NEWTON Abbot Buzzards have opened up a 12-point lead at the top of the South Devon & Torbay Table Tennis League first division, following their impressive 8-2 victory over second-placed NA Eagles, Herbie Sage was unbeaten for the Buzzards.
George Haskell was man of the match for NA Batmen as they kept up their 100% record by beating Brixham Sharks 6-4. Halwell A climbed the table with a fine 9-1 victory at Brixham against the Trawlers, both Mick Mercer and Dave Wadling were unbeaten for Halwell A.
All five matches in Division Two ended with a 6-4 scoreline, emphasising how close things are in this division.
Top of the table NA Raptors had to work hard to defeat bottom side Dawlish Aces, Huw Darch dominant in the Raptors 6-4 victory. Another Colin Butterworth maximum helped keep up Grove Guerrillas’ challenge at the top and NA Ravens made it four wins in four as they saw off Torbay Academy 2 thanks to an excellent maximum from Mike Dummett.
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Two Ian Saxby maximums and reserve Issy Brown, stepping up a division, with five wins from six, saw Brixham Pirates climb up the table as they first defeated Taverners and then went on to beat Halwell B.
Torbay Academy 4 lead the third division, Matt Laws and Ionel Ichim were undefeated as the Academy 4 side beat NA Harriers 8-2.
Andy Harris was in fine form for Torbay Academy 3 as they came away from Brixham Gulls with a narrow 6-4 victory and remain in second place. Climbing the table fast as they catch up with their fixtures Torre Vikings whitewashed Torbay Academy 5. Steve Russell and Bill Keywood were joined by Lewis Lavery from division four as the Vikings dominated in their 10-0 victory.
Peter Chadwick was unbeaten as his Dawlish Renegades defeated NA Kites 6-4.
Strong performances from the top two in Division Four keep things as they were. Leaders, Torre Spartans, with maximums from Robert Excell and Dylan Sadler, defeated Torbay Academy 6, 9-1 while second-placed Grove Tigers saw off Brixham Seals 8-2, Peter Daly and Jeff Cornish were undefeated for the Tigers.
An Aaron Southgate maximum helped Torbay Academy 7 defeat NA Vultures 6-4.
Full results:
Division One
NA Eagles 2-8 NA Buzzards
Brixham Trawlers 1-9 Halwell A
NA Batmen 6-4 Brixham Sharks
Division Two
Taverners 4-6 Brixham Pirates
Brixham Pirates 6-4 Halwell B
NA Raptors 6-4 Dawlish Aces
Torbay Academy (2) 4-6 NA Ravens
NA Falcons 4-6 Grove Guerrillas
Division Three
Brixham Gulls 4-6 Torbay Academy (3)
Dawlish Renegades 6-4 NA Kites
Torbay Academy (4) 8-2 NA Harriers
Torbay Academy (5) 0-10 Torre Vikings
Division Four
NA Vultures 4-6 Academy (7)
Grove Tigers 8-2 Brixham Seals
Torre Spartans 9-1 Torbay Academy (6)
40 points separate top and bottom in Division One, with the Buzzards winning five from five for 44 points whilst Brixham Trawlers are 0-3 on four.
NA Raptors meanwhile have five wins and a draw to their name to keep them flying high at the Division Two summit, Dawlish Aces bringing up the rear on 0-1-2.
Torbay Academy 5 are at the foot of Division Three with six defeats from six for 13 points, 24 less than the leaders Torbay Academy 4.
Finally, Torre Spartans lead Division Four with 45 points whilst NA Vultures are bottom on eight.