It is hard to decide which match produced the bigger upset in a week where JAGS and Barnet both excelled. Perhaps it is JAGS who ultimately deserve the head-line as they won by the greater margin. There can be little doubt that their 10-4 win over BATTS Team Peniel I was a superb all-round team effort. It was JAGS' first win of the season and they can rarely have played better.
For the old-fashioned amongst us who like our Table Tennis best when it includes long rallies away from the table this match was an absolute delight with some truly outstanding play by all eight players. A lean-looking Lorestas Trumpauskas took the Player-of-the-Match Award with three hard fought singles wins; the highlight being his 13-11 in the fifth end victory over John Holland. Likewise the battle royal between old rivals Joe Kennedy and Clive Carthy was quite outstanding with Clive nicking this one at 12-10 in the fifth. Perhaps the talking-point here (or should that be laughing point?) was a futile attempt by Clive to rescue a lost cause with three chopped returns. Who says he doesn't move? It wasn't John Holland's day as he also missed out 12-10 in the decider against an inspired Abdul Wuraola in the opening game. Ever the professiona,l John hit back in determined fashion with a 3-1 win over Carthy. Neil Charles was unable to match Trumpauskas but he scored twice with a decisive 3-1 win over a dispirited Wuraola and he rescued a 0-2 deficit to get the better of the inform Jerome Jonah.
Barnet's 9-5 win over Darlington again owed everything to team-work as none of their players