At the halfway stage in the season, the Netts club stand within reach of an unprecedented treble in the Braintree Table Tennis League.

They currently lead in all three divisions, albeit precariously in division one after the defeat in their last match against Liberal A.

If they can stay there they will become the first club to win all the league’s divisions in one season.

Bocking United Services Club won four divisions in 1995 but the league then had five divisions so Netts’ achievement, if it comes off, would be unique.

Whether they can make it stick over the remainder of the season will depend on a number of factors.

Netts A’s fate is partly in their own hands and partly in the hands of others, notably two recent league debutants, highly ranked Chelmsford League players Mark Mulley at Rayne and Harry Chivers at Liberal.

Mulley has so far put in only one appearance but further outings would greatly boost Rayne A’s chances of landing their first title since 2005 after six years in the runners-up slot. As will further appearances by 2019 men’s singles champion Lee McHugh, who has played only three times.

Chivers is unlikely to lift Liberal B to the championship but his potential to upset the top two was illustrated by his two matches at the end of the first half of the season when he won his three singles against both Netts and Rayne, including victories over McHugh and his 2023 counterpart Paul Davison at Netts.

Netts themselves have not produced any unexpected rabbits out of the hat but have relied largely on the tried and tested Davison, James Hicks and Andy Holmes formula.

Aside from the possible appearances of top players in other sides – Omar Wasi and Kaung Htet Paing at Notley B are two further potential minefields – their success could depend on how often they are able to turn out their first-choice side.

The clash between the top two was a bit of a damp squib first time round as Rayne were only able to turn out two players, but that was balanced by Netts’ similar inability to occupy all the spaces on the scorecard against Rayne C. The second meeting between the two, on February 23, could be pivotal.

Liberal B and Rayne C finished the year in third and fourth places, higher than either might have expected, after good runs – Liberal ‘s four straight wins from the start of the season and Rayne’s unbeaten first six matches.

Sudbury Nomads’ fifth place is higher than many newly promoted teams achieve and they now look happily established in the top sphere.

Liberal C, who came up with them, have fared better than they expected. They have certainly not looked out of place in the top division.