Division 2 Roundup - Week 17

The League schedule resumed this week, following the conclusion of the group stage of the Challenge Cup.
Four Division 2 teams made it through the groups.  Chackmore Hasbeens won all three in their group, albeit
the final one by just 6 points, to top their group, and they'll face Division 4 Greenleys Dukes.  Mursley Hawks
won both matches in their group of three to earn a spot against the only remaining Premier team, MK Topspin.
Little Horwood Wooden Tops won through in their group, and like Hasbeens, have Division 4 opponents in
Padbury Night Owls.  The final team to go through are Newport Pagnell Lagondas, whose group saw two
teams withdraw (including fellow Division 2 team, MK Blades), and so they also progress and get to play
Little Horwood Destroyers from Division 5.  Open University Shockwave did not enter & MK Blades had to
withdraw, meaning the two casualties in the groups were Greenleys Princes & Leighton Buzzard Spitfires.

Meanwhile, back in the League, this week saw the top three teams all win by similar margins, as the battle
for the two promotion spots rages on.  Leaders, Greenley Princes had the closest call, winning 6-4 against
fifth placed Leighton Buzzard Spitfires, for whom Barry Hammond won all his singles. Graham Silversides
also won one for Spitfires, beating William Egbuna.  However, William in turn defeated Andy King, whilst both
Saravana Kumar and Gary Viner won twice, with Saravana also teaming up with William to take the doubles
against Barry & Graham.  The final singles of the night, with the score 5-4 to Princes at that stage, almost saw
Spitfires grab a draw, as Andy was just edged out in a titanic five game battle with Saravana, but, Saravana
just held on at 11-8 in the decider, to snatch the win.

Second placed Newport Pagnell Lagondas took on seventh placed Open University Shockwave and they
emerged as 7-3 winners, to once again draw level with Princes at the top of the table.  Both the teams were
missing regular players, with Lagondas calling up Jim Brogan to join Mike Howard and Chris Horn, whilst
Shockwave were again without Charity Wong, with their trio being Charles Tien, Yifan Liu and Marcus Fung.
Individual honours went to Charles, who won all his singles, including a great fightback after being down in
the fifth to Chris, to snatch the decider 11-8.  However, Lagondas took all the remaining sets, as Chris, Mike
and substitute Jim all won twice, whilst Chris and Mike also took the doubles against Charles and Yifan.

Third placed Chackmore Hasbeens were facing sixth placed Little Horwood Wooden Tops, and kept pace
with the leading pair by winning 7-3.  Sam Willett won his three singles for Hasbeens, whilst Bub Burman won
twice and Andy Whitehead won once, with Bub abd Andy also collecting their usual doubles win against Paul
Reynolds and John Sharp.  For Wooden Tops, John won twice, and Paul won once, but John Cripps went
home empty handed.

The final match should have been eighth placed Milton Keynes Blades against fourth placed Mursley Hawks,
but Blades' problems getting a team together continue, and so a postponement was agreed.

With the top three all winning, it pulls them ever further ahead of fourth placed Hawks, as the battle for the top
seems to be down to Princes, Lagondas and Hasbeens, with just four points separating them, and just four
more League weeks to go, and is likely not to be decided until the last week or two.  The battle to avoid the
second relegation spot is almost as close, with Spitfires now two points ahead of Wooden Tops, who, in turn
are five points ahead of Shockwave, and again, it is likely to go down to the wire.

Players of the Week : Barry Hammond and Sam Willett.
 

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