The Nomads and Brotherhood Clubs are dominating the Clacton & District League’s Handicap Cup competition this season, with two teams from each club reaching the semi-finals.

The all-Division Two quarter-final between Nomads Tigers and Brotherhood F proved a nail-biter, the scores see-sawing throughout the evening. Brotherhood won four of the five matches which went the distance but it was the Tigers who, from 4-3 down, took the final two matches of the evening to emerge narrow 5-4 victors.

In a fine team effort, Tom Wilkin, Matt Sage (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance) and Alex Baldock each won one singles for the Tigers, with skipper Wilkin combining with his team-mates to take two of the three doubles played. 

Cup-holders Nomads Lions booked their place in the semi-finals by avenging a defeat in the Group stage by Brotherhood J, edging past their Second Division opponents 5-3. The match-score stood all 3-3 but Paul Hume and Ethan Lloyd pulled out the stops to take a singles win apiece to seal the deal for the Lions. Hume, who remained unbeaten on the night, was involved in the closest match of the contest, (on-6) beating the Brotherhood number one Joe Sherwin (+2) 11-7 in the decider.

In the only all-Division One tie, Brotherhood A ended the Windsor Club’s involvement in the competition this year with a 5-1 victory over the Hawks. The first two matches proved pivotal, Brotherhood’s Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young (-6) taking the opening doubles 11-6 in the fifth against Scott Campbell and John Barton (+2), and Daniel Young (-1) beating Andy Vincent (+2), also 11-6 in the fifth. Two singles wins for Gowlett, who remained unbeaten, and one for Gary Young secured the victory.

Division Two Brotherhood D are the fourth side in the semi-finals. They used their handicap advantages to good effect against club-mates Brotherhood C from Division One to win 5-0, Russell Stone, Kevin Pryor and Lily Liu the wining trio. Only one match went the distance, Liu (+1) defeating John Cleasby (-6) 11-5 in the fifth.

So the semi-finals will see two teams from each of the Brotherhood and Nomads clubs, with each club being represented by a First Division and Second Division team. Nomads Lions, the holders, will be aiming to become the first team in 40 years to win the cup in successive seasons, a feat last achieved by Great Holland A in 1985 and 1986. Meanwhile, Nomads Tigers, who played last season as Nomads Bobcats, will be hoping to go one better than last year when they finished as beaten finalists.

There still remains the prospect of an all-Division One final between the League’s top teams; or there could be an all-Second Division final for the first time since 2005; or it could be an all-Nomads or all-Brotherhood final. All will depend on the draw which will be made within the next few days.   

* Brotherhood A’s good week continued in Division One of the League when the same cup-winning trio of Young, Young and Gowlett inflicted a comprehensive 10-0 defeat on Walton A to move back to the top of the table. All the matches, except the doubles, were settled in three-straight, Gowlett and Gary Young defeating Mark Gale and Paul Meikle 11-7 in the decider.

Windsor Eagles took all four matches which went the distance to defeat Nomads Panthers 9-1. Gary Cattermole and John Pattrick both took hat-tricks, although it was 12-10 in the fifth for Pattrick against John Hatley and an even tighter 14-12 in the fifth for the same player against Kevin James. Hatley’s victory over Gavin Price in the opening match of the evening was the Panthers’ sole success.

The Panthers, playing with a reserve, suffered a second defeat, this at the hands of Windsor Hawks, Felipe Rodriguez, Andy Vincent and Scott Campbell each winning two in their 6-4 victory. For the Panthers, Denes Somodi won two and shared a 13-11 in the fifth doubles win with Gill Locke over Rodriguez and Campbell. Locke enjoyed a win over Rodriguez, but went down 11-4 in the decider to Campbell and 11-9 in the decider to Vincent.

Although Nomads Panthers remain a highly talented and much-respected outfit, these results may well signal the end of an era for a team which has ruled over Clacton League table tennis in recent seasons. The Panthers’ record of winning the First Division title for a record 12 years in succession from 2012-13 to 2024-25 is a proud one, and one which may stand for many years to come.

For the record, this week was the first time since the 2010-11 season, a season in which the Panthers finished mid-table, that a Panthers’ side has lost 9-1, and also the first time since then that they’ve lost two consecutive League matches.   

Just one match in Division Two saw Windsor Penguins defeat Windsor Harriers 7-3 for a second time this season. Barry Allen took all three of the Harriers’ points, his treble including an 11-3 in the decider win over Paul Woolnough and an 11-7 in the decider win over Kelvin Olano-Harper. However, two each for Olano-Harper, Woolnough and the improving Paul Stanton, plus an 11-8 in the fifth doubles win for Olano-Harper and Stanton over Allen and Isabel Barton, gave the Penguins a well-deserved victory.

Every player picked up at least a point as Brotherhood E edged past Walton C 6-4 in Division Three. Jack Hillier’s treble for Brotherhood included a 12-10 in the decider win over Lynette Sparks, while Tony Edmonds and Joe Hillier each won one, Hillier beating Adrian Sexton 11-9 in the decider. However, the doubles ultimately proved crucial, Joe Hillier and Rodney Betts getting past Sparks and Sexton 3-2 (13-11, 15-17, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10). For Walton, Sparks won two, and Sexton and Pallett one each. The two sides are now level in fourth place on 65 points.

Holland Lancasters and Windsor Falcons are also two closely matched teams, separated by just two points in the League, and so it was somewhat appropriate that their match finished all-square. Peter Evans recorded a hat-trick for the Lancasters and shared an 11-4 in the fifth doubles win with Dave Wright over Gary Barnes and Nikki Hayes. Dave Wright picked up the fifth Lancasters’ point. For the Falcons, there were two each for Barnes and Hayes, Hayes enjoying a fine 11-6 in the fifth victory over Wright, while there was a win on League debut for Windsor’s Josh Court.

But it was far easier for the Lancasters against a Nomads Ocelots’ team once again having to play with a guest, Evans, Wright and Tony Aresti taking it 10-0 for the Holland side.

* The closing date for this year’s Closed Championships is fast approaching. All entries must be in by Friday 20 March. The Championships, once again sponsored by Gary Cattermole and The Survey Initiative, take place on 11 and 12 April at the Lift School (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall.    

RESULTS

Handicap Cup: Round Two
Brotherhood A 5 Windsor Hawks 1
Brotherhood D 5 Brotherhood C 0
Nomads Lions 5 Brotherhood J 3
Nomads Tigers 5 Brotherhood F 4

League
Division One
Walton A 0 Brotherhood A 10
Windsor Eagles 9 Nomads Panthers 1
Windsor Hawks 6 Nomads Panthers 4
Division Two
Windsor Penguins 7 Windsor Harriers 3
Division Three
Brotherhood E 6 Walton C 4
Holland Lancasters 5 Windsor Falcons 5
Nomads Ocelots 0 Holland Lancasters 10