By Ron Fosker

Following Hedingham Lions’ example the previous week, Felsted RBL A have at last broken their duck in the Braintree Table Tennis League.

After 13 consecutive defeats since the start of the season, the division one newcomers secured a draw in their 14th match.

It came against Rayne C and was largely the work of Felsted’s captain Ian Butler, who won all his sets and joined his son Ashley to win the doubles.

He beat Vicki Stredder – in her first appearance of the season – and Simon Fleming in four games and Richard Whiteside in three.

Ashley Butler ensured the teams finished level with a commendable win over Whiteside at 11-8 in the fifth game.

The remaining matches in division one were all much more clear-cut.

The top two Netts A and Liberal A won 9-1 and 8-2 against Rayne D and Rayne A respectively.

Netts B continued their revival with a 10-0 win over Liberal B and have now taken 28 points out of the last 30.

James Mullane, James Hicks and Graham Farmer were on duty this time.

Black Notley A had their best win of the season, 9-1 over Rayne B.

The match marked Andrew Huckson’s first unbeaten evening in division one.

In division two, Sible Hedingham’s two players took the seven sets possible against Notley D while Notley B drew one point closer with an 8-2 win over Rayne E.

Liberal C called on Neil Freeman for only the second time this season and as with the first time his three singles helped them to a 9-1 win, in this case over Rayne F.

Notley C had a comfortable 8-2 win over Hedingham Lions while Notley’s D team drew with Nomads, for whom Richard Kemp won his three singles for the second match running. Division three leaders Rayne G had their work cut out to overcome their own H team 6-4 but chasing Felsted B could not take advantage.

They were held to a draw by Notley F where Adam Clift, playing up from the G team, won his three singles.

Arthur Geen won twice in that match and did so again back in his own Felsted C team in their 6-4 win over Notley H.

Paul Lombardi, beaten only twice this season, came perilously close to a third defeat in Rayne I’s 6-4 win over Notley G.

Matt Carter had him on the ropes in both the fourth and fifth games.

In a cracking game Lombardi saved a match point in the fourth game and three in the fifth before emerging 11-7, 8-11, 5-11, 15-13, 15-13.

Fourteen-year-old Kierlan Richards scored two good wins in Netts C’s 7-3 defeat by Notley I.

But he lost out 14-12 in the fifth to Alan Cook, who in turn was beaten by Slim Hardy.