Table tennis - A mixed final flourish for club

THE final two weeks of the North Herts Table Tennis League programme reflected the mixed fortunes of the Royston teams over the season. The best results were obtained in Division Two where the D team managed two 6-4 victories to finish in third place. Against Broadway D, Derek Clark won his three singles, Abigail Moore two and Larry Meriez one, while against fourth-placed Settlement Wrens there were two each and the double from Larry Meriez and Rob Vassallo plus one from Abigail Moore. The C team, however, could only record a 5-5 draw with Green Man D. Gordon Barnes and Haydn Gowan won two singles apiece and the doubles, then an 8-2 defeat at second-placed Broadway E with just two singles from Gordon Barnes to end up in a safe mid-table position. In Division Three, the E team finished on a winning roll with two more victories, the first a 7-3 win at Christchurch C with three singles from Andy Teemal and two each from Fred Bendall and Barry Sharp. They then recorded an 8-2 win over Broadway G thanks to two apiece and the doubles from Fred Bendall and Andy Teemal and three conceded by the two-player opposition. This ensured at least sixth place. In the Premier Division, despite two further defeats in the doubles the A team finished in eighth place to just avoid relegation. They lost 9-1 against leaders Bedwell A, with just a Paul Robertson single, and 8-2 against Settlement Hawks thanks to a single from Kevin Moore and a Moore/Malone. The B team recorded a 6-4 defeat against Arto's TT C, with Dave Bridge and Alf Mills winning two singles each They then wrapped things up with a creditable draw against Settlement Skylarks with a repeat from Bridge and Mills plus one from Simon Cockman. However, without a win all season they could not avoid bottom place and relegation.