The new Spalding and District Table Tennis League season got under way last week with some entertaining Moulton Shield action.
Five of the six scheduled matches were played, with most starting early.
Outsiders and Jokers was an all Division One tie – and was a ding-dong battle.
Outsiders took the first game in this competition played under the old scoring rules, with Jokers levelling straight away.
However, Outsiders then took the doubles in three ends and then won the fourth singles, also in three, needing two deuce ends in coming from behind.
Jokers scored a consolation second point in the final game.
Another top-flight match saw Kelvin Preville dominate the scoring for Underdogs.
He took the first game, before JDM pegged one back, but then led the doubles to retake the lead.
JDM pulled the match level in the fourth before Preville won the final game and the match.
The remaining three matches were cross divisional and, unsurprisingly, Division One came out on top each time.
Mine’s a Pint defeated Hurricane Brothers 4-1, but that doesn’t give credit to the Brothers.
Trailing by two after the first round of singles, they took the doubles in three ends and forced both the reverse singles to a deciding end.
Moulton SE were too strong for Rusty Nails, the rump of last year’s 200up, taking all five games, though they were pushed to a third end twice.
South Holland then aced Hit and Hope, a renamed Castle Sports, and went through with a whitewash.
The round two draw will be: Outsiders v Moulton SE, Underdogs v TNC, South Holland v Nets n Edges/Assassins and Mine’s a Pint v Deeping Lads, with matches to be played on or before October 23.
Holland’s John Gilbert then played two singles with mixed results against Outsiders in a match brought forward.
Both games went to the fifth with the first falling at deuce after coming back from two down, but he held on in the second.
