While the well-established Netts A team won the division one title, it was two new teams that took the honours in the second and third divisions of the Braintree Table Tennis League.

Sudbury Wanderers, winners of division two, were in their third season in the league and division three winners Finchingfield A in only their second.

Both dominated their divisions. Wanderers were 40 points clear, while Finchingfield, the only team in the three divisions to win all their matches, were 29 points ahead.

Wanderers improved from third last year to first, having been promoted from division three in their first season.

The nucleus of their team has remained the same, the duo of Ian Shrubsole and Louise Hartshorn remaining with them throughout the three years.

Both improved their averages impressively this year, Shrubsole from 71 per cent to 81 and Hartshorn from 67 to 78. They were backed up by new signings David Hitchen, 74 per cent, and Colin Moss, 72.

The race for second place was the closest in the league, only three points separating three teams. In the end, Rayne E just sneaked home, one point ahead of Black Notley D.

Rarely can a team have relied so much on one player. Of Rayne E’s 123 points, Matthew Brown was responsible or half responsible for 77. He played in every match, won 59 singles and shared in 18 doubles wins.

In division three, Finchingfield split their resources after using 10 players last season. This time they added a B team and, more importantly to their title success, they signed on two highly experienced players for the new A team, Dave Punt, whose league experience goes back to the 1960s, and Peter Clark, who had been in the Netts C team that won division three in a canter three years ago.

Punt and Clark were joined in the A team by John Barrett, who had won 24 of his 27 sets last season. This time Barrett lost only twice, both to Sudbury Strollers’ mid-season signing Richard Fifield. Clark won 89 per cent, Punt 80 and Ray Bradford 61.

Strollers were heading comfortably for second place before Fifield joined their ranks but his 30 wins out of 30 cemented their position.

He was ably backed by George Berry, Peter Abbott, Geoff Barrett and Tim Matthews, giving the team a 19-point cushion over third-placed Notley G.