SPALDING & DISTRICT TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE (Sponsored by Magellan Solutions Ltd): THE first round of the Marylands Cup provided something of a shock as Division One leaders JDM Allsorts were dumped out.
Bladerunners – no small name themselves – handed them a 4-1 beating to make themselves one of the favourites for the competition.
Blades dived straight in and took the tie in the first two singles and the doubles, before dropping the third singles.
However, they took the last to complete victory.
On the other hand Defenders, currently second in the top flight, came from behind against Castle Sports to go through 3-2.
Martyn Green secured the victory with two wins and a share in the doubles to take the tie, but his team-mate found the handicap just too much to overcome.
An all second division tie between Ha’st and No Name saw a match where four games went to the third end, and six of the 14 ends went down to the final point, with there being no deuce in this event.
Ha’st’s Stewart Duffill and Hannah Gilbert won the first three singles and a doubles to get the win, with No Name having the consolation of a hard-fought match and the final point.
Insidious came out on top in another lower division clash against Barry Whites Babes.
With the handicaps very even, Clive Shardlow and Gary Simpson just had too much, taking the first three games for the tie before conceding the last two.
Division One’s JAG stormed into a lead over second tier Moulton Butchers by taking the first two games, but Butchers fought back to level, before a win in the final game restored the lead and the win to the top flight pair.
Hit n Hope, currently languishing at the foot of Divsion One, had to battle all the way against Chunky and Chunkier – who are chasing the second division title.
Hit n Hope, despite giving away points, took the first two ends, but the Chunkies won the next two. However, they had to give way in the last game as H and H came from behind to take both game and match.
Meanwhile, Seriously Adrift and South Holland have one point each with three to play for in their unfinished tie.
In round two, Bladerunners face another tough match against either South Holland or Seriously Adrift. Old rivals meet once again in the tie between Hit n Hope and JAG and Ha’st face top opposition in Defenders, while Lone Sharks v Insidious is another cross division battle. Ties to be played on February 8.