A week set aside for cup matches saw just eight matches played in the Spalding and District Table Tennis League (sponsored by Vital Recruitment).
With last year’s finalists in the Guardian Cup out, a fresh name will feature in 2016 – and three of the four matches were played, albeit with mixed results for the handicapper.
Can’t Move Won’t Move faced MatDuf, with the latter’s Stewart Duffill and Jonathan Matthews proving to be thorns in the handicapper’s side.
In the Guardian Cup, the result is less important than the score – so when a player plays above their ranking it can upset the handicaps. All four games went to form, but Duffill and Matthews both picked up more points than anticipated against the Movers number one and so swung the tie.
Not only did they win over the table 120-99 but they also received an extra point as well.
The Castle Sports versus Bourne Nightmayors clash was theoretically harder to call, with a top level player involved in an all-Division Two clash.
In the event, Sport’s Colin Vertigan won his games well but Dylan Taylor also scored smartly in his first singles, so 3-1 in games translated to a final score of 117-81.
Nightmayors’ additional handicap of 39 saw them edge through by three.
The third match between Young Guns and Mine’s a Pint went ahead, despite the former only having one player.
The games were shared and the Pinters trailed 64-46, but with the latter receiving no notice that Guns would be short despite having three players available, they put in a claim for the match to be awarded.
The committee met to discuss the matter – and decided to award the other games 0-33 with the best handicap likely, giving a 115-64 win to Mine’s a Pint.
The Pinters went on to play the Marylands Cup final which proved to be very tight indeed.
Playing off handicap to 31, they took a 2-0 lead before being pegged back in the doubles.
The third singles settled the match before Equinox won the dead rubber to leave Mine’s Pint winning 3-2.
However in games one and four all four ends had finished 31-30 so the result could easily have been 1-4.
Four league matches were also played, either in part or completely.
South Holland’s John Gilbert brought forward their match with Nets and Edges and took his two games to stretch their lead at the top.
Outsiders and Defenders completed their delayed match, replaying one game because of injury with Martyn Green replacing Jean White though losing out to Outsiders’ Keith Davey.
Green and Alan Fear won their other singles for a 3-2 win.
In Division Two, Skidlids brought their match forward with Hurricane Brothers, hence the fourth Guardian Cup being delayed.
In a hard match, Richard Matthews won both his, though he was pushed to five and four ends respectively.
But, with the Brothers taking the other singles it was the doubles, which also went all the way, proved decisive in a 3-2 win.
Castle Sport’s Vertigan also completed his remaining game in their league match with Nightmayors to give them a 3-2 win.
Finally Matthews (17) went through to the Roy Gibson semi-final with a 25-31 31-27 31-27 win over Guntars Briedes (17)
