JUNIOR BRITISH LEAGUE 10/11 FEBRUARY 2007

Last weekend the Chelmsford Girls Team travelled into the snows of the Midlands to compete in the final round of their Division 2 matches in the Junior British League held at the Aldersley Leisure Centre, Wolverhampton. Once again Laura Pyman was unable to play following a second major operation so the team consisted of the same three players that played in the first round at Stoke Fenton back in October and were looking to improve on their last position in the Division.

The first match was against St. Andrews B, the leaders and eventual winners. As in October Holly Stubbings was first on against Megan Sparrey, a player now only four places below her in the ranking list. After leading all the way through the first game Holly lost it 10-12 but then came back strongly to take the next three 11-5, 11-8, 11-9. After two close games against Stacey Furnival, the highest ranked player in the Division, Hannah Pitt was totally out classed in the third and in the following match Gemma Butler lost three straight to the oppositions number three, Sarah Russo who only lost one match all weekend. The next match was between Holly and Stacey which Stacey won three straight thus gaining revenge for her defeat back in October. Gemma and Hannah then both lost their matches three straight for a 1-5 team defeat.

In the next match against Cippenham B Hannah lost the opening match to Lindsey Armstrong in three and Holly overcame Rachel Farquhar 11-4, 14-12, 8-11, 11-4. After Gemma’s loss in the next match Holly again had to play the unpredictable attacking Lindsey for the umpteenth time this season. This time it went Lindsey’s way by a scoreline of 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8. Hannah then had a titanic battle with Catherine Hayes which she lost 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6 and with Gemma’s three straight defeat another match was lost 1-5. Cippenham B eventually became the Runners Up.

The last match on the Saturday was against Peniel B and Holly was feeling decidedly unwell. She scraped through the opening match against Rachel Anslow 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 but it was in this match that Hannah provided her best table tennis of the weekend. Despite making an absolute mess of the second game against Amy Wilkinson where she couldn’t get a ball on the table she ran out a 11-6, 2-11, 11-6, 11-6 winner. Gemma lost easily to Roseanne Cooke and Holly then had to play Amy. Taking the first game 14-12 she lost the second 12-10 after leading 10-6. By this time it was obvious that Holly was becoming more and more ill. Somehow she scrambled the third 11-9 and the only advice she could be given for the next game was stand at the end of the table and just push everything. It worked to the extent of 11-7. A draw was now the minimum. For a while it looked as though Gemma might get her first win against Rachel but she eventually lost in four. Could Hannah achieve a win over Roseanne for the team’s first win. The answer was yes with an emphatic 11-7, 11-6, 11-3 and some devastating cross court forehands for a 4-2 team win.

By the Sunday morning Holly’s cold had matured and she felt much better. The first match however was Hannah against Redland Bat’s Lucy Davison. Losing the first two games 4 and 2 Hannah was in with a chance of extending the match to at least four but succumbed 12 in the third. Holly was taken to four in the next match by the erratic Charlotte Airey, taking the first two 2 and 7 but losing the third 15-13 after pulling back from 10-6 down. No mistake with the fourth, 11-3. With Redland Bats having no third player Holly was back on the table after a five minute break. Her match this time was against the fast improving Lucy Davison, now ranked only one place below her. After taking the first two 11-9, 14-12 Lucy took the next 11-4. A fluctuating fourth eventually went to Holly when Lucy missed a forehand smash. With the two conceded games Chelmsford had achieved a second win by a score of 4-2. This win put Chelmsford equal on points at the bottom of the table with Peniel B and Waterside B but with a superior games difference over the other two teams. A draw in the last match would secure fourth place as Peniel B were not expected to beat Cippenham B

Holly’s opening game against Chloe Thomas of Waterside B, not in the Ranking List, was a real nail biter. Ebbing back and forth Holly finally won 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10. Hannah lost her match to Becky House three straight whilst Gemma lost 11-4, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11 to Katie Bradford after having chances to take it to a fifth game. After losing two of the last three matches between them Holly built up a two games to one lead over Becky House but lost the last two both to 8 for only her third defeat of the weekend. Gemma and Hannah lost their last matches for a 1-5 defeat. However Chelmsford finished fifth in the table above Peniel B on games difference and Holly second in the Averages table behind Sarah Russo.