

NA Buzzards currently lead Division One of the South Devon and Torbay Table Tennis League following their 9-1 victory over Halwell A, writes TONY HALSE.

However, with only one more match to play, their stay at the top will be short lived as second-placed Torbay Academy 1 are just two points behind with three games to play.

Kevin Nicholls, Herbie Sage and Lauren Loosemore won all their singles for the Buzzards but lost the final doubles.

NA Batmen - Dennis Gibbs, Rory Harries and Naomi Jackson - kept up their interest at the top with a whitewash victory over Brixham Sharks.

NA Condors and Halwell B shared the points in a battle for survival at the foot of the table, Bob Parkins with a maximum for the Condors.

With just two matches to go, Torbay Academy 2 are odds on for Division Two title. The gap at the top was closed to 17 points by Brixham Gulls as they defeated relegated Taverners 10-0. Alan Maynard, Allen Pack and Joe Edwards were in fine form for the Gulls.

Jason Prescott was undefeated for Dawlish Aces as they climbed up the table with a 7-3 victory over Brixham Trawlers. However, without Prescott in their second match of the week, Dawlish Aces went down 3-7 to NA Raptors whose Paul Hine and Steve Tyler were unbeaten.

Maximums from Josh Redfern and Jim McIvor helped NA Falcons to a 9-1 win in an all Newton Abbot clash against NA Owls.

In Division Three, a defeat for the leaders Torbay Academy 3, and a 10-0 victory for The Grove, means the two are level on points at the top of the table both with three games left to play.

NA Kestrels lie just a point behind them following their impressive 6-4 victory over the leaders, Andy Millman with a maximum for the Kestrels, however the Kestrels have just two to play.

Peter Moretta was in fine form for his Torbay Academy 4 team but his maximum was not enough to beat NA Harriers as they shared the points 5-5.

Similarly, NA Hawks’ Jackie Whitehorn won her three singles against Torre Vikings but again the result was a draw.

In an all-Torbay Academy encounter, Academy 4 defeated Academy 5 7-3 with another man of the match performance from Peter Moretta.

Dawlish Renegades stretched their lead at the top of Division Four to 14 points following a 7-3 victory over NA Kites thanks to maximums from Pierre Doutreligne and Harry Scott.

In an excellent contest between the sides behind the leaders NA Merlins edged a 6-4 win over Torbay Academy 6.

Maximums from Kai Fowler and Maria Dillon helped Torbay Academy 7 to a 9-1 victory over NA Vultures.

RESULTS

Division One: Brixham Sharks 0 (Harper 0, Banham 0, Maynard 0), NA Batmen 10 (Harries 3, D Gibbs 3, Jackson 3, Dbls)

Halwell A 1 (Smith 0, Dunn 0, Mercer 0, Dbls), NA Buzzards 9 (Sage 3, Nicholls 3, Loosemore 3)

NA Condors 5 (Parkins 3, Webster-Hall 2, Wilshire 0), Halwell B 5 (Symons 2, Wadling 1, Sugden 1, Dbls)

Division Two: Brixham Trawlers 3 (Saxby 2, Williamson 1, Lamden 0), Dawlish Aces 7 (Prescott 3, Sharratt 2, Davies 1, Dbls)

Brixham Gulls 10 (Maynard 3, Pack 3, Edwards 3, Dbls), Taverners 0 (Dilkes 0, Harrop 0, Read 0)

NA Falcons 9 (Redfern 3, McIvor 3, Dummett 2, Dbls), NA Owls 1 (Wilson 1, Sage 0, W Cyron 0)

Dawlish Aces 3 (Sharratt 1, Davies 1, Bellham 0, Dbls), NA Raptors 7 (Hine 3, Tyler 3, Darch 1)

Division Three: Torbay Academy (5) 3 (Mitranescu 2, Ichim 1, Payne 0), Torbay Academy (4) 7 (Moretta 3, Harris 2, Fowler 1, Dbls)

NA Kestrels 6 (Millman 3, Freeman 2, Williams 1), Torbay Academy (3) 4 (Whittington 2, Cregan 1, Collins 0, Dbls)

Torre Vikings 5 (Russell 2, Holtham 1, Excell 1, Dbls), NA Hawks 5 (Whitehorn 3, Sercombe 2, Kitchen 0)

Torbay Academy (4) 5 (Moretta 3, Palin 1, Harris 0, Dbls), NA Harriers 5 (Haslam 2, Fabian 2, Copley 1)

The Grove 10 (Pearson 3, Daly 3, Bowerman 3, Dbls), Torre Tornadoes 0 (Davies 0, James 0, Morris 0)

Division Four: Torbay Academy (7) 9 (Dillon 3, Fowler 3, Pearce 2, Dbls), NA Vultures 1 (Ozuna Montero 1, T Burston 0, M Burston 0)

NA Merlins 6 (Kitchen 2, Abu Ali 2, Olver 1, Dbls), Torbay Academy (6) 4 (Gibbs 2, Fowler 2, Neafcy 0)

NA Kites 3 (Northcott 1, Short 1, Shirt 1), Dawlish Renegades 7 (Doutreligne 3, Scott 3, Girling 0, Dbls).